Part 42 A New Beginning...?
 
>Two weeks later
>No progress on finding the source of your magical powers
>However, you're just about fully healed
>You've been released to an apartment in the castle, until your visit is over that is
>And you've already got plans to stay in Canterlot for another week
>This particular morning, you wake up next to Twilight Sparkle, like so many days before
>Today though...
>Today is the memorial service for your troops
>You go through your morning routine, dressing in your full service blues
>A stack of ribbons on the left side outlining all your accomplishments, as well as the medals you earned in your service to Equestria
>On your right side, where a nametag would be, nothing
>You still don't know quite who you were on Earth, whether it was an enlisted airman or an officer in the Air Force
>Perhaps both, but the only way you could know how to pilot anything is through the training only an officer receives
>You don't know your name, and what memories you do have seem to be unpleasant
>But that doesn't really matter, as you've made a life for yourself here
>Slowly you walk to the dresser, and spot the dog-tags
>Picking them up brings back quite a few memories
>Lightning Strike
>Blazin' Blue
>Star Shine
>Lucky
>You didn't know them for very long, but in the short time you spent with them, they had become brothers
>They were your men, and you led them to battle
>They followed every order without question...
>"Anon?"
>You look up, realizing you had probably been staring at their dog-tags for some time
>Checking the time, you see it's almost time to leave
>Turning, you meet her concerned eyes
Hey. I'm fine.
>"It's ok if you're not, dear."
I'll be fine. This is something I must do
>"I know."
>Today is also another special day...
Twilight?
>"Yes, Anon?"
After the service, I have an errand I have to run, by myself. I'd like to meet up with you later, though. Would you be at the garden at sunset?
>"Yes, I would like that."
>She seems a little flustered
>Well...maybe she can tell
>Hopefully not though
I'll see you then
>You pick up your M1, walk out of the room, and head towards your ride to the service
>A carriage...you always feel odd seeing horses doing labor they performed in your world
>Opening the door, you see Shining Armor sitting there
>He greets you, but quickly becomes silent
>There's little to discuss right now, both of you know your roles
>Upon arriving, you see seats upon seats, in a similar fashion to the first memorial service that was held
>There seems to be more ponies than last time, though
>Good
>Holding your rifle at Port Arms, you stand by Shining Armor, and ready yourself
>Checking the time, you have a few minutes before you start
>"Nervous?"
Not at all. Just a bit...unnerved. Never thought I'd have to do this again.
>"You know what we're doing, right?"
Yeah, of course.
>The sound of trumpets going off silences the crowd
>From above, Princesses Celestia and Luna elegantly land on a platform
>Behind them is a statue of your fallen comrades
>Their poses suggest hand-to...er...hoof-to-hoof combat against unseen enemies
>In a way, it's beautiful, showing their last moments defending Equestria
>In another, it makes you feel guilt, knowing you led them to their deaths
>Celestia begins
>"Hello, everyone. I thank you for coming to pay homage to our brave heroes Lucky, Star Shine, Blazin' Blue, and Lightning Strike. I ask that you stand and remain silent for the duration of the ceremony."
>She steps away from the center, and you hear their anthem playing
>Normally, you might be annoyed at her lack of understanding in the ceremonial arts, but you don't have it in you today
>Must be because this ceremony is rather personal
>Softly, you call the command
Step
>And you and Shining Armor slowly walk down the path
>In front of you are the open caskets of your fallen brethren
>Walking ever closer, you have a strange sense of deja vu
>You notice Twilight Sparkle in the audience, near the front
>Passing her, getting closer to the caskets as the anthem starts to end
>It's a strange sense, you almost expect to see human bodies in there
>For a brief second, you almost do see human bodies
>Walking past them, about 30 feet past them, and you halt
>About face, in sync with Shining Armor
>You charge the bolt, and fire to your left side, away from anypony
>Being it's an M1 instead of an M14, you spin it, throwing it in the air, and catch it
>You fire to the side again
>Repeating this process until you hear the familiar PING, you face Shining Armor
>Perfectly in sync, he faces you
>You go through a rifle inspection, spinning and throwing it around
>After your bit is done, you thrust the rifle to Shining Armor
>Deftly, he catches it, and does his own inspection
>When he finishes, the two of you face the crowd in unison
>Celestia starts to speak again
>"We owe so much gratitude to Captain Anonymous. With his elite squad, he saved our nation against an army, and without him, many more would die. Despite sustaining life-threatening wounds, he single-handedly defeated a dragon of unusually destructive disposition."
>You start to not like where this train of thought is going...
>"Captain Anonymous, please step forward"
>Here it comes
>You march forward, nonchalantly  eying a floating pillow with a medal
>She speaks again after you stop right next to her
>"For your unquestioning loyalty, outstanding service, and fearless devotion to defending Equestria, I present this Cross of Valor, our highest decoration. This cannot ever express our true appreciation, but let it symbolize our complete trust in you, and our recognition of you as our great defender."
>Like the Medal of Honor, it's a decoration worn around the neck
>She levitates it and places it gently around your neck
>Non-verbally, she motions for you to speak
>Well, here you go
Thank you. Thank you all. I love Equestria very, very much. I have adopted this place as my home, and I will do everything to keep it as innocent as the day I arrived. At the same time, I must refuse this award.
>You take the Cross of Valor off from around your neck, and turn to the statue of your troops
Lucky, Star Shine, Blazin' Blue and Lightning Strike were the heroes.
>Walking over, you place the medal at the base of the statue
Though it's true that I trained them, I didn't force them to perform their duties. They knew death was awaiting them when I led them to the Diamond Dogs. It's a miracle, and a heavy burden, that I survived that fight, but I saw them give everything they had to ensure that I got to where I needed to go. I must have offered them at least a hundred times over that they were under no obligation to follow me, and yet they did. I wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for them. My troops had my combat expertise, but they had their own hearts. I do not rebuke your award, nor do I intend any disrespect towards Princesses Celestia or Luna. I merely am giving it to the troops I feel are more deserving of it than myself, based on my first-hand experience with them.
>You face away from the audience and towards the statue, hiding your tears
>At the same time, you give a crisp salute, and start to slowly march away
>All is silent, until a clap...or rather a clop
>It starts slow, then is joined by others, and soon grows to the entire audience
>Their applause signals to you that they understood everything you meant
>For the first time, you feel like a native of Equestria
>Feeling the dog tags in your pocket, you realize you're not quite ready to depart with them
>And you feel that when you do return them, you probably won't want an audience
>You rejoin Shining Armor, and the two of you slowly march away from the cemetery
>The service still ongoing, your part is over
>You don't worry though; you'll give them a visit from time to time
>Shining Armor looks over to you
>"What are you going to do now?"
>You think it over, wondering how to put it
Well...I need to go to a jewelry shop. Is there one that you'd suggest?
>He raises his brow...
>Only to give a reassuring nod
>"There's a small shop by the name of L'amour éternelle on Buckshire Street. The pony who owns it is a respectable jeweler who should be able to help you with your needs. He helped me with Cadance's ring..."
Thanks. It really means a lot to me.
>"I know. Just make sure you take care of her."
>You turn to look at him, and stop in your tracks
>A better way to explain your future plans just comes to you
A huge part of me wants to settle down, to leave all this behind me, and spend the rest of my life with Twilight Sparkle. And in the end, I guess that's what I'll do, baring anything that threatens her life. But a little side of me craves, and I suppose will always desire, combat. Call it PTSD, call it duty, call it whatever, I have more than a little doubt I'll be able to adapt to a normal life.
>"You've seen plenty here, and likely more before you came here. I can't claim to know what you're going through, but I do know there is help available if you ever need it."
Thanks, Shining Armor. I'll consider it.
>Turning away, you wave farewell to him, and walk to Buckshire Street
 
>Without a carriage, the trip took about an hour
>Whatever magic you still have seems to have led you there
>You believe it's magic, because there really was no way you would've known where exactly to go without directions
>Finding yourself outside of L'amour Eternelle, you take note of the size
>Indeed, it is a rather small shop, so much that it should actually draw attention to itself
>However, it doesn't look like the sort of place that gets much business
>You walk in, immediately charmed by an older style of architecture inside
>It looks similar to a late 1800's-early 1900's style shop, outfitted with wonderful gems and jewelry
>"Good day, sir. How may I help you?"
>A somewhat elderly stallion greets you  as you step in
Good morning. I first must say how beautiful this shop is. Just how long has it been around?
>He smiles
>"Not many folk come here these days, let alone comment on my little shop. L'amour Eternelle has been in my family for a few generations, and I plan on passing it on to my foals one day."
>He has a strange accent, almost like a cross between Cajun and British
>Where one would pick that up in your world, you have no clue, and here...well anything's possible, you guess.
That's a good plan. A place like this should be preserved for future generations.
>"That's nice of you to say. How may I help you?"
As you might guess, I have a marefriend I intend on asking to marry me. I need an engagement ring that I can say comes from my heart. I don't care about the cost, nor about the flair or the flash. I need a ring that feels genuine. Might you be able to help me with that?
>"You're that Anon fellow, aren't ya?"
That is correct
>"Well, Mr. Anon, I believe I do have something you might like."
>He turns and finds a little case, which he holds out for you
>You take the case, and open it, revealing a delicately made ring
>Overall, it's a small ring
>The band seems a bit thin, and the stone seems to be an ancient blue gem
>Not normally a ring one would think to give, but to you, it gives a strangely pleasant aura
>You can just feel good vibes coming from this ring
>You know it's the perfect one
There's something a bit odd about this ring, but I like it. Tell me, is there anything special about it?
>"I knew you were a sharp one. Yes, this is a special sort of ring. On your wedding day, this ring will blossom into the perfect representation of your love the moment you two finish your vows."
>So...it turns into a wedding ring
>Transformers....
>A weird thought occurred in your mind
>Either way, it's perfect
Name your price.
>He contemplates it for a few seconds
>"How about 50 bits?"
So little an amount?
>"Well, I don't believe in profiting from love, I just ask for enough to keep me going."
Sir...I don't...
>You don't have the words
>"I know, I know. Just promise me you'll have a wonderful life."
I swear I'll make every effort to
>You hand him a small sack of money
Thank you, so much
>You leave, hoping to leave before he counts the sum of 200 bits you gave him
>Now you try to get everything ready for the evening...
 
>Hours later
>You're in the castle garden, still in your blues
>Sitting on a bench, you calmly wait
>Butterflies are in your stomach, even when you're pretty sure of what will happen
>The sun is just starting to set
>You take a deep breath
>You hear the sound of some hoofs
>Turning, you see the pony you expected...plus her 5 friends
>"Hey, Anon. I hope it's ok that I brought the gang."
It's no problem
>Twilight sits next to you, the others sit back a ways, giving you space
>Seems like they all know the drill
>Your mouth gets dry, but you push through it
Hey, Twilight?
>"Yes, Anon?"
>Your eyes meet
Remember when we first met each other?
>"Of course I do"
>You go on anyways
I was confused at the time. I had no idea where I was, how I got here, or even who I am. Running into those timberwolves, I knew I wasn't in my world anymore. And then you, and Fluttershy came to save the day. We couldn't understand each other at first, but it was apparent that I wasn't a threat to you.
>She looks longingly into your eyes
A lot has happened since then. Plenty of time has passed. It feels like it's been a year already, and life just keeps going. I still have no idea where I am in relation to my world, and magic seems to be how I got here, but I don't know why. I still have some slight amnesia, but the one thing I know for sure is that I want to spend the rest of my life by your side.
>You pull out the little ring box, and go onto a knee
Twilight Sparkle, will you marry me?
>Tears sweep her eyes
>"Of course I will!"
>You feel your eyes starting to wet as well
>No sooner had you put the ring on her horn than she jumped forward to kiss you
>Her friends were cheering on
>Nothing could ruin this moment...
>...
>"Well well well. Congratulations, Mr. Anonymous. HAHAHAHAHAHA!"