Fluttershy lowered the flaming iron onto the open wound, and closed her eyes at the patient's pained scream. She knew it was for her own good, but the screams hurt her nonetheless. The scent of steam mixed with both sweat and blood tickled her nostrils, and threatened to make her lose whatever food she had eaten over the past ten hours.

It had been little under a year since she was enlisted as a Medical Chief, and she had saved countless lives. She had even earned medals for rescuing Ponies from the front lines, both ally and enemy, and nursing them back to health. Some enemies she had reformed to their side, others were taken into questioning. She just wished she could save them all...

The mare she was healing now looked up to her with tears in her eyes, and looked down to the cauterized scar on her side.

"It's my pleasure, Miss Pommel." Fluttershy said with a slight nod, before turning around, and heading to the flap of the Medic's tent.

She opened the flap, and looked out at what had become. What was once the great city of Manehattan was now a wasteland: made up of mountains up rubble, ruined buildings, a cloud of dust that encompassed the city, and the lingering scent of death. She could see the first few piles of ruin through the dust. And the occasional colorful flare shining up briefly in the distance, accompanied by loud explosions, and screams: indicating the Warspells still being cast by the Mages.

She and her team had retrieved several civilians under fire, and managed to save most of the survivors. But she couldn't save them all: each time she closed her eyes she saw the faces of all the ponies who she couldn't save. And the worst incident happened just three days after she had to watch the first one die...

The poor stallion screamed as Fluttershy did her best to bandage his wounds, and stop his bleeding. But, even when she was successful in stopping it, she still noticed how white his features had become. She recognized what this meant for the poor Unicorn. She didn't care that he was an enemy, she wanted him to live.

He wore the green uniform of a Dotsy Mage, and he looked at her in horror: obviously expecting some form of torture to come about. Fluttershy looked to the tent entrance, where Starlight Glimmer stood with a stern look in her eye. The glare softened when she saw Fluttershy's dark look, and she walked up to the bedside.

The Pegasus turned to face the patient, and set a hoof on his shoulder. The Officer stiffened, and closed his eyes: preparing for the anguish to come.

The soft tone seemed to calm him, and he looked into her weak eyes. She took a deep breath, and continued:

"I'm going to try and save you, by blood transfusion. If it doesn't work, you haven't much time left to live, is there anything I can do for you?" She ventured.

His eyes shone with wonder at the creature before him: so merciful, so sweet, and risking her job to save him. It made him question what he was taught, not for the first time: but for the strongest time.

Starlight laid a comforting hoof on his forehead, and looked down to him: "Well, neither did any of us."

She couldn't save him. And the fact that he was sorry only made it worse: it meant that there were innocent ponies out there, killing and being killed, forced to serve in a war they don't believe in. Then again, nopony could be all evil...

Suddenly, she noticed the glowing shape of a Unicorn hurtling through the air, before it crashed into the rubble that used to be the Theatre with a loud bang. Fluttershy glanced to the side, and notices a few Warspells headed to the Medic Tent.

"Hit the deck!" She cried: diving into the tent, and flying out with Coco in hoof.

She dove behind some rubble just as the spells hit the tent, and she clenched her jaw as the pained howls of the ponies who didn't make it out echoed into the city, followed by the horrified screams of those who did. She ventured to open her eyes when she heard her patient shudder in fear, and saw the smoldering body of a fellow medic: her once bouncing pink-and-purple mane now singed and ragged, and her creamy coat a dark shade of grey on several large patches.

'Thank Celestia She's facing away from us...' she thought, '... oh my, poor Lyra'll be devastated when she hears about this.'

She hoisted the frozen Coco onto her back, poked her head over the pile to make sure the survivors were heading towards safety, and gently snuck towards where the Unicorn landed. She arrived in time to see the battered pony try and stand, just to fall to her knees. Fluttershy immediately recognized the pink coat when the dust cleared enough, just as she suspected she would.

Starlight lifted her head, and smiled. She chuckled before levitating herself. "I'm going to take a sniper position at the top of this building, don't get in my way!"

Fluttershy watched as Starlight flew into the air at breakneck speeds, before affixing herself onto a ledge, and firing into the distance. She adjusted her helmet and vest, and started carrying the now unconscious Coco into dust to the south: towards the Battlefront Headquarters.

"What--... when--... How did they get here?" Coco pleaded, trying to sit up in her medical bed.

Fluttershy gently pushed her down with a hoof, and smiled: "A little ambush from the sea, that's all." She assured. Inside she was worried sick: the Dotsy forces had managed to slip past all watches without being detected, and attacked the Big Apple from the harbor. Liberty the Great was thrown into the city, and the Avian force attacked without mercy.

All the other survivors of the attack on the tent managed to retreat to headquartes without incident, but now even the medics required attention, and she was having a hard time caring for all the injuries. Everything from small cuts to gushing wounds needed to be cured, and there were several she couldn't save. She would've gotten here earlier, but she ran into some... trouble.

Twilight and Spike were debating strategy at the Tabletop Map, and Moondancer had taken control of the radio. Fluttershy took the bandages from the leg of a grey-coated Pegasus when there was a knock at the door: she lifted her head, and took note of a garbage can in the corner, and walked to answer the door.

She was greeted by the smiling face of Sunflower Raindrops, who held a letter proudly in her hooves.

"Good news from home!" She declared proudly, in that high-pitched voice of hers. Obviously she was joyfully tearful, and that lifted Fluttershy's spirits. She took the letter as Sunflower stepped inside, and ripped the top open. She pulled the letter out, and squealed in delight when she read it: turning the heads of all present.

"Rainbow is home again." Fluttershy sniffed, handing the letter to Twilight. "Home to stay!"

"Sorry it's so late in reaching you guys," Sunflower said sheepisjly, "It's been chaos as the WBPS with the old building down."

Twilight looked it over once, before smiling softly: "Only four months late, Raindrops. At least two of us are home safely," she sighed, floating the letter over to Moondancer.

Moondancer didn't even glance at the parchment. She gave a grim look, took off her headset, and turned the volume up: "You guys might want to hear this..."

She turned back to her Mic when the others gathered around her, and pushed a button with her hoof: "Go ahead, Wind Rider. Repeat what you told me."

"The Downtown is overrun!" A panicked voice crackled through. "Our troops are on the retreat!"

Twilight froze, and her pupils shrank. Spike picked up a sword, and held it to his chest: nostrils flared, and steaming.

"Impossible or not: they've toppled the old Rinky-Dink's Plaza at the end of town, and have nineteen Ponies pinned down in a basement just across from my position."

A horrible scream of pain echoed through the mic, and the crunching of bone could be heard.

"Make that eighteen." He corrected grimly. "The area surrounding them is clear of any other hostiles, they seem to be heading to the south."

"Twilight!" Fluttershy pleaded, "We have to send a rescue party in, Starlight was on top of the Plaza when I left!"

Twilight rested a hoof onto her forehead, and groaned loudly: "Ergh! We don't have enough time to gather a medical team! We need to destroy that troop ASAP!"

Everyone turned to see Coco Pommel limping briskly over to them. She froze when she noticed the stares she was getting: "Unless I'm mistaken..."

"How are you so sure I'd want to join?" Sunflower asked, stepping back nervously. "I-I'm just a klutzy mailmare!"

"Your face took on a look of determination and vengeance when that poor pony was murdered." Coco said quietly. "And you're pretty fast when you need to be, I just assumed you'd be willing."

"Just the three of you?" Twilight asked. "Are you sure you don't want Spike to come along, or something?"

"You look like all three of you have had your fill of violence with... whatever happened to you in the battle of Brookhaven," Fluttershy sighed, "we'll go alone. The enemy would never suspect us as a threat to it!"

"But those monsters won't care!" Twilight protested: "Their sole purpose is to kill, maul, and mutilate! These aren't one of your little bunnies, Flutters. These Ponies will need to die!"

"Then let us get you a clear shot!" Fluttershy yelled angrily, making everypony in the room step back. She took a deep breath, and tried again: "Let us at least try to get the others out, and that'll give you an unobstructed shot with whatever you need to take the enemies down."

Twilight stepped forward: "Are you sure you want to help us do this? No trying to stare them down? No mercy on Ponies that can think for themselves?"

Fluttershy sighed. "I've decided to face facts a long time ago, Twilight." She said sadly. "When it comes to war: it's kill, or be killed. The least I can do is help you stop it all."

She looked intently into Twilight's eyes: "Starlight Glimmer is out there, and that monster Hitter-" She spat the name out like out was poison "-has already cost the lives of who-knows-how-many ponies! Damn him, I say!"

Coco and Sunflower headed to the supply cabinet, and Twilight grit her teeth as all-too-familiar Spellfire echoed through the mic.

"A Stalker Mage troop," she sighed. "I know their weakness now, but you'll need to take these with you, Fluttershy." She concluded, handing them each a weapon, and Fluttershy an electronic earpiece, and a Sniper. "And we'll need to send at least one experienced soldier with you."

"Done," Fluttershy stated in a monotone, attaching the sheath to her back. "What do we need to do?"

Twilight was in momentary shock from her friend's deadpan response, before she nervously made her way to the Tabletop Map: "Here's what you'll need to do..."

The rag-tag group hiked determinedly through the intense fog of dust and ash: Fluttershy flew just behind the aerial formation with Coco on her back. Sunflower flew beside her, carrying the medical supplies.

'Get the trapped ponies further into the basement, there should be a back exit, that will allow the others a clear shot.'

Fluttershy eyed the glowing orb on Lightning's belt as Twilight's words rang through her head. Clear shot, indeed: that orb was supposed to hold enough explosive power to take down a dragon in a single shot. She needed to make sure the others were safely out of range.

She heard Twilight's voice crackle through her earpiece: "Fluttershy? Do you read me?"

Twilight sighed with relief, and continued. "Good, I'm going to need you to keep an eye on the areal squadron: and stealthily follow them on their mission. We don't know who, but we suspect one of them of relaying sensitive information to the axis intelligence."

Fluttershy raised her other eyebrow to match the first: "Why me? Why not send a trusted member of the squadron?" She asked timidly.

"Because they wouldn't suspect you, Flutters." Twilight deadpanned. "And you're the only other one there who knows what signs to look for. I'm sorry to put you in this position, Fluttershy, but you're the best option I have at the moment. I don't think I need to say how many lives this could save."

Fluttershy slowed her flight slightly, but quickly regained her composure: "I'll do it."

It wasn't long afterward that the squad gestured for the medics to break off, and head for the basement while they lined up their attack. Fluttershy watched as they sped off, and handed the medical supplies to Coco after she dropped her off.

She turned to Coco and Sunflower: "I'm going to be right back, okay? Make sure you get them to the exit when I give the signal." she assured, before tightening the sheath on her rifle, and hiking up the strap binding it to her shoulder.

After they nodded, she took off, and settled herself just inside the window of a building that overlooked the areal squadron's position. She took out her weapon, nocked the clip, and set her sights on the group.

She hesitated, and drew her head back from the scope: she had seen death before, but she hadn't yet gotten used to it, let alone cause it!

'I'll just aim for the flank, to knock them on their ass, but not kill them.' She thought, mostly to assure herself.

She detected motion through her scope, and looked through it once again. She saw Lighting Dust draw a knife when the others weren't looking, and froze in horror as she seamlessly took out her colleagues without even blinking. She took aim for the traitor with her weapon, but hesitated when she took out a radio, and started to flap her wings to clear the dust before her.

Twilight's voice made the Pegasus jump slightly, before readjusting her sight: "I'm here," she deadpanned.

Fluttershy's voice cracked as a tear formed in her eye: "Yes, it's Lighting: she took out the other four without mercy, or remorse."

There was a deep pause. During so: Fluttershy saw that the dust had cleared, and Lighting had raised the orb, and was aiming it towards Coco, Sunflower, and the survivors. While the other Dotsy troops rallied below her.

Fluttershy adjusted the rifle, fixed the scope's sight on Lighting, and closed her eyes.

She drew her hoof back: pulling the trigger. The bolt sped truly towards it's target, and impacted the orb just as it left Lighting's hoof.

Fluttershy clenched her jaw as a massive explosion echoed through the streets. She opened her eyes, only to see a massive cloud of brown smoke barreling into the air, and whatever remained of the Dotsy troop staring in shock at a scorch mark on the ground, with the smoldering bodies of their comrades.

She watched with a blank expression as they turned to notice her: sitting unmoving in the window, before running into the city, shouting "Fall Back! Fall Back!" as they fled.

She fell back onto her haunches, and looked at her hooves. Though we would have see a pair of mildly dusty yellow limbs, she saw them caked in blood that dripped onto the floor beneath her.

Her friend's voice crackled through one last time: "Fluttershy! Are you okay? What the hell was that? What happened?"

"What happened out there?" Twilight asked in a panic, praying that her friend was unhurt.

"Please... send somepony to find me..." Fluttershy begged as her head lightened, and her eyelids grew heavy: "... I don't... have the strength... to..."

She stirred, and looked into the face of someone she never thought she'd see again: Rainbow Dash. Both her and Applejack stood beside Fluttershy's bed, with tears in their smiling eyes.

"Twilight dropped you off here, saying you'd been asleep for four days, Sugarcube." Applejack sniffed. "You're home, Flutters... you're home."

Fluttershy teared up as she embraced her friends, and stopped when she felt something metallic on her chest. She pulled back, and saw a piece of platinum hanging from her neck by a purple and cyan band.

"Fluttershy, Medic General of the Equestrian Military:
For complying in a covert assignment, overcoming fear and darkness in favor of responsibility, and acting above and beyond the call of duty on several thousand occasions, it is my honor to have personally bestowed upon you the absolute highest award I can give:
The Equestrian Medal of Honor and Excellence.
Princess Celestia."

She set the frame on Fluttershy's lap, and looked up as their teary eyes locked: "Ah don't know what you did, Flutters, but you did enough so that you don't have to do no more. Celestia herself granted you permission to retire if you so wish!"

Fluttershy looked to her hooves, and once again saw them covered in blood. "On the contrary... this is an honor, but I'm not convinced I could ever do enough to be rid of this... this blood on my hooves..." She said, making no effort to hide her fragility.

The Changed Medic

by Amethyst_Dawn

War... What Have You Done?