Nightmares
Proof reader/Editor: Biker_Dash
Ponyville was on fire. Not the “someone screwed up” kind of fire, but in “we are all going to die” type of fire. In distance she could hear steady pounding made by the invaders. DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA breached the air constantly. Occasional explosion only reinforced it. It didn't matter, she needed to get to the barricades. She needed to help them to hold the line. They were slowing winning. The invaders were slowly taken down, their numbers dropping. Their strange flying machines were trying to escape. If they could win here, they could stop the invasion and save Canterlot. They could fight against them.
The streets were littered with dead bodies. Most of the buildings were either destroyed and burning. Few buildings still stood in one piece. Then it started to rain. She looked up and saw pegasis engaged with the machines. One of them apparently suffered a malfunction, explosion ripping through it's outer hull. It fell from the sky, landing somewhere outside the town. That was good. It was the last one. Pegasis now had the air superiority. The invaders had nowhere to go.
She saw the barricades set in middle of the street and ran for it. Just in time too, as another squad of invaders appear and started shooting them. Twilight cast a shield, but she was exhausted. The battle had gone for several hours by now and her magic was gone. The shield popped out of the existence after the first hit.
“Sorry... I can't do it...”
“It's okay Miss Sparkle, we take it from here.” Unicorn guards raised their spears and threw them at the attackers. They didn't manage to hit anyone, but at least it made them more cautious. She saw Zecora trying to heal a soldier.
“Zecora, what are you doing here?”
“Help is that these ponies need, why should I hide when they bleed?” She answered. It was a small wonder how she kept rhyming even under these conditions.
“Look, it's not safe here! The local medical tent could use your help, however.” All too familiar THUD-THUD-THUD warned Twilight what was going on. It was one of the metal golems these invaders used. Guards tried to run away. They would need help taking that thing out. More than just spears were needed. They would need to have pegasis to take out its cannon on its back and topple it down. Only then they could start tearing it apart and take out its controller.
However, it would only happen if they survived. The golem open fired with its magic, ripping the guards in to pieces. Twilight and Zecora sought refuge in a nearby house. One good thing about buildings being largely destroyed was that holes in the wall allowed or quick getaways. The two ran as fast as they could.
“We need to join up with the main force! These invaders are stranded. Their last machine is gone!”
“Then hurry we must and in Princesses we trust!” However, she didn't get further than that. Something hit her in her throat. A guard who had ran with them shouted.
“SNIPER! Get in a cover Miss Sparkle!” The guard was hit in the stomach. Then again. Twilight screamed and the guard fell down, bile and blood oozing out of the hole in his stomach. She grabbed Zecora with her magic and dragged her inside a building. She closed the door and and pulled covers over the windows.
“Zecora! Please please please be alive! You have to live! Come on, it's just a flesh wound...”
“I fear... that my live is over... I can feel death drawing closer...” She said in strained voice. Her eyes seemed lack their former focus too.
“NononononononoNO! You will survive this! Come on, Fluttershy can help you! She is nearby! She had the medical equipment! Come on!” She once again grabbed Zecora in her magic and ran. She had to be fast. She couldn't let Zecora die here! She ran through the burning town, not caring about the invaders who tried to shoot her or guards who called for her help. Eventually, she saw Fluttershy and the medical tent.
“SHY! You need to help her! She... she...”
“Oh no... quick, take her in the bed over there. I will just take what I need and be there!” Twilight nodded and laid Zecora, who was coughing up blood, down on the bed. This was bad. Bloody coughs mean that the blood had reached her lungs, perhaps even her lungs were damaged too. “Please, you got to help her!”
“I will try, but... she is in bad shape. I know you don't want to but... you need to go outside, I need room to work with.” Fluttershy said. Twilight wanted to argue, but agreed anyway. She could not do much at the moment and Fluttershy was much better at this than she was. She could go outside and see the situation.
It was not good. Thousands upon thousands were dead. More were wounded and the invaders kept pushing forward. If they hadn't found out where they came from, they would have just steamrolled over Ponyville. Now ponies were fighting for a chance to fight back. If they lost here, these invaders would have a straight line towards Canterlot. They could not allow it.
Explosion ripped a nearby wall open. Three metal golems walked out of it. Twilight screamed in horror.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” Twilight screamed and woke up. She was laying on the ground.
“Urh... What is it... I had a wonderful dream...” Twilight looked around for the source of the voice. She was herself looking from a bed, grumpy for being awakened. Why was there a double in her bed? Why was she sleeping on the floor (with blanket and pillow and all but still, it was the floor)? Oh right, the portal...
“Nothing. Sorry. Just had a nightmare.” Twilight answered. The other one simply grunted and went back to sleep. She herself just turned to other side and started to think. Where had that nightmare come from? Was it even a nightmare? It felt more like a memory to her. Memory of an event she herself had never experienced. Had she accidentally witnessed something from other Twilight's memories? Or was it just dream?
Once again, she wished that she had never found that Faust cursed spell...
They were winning. Humans were falling back to their inner defenses. Pony and griffin forces were tearing them apart. Rainbow Dash even noted that they were running out of ammo. There was less and less concentrated fire and more and more lucky potshots taken, trying to slow down incoming tide out rather than repel it. They were finally going to win. For the first time, they would liberate a fallen city. This would be the turning point of the war. This would be where everything changes.
Then something hit the middle of the formation. Then another. And another. A total of ten times something hit the ground. A group of pegasis used their wings to remove the cloud of dust that had raised. It was their worst nightmare. Ten human mechanical walkers. Each one standing to their full height and turning towards the army. The massacre began. She looked up, to the sky where the machines had arrived.
“No... No! NO! NOT FAIR!” Human transports. They were flying across the battlefield, some of them heading to the human survivors, others... they were surrounding them. Air was onces again filled with metallic death. She ran back to command post, where others were waiting. In the sky, pegasis tried to engage the enemy reinforcements. Twilight was already shouting orders.
“Fall back! We need to fall back! We can't take this kind of pounding!”
“What?! We can't fall back now! We are so close to victory!” Rainbow Dash said. They could not fail, not now.
“Look around, Miss Dash. Our army is surrounded. Unless we retreat right now, we won't have an army tomorrow! We lost this battle, pure and simple. Damn those humans, if they hadn't send reinforcements now, we could have broken trough!” General Shining Armor said. “We need our army to fight in the future!”
“But we are so close! Just a little bit more!”
“Dash, we can't. Guards are dying there. Griffins are tired. Everyone is. Now they got fresh troops with heavy support.” Fluttershy said.
“We broke through only after we took down their walkers. Without them, humans are much more easier to deal with. Right now, they got a battalion worth of damn things. More transports are arriving every single moment. We need to pull back NOW!”Applejack shouted. Rainbow Dash wanted to argue, but she couldn't. They were losing. Their momentum was gone. If they allowed this retreat to become a rout, it would be the end of Equestria.
“Fine. I will inform the pegasis.”
“I will come too. You can't contact all of them fast enough.” Fluttershy said, even if she was shaking from fear. The little yellow pegasus way out of her element in the battlefield.
“Are sure, it's-”
KA-BOOM
Another explosion rocked the ground. Humans were advancing in numbers from the front. Signs of a rout were starting to appear. Troops abandoning their positions. Cries of 'run for your live' could be heard. It was going to turn in to a disaster.
“Fine, let's move.” Rainbow Dash said. Both took to the skies, quickly informing everyone they could. Griffin flew next to them.
“What are our orders!? We are getting slaughtered here!” The griffin shouted.
“We are to fall back! We can't beat them, not like this. Fall back in order, do not allow it to fall into chaos!”
“Yes Sir, we-” Griffins head exploded showering Dash in blood. What was with humans and their insane tendency to aim at the head!? It made no sense! Then again, it was good in sense that head provided a smaller target for them to aim, which mean more misses.
Rainbow Dash took quick look down. One the mechanical walkers was adjusting it's aim at her. She quickly took several quick turns to throw it's aim off. It's aim was still on her. Then there was the characteristic BRAKA. Time seemed to slow down, she could see the bullet approaching her. She pulled herself around and up, barely missing her. Damn right she was awesome. Nobody else could avoid those things, but she? She was just that damn awesome.
CRUNCH
She turned around. Fluttershy was barely flying. Her left hind leg dangled on a small piece of flesh, before snapping and dropping down. Blood poured out.
“It’s... nothing...” Silent voice said.
Then Fluttershy lost consciousness and fell down.
“FLUTTERSHY!”
“FLUTTERSHY!” Rainbow Dash stood up. Where was she? Her home? Why was she on her coach? Why did the place look like someone else lived there? What was going on? What was that nightmare? No wait, the portal... Right, she was in alternative universe.
“Dash? What are you shouting?” Scootaloo came from her room. Her double had adopted Scootaloo after the war and now had build a new room for her. Scootaloo was starting to look like young mare, even having gotten her cutie mark. “Oh, it's you. What are you shouting about?”
“Nothing, nothing... sorry...”
“Nightmares?”
“No...”
“Hey, I live with your double. I know she too has nightmares from time to time. I know I still have. We all have them. Nothing to be ashamed of. Anyway, good night. Try to be little bit more quiet, okay?”
“Sure, good night.” Scootaloo returned to her room as Rainbow Dash laid back down. That had not been a good dream. It didn't even feel like a dream...
She walked across the former battlefield. The battle was over. They had won. The humans had been driven back. Then why did it feel like they had lost? The answer was simple. She looked around. Dead soldiers were everywhere. In the back of the tent, just another casualty of the war. This one more personal than the others. She would need to tell to Twilight when she would find her but for now, she just wanted to find a place to hide in. Someplace where she could pretend that this war didn't exist.
She couldn't save Zecora. The damage had been too extensive. Despite that, she had tried. Even when those golems had raised Tartarus outside, she had tried. Tried and allowed others to die. From the moment she had seen her, she had known Zecora wouldn't survive. Despite that, she had tried and had ignored those who could have been saved. It hadn't mattered at the moment, but now... she knew it was going to haunt her for rest of her life.
She walked along the main street. Buildings were largely destroyed. Thankfully pegasis had caused the rain to start, . Otherwise the town would have burned down. She didn't know where the fire had came from. It didn't matter. What mattered was that the town still stood. The library was missing it's top branches. It also had a hole on it's side. Still, it was still standing. Badly damanged, but standing. That was good.
So much death. So much destruction. For what? What did these strange creatures want? In a matter of months, they had destroyed the peace that had existed for thousands of years. Southern Equestria was still under their control. Even for this victory, The Princesses had to sacrifice Fillydelphia. Who knew what had happened there? Had the invaders burned that place too? Just like they burned everything on their way to Baltimare?
She decided to head for her shed. It was a familiar, comfortable place. Place where she could go and hide. Hide and forget the war. Angel would be waiting for her. Maybe she could help the animals there. Many of them must have gotten hurt too. Nobody else would look after them in this chaos. So she would do it. She couldn't face any more soldiers out there. Not after abandoning so many of them.
She arrived at her shed. It was nothing but a smoking ruins. The animals were huddled outside, seeking warmth from each others.
She broke down crying.
Fluttershy woke up with tears in her eyes. Next to her, her double was crying too. She didn't know why. If she was experiencing equally horrifying dream... even if it didn't feel like a dream... it was no wonder. She didn't know what to do. Twilight had not prepared them for anything like this. Then again, she had not expected that curious peek to other universes would turn out like this.
Fluttershy didn't like this universe. It had too much pain in it.
“INCOMING!” Explosion shook the ground. Applejack raiser her head ever so slightly, careful for snipers. Humans were attacking once again. After Los Pegasus had fallen, the Griffin Kingdoms had joined the war. She wasn't particularly fond of griffins, but at the moment she was glad they were on their side. Humans were trying to break through the Ghastly Gorge Defense Line. They had been content with just sitting on their side, but after Los Pegasus they had decided they needed even more territory. Equestria was not going to give it to them.
“All troops, rally on me!” The new captain shouted. She had never seen this one before, a blue unicorn. She seemed kinda agitated around her. She had tried to have a good look at her before the battle started, but she had avoided her. Still, it didn't matter. Troops were loyal to a fault to her and were holding the line. The arrows and crossbows provided by griffins were making human advance slow, at least when their walkers weren't attacking. Entire squadrons were lost to those things before they were taken down. They had gotten smart. Their foot soldiers covered the air for the walkers, while the walkers took care of the ground forces.
Another explosion. The constant dull sound of human weapons. She didn't know which one was worse: the noise or the fact that she had gotten used to it. She herself was currently helping by taking arrows and other supplies around the trenches. Trenches, another new tactics that had never been considered before this war. There had never been need for them. Castle walls had been enough. Now, castle walls were like giant “SHOOT ME!” signs. The humans had no problems with just blowing the apart.
More explosions. Humans just loved their damn explosions, didn’t they? She had once thought that fights between unicorns were flashy and destructive. Now she knew that those fights were nothing compared to full scale human assault. At least she hoped that what they were expe
“Has anyone seen the captain!? I can't find her!” Someone shouted. Well, she had been a good mare and captain. Probably was currently plastered all over the battlefield by now. She saw Big Macintosh running towards her.
“We need to get the wounded away right now. Can you take care of that?” Applejack asked him.
“Yeeup.” Another explosion, this one much closer. Guards were nearly panicking.
“Damn it, I just hope we can hold it. They are determined bastards. With out griffins helping we would have been defeated already.”
“Yeeup.”
“Okay, let's get...” Applejack started. Big Mac's eyes turned into pin pricks and he kicked her away. Explosion shook the ground near where she had been. “BIG MAC!” She saw him lying nearby, blood flowing from his wounds. “Nonono... Come on, let's get you out of here!” She took him on her back and rushed to medical tents. They imminently started to work on him. She herself returned back to front line to bring more supplies. Battle was going badly. They would need all the help they could get. She would be only in way if she remained near her brother. Then, a miracle.
“It's the captain!” Indeed, it was the new captain. Rushing out of nearby forest, hitting the side of human group. Behind of her, a group of humans pursued her. Humans were taken by a surprise and soon found themselves under friendly fire and in middle of a magical storm. She had taken out human flanking squad, all by herself? Damn, they needed more captains like that.
“FOR THE CAPTAIN! FOR EQUESTRIA!”
“FOR THE HIGH KING!”
Numerous war cries were heard as ponies and griffins charged in a counter-attack. The humans, disoriented by sudden collapse of their flank, were quickly beaten. The human commander apparently decided to cut his losses and ordered a retreat. Humans fell back, fighting for every inch of land and before finally returning to their encampment. Ponies and griffins cut their chase. It was one thing to chase the enemy. Charging against their fortifications was a suicide. The battle was over. They had won.
She returned to the medical tent. Now that she didn't have anything else, she needed to know about her brother. Dealing with wounds caused by humans was relatively new field of medicine. Problem was getting the projectiles out without causing any more damage.
“Please, is my brother OK? Big Macintosh?” She asked the doctor she had left him with.
“Yes, to certain degree... however... his brains show no sign of activity. His brains suffered major damage. I can't promise he will wake up.” Doctor said in tired voice, before returning to other patients.
Applejack stood alone. Big Mac was... gone?
Applejack woke up with a jolt. So that how it had happened... she had questioned her double when she had been given Big Macs old room. She had admitted that Big Mac had fallen into a coma during the war and hadn't woken up. She had not doubts whenever or not it had been a dream. No way she could imagine something like that. It felt too real, too detailed.
She prayed for her double. Nobody deserved a life like this.
It had been quiet recently. Even since The Prisoner Gambit had began, humans had quieted down. Not that she complained, less humans were focusing on burning Equestria down, the better. She was on a trip to raise morale of troops. The unit she was currently visiting was stationed near Fillydelphia. They had managed to take back the countryside, but the city proper still remained under human control.
There were also occasional raiding parties, from both sides actually. It was important for ponies to keep humans tied up in Fillydelphia city, to make sure that griffins had straight access to Equestria. Griffins took slightly longer route through the ruins of Manehattan. Humans, on other hand, tried to find a weak spot, someplace where they could breach through and continue their advance.
“Raiders! All troops to battle stations!” An alarm. Just her luck, she had just arrived at the place and humans would attack now!
“Keep close us miss Rarity, we will keep you safe.” One of the guards said. She had no intentions of getting in their way. Only thing that came from fighting humans was death. That's why The Prisoner Gambit was going on. It was hoped that humans would prefer peace over a genocide. Once again, all to familiar dull DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA started. She managed to get a glimpse of the human force. All infantry, no support. This was just testing them, not a serious attack. It would be beaten back soon.
THUNK
That was not a good sound.
“GRENADE!” Someone shouted. She couldn't ignore that. How did she do the spell again? The one Twilight used occasionally to shield others from explosions? She turned around to see where to cast it, only see the grenade flying towards her. She only had few seconds be-
BOOM
Pain. That was the world was. Pain. Not colors, not shapes, not sounds. Everything hurt. Just unending pain. Pain on her face. She felt something warm drip down. It hurt. She couldn't see. It hurt. Everything hurt. She wanted to scream. It hurt. Somewhere in distance she could hear distant voices shouting. It hurt. She felt herself lose balance. It hurt. She felt herself lose consciousness. It hurt.
The world dissolved into pain.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Rarity jumped up from her bed. She quickly tried her face, everything was normal. Then she turned to a mirror. Nothing was wrong with her face. It had been a dream. Just a horrible dream...
“What was it!? Who's there!?” Came a voice next to her. She looked down and saw her double. Oh, right, she had been transported to another world. She had agreed to share a bed with her double. A world where her double... had scars... and was blind...
“Nothing, sorry, I had a bad dream...”
“Oh? I am sorry to hear that darling. I just had a wonderful dream. I dreamed that my designs had been featured in an international fashion magazine!” Her double gaze a happy smile.
“Yeah, that sounds wonderful. Let's get back to sleep?”
“Sure, right...” Her double said and returned to sleep.
In her own universe, her designs had gotten into an international fashion magazine. If she had seen glimpse of her own memories... had she just experienced the event that made her blind?
Pinkie Pie #1 stared at the other Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie #2 looked every ashamed, her mane looking nothing like it did normally. She had just seen a dream, a dream she knew that was actually a memory. A memory she had not wanted to see.
“Why?” Pinkie Pie #1 asked.
“...”
“Pinkamena Diane Pie. Please tell me. Why?” She couldn't believe she was doing this. Questioning her own double.
“It... just happened. I didn’t want to. I didn’t mean to....” Her double fidgeted, not daring to raise her head.
“I can't believe this... Do the others know?”
“I hid the evidence. I hoped they would never find out. It was a chaos. Nobody would notice. I was so ashamed. I didn't think. I was scared.”
“You understand that what you did was horrible? Right?” This discussion was not something she had expected to hold when she had come to this strange new universe.
“Yes. Everyday I live with that knowledge and try to make up for it. Maybe... maybe when I die, I have done enough to repent... Until then, I just keep trying.” Pinkie Pie #2 said quietly and started to cry. Pinkie #1 just shook her head. Not what she had expected. This version of her, even if on outside was cheery like she was... she just as broken as everyone else. She hugged the sobbing form of her double.
She didn't like this universe.
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I don't get it what exactly was it that Warverse Pinkie did that was so horrible?
1318009
It's a secret
Some kind of cupcakes grade noodle incident? Some war crime? I'm intrigued.
1318038
The second verse, same as the first
Or, in immortal words of Casey Hudson: LOTS OF SPECULATIONS FROM EVERYONE
Although I was warned that I would get this question a lot
1318060
This kind of speculation I like.
Proceeeeeed...
1318009 That might be a reason why the human veterans are traumatised from her.
1318111 Yeah I know that was part of the reason I asked the other part was Pinkie's section in the Nightmares chapter
“I fear... that my live is over... I can feel death dawning closer...”
epic last words bro
God damn it Scorched Earth why did you put in that part with pinkie I'm tearing my brain apart here trying to figure out what pinkie could have done oh god the ideas and images going through my mind right now will probably give me nightmare so thanks for that.
Oh and keep up the good work.
Chapter has been edited, as per suggestions given by the editor. Grammar should be improved now.
1317705
Hopefully this up to expected quality
1318944
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2phjqbGam1r3zat8.gif
pinkie pie did something like this did-int she
"Well, she had been a good mare while was."
Usually even when your grammar is bad it is at least understandable, but this sentence left me literally unsure what you were saying. Perhaps "she had been missing a good while"? Perhaps "it had been a good while since she had seen the mare"? Perhaps something else. I don't know. That's a problem.