Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years. ~Simone Signoret

Sunset felt the warmth of the summer evening beneath her feet as the long grass brushed against her sandaled feet. The scenery was truly resplendent, she standing atop the hill as she looked down at the waters below, the sun slowly setting behind her back. As she looked down towards the shoreline, she could see the tiny shape of her daughter running about as the waves lapped gently on the sands, each wave splashing against her legs and delighting her endlessly, Ashley’s shrieks of laughter easily audible even far away.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and knew by the gentle pressure that it was Marc, he coming to a halt beside her and giving a sigh. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen her like this,” he remarked. “It’s a good thing we came out here today. Ashley needed to be a little girl again.”

“We’ve been too busy lately,” Sunset said. “It’s been a big transition.”

“I’ll find a job, don’t worry about that,” Marc said confidently. “We haven’t been here long, is all. It’ll get easier the more I look. Someone will want a veteran, right?”

“I’d feel better if I was working, too,” she replied. “I know you think I should finish school, but is this really where I should be?”

“I think so. And I want you to finish. We worked hard to get here.”

Sunset smiled, leaning against his shoulder as they watched their child frolic in the ocean waves. It was a blissful picture, a moment she had dreamed of for years upon years. The Iron War had prevented this for so long, but nothing could truly stop it. Marc had lived, and he was home. Her world was whole again. She turned to face him, to feel his lips upon hers-

An empty space existed where Marc had been, where she had felt him. No longer did his arm settle against hers, nor did she lean against his shoulder. He had disappeared into the void, like he had never been there. For a time she floundered until a small flash of memory from a lost space within her mind reminded her: Marc had not yet returned. This was not real. It was a dream.

And so she awoke. Sunset reached out for the emptiness in her bed, hoping the broken dream had merely been an awakening into another, where her husband had not yet left her. She found nothing beside her, no weight or presence. She was alone in her bed, in her room where the night was still moving steadily. Slowly, on unsteady feet, she looked out into the night and saw no moon in the sky; the sun would be up soon, if she was to make a guess. Should she try to go back to sleep and wake when the morning had truly come? She closed her eyes and the fragments of her dream returned to her, so painfully real that she felt her whole body shudder. A small kick in her stomach and she looked down at her unborn daughter. “Mommy’s alright, little girl,” she whispered. “Don’t worry.”

Sunset sighed and grabbed a nearby book, flipping on the light as she began to read until the dawn came. With the dream still so close by, she feared to sleep.

There was a knock on the bedroom door as Sunset continued to brush away the wrinkles on her dress, and perhaps convince herself the pregnancy bulge was not as massive as she imagine it to be. The knock came again before she realized it had even occurred. “What’s up, AJ?” she called. “You can come in.”

“You alright? You’ve been in here a while,” AJ said, pushing the door open gently and giving a smile at the sight of her friend. “It’s not long now, is it?”

“It can’t come soon enough,” Sunset said. “Every time I look in the mirror I feel fat.”

“You’re pregnant, ah’m pretty sure you’re supposed to get a little big,” Applejack said with a laugh.

“Ugh, you know what I mean. I feel like an overstuffed sofa,” Sunset replied. “I’m sorry, I know I’m keeping us from going. Gimme just a second to grab my phone.”

“You sleeping alright, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. “I woke up about five and saw your light was on. Was wonderin’ if everything was OK.”

The dream flashed again in her mind and Sunset stiffened. “I’m fine, Applejack. Really, just couldn’t really sleep. It’s been like that ever since the first trimester ended.”

“Hmm…” Applejack scrutinized her friend with suspicion, shrewd enough to know the whole truth wasn’t being told. “If you say so,” she said lowly. “You want me to drive?”

“Yes, that’d be great.”

The two women drove into the city, Applejack’s two-week visit now in its tenth day. It had been a welcome reprieve from the solitary waiting Sunset had endured the first few months, and it had been so long since they had last seen one another. However, with no contact from Marc since over a week ago, Sunset found herself worrying more than ever. If he was in combat, as she had guessed, it could be some time until she heard from him again. To Sunset, each day had come to feel like a week.

“You need to eat, ya know,” Applejack remarked, taking note of Sunset’s nigh untouched plate. “Not just for your baby girl, but for you, too. Do you even hear me, Sunset?”

“Huh?” Sunset’s reverie was broken and she immediately felt guilty. The meal was Applejack’s treat, and the establishment was superb, it wasn’t fair to keep fading away like this. “I’m sorry. Yes, you’re right.”

“Why don’t you just say what’s bothering you rather than letting it eat at ya?” Applejack asked drily, watching eat bite her friend took. “Ah get you’re used to holding the fort down while Marc’s gone, but letting it chew you to bits can’t be good for you.”

Sunset sighed, taking another bite of her omelet. “I know, just- AJ, do you ever worry about your brother when he’s gone? It’s just the same thing; I wish Marc was back already.”

Applejack’s mouth tightened. “Big Mac… doesn’t say much anymore,” she said. “He stopped talking to me and Apple Bloom about a year ago, just a bit after he came back the last time. Like he was ashamed of something and didn’t want to see us. Maybe a call or two in between, but only maybe.”

Sunset’s thoughts drifted to conversations with her husband, the stories he had told during his therapy sessions. If Big Mac had been there with him, it was likely the ghoulishness of his experiences that hindered him. “Do you think he hates you or something?”

“Ah don’t know, Sunset. He’s not the same brother Ah knew before he left. He’s changed.”

“Of course he is. Big Mac went to war, that’s hardly a light task to deal with.”

“Ah know. Just- just didn’t think anything could faze Big Mac,” AJ said. “Ah hope he comes back to Sweet Apple Acres when it’s all over. Ah don’t wanna run that place on my own anymore.”

Though the winter sun was bright as it shone through the nearby window, the light had been sucked out of the day as their conversation had continued, leaving the world grey and cold to the eye. Sunset hastily finished her meal and pushed the plate aside. “You wanna get out of here?”

“Yeah.”

They had returned to the installation before too long, a heavy cloud cover rolling in from the west and turning the November day from chilly to frigid. With no real desire to explore or relax elsewhere, the two women found no reason to stay out any longer.

When they settled into warmer quarters, the TV was turned on, the screen inevitably turning to coverage of the Iron War, as the whole world watched the last vestiges of the Crystal Empire fade away on bated breath. It had been a long, unforgiving conflict, with more lives lost than any had ever dared to imagine. Just to see it end would be an answer to the prayers of billions.

“As you can see, I am here in the town of Girgiu, the battle for control of this city having only ended a few hours ago. As the 82nd Airborne continues to eliminate the capital city’s supply chains, the chokehold on Bucharest and King Sombra’s regime will only grow tighter, until the Crystal Empire finally suffocates,” the reporter said, standing before a ravaged town of battered buildings and bombed-out roads. “The Coalition’s hopes are that by surrounding the capital and putting it to siege, perhaps a surrender can be achieved, rather than continuing the conflict.”

Sunset and AJ waited on bated breath. Though it was not Marc’s unit, perhaps the location would switch and they would catch a glimpse of him. A mere sight, proof that he was alive, was all that Sunset asked for.

“Ah can’t imagine what they’re doing over there,” Applejack murmured. “Are they having to kill everyone they see, or are people just giving up at the sight of them?”

“I don’t know,” Sunset replied, hoping she wouldn’t see footage of Marc in combat. She knew he had taken lives before, but she felt no desire to see it in action.

The screen flickered to a map of the Crystal Empire, highlighting the various units that were moving across the territory. With the 101st Airborne moving towards Bucharest, the 82nd further south, the Marines moving from the former Russian border… He’s in the north, Sunset realized. 3rd Infantry has to be up north. He’s away from the main conflict, but what are they doing up there?

The answer was so obvious she could hardly imagine why it hadn’t clicked immediately. They’re searching for Discord.

A jingle erupted and both women jumped, both heavily focused on the screen before them-

“Jeez- sorry, that’s me,” AJ said hurriedly, extracting the ringing phone from her pocket. “It’s Apple Bloom. Give me a minute, sorry.” She was gone down the hall to find privacy before Sunset could say it was perfectly fine.

She found herself alone to her thoughts again, staring at the TV as she hungered for a sight of her husband. There seemed to be no interest in his part of the conflict, all the focus on the final assault of the Imperial capital. Please, anything. Just a simple word on how they’re doing. The longing for him had grown to the point of painful, Sunset’s loneliness radiating from within her. There was no reprieve from her solitude, not until he returned at last. The thought only deepened the wound.

A green notebook flashed in her mind and Sunset stood up instantly. Marc’s notebook, his gift to her before he’d left! Hadn’t he left it for moments like this? It had sat upon her nightstand for so long now that she had almost completely forgotten it even existed. It was the perfect time to see its contents.

Sunset quietly crept by the kitchen, trying to do her best to allow Applejack a private conversation. As she slid into her room, she closed the door behind her before making a rush to the book and tearing it open as though it contained the answers to the great mysteries of existence-

Sunset stared at her own face. She gave a start, at first uncertain as to what she was looking at. But then the lines became clear in her eyes, the faded marks where mistakes had been erased, the soft streaks where the lead had gently been pressed against the paper.

He drew me. He’s been drawing me. Marc, where did you learn to do this?

Sunset could only marvel at the work before her. Each picture she filtered through was more beautiful than the last, his skill and talent growing with each sketch. No matter what page she turned to, the focus of his work was abundantly clear. A simple drawing of her in her wedding dress. A picture from their childhood, she wearing the dress he had bought her for Christmas. She standing in a field, wings of fire radiating into the sky. She sleeping peacefully, a smile on her lips. Over and over again, a talent developed and mastered in utmost secrecy until the time was right. As she turned to the final page, she found his untidy handwriting now greeting her.

Sunset,

I started this journal so I could have a reminder of why I wanted to get better. Instead of writing down the reasons, I found myself thinking of you instead. Your eyes, your hair, your smile. I had my reasons, but I didn’t think words were enough. I hope this works instead.

In case you ever feel alone, know my every thought when I am gone is of you.

Her tears fell unbidden, she hardly able to see. It must have taken him so long to do this, each mistake a frustration for him. But he had persevered because of her, for her. It was a gesture so meaningful that Sunset could hardly believe someone loved her so deeply. She held the notebook tight against her, praying that her feelings would radiate forth and protect him.

Suddenly, as though in response, a horrid, unrelenting panic swept over her like a tidal wave and she found herself trembling. Something’s wrong. He’s in danger, he’s hurt. He’s going to die, he’s already dead! Marc, please! Something is wrong, please run!

Pain beyond words. A hideous, merciless pain seized her whole body until her very breath was stolen away from her lungs. Sunset doubled over, struggling to stand and she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. She stumbled to the door, clumsily pushing it open as another wave of pain wracked her body.

Applejack walked out of the kitchen with phone in hand, giving a sigh. “Well, ah may need to head back early, actually. Apple Bloom was telling me-” She caught sight of Sunset. “Oh my gosh- Sunset!”

Sunset gave a faint cry as a third, unpitying, devastating quake of pain ravaged her and she collapsed to the ground, so wracked was she that to move was impossible. She could feel hands upon her as Applejack tried to help, the pounding of feet against the hard floor, but her mind floated away towards distant shores, the pain and terror engulfing her mind until the whole world went white before her eyes.

Something is wrong.

The trio of men stood silently as they watched the screens before them. The footage was murky, flickering between qualities as the connection dropped over and over. The drone was flying low, an easy target if it was to be shot down. No one spoke a word, all silently praying that the gambit was to be worth it. If the tipoff was correct, then the world was about to change forever…

“Take it in again. The house right by the lake, do a low sweep.” The drone pilot, in a clean, air-conditioned room on the other side of the world, obeyed the command from the Squadron Commander. “Zoom it in. They’re moving inside right now.”

A group of four men, all heavily armed, snuck towards the entrance of the building. One seemed to gaze up in the sky, perhaps hearing the light hum of the drone’s engine overhead. The drone buzzed away, fleeing from the sight of its targets.

“Was it enough?” Cpt. Armor asked.

“We wait and see, Captain,” the Squadron Commander replied. “Might be a few minutes. Intel has to confirm it first, and then send it our way.”

The wait was agonizing, each minute a torturous agony. Slowly time pressed on, taunting those who waited on bated breath. Surely it could not be real. It was too easy, too simple. To find him like this after all these years with barely a sighting…

A phone rang and the Squadron Commander was on it instantly. He spoke quietly to whoever was on the other line, his words hurried and hushed. With one simple movement, he turned to Cpt. Armor and gave a nod.

“Holy shit,” Big Mac breathed.

“Wake the Troop,” Cpt. Armor said, turning to Marc. “Assault pack with only basic necessities. Grab water, ammo, and one MRE for each man. Be ready for debrief whenever.”

Marc nodded and ran out of the basement, rushing up the stairs and taking three steps at a time. Throwing himself down the hall, he saw the lights on in the sleeping area, hearing voices talking excitedly until he appeared in the doorway and the world fell silent as all eyes rested upon him.

Marc gave a simple, singular nod. “It’s Discord. We’re going in.”

Author's Notes:

Yes, it really is Discord. Yes, foreshadowing has occurred.
Yes, it's about to get very bad.

Comments and corrections below. Enjoy the ride.