Fallout: Equestria- Forsaken Heroes

by Dj Scratchjack

Chapter 1: The end of it all...

Chapter 1:
The end of it all

“We all see death in our lives, it’s unavoidable. We all see it as a part of life."

"Alright, keep your sights on that stripe. Ya hear me, lieutenant?" Rockhoof, my lovely commander, spat in my ear.

I’d spent the last three weeks on this Celestia-forsaken ridge being the new guy of the 8th Recon and Sniper division. We were a band of crazy stallions that had absolutely no idea what we’d gotten ourselves into. Did I mention we were led by a half-blind mule who thought that the world would burn in balefire? I know, right? Why would anypony think that?

The battle down in the gulch looked more like a massacre. Pony and zebra carcasses littered the ground, and blood and viscera were floating in pools and streaked across the walls.

"The zebras are an admirable enemy, always forward, always strategizing their next move. Kinda wish I could meet a few after all this bullshit is over and done with," I thought to myself.

As I thought of the battle down range, a dark-blue pony with the name "Butterbar” crawled up to me and set up his spotter's scope. Me and Butters, which was actually his real name (Butterbar for the solid gold lieutenant bar on his jacket), knew each other from recon training. He’d been my only good friend, not afraid to talk to the slightly over-sized pony in the back of the bus with the little scars all up his front legs and the jagged scratch on the side of his neck. Luckily I’d had somepony, because being the only unicorn in the unit’s barracks had been harassment at its finest...

"Hey...” was all he said. He stared into the rangefinder, analyzing the targets down in the gulch. "Wind speed is 1.7 knots to the south. Elevation is...400 hooves down. Adjust and wait on command," Butters whispered in my ear. I adjusted to the left a bit and waited for the sadsack commander to decide when the Zebra officer would breathe his last. I stared into the zebras' blue-green eyes, seeing the pride and the horrors they'd seen over the course of the years. I also saw pain in them, too. Seeing your brothers and sisters strewn across a field, screaming in pain on their dying breath does that to an individual.

A few minutes later......

I laid there on the ground with the rifle grip in my mouth, breathing steadily. Sergeant Rockhoof paced back and forth, waiting for the opportune moment...

I thought back to home. Ponyville would be starting on Winter Wrap-up right about now. Octavia would probably be off in Canterlot for her silly little peace rallies. Vinyl Scratch would still be dropping tunes in the club, not giving a shit about the world (or the war) around her. The Ministry Mares would be doing their respective jobs at the Hubs around Equestria.

And me? Me, I was sitting on a ledge, miles away from civilization, with my grandfather's heirloom cradled in my hooves, my father's chain necklace hung around my neck, a signed photo of DJ-PON3 and Octavia in my saddlebags, and a smile on my face. I was trying to be optimistic with my current situation.

Then, in one horrible moment, I heard it. A turret began firing, and the rumble of tracks boomed across the Sawhorse walls. The Ministry of Wartime Technology’s newest toy, which had been infused with my dear-old cousin Applejack's own love and toleration for the zebras, had arrived. Knock-Knock...

The tank’s missile carved a hole the size of a cottage in the rock's face right above the enemy's bunker, which happened to be directly across from my target area. Sergeant Rockhoof stopped and stared at the new assault on the enemy camp while troops hopped over our dead to get at the Legion army. Rockhoof let out a sigh, nodded at the nearby radio commspony and looked back at me. I could feel his cold eyes staring at the back of my head.

"Officer Broken Reign, fire on my mark."... My heart beat a mile a minute now while I waited on a command that would further condemn me to the Hell.

...thud-thump....thud-thump...thud-thump...thud-thump...thud-thump...

"Fire at wi-" was all that fell out of my CO’s muzzle before the shot from my anti-materiel rifle interrupted him. Its scream added to the cry of the tank in the gulch's cavern. I watched as the .50 caliber bullet ripped through my target like paper and found its mark at the zebra's heart. The round exited and finally dug itself into the ground, never to be found. The zebra looked straight at me with those cold, dying eyes and fell to the ground. The dead zebra’s guards began rushing around and looking at the nearby ridges, trying to find the pony that had just killed their officer. I let out the breath I was holding and started shaking in my barding. "Target down."

Thud-thump...thud-thump....thud. Thump...thump...thump..

The area around the bunker exploded as the tank penetrated the outer wall. The sergeant whispered to the commspony and looked back at me staring at him. I yelled over the din of battle, “what’s next, sir?" The sergeant saluted me and said, "Dismissed, rest for next assignment." I returned the salute and then nodded to Butterbar. He packed up and we started to trot back to our tent at the bottom of the hill.

10:53PM, Winter’s Eve, 2077

That night was filled with the roar of guns and shells, the screaming of orders and the moans of the dying. Nopony in their right mind could sleep through that, so I sat down in front of the fire in the campgrounds. The rest of the 8th and 1st sat in the circle, throwing insults and compliments to me for the beautiful shot to the enemy Commander.

I wasn't listening to any of it. Butters sat next to me, a coffee cup in his hooves, and looked over to me with a sad expression. He knew as well as I did how war changes a pony. "Hey. Don’t let it get to you, bro. He wasn't fit to continue to live the life that he did." He took a sip from his cup. I smiled back half-heartedly. “I know, but-" I started as the sergeant staggered into the light of the fire. He looked like he’d just gone through the entire case of Wild Pegasus whiskey that his wife had sent him. Well, all except for the bottle in his mouth that he threw to me. "Congratsh, Lieutenant, or Ca-hic-ptain, whichever one you want-hic-want to be called. Wheew!"

He half saluted, half threw himself towards me and sat down hard on his rump. I simply sighed. I’d been given a promotion I didn’t want, and for killing another being. I sat there, staring into the tea I was drinking, just listening to the voices in my head...

12:05AM, Winter's Day, 2077

I sat there till the fire went out. Butters and the rest were either on patrol or asleep. The sound of gunfire had subsided down to a few rounds here and there, and there were no more tank rounds ringing in the gulch. The smell from the land behind me was starting to wander into camp, giving me the idea that I should start my own patrol. As I wallowed in my self-pity, I stood up slowly, knowing all too well that I would have to kill again sooner or later. I'd killed my fair share of ponies during the past few years. I remembered shooting zebras that I didn't even know, ones that had never wronged me. Big Macintosh, before the war, told me it would be hard, but to press on and keep the faith in the fact that you are still a good pony. I doubted myself too much on that account, though. I’m still me, after all.

I walked up to the base of the hill that only a few hours ago was being torn apart. The 1st Recon was up on the ledge, watching what was left of the battle in their scopes, picking off any stragglers unfortunate enough to be alone. I popped the cork off my new bottle of Wild Pegasus and took a swig. The bite from the Pasterland-brewed drink took me by surprise,

"This stuff is amazing!" I said out loud. I put the stopper back in the bottle and placed it in my saddlebag, saving it for later. I walked back to my tent after making sure that the gate was being patrolled and flipped into bed. I stared at the roof of the tent, thinking of what tomorrow would bring, and after a few minutes I drifted off...

5:59AM, Winter's Day, 2077

In my dream, countless skeletons were scattered about in fields reeking of death. Grass and trees had been fried, and there was nothing alive that I could see. Radiation baked the ground, making little pits in the dirt. I saw buildings destroyed and toppled over, broken by the massive bombs being dropped. The sound of rockets and missiles flying over me filled the sky. The whistle of mortar shells rained down on me...

Then, one of the shells detonated right beside me. I flew across the tent. My eyes snapped open. Thank the Goddesses for me being stupid (or drunk) enough to sleep in my barding. Butters was nowhere to be found. I got up from the ground, looking around at the destruction happening all around me.

My dream was coming true.

Missiles streaked the sky as they flew overhead, coloring it in crimson. The bodies of my fellow soldiers were in heaps here and there on the ground, along with the corpses of stealth-suited zebras. Mortar shells blew chunks out of the ground all around me. The soldiers that weren't dead were running around in disarray. I floated my gun to my side, searching for an enemy. Explosions were taking out everything that could be considered decent cover.

I spotted Rockhoof beating the piss out of a zebra up the hill. He would be able to hold his own for a while. I ran to the comm station to signal for help. Another shell detonated directly in front of me, sending me back a few feet. Shrapnel tore into my barding, sending scorching pieces of metal tearing across my coat and hide. I reached the radio and pushed the dead pony out of the chair. I grabbed the radio and screamed into it. "This is Capt. Broken Reign of the 8th division! Camp Luna is under attack. I repeat, we are under attack. Please send reinforcements, this is Ca-." The radio was crushed under an invisible hoof, disconnecting me from HQ.

I jumped back in time to feel the slight breeze of a knife pass by my neck, missing by an inch or two. I shot three rounds into the spot next to the radio. Three little splats of blood were all that I saw as my unknown assailant moved away from his hiding spot. I backed into a corner, trying to focus on any sort of shimmer or movement in the light. I smirked a bit, thinking of the shit I was in now. Three months ago I had been sitting in a trench, waiting for death to come; now I was backed into a corner like a rabid animal, trying to avoid death again. I started to chuckle at the ghostie in front of me somewhere.

"Yeah, yeah, come get some." I pulled out my combat knife from where it was strapped to my barding. I swung it around a bit and flipped the blade into a defensive angle. THERE!

To my right I glimpsed a slight shimmer. I threw my knife at it and raised my rifle’s sights up as quickly as I could. I unloaded four more shots into the area where I’d thrown the knife. The stealth suit shut down as its host’s head became nothing more than a bloody mess. The corpse fell to the ground with a splat, blood already pooling around it. I strapped the knife back to my barding, then reloaded and flung my rifle into its custom-made holster. I wiped off the blood and grime from my barding and cutie mark, revealing the broken crown and wings once more. My side hurt a little bit from the shrapnel earlier, feeling like it penetrated through. I shrugged it off and started back to the door, being wary of what’s around me.

The camp was just a smoking dump now, not a single pony or zebra was in the area. Sounds of the battle were ringing everywhere. My own tent, along with all my personal things (minus the items in my saddlebags), were ablaze in the choking fire. I heard the quiet sound of Rockhoof and the 1st sounding the retreat.

I ran to the east, hoping for my shitty luck to help me catch up with the survivors. I galloped as fast as my hooves would let me, hopping over the burning remains of ponies, zebras, and rubble alike. I slammed into the back gate, breaking the lock and my collarbone. I slammed to the ground, screaming in pain. I tried to pick myself up, my broken bone grinding under my hide. I gritted my teeth and tried to fight through the pain. I hobbled down the trail, which led into the crevices of the canyon and hopefully to the rest of my buddies.

The sound of gunfire rang through the air as I stumbled down the worn path. Thoughts of death and fear swam in my head in an angry flurry. My broken clavicle ground against my skin, threatening to rip out. I gritted my teeth through it all. I came up to a corner in the rock face. I heard the zebras coming down from the camp. I ducked around the corner to find a grenade rifle stuck in my face.

"Reign! You’re alive!" screamed Butters. I smiled and laughed, happy to see my friend alive, too.

Then I heard a shot, and I was falling on my side…

***

I blinked back into half-consciousness to hear muffled gunshots through the ringing in my ears. Somepony was screaming my name. I drifted back into darkness for what seemed to be only a second or two, but now if felt like I was being dragged into some dark cave or tunnel. Then I felt the sensation of cold metal under me. I heard Rockhoof and some other pony talking over me. Suddenly a bright light flashed on in my sight, blinding me. I blinked and lifted my hoof to cover my eyes.

But somehow I couldn’t. I felt the motion, but nothing else.

I looked over to my leg to find it gone.

Where my leg was supposed to be was a dirty, blood-soaked rag, ripped from Butters' barding. I saw part of my bone sticking out of the wrappings. I slipped back into unconsciousness...

"But Doctor, we don’t know if it will work, and even if it did, how are we going to stabilize him? He's half dead and y-"

“I don’t know if it will work, but we have no choice. Help me flip him over..

“Sarge, we need to hurry! We gotta get out of here!"

"We can't move him right now or he'll die, Rockhoof. I'm surprised he hasn't died from the blood loss already. Hand me that scalpel."

"Doc? W-will he…"

"I don’t know, but let’s pray to Luna and Celestia for some luck for once.... There, let’s get him to the table."

"The shoulder will need time to heal, so I..."

"DOC! SARGE! THEY’RE GETTING IN!"

"Go help them out, Rockhoof. I'll handle it from here... Reign... If you can hear me, I’m sorry...this is the only thing I can do for you now. I hope you will survive this. Your friends think that you can, so there's still hope. Good luck, son. I'll leave a manual in the....shit, there’s no time. I hope the...holds... Fuck, they’re coming in. I’m so sorry, Broken Reign, I tried. Please forgive me."

Comments

[Kustom95]

it gives the right amount of detail, and it moves along at a steady pace.
it could probably use some rephrasing here and there, but other than that its a good start to a story