Soldier of Harmony

by Lord Curly

After his death on earth a soldier is sent to Equestria to learn the meaning of freandship and happieness, two things he forgot on earth. But how will he spend his new life? With his anti-social tendencies he might spend it alone and friend less, but not if the mane six have anything to say about it. Rating subject to change. May be classified as a Human in Equestria fic. not sure.

28. The Will

Chapter 28: The Will

Outside Steel's house, Ponyville
Local time: 1000
Ten days since Steel's funeral

Despite Ponville's bright, clear skies and warm weather an aura of depression had settled over the town. Most ponies only knew him from the paper or saw him walking down the street so they could get on with their lives. The fourteen of us were taking it the worst. The mail has been on time lately which means Derpy hasn't been delivering it and Sweetie Bell said that she hasn't seen Dinkie at school for the past two weeks. Vinyl canceled all her upcoming show and went to Canterlot… she hasn't come back yet. Applejack, Broadsword, and Silent Flight have all put extra effort in their work, the captains even going all over Equestria looking for any remnants of his army. Pinkie hasn't thrown a party and is rarely seen outside the bakery these days, same with Fluttershy. I know Twilight's been trying to find a book that will help her and I have no idea about Rainbow Dash, she helps with the weather then disappears for the rest of the day. I tried the spa but after three days with no success I tried designing some dresses. Nothing seemed to work so I just stay in bed most days. Luna… she was taking it the worst. Not that I blame her, he was her coltfriend after all. She spent the first few days after the funeral just sitting in front of his grave before coming to Ponyville and locking herself in his house… no pony's seen her since. I know I wasn't the only one who was worried about her mental stated but Celestia said she heard Luna crying when she went to check up on her. Personally I would rather be back at the boutique, I don't think I'm ready to make a public appearance yet but Steel's will is being read today and it would be proper of me to not attend. We held a small meeting before and decided that, since I looked the most composed, I would go get Luna. The lawponies tried to inform her about the will but she wouldn't open the door. I knocked on the door, "Luna darling, are you in there?" I waited and knocked louder and after five minutes of continuous knocking the door handle glowed and I heard the door unlock. Pushing it open I was hit with a feeling of nostalgia and grief. His house looked the same way it did the last time I was here. The only differences being the missing pictures and the thin layer of dust that had settled over everything. "Luna?" I got no response but I walked to where she most likely was… his bedroom. She was laying there unmoving, holding all the pictures of him in her hooves and wings. I would have thought she was dead if it wasn't for the subtle rise and fall of her sides as she breathed. She was blankly staring at the ceiling, her eyes puffy and red from her tears. "Luna, Steel's will is being read today…" No response, "We're all heading down there now. You should come with us." Celestia had warned me that Luna was stubborn but this isn't stubborn, she just doesn't have the will to move. "Please Luna, come with us." She just grunted and rolled over so she was facing away from me. I sighed and started to leave but stopped in the doorway. "He left something for you, for all of us but there was something very specific for you… I was there when he bought it. He wanted to give it to you himself when it was all over but… *sigh* goodbye princess."

"He wouldn't have wanted me to cry over him, you know." He voice was so quiet I almost missed it. "And he defiantly wouldn't have wanted me to act like this…" She still had her back to me. "But I can't find a reason not to. He was my love, the pony I wanted to spend eternity with. The only pony besides my sister who I let see the deepest parts of me. I had so many plans for us, a house, a family, and when everything was done and the universe was fading away we would just sit together and watch it end." I could hear the sadness in her voice. "Now none of that will happen… but you're right, I should go. It would be an insult to his memory if I did not." She levitated the pictures to the nearby table and slowly got off the bed. Just by looking at her I knew she needed a hug. Normally I wouldn't have dared touch, let alone hug, somepony who smells like they haven't bathed in days but I after everything that happened I was willing to make an acceptation. As we hugged I could feel her shake like she was crying but I knew she wasn't, she had run out of tears. I had heard of it but didn't think it was possible, for a pony to cry so much that they couldn't produce anymore tears… I had hoped never to meet such a pony. But in front of me was such a pony, and they weren't the broken down mess I had always imagined, no, she was just sad and confused, unsure of what to do next now that he was no longer in her life. She pulled away, "Come we shouldn't keep our friends waiting."

"Actually princess, they sent me a head. We didn't know how long, or even if we could convince you to come." I took a quick glance at the clock behind her, "We have an hour at most, which is more than enough time to make you presentable. First we'll start with a bath. Don't worry darling, I'll have you back to normal in no time… or at least as close to normal as possible given the circumstances." Of course I whispered that last part. Forty-five minutes later Luna was all ready to go except for her royal regalia, which I was polishing. "Thank you for the help Rarity." She smiled but, while there was a hint of truth, it was mostly a façade. I gave her a halfhearted smile back, neither of us would be recovering anytime soon. The law offices was near the center of town but south of the mayor's office by a dozen blocks. Steel's house was located in the center of the northwest part of town so it was a notable distance to walk. We walked in silence for the most part, saying hello to ponies we past. I knew we couldn't stay silent for the entire trip but luckily Luna spoke up first. Honestly I had nothing depressing to talk about. "How are the others?" I sighed, "They've been better. They're all dealing with it as best as they can but it's not easy." She nodded, "I shouldn't have locked myself away. When I returned from my exile the psychologists told me to talk to somepony. I didn't want to burden my sister with my problem and with no friends still alive I kept it to myself. It wasn't until I met him that I finally opened up to anypony. I should have learned from that and been there for you and the others. I'm sorry I wasn't a better friend…"

"Don't blame yourself darling. If anypony should be apologizing it should be us. You and Twilight were the two ponies closest to him, it's only natural that you were affected the most. We all visited Twilight regularly but we let you lock yourself away to face your grief alone. And for that I am truly sorry." We hugged again before turning our attention to the building we were standing in front of. "Are you ready Luna?" She nodded but still seamed hesitant to go in. Truth be told I was nervous myself, these were his last wishes and the last thing we would ever learn about him. The receptionist led us to the proper room before excusing herself. As we walked in I heard music coming from a gramophone behind the desk. It seemed too upbeat for a will reading but it could have been at Steels request so I stayed silent. The others were all there waiting for us. The lawpony looked over the papers on his desk and nodded. "Good, it looks like everypony is here." While he shuffled around some papers I noticed that the gramophone kept repeating the same dozen notes. "Now this isn't a normal will, Mr. Flamingsteel recorded his will on a record instead of writing one. Nopony knows what it contains, not even me. So while it is playing I will be transcribing everything so there will be no confusion regarding who is left what. Does anypony have a problem with that?" Nopony disagreed, we were his friends after all. "Then let us begin." His horn stopped glowing and the record moved passed the first notes.

"She's watching the taxi driver, he pulls away
She's been locked up inside her apartment a hundred days

She says, "Yeah, he's still coming, just a little bit late
He got stuck at the laundromat washing his cape"
She's just watching the clouds roll by and they spell her name like Lois Lane
And she smiles, oh the way she smiles

She's talking to angels,
Counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She's dancing with strangers,
Falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, yeah, in his arms, yeah
Waiting for Superman

She's out on the corner trying to catch a glimpse
Nothing's making sense
She's been chasing an answer, a sign lost in the abyss,
This Metropolis

She says, "Yeah, he's still coming, just a little bit late
He got stuck at the Five and Dime saving the day"
She says, "If life was a movie, then it wouldn't end like this,
Left without a kiss."
Still, she smiles, the way she smiles, yeah

She's talking to angels,
She's counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She's dancing with strangers,
She's falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, yeah, in his arms, yeah
She's waiting for Superman...

...to lift, her, up and take her anywhere
Show, her, love and flying through the air
Save her now before it's too late tonight
Oh, at the speed of light
And she smiles

She's talking to angels,
She's counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She's dancing with strangers,
She's falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, yeah, in his arms, yeah
She's waiting for Superman...

...to lift her up and take her anywhere
Show her love, oh, and flying through the air
Save her now before it's too late tonight
She's waiting for Superman…

Hey guys… I know how you're all probably feeling, I've lost friends before so I hope that song lifted your spirits a little. If you're hearing this than I'm gone, I just hope I took that monster with me. I was never good at saying goodbye, I hope that's not the case for you. But I digress, I'll try to keep this as short as possible. I don't want to cause you any more pain than this message already is." I wiped some tears from my eyes, how could he think he caused this pain? Shadow is the reason for our pain… the reason he's gone. "My money will be split evenly into twelve parts and given to the ponies of my choosing. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Captain Broadsword, and Captain Silent Flight will all receive one part. Octavia and Vinyl, due to your successful careers you will be given on part to share. Derpy, you will be given two parts, one for you the other for Dinky. Pinkie Pie, I leave you any reaming food in my home that has not spoiled or rotted. I'm also giving you any cook books you want. Fluttershy, any books relating to animal or plant care are yours along with any food Pinkie has not taken that can be used to feed the animals. Rarity, all cloth, needles, and sowing materials are yours. I'm also giving you the gems in my home excluding the flame gem that is sitting on the mantle above my fireplace. Derpy, I'm giving you and Dinky my television and any videogames you or she want. Also in the closet of the master bedroom there is a box with your name on it, inside are further instructions. They are for you to read and you alone. Rainbow Dash, I leave you my two Daring Do books, any other adventure books you want, and my remaining videogames, if any. Applejack, to you I leave any books on farming and anything that can be put to use on the farm. Octavia and Vinyl, I leave you two my iPod on the terms that you never sell it or have it taken apart to be examined or duplicated. I also give you my guitars any other music related items. To the captains I leave the books I have on combat. Twilight Sparkle, I leave you all the remaining books in my library plus any books they others have decided they don't want. You can also take any chairs that you may need for the library. Princess Celestia, I leave you my armor and weapons on the condition that they be repaired and anypony can access them if needed.

Luna… I do not even know how to begin. I hope that I am making this as a precaution but it doesn't make this any easier. Luna, my friend, my princes… my love… I leave you the rest of my belongings including my house and the flame gem. I have also hidden something in my home, it is for you and can be found under a lose stone in the fireplace of my home. Do not retrieve it alone, take your sister and any other ponies you wish with you when you retrieve it. And I'm sorry Luna, I gave you my word that I would do my best to avoid danger but I walked into it willingly. And if this is being played than know that my only regret is that I'm leaving you. I know you had plans for us, even though you didn't tell me anything I know you had plans for us and I'm sorry. I'm also sorry that we never got further in our relationship or start a family. I know this will be one of the last times you will hear my voice so I want you to know that I love you and I always will. And if you ever find yourself sad or depressed, maybe even lonely know that I'll be with you always.

I keep a picture of you
But I don't know just what I'd do
If I saw you face to face right now

You know I've always loved you
If I could stop myself I would
But there's no easy way to
End how I feel
And to change what was real
Though we try to fade to black
In the end we come right back

Now that we've come so far
How can we ever start again?
Memories would lead us back instead we just pretend
Now that we've come so far
But love that never ends
Keeps us holds us leads us always tearing us a part, again

Kimi no shashin miru tabi
Omouyo moshi ima
Kimi ni attara doh naruka

Tsutto kimi na suki
Akirameyo toe shita
Kedo kantan janai sa
Kako oh kai e doo kotowa
Demo owarasedu
Demo kitto mododu

Now that we've come so far
How can we ever start again?
Memories would lead us back instead we just pretend
Now that we've come so far
But love that never ends
Keeps us holds us leads us always tearing us a part again

We could hear some shuffling before Steel chuckled. "I guess that's two things I regret. Leaving Luna and not teaching anypony else that spell or at least find out how to teach somepony. I never could figure out why Luna couldn't learn it." Then the record ended, I don't think that he meant to record that last part. I could feel tears form in my eye after it ended and looking at the others most of them had tears in their eyes as well. Luna was the only exception, she was openly weeping after hearing the voice of her lost love for what was most likely the last time. I knew that all of us would be openly weeping soon, for I'm the only pony who knows what Steel hid in his fireplace. Once Luna composed herself she suggested we all go to Steel house… well I guess its Luna's house now. Pinkie sped on ahead of us, maybe she wanted to set up a 'cheer everypony up party'. When we got to the house we found out that Pinkie had set up a party but it wasn't a normal Pinkie Pie party. No, there was nothing cheerful or happy about this party. No bright colors or party games or streamers just three barrels, probably drinks, and some food, it was most of her usual selection but without cupcakes. "Hey guys," she said in a somber tone. Honestly I was a little worried for her, her mane and tail had gone straight and her coat had lost its luster. The last time we saw her like this was not pretty, "I know this isn't like my normal parties… I think they aren't appropriate for something like this." I could see tears starting to form in her eyes. Pinkie is friends with everypony and can always be seen with a smile on her face, it's not surprising that she's one of the most effected by Steel's death. Luna pulled her into a hug and soon we all surrounded her, "It's okay, the party is perfect. Besides it would have been fine for him…" Pinkie nodded as she silently cried. When we ended the hug Rainbow Dash went over to the barrels and pored herself a glass of an amber liquid. I had an inkling of what it could be and after one sip she had the same thought, "Pinkie, is this hard cider?" Pinkie nodded, "I was saving it for a very special occasion but I thought that we needed it." There was a mummer of agreement from everpony as Dash chugged three glasses. Once everypony had a glass, even Fluttershy had a glass which was surprising since to my knowledge nopony had ever seen her drink, I called for a toast. "To Steel, let us never forget him as long as we live. And to Luna… none of us can even imagine what you're going through but we will be there for you if you need us." There was more murmuring as we all drank. Pinkie went over and played a record, it was a cheery record like she would have at one of her other parties but despite its somber tone it still managed to sound up beat.

After I finished my glass I went and poured myself another one. As I did I noticed a picture next to the barrel. It was a picture of all of us, taken after he was released from the castle's hospital the first time we saw Shadow. I sighed and could keep myself from looking around the room. Celestia and Fluttershy were the most composed out of everypony, Celestia had seen ponies be born and die countless time in her immortal life and Fluttershy lives with animals which live shorter lives than ponies, neither of them were strangers to losing somepony they care about. Rainbow and Applejack we sitting at the table next to me. I heard Rainbow sigh, "You know something AJ, I've only been to one other party like this. But it wasn't anything like this. My great aunt Thunder died and everypony was Celebrating. I didn't understand why because I was young and in school I learned that when somepony dies the family grieves. I only met her once before she died so when I got older I asked my parents why everypony was celebrating that day. They told me she was one of the meanest ponies that ever lived, nopony like her and she was constantly telling members of the family that they could do better in life, didn't matter if it was a job or a marefriend/ coltfriend. I was surprised by that, I mean nopony was that bad, but every member of my family told me the same thing." Applejack looked surprised but I moved away before I could hear her response. I passed the two captains who were in a corner talking and looking over a map, probably think of where they should go next. Derpy, Octavia, and Vinyl were playing with Dinkie, she didn't know what was going on but seeing her happy was cheering the others up. Pinkie was going around and talking to everypony but I could tell her smile was forced. I saw Twilight and Luna sitting on the couch, Luna was just swilling the cider in her glass around while Twilight tried to cheer her up. I made my way over to them and sat on Luna's other side, "How are you Luna."

"I've been better Rarity. He was the first pony besides my sister I let get close to me, it's hard to let go." I nodded. We sat there for a few minutes drinking before I caught Luna glancing at the fireplace. "Luna, go get it he left it for you." Twilight shot me a questioning look while Luna looked at the fireplace again. "I don't know Rarity, perhaps I should wait." I held her hoof, "Trust me Luna, the sooner you get it the better. Waiting will only hurt you more." She nodded and stood up while Twilight leaned over to me, "How do you know, maybe she should wait." I shook my head as Luna stopped in front of the fireplace. "Because I was with him when he bought it, trust me… its better this way." Celestia walked over to her sister, "Luna, if you're not ready…"

"No sister I need to do this." We all solemnly watched as Luna tapped on each stone slab looking for the one that concealed the hidden compartment. She eventually found the one she was looking for and she hesitantly lifted it. I could tell from the way the slab was shaking in her magical grasp that she was nervous. None of us dared move as she lifted a box out of the hole before returning the slab. I was quite surprised though because it was not the box I was expecting. She placed the box on the table as we gathered around her. Inside was a light blue, bordering on cyan, crystal… and nothing else. Rainbow snorted in annoyance, "All that secrecy and the cryptic message, all for a dumb crystal?" I gave her a light smack on the back of the head. "Clearly this crystal had some significant meaning for Steel." Luna tried to pick it up but as soon as she magically touched it glowed with its own energy. It fired a beam of energy at the space and displayed an image of Steel that was a similar color to the crystal. "This is a prerecorded message, if you're hearing this than I did not survive my battle with Shadow and my will has already been read." None of us could react, somehow Steel was standing in front of us once again. Celestia was the first to regain her voice, "Impossible, this is a message crystal but the knowledge to make them was lost centuries ago." We looked back at him. "Correct Celestia, although maybe you should recheck your library. It's in there, clearly you just forgot where you put it." Luna stepped forward and tried to touch him but her hoof just went right through him. "How is this possible?"

"The message crystals allow a pony to make a recorded message and is activated when it is touched by magical energy." Rainbow tapped the crystal causing Steel's image to distort before regaining its shape. "So what's it like to be dead." I shook my head, only Rainbow wouldn't understand. "I'm sorry, this is a recorded message. My responses are limited." Whatever Rainbow was going to do or say was cutoff when Luna cleared her throat. "You left this message for a reason, what was it?" Steel moved and sat in front of Luna. "There was something I wanted to give you. And since I can't give it to you personally this is the best I can do. Rarity do you mind getting the box, it's under the pillow in the guest room." I nodded and ran to the guest room. This box was the one I had expected to find hidden in the fireplace. I brought it back to the others and waited for the message to continue, after two minutes we were still waiting. Then I remembered that it was a message, "Steel, I have it." He nodded, "Can you levitate it so it looks like I'm holding it?"

"Of course Steel." I moved it as requested, "Luna, I really wanted to tell you this face to face… I just hope you don't think this is unfair. I know that compared to other relationships ours could be considered rushed and rather short. But considering our pasts and everything that's been going on I think it has reached a point that would take others a year or more to reach. I love you Luna, I always did even if I didn't realize it at first. And I wanted to know," He 'opened' the box revealing the ring. "Will you make me the happiest stallion in the afterlife and marry me?" There was a multitude of gasps from the others but I was focusing on Luna. She was just staring at the ring… then the tears started. She collapsed to the ground and cried. Eventually she composed herself enough to levitate the ring onto her horn, "Of course I will Steel." He smiled, "Thank you Luna. End message." With that he was gone. The others gathered around Luna to comfort her and offer congratulations but I stayed back. My mind wandering back to the day he bought the ring.

"So what are you doing here?" He looked around the room, almost like he thought somepony was listening to our conversation. "Can you keep a secret?" I nodded, "Of course." He shifted uncomfortably be for walking to a display case near Pearl String, the owner of the store. "Before I say anything I need you to pinkie promise that you won't tell anypony else what I say." He turned to Pearl, "And I'll give you a substantial tip if you do the same." Pearl nodded and we both made the promise. I was surprised that Steel would assume that Pearl knew about the pinkie promise, but then again Pinkie is friends with everypony so they've probably seen her do it once or twice. "Alright… I hear for something that can be used for… an engagement…" I gasped, "An engagement as in purposing to somepony?" He nodded, "*squee* You're going to propose to Luna!? There is so much that needs to be done for the wedding. I need to start designing Luna's dress not to mention the dresses for the bridesmaids, suits for the best stallion, and of course your suit." He stopped me from going any further, "Relax, let's focus on the ring first… uh, I should be getting her a ring right?" I tapped my chin in thought, "Well unicorns normally get rings for each other which they wear on their horns while earth ponies get bracelets since a ring would have to be warn of a chain around their necks. Come to think of it, I've never been to a pegusi wedding. I have absolutely no idea what they do, I should look into that."

"Focus Rarity, ring yes or no." I shrugged, "She's an Alicorn so either would be acceptable. Although, Shining Armor did get Cadence a ring but that might be because he's a unicorn." Oh, I had so many plans going through my mind. "Alright I'll get a ring then." He looked over the case before turning back to me, "Uh Rarity… would you mind helping me." I smiled as we began searching the case. I discarded most of his suggestions, they were either too plain, too standard, or would clash with the color of her coat. He rejected my suggestions on the grounds that he could never imagine Luna wearing it on a daily basis. The five we did think could be the one, after some debating, were all discarded as well. Searching through the bracelets yielded similar results. He sighed, "Well that's it, there are none left to look at… and this was one of the last stores in town I hadn't been to." I was starting to get worried, Pearl has some of the finest jewelry in town so if he couldn't find it here he would have to go out of town or have one custom made. "Pearl, you don't happen to have anything in the back do you?" She put her hoof to her chin while she thought. "Well I do have some older pieces. Normally I would only sell them to collectors… but for Princess Luna I can make an exception. Just give me a minute." As we waited I noticed that Steel was nervous, "Don't worry, Luna will love whatever you get her."

"I know but what if I can't find something here?" Despite that being the truth I knew that the ring wasn't the only thing bothering him. If only I knew back then, I could have done something… When Pearl returned she had twenty boxes, six were bracelets while the rest were rings. We went through the bracelets first since there were less of them and he was less likely to pick one of them. Then we went onto the rings. After we had looked at the majority of them I could tell Steel was losing hope. "*sigh* At this rate I'll never find a ring." I wanted to comfort him but when I opened one of the three remaining boxes I couldn't speak. The ring inside was unlike most other rings, made with a dark grey band instead of a gold one. On it were seven gems, one sapphire with two small diamonds to the sides of it and four onyx stones forming a circle shape with the diamonds around the sapphire. But what caught me off guard was the sapphire. It wasn't a normal sapphire, it was a midnight ocean sapphire. These specific sapphires were a darker blue than the standard sapphires almost looking like the ocean at night, hence the name. Plus they were so rare that when found most of the time they were sold to museums. "Steel, I think I found the ring." As he looked at it I could tell by the look on his face that he thought so too.

"Hey Rarity are you okay?" Shaking my head I turned to Twilight. "Sorry, I was just… just remembering something." She chuckled a little, "It must have been something important to make you zone out like that." I sighed and looked over to Luna and the others. She had place the ring on her horn and was looking at it in the mirror while the others commented on how beautiful it looked on her. "Yeah… something important." I started to zone out again before Rainbow yelled at me from across the room. "Rarity, aren't you going to come look at the ring?" I shook my head, she looked concerned as did the others. "Rarity, what's wrong?" I wiped a tear from my eye. "Nothing it's just… *sigh* this isn't the first time I've seen that ring. I was with him when he picked it out, I even gave him advice when he asked." Luna crossed the room and pulled me into a hug. "Thank you, I know this must have meant a lot to him." She whispered. Soon I found myself in the center of a group hug. Despite all the tears shed today I know everypony is a little happier, a lot happier in Luna's case. I also believe Steel is watching us, with a smile on his face.

Authors Note: Well that's it the final chapter of the story all that's left is the two epilogues, which will be substantially shorter. Also while watching The Lego Movie I realized something, Princess Unikitty is Lego's equivalent of Pinkie Pie. And I found this guy on YouTube, Yudhaikeledai, who makes ponified video game parodies including the openings to Age of Empires and Age of Empires II, just putting it out there for anyone who plays or remembers those games.