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A Clash of Creeds; Arpi and Boom Wing
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Topic Started: Mar 22 2013, 06:11 PM (248 Views)
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Arpeggio
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Mar 22 2013, 06:11 PM
Post #1
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It was a fairly nice day, Arpeggio had to admit. Winter was beginning to approach its conclusion; while it was still somewhat chilly, it was getting to the point where winterwear was ceasing to become necessary; as such, the large brown pegasus was walking through town without a coat or scarf or anything on; he just had his saddlebags on his side with a pen, some staff paper (as always), and his boxing gloves, which he'd taken to always having with him.
"Mmm~ What a lovely day."
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Nothing is ever as it seems...
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Boom Wing
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Mar 23 2013, 05:51 PM
Post #2
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It had been a long year for Boom Wing, with the war reaching an intense state after the Diamond Dog assaults to the southeast. He had been fighting losing battles, all one right after the other. Every skirmish resulted in the losses of his friends and comrades until the order to retreat was called. For a pegasus who did his best to hide his feelings he was beginning to lose control himself as insomnia and stress began to take over. His latest battle had left him injured with a sprained wing and leg along with a few still-evident bruises. He was told to take leave and recover, which he did so reluctantly and only for a week.
And now here he was, wandering around Ponyville with a slight limp. He had no real friends outside of the military and didn't really have a home. Instead of going to his home-of-record in Canterlot, being his father's home, he had decided to honor his squad-mate by attending his funeral. His squad-mate had lived in a home just outside of the village and was scheduled for two days from now. Until then he had a small apartment rented for the week while he took time to relax.
Relaxing was a difficult concept for Boom Wing to grasp. The last few months of his life were full of constant high-stress environments, life-or-death situations and tense relations with his comrades. For now he had a week to recover before he'd be back in the fray once more. The military had left plenty of bits to his name since he rarely found anything to spend them on other than alcohol and "fireworks". For now he would spend them lavishly good food at the few food shops that Ponyville offered.
He soon located a diner near the center of town and sat down. A polite and professional server soon greeted him and took his order, only some soup and a salad. The waiter disappeared and Boom Wing took the time to take in the beauty of the day. It was quite chilly, though under his fifty pound jacket he was as comfortable as ever. His wings were in a protective sling to keep him from using them until they healed and a black left eye was also evident. It was not difficult at all to determine him as a member of the military.
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Arpeggio
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Mar 23 2013, 06:06 PM
Post #3
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The brown pegasus continued making his way through the town, before he walked past that same diner. He glanced over, his eyes widening just a bit as he saw what looked like a very injured pegasus in the diner. "...What in the world?" He tilted his head a bit. Sure, he hadn't been living in town for that long, but still; he would've thought he would've recognized this pony.
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Nothing is ever as it seems...
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Boom Wing
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Mar 23 2013, 06:26 PM
Post #4
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Boom Wing sat with his shoulders back and chest forward, keeping an eye on the area around him. It was something that had become second-nature for him, constantly under scrutiny in the military. There was the occasional wince, whenever he would instinctively move to use his wings, only to painfully be reminded they were in a sling for a reason. Still he did his best not to dsiplay the pain he felt and wear a calm face. Once his food arrived he thanked the waiter casually and began taking a few bites of his salad.
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Arpeggio
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Mar 23 2013, 06:35 PM
Post #5
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...He was definitely trying to hide something. At least, he looked like he should've been in pain... but something about the way he was sitting... that... almost pompous position. Arpeggio seemed to get a little irked by that... He went to the diner, deciding to get lunch there. His eyes glanced over at Boom Wing as he did so.
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Nothing is ever as it seems...
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Boom Wing
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Mar 23 2013, 09:14 PM
Post #6
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Boom Wing had a few bites of his salad before a familiar voice interrupted his meal.
"Ay Corporal Boom Wing!" came a shout from a pony who soon sat down across from Boom Wing. The pony had a fake front left leg and an eye patch, with a scar that ran across his face. He greeted Boom Wing with a smile, who in turn stopped eating his food.
"Sergeant. How've you been since your discharge?" Boom Wing asked. "Oh, can't complain. Settled down in a small house just outside of town. How about you son? Been fightin' the good fight it appears." "A botched combat roll. Wing got stuck in a particularly meaty section of some Diamond Dog. He took my wing but I took his neck." "Something hurt your wing? As big as yours are? I'm shocked to hear that. So what brings you out this way? Just off for a bit of recovery time?" "Sadly, yeah. I haggled the lieutenant down to just a week, though. There's a war being fought and I don't intend on missing it. So while I'm off... do you remember Blink?" Boom Wing asked, with a solemn look in his eye. The other pony's friendly demeanor seemed to sink as his face became sorrowful for a moment.
"Yes I do. Good kid. Lived not to far from here, did he?" "Not far at all. Small house on the outside of this village. Real close family. Small graveyard of their own, nice farm. An unfortunate... change of pace for him." "Aye. Blink was always so fast. How'd it happen?" "The Zebricans were quick to figure out flak cannons. A real short cannon, fill it with gunpowder and throw gravel on the top. Short-range but deadly. They already got a few of us with 'em and when he saw those again in combat he took straight for 'em, full payload and all. One moment he was flying next to me, the next..." "Gone in a Blink. That was always his saying. Good kid." "Yup... Just wish there was something I could've--" "Don't. Don't you dare do that to yourself. I hear it all too often. That's the kind of stuff that eats you up inside. Kills the best soldiers I've met. Keep your head about ya and don't forget what you're fightin' for. I can't be there beside ya anymore but don't think my fight ain't finished yet. You take your time to recover and get your affairs in order. Stay as strong as you have been, Boom Wing. You were always one to keep to yourself but that don't mean you should fight all your battles that way either. I'll be late if I don't take off now but I'll be around. Take care of yourself, Corporal. Consider that a favor to me, not an order." "Yes Sergeant." Boom Wing stated as his old friend slowly made his way off.
He sat there for a moment, staring at nothing in particular before sighing and continuing to eat his salad.
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Arpeggio
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Mar 23 2013, 09:27 PM
Post #7
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Arpeggio closed his eyes as his sensitive ears overheard Boom Wing's conversation with the Sergeant. He snarled just a bit, though he had no idea if he was noticeable, ordering his meal after he sat down at a nearby table. He muttered lightly "War is hell... it's disgusting. Why must all these idiots fight and kill?"
He scoffed softly and shook his head, waiting for his meal.
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Nothing is ever as it seems...
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Boom Wing
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Mar 23 2013, 10:29 PM
Post #8
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Even through the crunching of his salad Boom Wing could hear a familiar phrase. "War is hell..." the voice had said and Boom Wing slowly looked around to see who had said it. As the voice continued he soon spotted the speaker and the hateful words he spoke, obviously aimed at Boom Wing and his comrades. He stared for a moment before looking straight ahead once more and swallowing his current bite. He licked his teeth clean and tilted his neck at a harsh angle, giving off a few cracks before sitting tall once more. 'No. Not from one of my own. This is intolerable. After all the sacrifices we've made and this pony wants to show us disrespect? No.' he thought. He abruptly trotted off casually and sat across the table from Arpeggio, looking him dead in the eye with a look that could kill.
"You're absolutely right. War is hell. And what would you know of it?" he snarled.
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Arpeggio
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Mar 24 2013, 12:11 AM
Post #9
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Oh great. Well, this was just dandy. Arpeggio, not giving an inch of fear from his gaze, looked up from the table, at Boom Wing. "I know that it's a senseless waste of life, and I cannot fathom why anyone would willingly practice it. Do you have a problem with me having an opinion?"
The pegasus, who'd been slouching in his seat, sat up straight, a good amount taller than Boom Wing, and returned the Glare right back at him.
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Nothing is ever as it seems...
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Boom Wing
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Mar 24 2013, 12:35 AM
Post #10
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"Not at all." Boom Wing stated, his voice now with less hatred behind it, but still just as serious. "If we didn't have three different species of pony-hating scum weren't slaughtering our kind from three different directions then perhaps some ponies wouldn't willingly participate in it." Boom Wing did not lose the steely look in his eyes, though ponies at the diner were beginning to give strange looks at the two ponies. His service in the military wasn't something he had to defend often but it was one he held in high regards. After all, it was practically all he had left.
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Arpeggio
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Mar 24 2013, 01:03 AM
Post #11
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"Oh, of course. That doesn't keep me from disliking the whole situation. I'm a peaceful sort. This kind of thing makes me sick to my stomach." The bigger pegasus closed his eyes, still talking. "I am... a pacifist. I am an artist. That so many would die... and for what? What will this war even really accomplish for anyone? And is it really so simple? I grew up in Cloudsdale, so I had to deal with that kind of gung-ho attitude all my foalhood. One of my colleagues in Manehattan is a griffon and he is one of the nicest folks I've known. Is it really that simple to generalize a whole species like you just did?"
Edited by Arpeggio, Mar 24 2013, 01:18 AM.
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Nothing is ever as it seems...
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Boom Wing
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Mar 24 2013, 03:05 AM
Post #12
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"Incredibly easy." Boom Wing stated with almost a growl. "Especially when you witness them killing your friends and fellow ponies simply because of their land-lust. I've witnessed acts that would make a pacifist like yourself sick to your gut 'til you had nothing left to hurl. Perhaps if you had spent more time listening to some pegasi you'd know the importance of why we maintain our military heritage and just why, especially now, it's so important. I'd love to see an artist's rendition of Windsoar, my home, burning in the sky. Perhaps that'd explain why better than I can." His words replies were getting lengthy and almost long-winded as he nearly started yelling. His frustration was now becoming visible as he seemed to grit his teeth any time he opened his mouth. The pony before him seemed to ask questions that Boom Wing had all the answers for, which this pony had all the wrong assumptions of. It didn't sit well for him and there were few things that he would ever actively offend if he could avoid it. This however was a taboo above all others, to question his work.
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Arpeggio
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Mar 24 2013, 11:51 AM
Post #13
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"So what then? Would you gladly kill all griffons? All zebras? All Diamond Dogs? Would you kill them all for the actions of only some of them?" While Boom's volume kept growing, Arpeggio's remained the same steady volume, slightly icy now that the other pegasus was getting irate. "If so, that screams ignorance of the highest degree. Maybe you weren't raised the same way I was but I was raised to respect all life. I find it to be pitiful and pitiable that not everyone sees things that way."
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Nothing is ever as it seems...
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Boom Wing
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Mar 24 2013, 01:01 PM
Post #14
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"Every single one that would fly their standard and kill our kind deserves death until this war ends." Boom Wing replied, his voice a smooth scorn of the pegasus he glared at. "Those who would willingly participate in it are those who I kill and also kill my friends comrades. I'd love to see what anyone would do standing in our place. We'd probably have more volunteers and less pacifists if everyone saw the war from the front-lines." The other ponies of the area had been quick to finish their meals and move from the area, while a few stared on curiously. The waiters glanced nervously at each other and knew better than to interrupt. The two pegasi were making quite the scene, though no-one dared intervene.
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Arpeggio
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Mar 24 2013, 01:29 PM
Post #15
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Arpi sighed a bit at his statement. "And what of those who are conscripted? What of those others serving who were tricked into joining? Those who enlist so they can earn money for their family? Would you kill them so remorselessly? Your flippancy is disgusting."
He glared at Boom Wing with an icy glare. "As I said, I was raised to respect life. It's a pity that all these factions do not feel the same way. All this senseless death..."
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Nothing is ever as it seems...
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