SGM. Clare:

The award ceremony had started, most ponies were new recruits and didn’t receive much in the terms of medals. The award giver arrived at Captain Shining Armor.

The medal pony pulled out a script of paper. “Captain Shining Armor, you have served Equestria will full obedience and have gone above and beyond the call of duty. You have suffered many wounds along the way serving your country honourably. For your services you are being awarded the Bronze Star for acts of valour above and beyond the call of duty. You are awarded the Equestrian Army Commendation medal for continuous acts of meritorious service. You are also being awarded the Purple Heart for receiving an injury during combat” the stallion said aloud as he pinned the medals to Shining’s dress uniform.

Shining gave a salute and the stallion returned it then he stepped over to me. “Sergeant Major Clare has shown extraordinary acts of heroism and gallantry. He is being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extreme gallantry and heroism. Risking for his own life during combat with an armed enemy force, Clare refused to step back from the enemy and kept the zebra forces at bay as he commanded the soldiers of Bravo Firebase against an invasion. He is being awarded the Luna Star for continuously showing gallantry in combat against the enemy and leading ponies under his command to several victories. The Equestrian Army Commendation medal is being awarded to him for continuous acts of heroism. He is also being awarded the Purple Heart for receiving and injury during combat with the enemy” the stallion said as he pinned the medals to my chest.

I gave him a salute which he hastily returned then stepped to the next mare beside me. Shining Armor leaned over. “Show off” he whispered and I smirked from his comment.

Later on,

SGM. Clare:

Celestia was still pretty steamed about the whole Luna is pregnant and I was the father thing but she decided to live and let live. Luna and I now lay in her royal bedroom and cuddled together, our clothes clumped at the floor of the bed.

I lay on top of Luna, but made sure I supported my own weight rather than actually lying on top of her. “So I hear you got awarded a medal named after me” she giggled and I reached over to my dress jacket, which now lay clumped on the floor by the bed, and unpinned the medal from my jacket.

I showed it to her, it was shaped after her cutie mark. A crescent moon with clouds, and it was quite beautifully painted and crafted. She took hold of the medal with her magic and levitated it towards herself. “You can have it” I offered and she looked to me. “Why?” she asked as I leaned forwards and kissed her.

I leaned back from the kiss and looked into her beautiful eyes. “Well I’m going to be gone for a while. So while I’m gone you can hold onto this to remember me by” I said and she smiled then rolled our bodies over. “If you’re going to be gone for a while I want to make up for it” she laughed, I smiled then we began to make love under the beautiful illumination of the moon’s light.

Third person, Canterlot army base, Sector B barracks:

Moon Crater sat in the barracks with some of the other ponies. He had gotten to know Cloud Dasher quite well and the two had become quick friends. Lickety Split sat by himself and wrote in his war journal about how wrong the war was.

“You cheating son of a bitch” Bakers yelled as he tossed two queens of spades on the table. Dickens sat back and his face went pale as Bakers grabbed Dickens by the collar of his jacket and shook him. “You bastard” Bakers yelled but Frost grabbed his angry friend and calmed him down.

“You cheating…” Bakers trailed off and grabbed his poker chips back. Dickens sighed to himself. Dickens wasn’t the best poker player so he usually resorted to cheating. “I tell you man, when I get back first thing I’m gonna do is get me one of them fine bitches at the saloon” Jackson boasted and several of the others chuckled.

“Yeah well you wouldn’t need a whore if you would just calm down a little during sex” Hammerhead laughed and Jackson shook his head. “Nah man, who said anything about a whore? I’m talking a real fine ass you know. Something little and supple that I can hold in my hooves and spank like this you know” Jackson laughed as he made crude gestures. “Yeah but knowing you most of the mares will reject you so you’ll be stuck with a dirty whore” Presell laughed and the others chimed in.

“Yeah, I remember back in Florida. I’m sitting there and this little thing called Octavia walks over, she asks me if I’m hungry. Cause she’d love for me to put a bun in her oven” Presell chuckled and several of the others laughed. “Yeah… now I’m stuck in some platoon that goes patrolling through the Everfree and I got a giant zippo strapped to my back and I’m roasting living zebras. Man why I volunteered for this shit I’ll never know” Presell muttered to himself.

“Hell I’m proud to be here. Free food, free room and board. Hell sometimes there’s even a few cute mares in the platoon… ain’t that right Charlotte” Hart called out to Charlotte, who was one of the only female platoon members. The other being Honey Dew.

“Fuck you” Charlotte laughed jokingly and Hart just laughed. “Hell, I’m proud to be here to. My whole family has always been about honour and shit. My pa was always rough on me as a kid saying that I didn’t know what honour really was. Maybe now he’ll back off” Bakers said as he pulled out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “And like Hart said, free food” Bakers laughed and took a bite out of his sandwich.

Corporal Enders looked over to Presell and took off his wedding ring. “If I don’t make it, make sure my wife gets this” Enders said to Presell. Several of the others went quiet as they looked to Enders. Presell pushed Enders’ hoof back. “Hey man, don’t talk like that. You don’t even joke about shit like that. You put that wedding ring back on cause you’re going home after this” Presell told his worried friend. Enders slipped the ring back on his horn and sighed to himself.

Suddenly Frost gagged and began to choke. The others looked over to him as Frost stood up and tried to reach for something in his jacket. “Shit Frost, you okay? You look like your choking” Hart chuckled jokingly but then Frost nodded and fell to the ground, gagging painfully.

“Oh shit he’s choking!” Bakers yelled and every-pony in the barrack room rushed over to the choking Frost. “Hold on buddy” Bakers said as he lifted up his friend and tried to Heimlich maneuver his friend but it didn’t seem to help.

Bakers laid his friend back on the ground. Cloud Dasher looked over the shoulders of every-pony. “Hey what’s going on?” Dasher yelled and Bakers turned to him. “Some-pony get a medic!” Bakers yelled and Moon Crater rushed out of the barracks to find a medic.

Frost’s gags became heavier as he began to lose consciousness. “Fuck… FUCK” Bakers yelled and tried to shake his friend to keep him awake but Frost’s gags soon became silent and he finally lost consciousness.

“No-no-no-no… fuck come on stay with me Frost… come on Frosty you’re not dying on me here” Bakers screamed as he shook his friend but it was no use. Frost was dead.

Moon Crater rushed in with the medic and the medic pushed ponies aside as he checked for Frost’s vital signs. He sighed and shook his head. “NOOOOO!” Bakers roared. “What the fuck happened?” Cloud Dasher asked and the medic pony shrugged. “We’ll have to bring him to the hospital to see but at the moment all I can say is that he is dead” the medic replied.

The next morning:

SGM. Clare:

I awoke semi-peacefully, knowing that I had to be out and about today to talk with a lot of the ponies. I looked over to Luna and gave her a kiss before getting dressed but before I left I gave her once last glance. She was so beautiful when she slept that I just couldn’t disturb her.

I walked outside and towards the military base. It was drizzling out and was pretty shitty weather. I entered the base and immediately went to Sector B where Daffodil was waiting for something. I walked up to him and nodded. “Hey LT, how’s it going?” I asked and he sighed.

“I can’t lead the platoon” he replied. “Why not?” I asked curiously and he slumped down on the steps of the barracks. “I can’t even lead myself. How am I supposed to command the lives of several ponies?” he asked and I shrugged. “I don’t know. I think you’re doing an alright job” I complimented him and he looked up to me.

“What about the note to Frost’s parents?” he asked and I looked to him curiously. “What note?” I asked and he stood up. “Frost died last night” he informed me and I was taken back by the information. “What? How?” I asked and I could tell it was difficult for Daffodil to explain. “An allergic reaction. Bakers had a peanut butter sandwich and Frost was deathly allergic. None of the ponies knew what was happening and Frost died before the medic got there” Daff informed me.

“I’m… I’m sorry LT” I told him but he looked to me with uneasy eyes. “I mean what the hell am I supposed to say to his parents? Dear Mr. and Mrs. Frost, sorry your child died serving Equestria but don’t worry it wasn’t a zebra that killed him it was a damn sandwich” Daff yelled, beginning to mentally break down.

Posey, Daff’s marefriend, trotted up to us. “Can I speak to Daff for a second?” she asked and I nodded. “Sergeant Major, you better go tell the ponies what’s going to happen” Daff called out to me and I nodded as I left.

Third person:

Daffodil stood there with Posey. “So what’s up?” Daff asked and Posey wiped a tear from her face. “Hey, don’t worry. I won’t be gone long I promise” Daffodil told her but she shook her head. “No Daff, I do worry. I worry every day that you could be dead out there. That you’ll never come home to me. That you’ll come home in a body bag” she cried and Daff tried to comfort her by hugging her but she pushed him away.

“It’s over Daff. I transferred myself to a hospital in Fillydelphia. I’m on the next plane. Goodbye lieutenant” she said then walked away in tears. Daff held out his hoof to say something but couldn’t find the right words. He watched as his one true love walked away from him and he began to cry.

Elsewhere at the barracks several of the men stood around as Lickety Split played his charms with Charlotte. “She’s the most beautiful mare in Equestria, and I’m gonna marry her” Lickety said drunkenly. Obviously he had gotten into a stash of hard cider that he had found earlier.

“I’m a war hero babe… and me and you are gonna live together and sit on the beaches” Lickety said as he held his Army Commendation medal as he began to slip it down the front of Charlotte’s combat jacket.

Bakers pulled Lickety’s hoof away. “Stop it Split. You’re making a damn fool of yourself” Bakers said and Lickety looked to his friend and laughed. “Me? Make a fool of myself? We all made fools of ourselves. Winning these stupid little things” Lickety said as tears began to fill his eyes. He thought about all the times he had fought and killed for Equestria and all they did was give him some stupid medals.

A military Jeep pulled up and Clare looked to the group. “Hell you all look like you caught yourself a case of the blues” Clare chuckled and Moon Crater looked up to him. “Yeah… I think Lickety’s getting married sir” Crater told Clare and he looked around.

“Well congratulations Lickety. I got good news and I got bad news. Good news is it’s a fine beautiful day to get married. But the bad news is you ain’t getting married today” Clare said and Bakers looked over to him and laughed. “Why Sarge? We going back up to hill 959?” Bakers laughed sarcastically and Clare sighed. “Hell Bakers you just read my mind”

Author's Notes:

Budum tssh