---

“I knew at a later time that you were reading my letters. When Spitfire came back, she told me that you will get the message. But, I never heard anything from you, so I didn’t know if she was lying or telling the truth.” Night Light concluded.

“I’m sorry. I never got the chance to write back immediately, and I am sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry like that.” I firmly planted a kiss on her cheek to prove it. She still looked troubled, so I put my hoof under her chin. “... You’re not upset, are you?” I asked.

“Not anymore... but, I was convinced for a while that you were dead. And that was why you never wrote back.” Night Light gazed at the horizon, the sun now set and the moon gleaming its pale light on both of us. It was getting late.

“I was constantly being threatened with a Changeling attack. There was always one thing or another going on where I was. And it was a cold and cruel place, I remember.”

“Can you explain how, specifically?” Night Light asked. "If you don't want to, I understand-"

“No, it's fine. I put you up to this anyway, so I might as well indulge." I cleared my throat. "I meant that in the most literal sense when I said it was a cold place. When I was first deployed, I was assigned to a Pegasi Land Division: ‘Cloudsdale’ was our name. We were to be deployed in the Ruby Mountains…”

---

I was sitting in the back seat of a Jackalope transport truck, on our way to the frontline. My training was finally finished about a week ago, but I was deployed in Whinnyapolis, so it took some time to actually get to the frontline. We’ve been in this same truck, cramped together for days now. I and about ten to twenty other ponies were sitting together in this truck, each of us clearly anxious. The driver signaled earlier today before we departed that we should be there by mid-afternoon.

It’s been a few hours since then, and all the while, we heard a familiar buzzing noise from overhead. Large amounts of aircraft, moving towards and away from the front, were constantly buzzing overhead. The ponies shifted in their bench seats, clearly nervous about their new fate. Some even looked downright terrified, Hyperventilating as the aircraft continued to fly overhead. I closed my eyes, leaving me to my thoughts to pass the time. I kept thinking all of these questions: Where are we going? Who else will be there? How many will be there? What will happen afterward? Some of these questions I already knew the answer to. My mane was suddenly tingling, and standing on end. I couldn’t help but feel - not think, but feel - that something bad was about to happen.

The truck’s loud engine was all of the sudden muffled by a larger sound from a distance. We couldn’t see anything; a Tarp had covered the back seat benches of the Jackalope, preventing us from seeing anything outside, except to our rear. But we heard a large explosion coming from the front of a truck. Actually, we heard multiple explosions. Each of them got louder as the truck continued its course. We were very close now.

I could feel some of the ponies shivering and shaking next to me. I was shaking myself, but not because of how afraid and anxious I was.

But because of how fucking cold it was.

When we were in ponyville stopping for a moment of rest, everything was temperate and warm. That was just 2 days ago. Now, we can see our breaths and we were all shivering in this cramped truck.

“Why is it so fucking cold all of a sudden?” I barely heard one of the ponies asked over the constant rumbling of the engine.

“Because we’re close. The frontline is not far now.” I heard another pony answer. I saw a tiny white flake drift in front of my vision, disappearing just as fast before I got a good look at it.

Winter. It was either artificially placed by Pegasi, or it had arrived a little earlier this year. Either way, it did not bode well.

Another half-hour passed. The sounds we heard at a distance were getting even louder now. No more planes were buzzing overhead. There were just sounds of distant explosions ahead.

Then the truck stopped.

The ponies in the seats were staring at each other, all of them wondering why we stopped, especially in such cold weather. Did the truck bog down? Did we run out of fuel? Was the driver dead? To our rear, we could see other Jackalopes closing in behind us, each of them carrying more troops. When they got close, they stopped as well.

“Alright, Everypony out!” the driver yelled over the idle engine, which was pale in comparison to how loud the gunfire and explosions were now. They were unbelievably close. We must be near the frontline. One by one, the ponies stood up to their hooves, ducking their head in this claustrophobic space of the truck, hopping out through the back. I followed behind, walking ever so slowly to the back and hopping out.

And then I saw what the noise was.

We were standing beneath a very high mountain. I saw multiple white flakes drift down to the ground, my breath clearly visible in the air. At the base of the mountain, I saw a line of artillery guns continuously firing away to the west. Further down along the mountain, I saw flashes of light and tracers flying back and forth of each other.

We were at the frontline.

I looked ahead of the truck to what made it stop. I saw a road, leading higher and higher toward the peak of the mountain. There was also a checkpoint that was blocking our path. An equestrian roadblock, no doubt.

“Ponies! AttenSHUN!” A stallion barked, making me spastically trot my way to a makeshift line that other ponies have formed, wearing the same uniforms as I was. Another pony, this one clearly different from the others, trotted into view, walking back and fro in front of us, inspecting us. He was wearing a specially made uniform, with multiple medallions and ribbons on his chest. He had to be an officer of some kind.

“Everypony, your humble abode: Welcome to The Ruby Mountains!” Instinctively, everybody looked up towards the mountain peak, admiring its height and might. "My name is Lieutenant Baker, I am your Battalion Officer. Here are your orders as instructed by the Division Commander!"

He pulls out a slip of paper and reads it aloud in a bellowed voice for all to hear.

“You’re now assigned to the 3rd Equestrian Army, just south of the Shire River, and in this mountain. I hope you like snow because you’ll be seeing a lot of it. Your division is stationed at the top of that mountain, and yes, you heard me right: Atop the mountain.”

The ponies eyed each other nervously. Clearly, being atop a giant mountain was not what they had in mind when they were on their way to the frontline. “You are a part of the ‘Cloudsdale’ Pegasus Division. And your battalion's callsign is ‘Apples.’ Corporal Smiley will be your CO.”

The corporal in question didn’t reply. He stood still, facing forward as the officer continued to talk.

“From now on, everypony in this truck you are in his squad. And from now on, you will refer to him as your Commanding Officer. Do you Understand?"

“Yes, Ma'am!” each of the foot soldiers yelled simultaneously.

“Alright then - we’ll be taking the trucks and driving our way up the mountain road until we get to the command bunker atop. There will be trenches and bunkers facing to the west, Occupy them as soon as you disembark. Understand?” Baker asked again.

“Yes, Ma'am!” we replied. With that, turned and walked toward the driver. “When I give the say so, get to the top, and drive easy. Winter has arrived, and it’s slippery up there.”

“Got it.” the driver answered back cooly.

“Alright, everyone on, clear the roadblock!” Baker yelled, waving his hoof around and signaling us to get a move on. We each broke from the line and embarked the cramped Jackalope once more. It was easier for me, I just had to hover up and sit down in one of the benches. For the others though, some who weren’t pegasi were struggling to get on. Eventually, though, everyone was on board, and the engine roared to life once more.

---

The road trip lasted for about 40 minutes, each minute passing by getting more and more colder than the last. Yet, it was also, metaphorically, hotter at the same time. The rapid gunfire became more frequent and louder. The artillery pounds away its targets as the battle continues. We were all a nervous wreck, huddling close to each other for warmth. Some were shivering very intensely, their uniforms looking ill-fitted for winter. Mine was more snug and warm. It covered my entire body, even my rear hooves and my flank, blocking my cutie mark. At the ends of my hooves, there were black rubber caps encasing the hoof entirely, keeping the snow and cold air out. The only part of my body exposed was my face, neck, and wings.

Some ponies weren’t so lucky with their uniforms. Some were just wearing a standard ‘front hooves’ uniform. Thy only covered the torso, and the front pair of hooves, leaving their flanks and lower torso exposed to the chilling weather.

When we arrived at the top, we came to a halt when we were inside some sort of heavily fortified command outpost. We each disembarked again, and I managed to get a good look around me. There were Artillery batteries about 30 meters away from where I was standing, and a group of ponies on each gun operating them, yelling coordinates and statistics to each other.

"Girdref 175! High Explosive!" A pony barked, as the crew got to work loading the battery. I trotted along with the others as they moved closer towards the center of the complex when three of the Artillery Gun's barrels elevated upward. "Distance to target is set to 2500. Salvo of three shells is requested!"

"Loaded!"

"FIRE!" Another pony bellowed, as the three guns one-by-one unload their ordnance with rapid succession.

I felt the shockwave of the blast encompassing me, the sound almost deafening my ears. It actually felt painful to listen. I knew I was gonna have to stay away from the guns if I didn't want to go deaf.

“Everypony, inside. Let’s get out of this cold.” Baker ordered, to which we gladly complied. Upon entering the building (which was a 2 story bunker with a radio antenna) we were greeted a sight of a very large table, with the whole map of Equestria. The table had a steel outline, with bolts fixed into it. The table was bolted into the ground.

The map In question had a very detailed look of the front lines. So many different markers, tabletop plastic pieces of ponies and Changelings with tiny white tokens under each of these plastic pieces. There was a hoof-drawn line stretching from the northern mountains of the Crystal Empire, stretching all the way across the Shire River that divided rural and urban Equestria into two. The Changelings had advanced across almost the entire western half of Equestria with staggering speed.

There was a mountain range that stretched horizontally from the western edge of Equestria near Vanhoover, going all the way to the east just a few hundred kilometers short of Fillydelphia. About a fourth of this colossal mountain range was already conquered, the line separating the ponies and Changelings splitting the Ruby Mountains in half.

“Right, gather ‘round,” Baker spoke, each of us slowly forming a circle around the map. Soon, Baker made space intent for one more pony.

But it wasn’t, in fact, a pony. It was a griffon.

“Ponies, this is Scnd. Lieutenant Razor Claw. He is the CO of your division. He will be relaying our battle plan to your lot, so listen carefully.” With that, Baker gestured a hoof towards Razor, who turned his eyes toward the map.

“Right, ponies, we are here. At objective ‘Alicorn’. That is the mountain peak that we have currently sunk our teeth into. Objective ‘Buck’ and ‘Crystal’ are a different story.” Razor pointed a claw at 2 mountains. "Objective Buck is currently contested by changeling forces. The whole mountain range is heavily fortified, both on our side and on the Bug’s, so an attack on either side will be costly. And Objective Crystal belongs to the changelings entirely. So basically; we have A, they have C, and there is a tug of war going on at B right now."

The griffon pointed another claw (or finger) at a small valley at the bottom of the 2 contested mountains. “This small valley has been scouted, and reports say that there are no changeling fortifications or FOBs down there at all. We have an opportunity to flank behind Buck and pinch the fortifications on that mountain from both sides. If the operation goes well, Buck will be ours, giving us a lot more breathing room.

“Currently, Operation Ursa has not commenced yet. Once we regained control of the mountain, the rest of the offensive will begin to the south, and we will gain access to a strategic Railway hub to help ferry supplies up to us. Not only that, but we will be able to secure valuable crystal mines that litter this range. We take that back, we deprive them of a strategic resource.”

The ponies around me didn’t say anything, they all studied the map, looking at everything they can look at.

“The operation will commence in 2 months. Plenty of time to get used to the never-ending snow. Barracks are on the northern side of the base. You are ordered to stay at this position and defend it. No offensive movement will commence until 2 months. Understand?” the griffon sharply asked.

“We got it, Razor. I’ll keep them in check.” Baker replied.

“Alright, you’re dismissed.”

---

"Nothing really happened for a while after that," I explained to Night Light, "I remember spending most of my time getting acclimated to the elements and having to find a way to stay warm most of the time. There was the occasional firefight here and there, but nothing interesting really happened as I said."

"I wish I could say the same... What was life like out there?" Night Light questions

"Boring. Very boring. But sometimes, an interesting thing can happen."

---

A couple of days have passed since I arrived. I was sitting alone in a dug-out foxhole, my eyes glued to the west. I was given Sentry duty and was instructed to 'shoot any bug that moves'. No changeling was to get past my position, and I am not to move from my spot until someone switches me out.

I was leaning over the Machine Gun with my hooves and was glazing my eyes around me, admiring the scenery. I saw the overcast sky, not too far above us considering how high up we are, as snow silently falls down. A gale howl was blowing across the mountainside, sending shivers all along my body.

Snowy footsteps were heard behind me. I turned my head, fast enough to hurt my neck, only to find a Unicorn levitating a tiny metal box trotting towards me.

“Courtesy from Chef Lavender. Some Hay with veggies.” She levitated the small box towards me, allowing me to grab it in mid-air.

“Thanks, Raisin.” was all I replied. I opened it and looked at the contents inside. There wasn’t much. Just like she said, hay with veggies. “Not a lot of variety to it, huh?”

“It’s filling.” She sat next to me, pulling out her own metal lunchbox from her satchel. “Definitely better than eating snow. Or nothing at all. Too bad its cold.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” I munched on a small pile of hay. Bland and tasteless, but it was still food. She was right on that note at least, it is better than nothing. At least the veggies were healthy.

“You see anything yet?”

“No. Nothing but snow and ice.” The machine gun that was in the foxhole was already loaded and ready to shoot. All we needed now were some changelings to shoot at.

“Fucking tits, it’s cold.” The unicorn mare muttered.

“It’s not too bad. Not for me at least.”

“That’s because you’re a pegasus. Lucky you.”

“Well, you don’t need to be a pegasus to be warm. A fire or good clothing can do that.”

“Oh yeah, brilliant idea. Where am I going to get some firewood?" She extended both her forehooves out to emphasize the endless amount of snow around us. And also the lack of trees. "And this uniform is shit anyways. I wish those replacements would get here sooner, like what you have. I heard they were crafted by Rarity herself.”

“Rarity? The element of Generosity?” I asked in bafflement.

“Yeah. Rumor has it that she is making all of the uniforms now. Created them, perfected them, then mass-produced them. That’s the magic of industry for you.”

My ears flicked. Loud noises were suddenly emitted from the outpost behind us. I turned to look and saw ponies scrambling around, barking orders at one another. It seemed like they were preparing for something.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“There’s a special guest arriving soon.” She idly remarks, focusing on her food.

“Who?”

“The Field Marshal; commander of all the generals supposedly. She's coming to check on how things are holding up.”

I silently continued to watch the chaos back at the base. Everyone was yelling orders, and moving things around. After a while, I begin to notice a shape in the east, flying from the sky.

“Wow. She really did come all the way from Canterlot.” Raisins exclaimed.

“Canterlot?” Now I was curious. Who could possibly be coming from Canterlot, of all places?

The shape was getting closer, and eventually, I could make out what it was. A Skywagon, pulled by four Thestral pegasi. The Skywagon was beautifully decorated, painted in a deep azure and violet blend with Golden stars and a pale white Crescent moon.

The Skywagon slowed down as it approached the base. It flew gracefully amidst the cold winter wind, and when it was directly over the base, it stopped and hovered in place. And slowly, it began to descend down.

I got a closer look at the ponies pulling the skywagon. They were definitely Batponies: their black scaly wings and slitted pupils were visible in broad daylight.

The Skywagon touched down, and for a split second, there seemed to be total silence. Until the side doors of the Skywagon ceremoniously split open, revealing a midnight-hued Alicorn.

“Princess Luna!?” I stared at her with my mouth hung wide open.

“Mhm. That’s the Field Marshal.” That was all Raisins said. Unphased by the ordeal.

Shortly after, Second Lieutenant Razor Claw walked out of the command bunker and skimmed at Princess Luna with a small hint of surprise etched on his face. He gave her a formal bow, which Luna returned gracefully. They began to talk, though I could barely hear what they say.

Both Razorclaw and Luna eventually trotted inside the command bunker, disappearing from sight.

“You didn’t know Luna was a Warrior Princess?” Raisins Asked. "'A good leader will guide their Soldiers during a conflict. A great leader guides their soldiers on the front.' She is especially sentiment towards that mindset.”

“She was the field marshal this whole time?”

“Not the whole time. She replaced Blueblood originally. He was there at Acornage, Vanhoover, Tall Tales, and at Galloping Gorge. She was there at everything else after that.”

A knot of sadness gripped my heart.

I turned around back to the West and gripped the Machine gun once more, watching the western horizon for anything else that intended on visiting this outpost.

---

"You saw Princess Luna?!" Night Light asked in amazement.

"Only very briefly, but yes. I saw her with my own eyes."

"I never had the chance! What was she like? Did her mane really flow like they said it did?" She bombarded me with question after question, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

A small chuckle escaped as I tried to answer each of them. "Well, she was... Graceful; Intelligent; Diligent; And not to mention Beautiful." I paused, and I saw Night Light waiting with anticipation. "And yes, her Mane did flow as they said-"

"I KNEW IT!" she shouts. "HAH! I knew those haters in flight camp were just jealous of her Mane!"

She suddenly stops herself, her cheeks burning red. "Uh..." she flusters.

I giggled again, pulling her in for a premature embrace from behind. "You're cute when you do that, have I told you that?"

Though I couldn't see it from my position, I could definitely feel her pouting scowl. "... Only when I want to."

I smiled at that response. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"A lot, yes, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again every now and then."

I could feel her smile, too. It was infectious.

"Well, in that case, I love you again... How's that?"

"Hm... Better." she coyly answers, stroking my hooves wrapped around her gently.

"Hey, Sunshine?"

"Hm?"

"... When did you get my letter? Was it after you deployed?"

"... Yeah, that's right; I was in the Ruby Mountains still. Did you get mine afterward?"

"Mhmn. I did..."

There was a pause, both in our movements and in the idle sounds I heard in my peripheral hearing. For an infinitesimal moment, everything was frozen still.

"... But that was the last one... You never replied after that." Night Light continued.

"... I know."

"For seven years... Seven years, Sunshine. I... thought I lost you." she chokes up. I stroked her mane with a free hoof as I kissed it.

"I'm sorry." I pathetically replied... I knew it wasn't enough.

But her words still caught me off guard.

"... Why? How come I've never heard from you again?"

My hooves stopped stroking.

In an instant, my throat suddenly seized up and my heart began to throb painfully in my chest.

"... Sunshine?"

... It wasn't ever enough, I know it. And I know she deserves to know...

... And yet.

"... Your heart's beating fast." Night Light mentions. "Are you okay?"

It took me a little while of calming down.

Deep breath in; Deep breath out.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I lied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, promise."

Night Light didn't indulge any further. And she didn't press me about the letter any further too.

I wasn't grateful for it, though. I only felt shame.

"... I almost didn't get your letter." I suddenly quipped aloud.

I wasn't intending to say it. It just sort of... slipped out of me. And I could sense Night Light was also caught off guard.

"What do you mean?" Night Light inquires.

... Crap. Now I have to explain it.

I contemplated. Did she deserve to know? Or was this one of those memories that were just better left unsaid? I couldn't articulate. But I knew I couldn't hide it either.

"... I almost died on the day I got your letter."

A small, almost inaudible gasp was heard from Night Light as silence overtook the room again. We could hear the wind outside as dusk had fallen across Equestria.

Night Light didn't say anything else. She seemed afraid to ask.

And... for whatever reason I cannot explain, I felt the need to confess. I wanted to get this off my chest.

"I was out on patrol on that night."

---

Darkness had arrived quicker than usual. I watched the moon rise while in my foxhole. Eventually, after a few hours of sitting in freezing cold, I was switched out by another pony and was ordered to participate in a patrol of the perimeter.

The squad of nine ponies, myself included, was assigned to scout the northern slope just outside the wire. There should’ve been no changelings or ponies out there at all - apart from us - so it was considered to be routine. Not only would you be wandering around in the dark, but you would also freeze to death out here if not careful, so nopony considered the possibility of attack from either side.

My squad departed from the base with Corporal Smiley. We haven’t encountered anything yet. Distant gunfire could still be heard from miles away, towards the bottom of the mountain. That was about forty minutes ago, and we nearly reached our last checkpoint. Still found nothing.

“We’re almost done here. Keep your heads on a swivel, I don’t want to stay out here for long.” Smiley ordered. We continued to tread through the deep snow of the mountain. Some pegasi, like me, were using their wings to hover over the snow, using their hooves to hold onto their weapons. I was shivering, both in anticipation and in the cold. 5 more minutes have passed, and we passed our final checkpoint.

No enemy contacts whatsoever.

“Raisin, get over here. I need a radio.” Smiley barked.

“On it.” Raisin complied. She carried a huge metal box with a long antenna on top, trudging her way to Smiley. As she was close, the latter grabbed the telephone off of the side and spoke into it.

“Station, this is Dog 2-1, Patrol complete. We’re heading back to base, over.” There was a pause. And for a moment, Smiley must’ve thought the line was still dead, as he tried to place the phone back on the box, and grab it again. But before he could, there was a hiss, then a tinny voice that sounded like he was talking through a large tunnel.

“Roger that Dog 2-1, keep your eyes peeled on the way back, out.” There was a squelching sound, and the line went dead.

“Alright, form an echelon, stay spread out,” Smiley ordered. The 9 of us began to shift formation and formed a diagonal line as we moved up the mountain slope once more.

Trudging uphill was a lot harder than going downhill, and the slow pace was obvious of that fact. Despite the fact we were done, it did little to ease my nerves going upward. I clung to my rifle a little tighter as it slung against my torso.

“It’s cold.” one of the unicorns in front of me muttered. “I fucking hate it.”

“Cut the chit-chat.” Smiley muttered.

Raisins trudged closer to Smiley. “Sir, may we-”

SNAP!

A loud, sharp sound wheezed by our heads.

And instantly, The unicorn in front of me jerked to the left, and she fell with a pain-addled cry.

Somepony screamed, “HOLY FUCK!”

“CONTACT!”

More sharp snaps flew just inches over my head. all of us threw our bodies down to the icy ground and got low. Instantly, my body went numb to the adrenaline and the cold, my chest throbbing like it was going to explode as I ducked to the ground.

I clutched onto my helmet and dared to look up towards where they were coming from, finding green and white tracers flying above my head by just inches. Muzzle flashes down the mountain slope a few hundred meters out were seen as more bullets landed on the ground next to us.

“Throw smoke, throw smoke and shoot back! Raisins, get the fuck up here!” Smiley practically screamed. Soon after, a roar of gunfire from our side began to erupt, firing at where the enemy’s shots were coming from.

“Where are they?!” a mare screamed.

“North! Shoot fucking North!” a stallion yelled back in response.

Shaking, I began to crawl my way behind my squad. Using the snow around me, I formed a little mound with a resting place for my rifle. I readied the rifle, and took aim toward the west, facing a downward slope. I saw flashes of light at the bottom of the slope.

I pulled the trigger. A sharp ‘Crack’ emitted from the barrel, and a tracer traveled down the mountain extremely fast. I pulled the bolt and aimed again.

I aimed where I saw one of the flashes emit, and pulled the trigger.

The tracer disappeared before it reached the bottom, and I saw a shape slump to the ground.

“Station, this is Dog 2-1, we are under fire! I want a fire mission some one hundred meters north of our spot!"

I shot again at another figure, who ducked his head down at the last second.

At this point the cacophony of gunfire was damaging my hearing, and the ringing was getting hard to ignore.

"Grid 789-905. Break!” Smiley paused again. More gunfire was erupting from the Changelings. I glanced over to my left to find Smiley huddled behind Raisins clutching onto a telephone on, while the latter continued to fire back.

“We need a suppressive barrage due to one hundred meters to our North, Over!” Smiley Yelled over the sound of combat.

A Tracer landed in the snow in front of me, just barely missing me.

I ducked my head instantly and crawled backward while in a panic.

Indistinct radio chatter was coming from Raisin’s Radio, followed by Smiley's voice. “Alright hold here for 1 minute! Dig in and hold them off!” Smiley yelled at the top of his lungs

“That’s gonna be a long-ass fucking minute!” I heard Raisins yell.

“Stay low, spread out! Watch for grenades!” Smiley bellows. I crawled as fast as I was capable away from my previous spot. Finding some piled snow, I packed some of it in front of me and fixed my weapon upon it once more. My breathing was rapid and harsh. My heart was pounding away like a woodpecker against a tree as I continued to fire.

“Fuck, Salsa is dead!”

“Where’s the Medic!?”

Left and right, Ponies were screaming, panicking, shouting, firing, or hiding for their life. I kept firing.

“Rose, your hit!”

“I’m fine!”

“Gun down, reloading!”

"Fucking fuck, this is insane!"

“We lost another one!”

All of a sudden a sharp hiss and pop were emitted from Rasin’s Radio. More tinny voices chattered about.

“I said throw smoke!” Smiley screamed

“Salsa had them! She's dead!”

“Well, somepony go get them!”

“I’ll go!” I instinctively yelled and began to crawl away from my mound. I was out of ammo anyway, and I didn't have time to reload. “Where is she?!”

“Behind us!” Raisins answered in a bellow.

My skin was starting to lose its sense of touch from the numbness beneath my supple coat, which only worsened the shakes I obtained from the skirmish. Crawling very rapidly, trudging my way through the stiff snow, my breathing was growing haggard.

I soon came across the corpse of the mare slumped on the ground. Pulling her body towards me, I looked around her for anything useful and found nothing but her rifle.

The gunfire was becoming very rapid behind me. Machine gun fire from the changelings wheezed overhead, green tracers slamming into the earth ahead of me.

I crawled over to her dead corpse, using her as cover as I instinctively looked into her eyes.

I wish I didn’t.

It was devoid of any life. Her eyes were slumped to her skull, ever so still. Blood seeped through a red hole in her left temple and pooled onto the snow below. I couldn’t help but tear up.

“Sorry.” I whispered as I began to pat down the body, tears obstructing my vision. I dragged a wing over my eyes to wipe tears and began to search her body. I soon felt some cylinder-shaped objects in her pouch.

Part of me felt awful for looting a dead pony. The other, rational part of my brain told me that now wasn't the time to get emotional.

I opened it, and it revealed two No. 77 Smoke grenades. I grabbed hold of both of them in my hooves, twisted the trigger on top, and chucked them over the ridge with all my power.

As it hit the ground, smoke was already billowing out of it. I threw the second one, and it had the same effect.

A few seconds later, they could not see us. Tracers were still whizzing through the smoke, as the enemy continued blindly firing at us.

“Ok, Everypony, on me! Let's go!” Smiley ordered. Soon afterward, ponies began to fall back towards the mountain peak and climbed up the mountain face with as much fury as they could muster. Some Earth Ponies were literally digging burrows into the slope as they retreated.

Onward towards the base, just as our squad was frantically pacing backward, an eerie whistle came overhead.

As we ducked to the ground, large explosions vibrated the slope where the changelings were. Bright flashes of orange light illuminated the dark side of the mountain's face. The gunfire came to a halt almost immediately afterward.

Soon, the ponies were no longer frantically sprinting. They were now galloping at a steady pace.

The fight was clearly over.

---

“How many did we lose?”

“About three, sir.”

Everypony was panting and shaking by the time we got back to base. When we got back, I fell down in the snow, exhausted and freezing from the climb and the ordeal that we just suffered through.

“That was fucked! It was supposed to be a patrol! Why did they attack at night? That’s suicidal!” A stallion yelled

“Fucking changelings.” Somepony groaned. “I hate ‘em.”

“Okay, okay. We’re done.” Smiley dismissed. "Get some rest. Your patrol is done. I’ll relay the report to Razorclaw.”

With that, we all wearily got up and proceeded to trot toward the Barracks. I sighed heavily, the adrenaline still rushing through me.

I took many deep breaths as I entered inside and slowly made my way to my bunk. I collapsed on it, and immediately, exhaustion waved over me, and sleep took hold of me quickly.

---

I only had a couple of hours.

I woke up to a pony shoving my shoulder, stirring me from a dreamless sleep to a cold reality that was still nighttime.

"What?" I grumpily asked.

“You got a letter.” A Mail Pegasus handed me an envelope.

I stirred in my bunk with a sudden jolt in my heart and sat up, eyeing the pegasus with confusion. I took the envelope, and she began to walk out. Inspecting it, looking for a name or Initial, I found two Italic Letters

N L

My heart jumped. The calligraphy was very familiar.

I quickly tore open the envelope, careful not to damage whatever was inside. I pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper and read.

"Dear Sunshine,"

“I hope things have been better off for you than I. The last 90 days of training I went through were hellish and tiresome. I’m still sore from all of the exercises. Though, I assume that my troubles must be childlike compared to yours. As for the frontlines, I hope things are alright wherever you are.

“But I am finally finished with my training. As of right now, I am stationed on the ERNS Blueblood, the so called ‘Pride of the Fleet’. The ship itself is impressively constructed, if not a bit dull on the decor. Though, I suppose decorations are the least of their concerns. Performance and cost are all they seem to care about. But this is my first day on the ship, as I am writing this, so I’ll have to get used to it.

“The other crewmates aren’t as I thought they would be. Some are… alright, I guess, though I haven’t taken the time to get to know them so it’s too early to say really. Some are a little rough around the edges, but they're not all bad.

“I made a couple of friends before I got to the Blueblood. Lucky, as I mentioned, is one of them. He’s a very kind-hearted pony. Also pretty sarcastic in humor. Then there’s Naya. Quite an odd pony. A foreigner in Equestria. I don’t know much about her personally, but she did go on about how great her country, Stalliongrad, is. I don’t know much about it still, but maybe I can ask her later.

“I hope you are well wherever you are, and whatever you are doing. Did you know that THE Rainbow Dash was my teacher? I thought it was crazy on the first day of training, that I am being taught by Rainbow herself. I even saw Spitfire from the Wonderbolts! I still can't believe I managed to talk to her, even if just for a little bit.

“I am in Manehattan harbor right now as I am writing this. The blueblood is currently in port. From what I can guess, it’ll be a while before the fleet moves again. I think there are repairs going on on some of the other ships in the fleet.

“When you get this letter, Please; write back to me as soon as you can. I want to know that you are alright. I love you.

“Love, Night Light.”

There were some wet splotches on the paper, but they were not due to weather or damage.

I gently put the letter down, carefully so as not to damage or ripple or tear it in anymore.

Making a mental note to write back as fast as I could back to her, I carefully folded it and put it in my vest pocket.

I would do whatever it takes. I would endeavor to preserve this precious piece of paper with my life.

Next Chapter: (A1) - Finale: Promises To Keep...[Revised] Estimated time remaining: 17 Hours, 26 Minutes