War. War never changes. A lone pegasus retells the story of his experiences before and after the megaspells hit. After suffering a loss himself, the pegasus watches over the wasteland under the cover of night. The Nightwatch.
This is the story of a young pegasus who wants nothing but to explore the world beyond his home. After enlisting in the Equestrian Army, the pegasus finds himself and two others subject to what seems to be special training. The trio are subjected to an experimental process; one that promises to make them a few of Equestria's finest soldiers. What will await the trio as the tanks open again?
“Get your flanks in gear! We’ve got incoming troops at 12 o’ clock!” The ground shook as the explosives crashed down upon the battlefield. It wasn’t always a battlefield, though. At one point, it had been just a field. A field owned by simple farmer ponies. A field of golden wheat, maybe. One couldn’t tell now, seeing as the once-perhaps field of golden wheat was now a desolate pool of bloodshed. The remains of a once humble home of a family of farmers reduced to our only form of defense. What’s going on? Let’s start with a name. Nightwatch.
Born and raised in an area far off the coast of Equestria, maybe you’ve heard of it, Trotland? I grew up in a humble home; raised by my Ma and my Papa. We didn’t have much. Never did. That was fine, though. “We’ll always have eachother,” Ma used to say. Papa would just nod. Now Ma was an earth pony, brown coat, white mane, and the bluest eyes you’d ever see, and she was always good at raising vegetables. Give her a patch of dirt and she’d turn it into a wellspring of produce. Vegetables weren’t the only thing she was good at raising, I guess. I turned out alright.
Papa was a pegasus, blue of coat, brown of eyes and charcoal of mane. Papa was a stern old bastard, always quick to teach me right from wrong with a swift kick to my rear. He used to tell me stories of a place called Zebrica and how he and a few of his old buddies had visited there for a spell way back in his prime. That was all long before the war. Papa would tell me hushed stories about how he ‘tried the local flavors’ of Zebrica whenever Ma was out in the garden. Papa was a stallion who could get along with anypony, which, through a series of confusing events I can’t seem to recall, led him to travel abroad in the first place. But he came back home, met Ma, fell in love and settled down. Then along came me.
I was born a pegasus, just like my Papa, of blue coat and amber mane with eyes to match. I was a playful colt; always getting into trouble with the other little ones at school. Papa would always berate me, and Ma would scold me, but I’d never learn. Such was the life of wee little me.
Eventually, I finished school and did a bit of studying regarding the areas all over Equestria. Papa’s stories were what drove me, I guess. I had maps hung all over my room in the loft of our cozy little home. Ma would always come upstairs and find me sitting on the rug and twisting my neck every which way to read all the maps. There was always one place in particular I’d always fixate upon; a place called Las Pegasus. Just the name sounded inviting, what with being a pegasus myself. I wondered what kind of place it was, and so I delved even deeper into my studies.
One fateful day, I got my ticket to Las Pegasus. By word of mouth in one of the local pubs, I’d chanced upon a piece of very promising information. Equestria was preparing for a war, and the central part Equestria was recruiting ponies from all over in an attempt to gather reinforcements in an inevitable battle. Trotland itself was a neutral country, so us Trottish ponies didn’t concern ourselves with the war the rest of Equestria was facing; but not I. I was going to see Las Pegasus myself, and the military was the easiest way to achieve my goals of traveling. If all went well, I could see Las Pegasus, and the rest of Equestria while I was at it.
Ma wouldn’t have any of it. She chewed me out every day after I’d told my folks I was joining the Equestrian military to fight abroad. “Yer goin’ ta get yourself killed!” She’d say. Papa just gave me a pat on the back and wished me good luck. My mind was made up, and not even the celestial Goddesses could sway me. The day soon came when I’d set out. My papers returned via pegasus mail that morning, and I tucked them in my saddlebag before stepping out the door of our home for, possibly, the last time. There was no telling what exactly I would go through, but I wasn’t going to back down. Papa always said I had his guts and Ma’s wits.
Ma gave me a hug that lasted for about five or so minutes; crying the whole time. Papa just stood there silently. When Ma was done with her goodbyes, Papa gave me that familiar pat on the shoulder. “Take care, son,” he said right before he cracked me upside the head with his hoof. “You’d better write home. Yer mother’ll worry sick and Ah won’t hear the end of it.” I rubbed out the pain and nodded.
And then I took off.
The trip from Trotland to the central area of Equestria was long and tiring. The air-transportation would only take me so far, but the ride made me thankful I wouldn't have to spend the time flying. As the blimp touched down at the last rest stop, I was informed that it was the final stop before the line would be making its return to Trotland. Seeing as how we'd touched down on the edge of the Eqeustrian border, I stretched my wings and opted to fly the remainder of the distance. My wings continued to beat as I soared through the clouds above this unfamiliar landscape, and the time seemed to melt away as I took in the sights. I’d made a mental note to memorize the location of the base I’d be staying at and checked my map. I had to have been getting close. Looking up from my chart, I spotted the camp off on the horizon. With my target in sight and my wings aching; I made a beeline for the earth below. Once my hooves touched down on solid ground, I collapsed.
“Get up, brah. No time to nap,” some stallion in the corner of my vision approached me. He held out his yellow hoof and, after taking a few more moments to suck in as much breath as I could, I took it. “Name’s Hang Ten, brah. What’s yours?” The stallion pulled me to my hooves.
Taking a good look at him, I noted his yellow coat and sandy mane. His eyes were a sea blue and his build was trim and lean. The stallion had a lot of muscle, and his height easily dwarfed my own. To top it all off, a spiral horn protruded from his skull.
“Uh, brah?” Hang Ten snapped me back to attention. “You okay? You were just starin’, brah.” I shook my head to reorganize my thoughts.
“Yeah, Ah’m fine,” I said. “Long flight is all.”
“Whoa!” Hang Ten’s eyes went wide and he took a step back. “That’s a gnarly accent you got there, brah! Where you from?” I blinked. This stallion was quickly getting on my nerves; but he was the first pony I’d met here, so I settled for his company.
“Ah’m from Trotland, mate,” I deadpanned. Hang Ten seemed to hop in place.
“Whoa, brah, seriously?” I nodded. “All the way from Trotland, ya?” Again, I nodded. “...Where’s Trotland?” Yeah. This stallion was definitely getting on my nerves. I shook my head and started walking off towards the main tent to sign in. Hang Ten quickly shuffled up beside me. “Whoa there, brah! You didn’t even gimme your name.”
I stopped in place and looked up at the stallion. He looked sincere enough and seemed like somepony I could get along with. Eventually. With a lot of training. A lot. I shrugged and gave him my name before continuing on towards the tent.
“Welcome to the Capitol, maggots! You are here for one reason and one reason only! To serve and protect! And if serving and protecting means dying for a cause, then by all means, are you maggots ready to DIE?!” Sticking my head through the tent flap, I spotted the source of the shouting. A large stallion clad in what appeared to be an overcoat adorned with various stars and medals was shouting to a group of ponies all gathered inside the tent.
“SIR, YES, SIR!” The group of ponies hollered in unison. The large stallion whom I’d deduced as the general seemed pleased. A grin plastered his scarred brown muzzle, and his cold gray eyes scanned the group before falling on me. His grin disappeared immediately.
“And what the fuck do we have here?” The general started towards me. “A late arrival? Tell me, you little piece of scum, why are you not already seated and settled?”
“Well, ye see,” I started. The massive excuse for a pony loomed over me. I could feel his breath on my muzzle and his gaze bore into my own.
“I see a poor excuse for a recruit is what I see, maggot! Now sit your sorry ass down before I have to raise my voice!” Raise his voice? I was about to offer a rebuttal before deciding it was a terrible idea and gathered my things before taking an empty seat. I looked around and spotted Hang Ten over my shoulder. The sneaky bastard must have snuck in through the back of the tent while I was getting a taste of the general’s fury.
The initiation took most of the afternoon, and after filling out all of the ludacris paperwork necessary, I decided to check out my designated tent. Most of the tents in the yard were identical, save the wooden panels hanging above the flaps indicating the letters and numbers of the tent. T-51b was my tent, and it was easy to tell apart from the rest of the tents. Coincidentally, tent T-51b was the only tent that lacked a wooden panel. In place of a wooden panel was a metal sheet with ‘T-51b’ painted on. It looked vaguely like something one would fashion a suit of armor out of. After tapping the metal sheet to test it’s durability, I concluded that one could make a veritable powerhouse of armor with metal like it.
I opened the flap to my tent and stepped inside. There were three bunks; one directly north of the doorway and two more on the east and west sides of the tent respectively. I tossed my saddlebags onto the top bunk of the bed on the east side of the tent before hopping up to unpack. I’d packed just my papers and some food, which I’d already eaten on my flight, along with my lucky bottlecap. While unfurling my bedroll, I heard the tent flap open.
“Hey there, brah!” My ears perked up and my head twisted around to see none other than Hang Ten walking towards me. “Looks like we’re bunk mates, ya?” I internally facehoofed as the realization hit. Hang Ten dropped off what looked to be a mesh bag down by the mattress just below mine before rolling onto the aforementioned mattress.
“That’s jus’ greaaat,” I replied with just a bit of sarcasm. Hang Ten didn’t seem to care, or he just didn’t pick up on it.
“Haha, you know it, brah,” Hang Ten proceeded to hoofbump the bottom of my mattress and, as a result, knocking me a few feet into the air and onto the dirt floor of our tent. “Oop, sorry, brah.”
“D-Don’ worry about it, m-mate,” I muttered, picking myself up off of the ground. “You don’ kick in yer sleep, right?” I asked, internally begging him to say no. Please oh please say no.
“Uh, not that I know of, brah.” Phew. I spread my wings and lifted myself back to my bunk. I needed some rest after the initiation, on top of the flight here. To be blunt, I was beat. I’d managed to just close my eyes before Hang Ten opened his mouth. “So why’d you sign up?”
“I wanted t’ see the world,” I said over the edge of my mattress. “What’s yer story?” I felt intrigued.
“Well since you asked, brah...” Now I’d done it. “I’m from the coast, ya? Lived my life soaking up the sun and drinking in the waves, ya know?” I didn’t know. “I had the life, brah. All the sweet tanned mares I could ask for. An’ then this war came and my folks decided maybe a little service time would do me some good. So here I am, brah.”
“Lovely story, mate,” I said before rolling back over on my mattress and facing the wall.
“Thanks, brah. You’re a cool dude, ya know?” Hang Ten and I lay there in our respective beds, a silence between us. The tent was getting dimmer as the sun set. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
It had been a few weeks since arriving here. The training was rigorous and quite a few recruits were already laid up with injuries. A few broken ribs here and there and maybe a few stitches on a couple of ponies. This day in particular was a group training session. The goal? Capture the enemy team’s flag and return it to your own base without getting caught. The groups were built up of teams of six from each tent. I was in team T-51b along with Hang Ten and our bunkmates Rapid Fire, a red unicorn mare with a passion for pyrotechnics, Sky Swirl, a klutzy gray pegasus mare, Iron Pyrite, a huge brown earth stallion from a quarry, and Brezaka, a very flexible zebra mare who'd I'd been wary of at first.
“So, everypony is cool with the plan? No offense, Brez,” Rapid Fire piped up.
“None taken, comrade,” Brezaka replied unabashed. Iron Pyrite, Sky Swirl, Hang Ten and myself were all paying close attention to Rapid’s plan.
“We’re going up against tent T-45d. From what Brez tells me, they’re pretty skilled,” Rapid cautioned. “We’re going to need everyone to pull their own weight and then some. Understood?” We all nodded in unison. “Okay, Brez and I will infiltrate the enemy base and take the flag. Iron and Hang, you two guard our flag, got it?” The two aforementioned stallions nodded. Rapid Fire then turned to Sky Swirl and myself. “You two, fly overhead and watch our backs, okay?” I gave a nod and Sky Swirl gave something akin to a giggle-snort.
Sky Swirl and I took to the skies above the training course. The two bases were just hastily made tents on either side of the course. There were plenty of obstacles between the two bases, such as walls of sandbags and cinder blocks and barbed wire. I scanned the course to see Rapid Fire and Brezaka split off into two different paths.
“Look out!” I heard Sky Swirl shout just before she slammed into my side and knocked me out of the sky and into the maze of obstacles. Sky had landed just a few feet away; her wings crumpled in an odd formation.
“What was that fer?!” I snapped. Sky Swirl pointed up at where we’d just been flying right in time for a ball of lightning to ripple through the spot. My ears folded back. Team T-45d wasn’t just skilled; they were a threat.
“Come on, Sky. We gotta warn them,” I hopped up from the spot and shook myself free of dust I’d collected on impact with the ground. Sky Swirl just gave a pained whimper. Her wings were twisted and crumpled pretty badly. She wouldn’t be flying any time soon; not that she was too good at it, from what I’d seen so far the past week. Giving a heavy sigh, I scooped Sky onto my back; holding her up with my wings outstretched. After adjusting to the weight of the mare on my back, I took off down the path I’d seen Rapid Fire go through. The walls were too high to see over and I couldn’t fly with Sky on my back. Eventually, after managing to navigate through what seemed like an eternity of dead-ends, I’d caught up with Rapid. She was hobbling and keeping her weight off of her right front hoof, which looked like it had been snared in a bear trap. She turned her head and snapped at me.
“What are you doing here?” I took a step back.
“They’re firin’ lightnin’ blasts at us. They messed up Sky Swirl pretty bad.”
“Ugh... I can take her back to base. You take it from here, though, got it? Watch yourself,” Rapid hobbled past me and Sky shuffled her weight before sliding down off of my back and standing on her own; visibly shaken by the pain in her wings. I watched the two mares hobble out of sight before turning back to the task at hoof. Some plan this turned out to be.
After a while, I could see the base in the distance. Just a few more corners and I’d be able to get in. Taking a careful step around the safety of the corner, I surveyed my surroundings. Noting that everything was clear, I took off and made a beeline for the enemy base. I felt something whiz past my face before realizing it was turret fire. Rolling off into a nook in the wall, I pushed myself as hard as I could against the safety of cold hard cement.
“WHO THE HELL HAS TIME TA SET UP A TURRET?!” I screamed. I took a deep breath. I could handle a turret gun. Yeah. No. No I couldn’t. Giving a distressed sigh, I looked around the corner again to spot the turret making a sweeping motion back and forth; looking for a target that wasn’t there anymore.
“You distract it. I’ll take it down,” a voice called to me from my left. I tentatively looked to the source and spotted Iron Pyrite cantering towards me. He was supposed to be guarding our flag! Wait, if Iron was here, then Ten was still guarding the base. I facehoofed at the thought of leaving our base in the incapable hooves of such a stallion, but I didn’t have time to complain. Our goal was to get the other team’s flag, and I could use all the help I could get. I nodded in confirmation before diving out into the turrets line of fire; barreling out of the way haphazardly as the bullets whizzed past me. I could just make out the sound of Iron’s hoofbeats as he charged the turret before a loud crash ensued and the gunfire ceased. Looking down the path, I could see the turret was disabled; two large hoof indents in its chassis indicated what had done it in.
“Good job,” I commended Iron as I scrambled down the pathway to where the crumpled turret was. Iron just grinned and nodded.
“We still gotta get that flag,” he snapped back into his more serious demeanor. Nodding in agreement, I looked around us. The enemy base wasn’t far. Waving my hoof, I led Iron around a few corners before we spotted the enemy tent but a few dozen yards down a straight path, completely unguarded. Iron took a step forward. “Too easy.”
A snap ensued and was followed by a cloud of dust as Iron disappeared from view. After the debris cleared and my vision returned, I took a few steps forward to survey the situation. Iron was stuck about ten feet down a hole dug out of the pathway. I snickered in amusement as Iron looked up at me in an unappreciative fashion. “Too easy, indeed, mate!”
“Shut it. Either help me outta here or go get that damn flag!” Iron hollered up to me. I didn’t need another reminder before hopping over the hole (an easy feat with wings, mind you) and careening down the pathway to the tent. The flag stood a few feet in front of me, ready for my taking. With a swift motion, I snatched the flag and bolted out of the tent, flapping my wings to accelerate as I lifted myself a few feet off the ground and sped over the obstacles. I could hear shouting and feel projectile magic being launched at me from the enemy base. They must have been confident that their pitfall was a fail-safe. With the flag secure in my grasp, I sped off towards our own base and touched down.
“Tent T-51b succeeds,” the intercom flared to life the moment my hooves met the earth. I grinned as my team, sans Iron, flocked around me with equal expressions of glee.
A few months later, I had been assigned to a squadron of field soldiers.
“Get your flanks in gear! We’ve got incoming troops at 12 o’ clock!” The ground shook as the explosives crashed down upon the battlefield. The field medic unicorn was attending to some wounded earth ponies a few yards across from where I was huddled down. The general was barking orders to press forward, so we did. The explosives kept coming down around us, and they weren’t letting up. I spotted an enemy soldier aim their rifle across the field, and I followed their line of sight until I spotted their target; one of the field medics. Thinking quickly, I looked around. My rifle couldn’t shoot that far, so I didn’t even attempt to try. Whipping my head around until I spotted one of our own soldiers, a sniper, I dove over and took the weapon. Poor soul wouldn't be needing it now. Raising the scope to my eye, I took aim, and fired. The spray of red had let me know I hit my mark, and upon looking over to where the medic had been, I spotted her treating some wounded pegasi. With a sigh of relief, I turned back to the enemy lines. Just as something landed nearby with a thud and exploded. There was a white light, and then nothing.
. . .
“This… one?” I could hear an unfamiliar voice. Upon opening my eyes, I was momentarily blinded by a white light. My vision blurred, but I could faintly make out the silhouettes of ponies around me. I was laying down, but not in the field. Where was I? Straining to turn my head and forcing my vision to focus, I surveyed my surroundings. It looked like I was in a sort of hospital room, but it lacked windows and had a sort of… claustrophobic feel to it. “It looks like the anesthetics are wearing off,” the voice spoke from somewhere near me. Tilting my head to look behind me, I spotted a scrawny unicorn stallion in a lab coat approaching me. Behind him, a female pegasus in nurses garb exited the room. “How are you feeling, son?” The doctor asked me, not even bothering to take his eyes off of the clipboard in the grasp of his magic.
“Ah cannae feel anything,” I reported. The doctor smiled and nodded, jotting something down on the clipboard.
“Understandable. We pumped you full of anesthetics before subjecting you to testing. I’m surprised you’re awake and able to process and perform speech.”
“Tests? What happened?” I asked aloud. The unicorn took a deep breath and set his clipboard down.
“The field scouts went out to survey the damage on the battlefield. They found you near a crater, and brought you here. My division ran a few tests, and let me be the first to say, congratulations.” I blinked, staring blankly at the doctor.
“What the bloody hell are ye on about?!” I nearly shouted. The stallion backed away a bit and folded his ears back. “Explain ta me what’s goin’ on.”
“W-Well, Mr…” he looked at the clipboard.
“Well what?” I interrupted. “Tell me what’s happening.” The doctor put his clipboard down and gave a sigh.
“After running a few tests on your blood samples, my division has concluded that you are one of few ponies with the genetic makeup that our experimental supplement is compatible with,” the doctor started pacing around the room. “You’ve got the DNA that matches our formula.”
“...In Equestrian, doc?” I piqued. The unicorn turned and looked me in the eyes.
“Simply put, we’d like you to undergo treatment to become Equestria’s new breed of experimental super soldiers.”
. . .
It had been four weeks since I had that fateful conversation with the doctor in the lab. Now I was standing in between two mares in the training room at the underground base of operations that the C.M.C. Division maintained. The mare to my left, Lily, she called herself, was a yellow unicorn with a bright red mane and matching tail. Her mane and tail were rather unkempt, and her eyes were pools of ruby under her matted hair. The mare to my right, Angelica, was a pegasus like me. Her white coat and blonde tail and mane were prim and rather regal looking. Her sapphire eyes showed a perfect contrast with Lily’s.
Over the short course of our training sessions, I’d managed to bulk up a bit. I stood a bit taller than my teammates, but overall maintained my slender physique.
“Alright, soldiers,” the doctor called our attention and we snapped up into a presentable posture. The doctor present was a unicorn mare. Her glasses rested just at the edge of her muzzle. Pulling her clipboard up and going over her notes, the doctor dictated our orders. “Alright, so Subject A will be doing magic stamina training for today, please report to room 121b.” Lily nodded and cantered down the hall. I couldn’t help but let my gaze follow her. She had a damn fine flank. “Ahem. Subject B?” I snapped out of my daze.
“Wha?” I blinked in rapid succession. The doctor frowned and smacked my muzzle with her clipboard.
“I said Subjects B and C will report upside for flight training,” she scoffed. “Honestly, B, you don’t pay enough attention in class. I’m surprised you haven’t flunked out of the experiment yet.
“You don’t give him enough credit, ma’am,” Angelica spoke up. “He’s been quite reliable in field tests despite his lack of academic aptitude.” The doctor looked over her notes again and nodded.
“You make a point, C. But,” the unicorn stuck her muzzle in my face and gave me a stern look. “All brawn and no brain does not a good soldier make. Dismissed.” The mare turned and stepped through the double-doors back to the lab. Angelica put a hoof on my shoulder.
“Don’t worry. We’re not going to let you flunk out of the program,” she reassured me. I couldn’t help but grin and nod my thanks before we made our way topside for flight training.
By the end of the day, my wings were just a bit sore. At first the training was brutal and left me feeling dead halfway through the day, but after the daily sessions, my wings were starting to get used to it. Angelica and I met with Lily back in the mess hall, where we were surrounded by various ponies in their lab coats. The downside of being in a large facility centered around medicine and science was that I was surrounded by doctors and nurses. The upside to being here was that my only company was Angelica and Lily. Two mares, one stallion. I wasn’t about to complain.
“How was your training, Lil?” Angelica attempted smalltalk as I dug into my daffodil sandwich. Lily had just swallowed a bite of her own meal before replying.
“My forehead is numb, but I have a feeling the results were above par. How about you? How’d you and Blue do?” Lily nudged my shoulder.
“Oy, jus’ because my coat’s blue dunnae mean ye can call me that,” I retorted. Angelica and Lily had a collective laugh at my expense. I grumbled and dug back into my sandwich.
“Oh, calm down. It’s not like you’ve told us your real name, anyway,” Angelica defended. I shrugged and continued to devour my sandwich. Angelica huffed before turning back to Lily. “We managed to do increase our average. We’re both up two laps from last week.” Lily gave a whistle. I spaced out and continued to absentmindedly munch away at my meal until there was nothing left. As soon as I swallowed the last bite, the bell rang indicating it was time for everypony to return to their stations. Hopping up from my seat, followed by Lily and Angelica, I turned and trotted back to the lab with the two mares in tow.
The evening training was a team session with all three of us working collectively to achieve a common goal. Tonight’s goal was to rescue a captive soldier while keeping attention to ourselves a minimum. Lily had cast a spell to silence our hoof steps. The three of us split up and surveyed our respective surroundings. The training ground was a large hanger with cargo crates acting as a sort of maze. My mind drifted back to that day with tent T-51b. Snapping out of my reminiscence, I looked around each corner before proceeding. Rounding another corner, I spotted Lily and motioned for her attention. She looked my way and tilted her head before I signaled down the long pathway ahead of us. Lily nodded and her horn flared up as she cast her magic down the pathway, illuminating a few tripwires and mines along the corridor. We scurried down the pathway, clamoring over the tripwires and avoiding the mines before reaching a large cage with a dummy inside. Like a bolt from the blue, Angelica swooped in behind Lily and I, motioning us aside and stretching her wing out. With defined grace, she pulled a bobby pin from her downs and proceeded to pick the lock on the cage, opening it with practiced speed. Lily offered to carry the dummy back to the base while Angelica and I kept vigilant for more traps. I thought it strange that we hadn’t run into any-
“Turrets!” Angelica held her hoof out to halt Lily and I. Well that was uncanny. The three of us had stuck to the wall. “We’ve got to take those things out… I wonder if they were set up after we’d gotten to the cage”
“Makes sense,” Lily piped up. “Give us what we came for but don’t let us leave.”
“So how do we get rid of those things? There are two out there, one on each side of the path. We’d get shot at from both sides if we went out there.” That gave me an idea. Grinning to myself I stepped past Angelica. “Where are you going?”
“I have a plan,” I stated simply before diving into the turrets line of fire. I strained my ears until I heard the familiar beeps that indicated the turrets had locked onto their target. Without a moment of hesitation, I dove out of the way just as the two turrets started firing. At each other. I heard the sound of bullets digging into metal and then nothing. A few seconds later, two simultaneous explosions. Angelica and Lily walked past me as I took a bow.
“Nice work, Blue,” Lily remarked. I just grinned and followed suit.
Once the test was completed, the two mares and I made our way back to our living quarters. We’d been told by the lead doctor that we would be going to sleep for a while tomorrow. It was the final stretch in the procedure, and we would be under sedation for about a month as the doctors placed us in cryogenic tanks and applied the necessary chemicals to enhance our physical and mental state. The final test. When we awoke, we would be Equestrias first batch of super soldiers. The thought floated around in my head as I lay on my bed. A knock from my door stirred me from my thoughts. Rolling from my mattress, I cantered over to the door and opened it.
“Angelica? What are ye doin’ he-” I stammered before she brought her hoof up to my muzzle, shushing me. Angelica opened the door a bit more, enough so that I could see she wasn’t alone. Lily was there, right behind the pegasus. Angelica stepped inside with Lily in tow, letting the door close shut behind them. I stood facing the door for a moment before turning around on the spot and shout-whispering. “What are ye two doin’ here? Ye’ve got yer own rooms an’ it’s already after lights out! Ye better have a good reason fer bargin’ in like this.”
“Do you mind if we stay here tonight?” Lily asked. My ears perked up.
“What?”
“Do you mind if Lily and I stay with you tonight?” Angelica replied. “It’s our last night before the test tomorrow, and we thought we should spend it together…” Lily only nodded in agreement. I gave their speech some thought and sighed.
“Fine, ye can stay.” I crawled back onto my bed and curled up. Lily and Angelica crawled up onto the bed and nestled around me. “Is there sometin' that Ah’m not gettin’?” I questioned. Lily nuzzled me and smiled.
“We just wanted to spend some time with our little brother.” My ears perked up.
“Little brother?” I lifted my head to look between Lily and Angelica. Angelica smiled and nodded, holding her hoof out. Lily placed her hoof on top of Angelica’s and motioned for me to join in. I hesitantly placed my hoof atop the two mares’.
“From here on out, we’re family.” Angelica spoke softly. I felt a bit choked up and my vision blurred a bit before I nestled in between my new sisters and drifted to sleep.
The next morning I awoke with Lily laying across my torso and Angelica laying across my hind legs. Suffice to say, getting out of bed was out of the question in this position. Flexing my wings in frustration, I lifted Lily up and off of me before pulling myself out from underneath Angelica, tumbling onto the floor and waking the two mares in the process.
“Nnm… Morning, Blue,” Lily mumbled. Angelica just yawned.
“Five more minutes,” she muttered before laying back down. I shook my head and clapped my hooves together to wake the two mares up. Lily jumped up in shock and Angelica just about launched herself off the bed entirely. I grinned.
“Alright, Subject A, please enter,” the lab assistant motioned Lily towards the first of three tanks. Lily gave Angelica and I a look before nodding to us and climbing into the tank. “Subject C.” Angelica gave me a nuzzle before climbing into her own tank. “Subject B.” I nodded to the assistant and turned to face my own tank. The tanks were large and fitted with all sorts of technical gizmos. There was a thick glass window in the front for the scientists to observe us from. Taking a deep breath and stepping inside, the doors closed and sealed. The assistant’s voice came over the intercoms fitted inside the tanks. “Alright, we’re ready to proceed.” The tank started to fill with some sort of gelatinous green liquid. “Please remain calm. This gel will sustain you while you undergo the process.” The gel filled up to my neck, and I strained to stay above it. It filled the tank entirely and try as I might to hold my breath, I sucked in some of the gel. Oddly enough, I could still breath. My vision started to blur a bit as I felt, what I assumed, was the effect of the gel. I felt tired, but vitalized. My eyes slowly drifted shut and the last thing I heard was the voice of the assistant. “Goodnight.”
I dreamt of explosions and destruction. I dreamt of war.
. . .
What the hell was that beeping? My head was pounding and I felt stiff. Was this how I was supposed to feel? A super soldier with lethargy? I strained to open my eyes and was greeted by the familiar green gel. Beyond that, though, was a now clouded window. Beyond that, I could make out a few small lights in a darkness. The beeping wasn’t stopping, and it was getting on my nerves. Lifting my forehoof up to the door, I pushed gently. Nothing. I pushed a bit harder. Still nothing. Pulling my hoof back and winding up, I slammed it into the door, feeling the door unseal as the tank started to fill with bubbles of stagnant air from the outside. With a continuous push, I opened the door completely as the gel drained out onto the floor.
I coughed and hacked as I took in a few breaths of actual air, doubling over and vomiting out some of the gel in the process. Either my vision was damaged, or the room was indeed dark. I wondered who’d turned the lights out. I tried calling out to somepony. Anypony, but my voice wouldn’t come. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the room as I made my way across the floor, feeling papers and documents and tools strewn across the lab. What happened here? Where was everypony? And where was that beeping coming from?
I followed the sound into the next room and spotted a computer terminal at a desk. The screen flickered, almost as if it were trying to grab my attention. I made my way to the terminal and eyed the words on the screen. Test subject A: Status: Critical Error. Test subject B: Status: Tank Open. Test subject C: Status: Critical Error.
The screen flickered once more before it went blank. I stared into the screen for a bit longer, taking it all in. Turning my head back and bolting out of the room, I ran back to the tanks, slamming my hooves into the door of Lily’s tank. I kept pounding away at the door until I felt the seal break. Tearing the door open and letting the gel flood out, I quickly snatched up Lily. Her face was calm and serene, like she’d been asleep. I shook her. No response. I shook her again. Still no response. I felt tears well up in my eyes and I pressed my ear to her chest. No heartbeat. I clung to Lily as the tears fell from my face. After a few moments, I looked over to Angelica’s tank. Setting Lily down carefully, I stepped over to face Angelica’s tank and started slamming my hooves against the door, trying to break the seal. The seal broke and I pried the door open, but no gel spilled out. Instead, the thin, lifeless body of that familiar white mare tumbled out. I turned away and let more of the green gel spill from my mouth as I vomited again.
Pulling Angelica’s body into my hooves, I looked down on her face. The tank had kept her intact, but with the lack of preserving gel, she’d already started to lose weight. The pegasus had barely any meat on her bones. The door of her tank lay askew on the floor, and looking over into my own reflection, I got another unwelcome surprise. Where my brown mane was, a thicker, blue mane had taken its place. My eyes were devoid of pupils; clear white orbs staring back at me. My coat had turned darker and was now a charcoal gray. I looked over myself to see if anything else had changed. Where my hind hooves were, there were three-clawed talons of sort. My tail was no longer brown, nor was it blue like my mane. I wasn’t sure if I could even call it a tail. From the base of my tail to about three feet or so was a long, serpentine tail. Flexing it a bit to see if it really was my tail sent another shock. The end of my tail had split into two jagged jaws. I concentrated, and the jaws snapped shut. With a bit of panic, I lurched my head back and flexed my wings. They were still there, thank Celestia. Though the same charcoal color as my coat, I still had my wings.
After a deep sigh, I carefully hoisted Lily and Angelica onto my back before making my way out of the lab and up the stairs. The entire facility was just as the lab was. Dark, decrepit and abandoned. I made my way topside and was greeted by a stagnant air. The world around me looked more decrepit than normal; void of life as far as I could tell. Just what the hell happened? I carried the two mares for a while before I found a suitable spot. I dug for hours before I was satisfied, and I carefully laid my sisters into the ground before covering them up and bidding a final farewell.
I walked for what seemed like hours. The night sky flitted overhead. The land was indeed devoid of most life. I spotted a few ponies off in the distance and tried to get their attention. Their clothing seemed rather tattered and torn, and they looked to be brandishing weapons. As I made my way closer, I managed to grab their attention. Looks of horror flashed across their faces before they started firing their weapons at me. Instinct took over, and I was upon them in seconds.
As the feral impulse died down, two ponies lay bloodied and dead. The third, pinned underneath me, looked up at me in horror as my senses returned.
“Wh-What the fuck are you?” The stallion muttered. Blood dripped down my jaw onto his cheek. I could see a large gash in his throat and I managed to put two and two together. Stepping back and away, the stallion shouted. “What in Luna’s name are you?!” The stallion coughed, and blood speckled into the air around him before he went limp. I noticed a wagon the three ponies must have been towing. I looked around in their wares until I spotted a few things that interested me. A .308 sniper rifle and a .44 magnum revolver. There was an overcoat and a some saddlebags in the wagon as well. Pulling the coat on and securing my weapons at my sides, I trotted off. Angelica and Lily alongside me, I kept walking.
The night sky was overcast with dark clouds. Small openings in the clouds gave way for soft moonlight to shine through. I could see a few stars beyond the small windows amongst the cloud ceiling. A soft breeze blew through that pulled my thoughts back to the surface. The cool air chilled me and I pulled my overcoat around myself tighter as I trudged on through the barren wasteland. The wind was picking up steadily and the events of the day were weighing down on me. I needed to find some sort of shelter.
A yellow light flickered in the distance, drawing my attention rather quickly. Focusing on the light, I came to realize it was a fire; a sign of life. I’d hoped my second topside encounter with other ponies didn’t end like the first and galloped towards the fire. Getting closer revealed that the fire was contained within a ring of rocks with a few ponies crowded around. A large cart sat nearby.
I slowed my gallop down to a canter, then a trot as I got closer to the campsite. Remembering what happened last time I’d run towards ponies, I opted to slowly approach this time. The sound of my hoofsteps caught the attention of one of the three ponies, a yellow coated earth pony stallion who was wearing a helmet and goggles along with what looked like tattered overalls.
“Raiders?” The white coated stallion asked. The mare shook her head, shotgun still aimed towards me.
“Ah don’t think so,” the mare responded. “They’da shot by now.” The yellow stallion kept squinting in my direction, trying to adjust to the darkness that contrasted the bright fire.
“Come into the light where we can see you,” the stallion beckoned. “Or at least say something. Who are you?” I argued my options in my mind before opting to try speaking.
“Don’ shoot,” my voice came in a dry rasp. The unicorn mare slowly lowered her weapon a bit, the gun still enveloped in the soft white glow of her magic. The stallions focused on where my voice was coming from.
“Are you hurt?” the mare called towards me.
“N-No,” I spoke again, my voice coming a bit easier now. “I’m lookin’ for shelter for the night an’ I saw your fire in the distance.”
“Are you lost?” This time the yellow stallion called out again. “Where are you coming from?”
“The military facility east of here,” I called back. The unicorn sat the shotgun down and dispersed her magic hold. She seemed to ease up a bit.
“Must be a scavenger,” I heard her whisper to the white stallion. “Come on over, partner,” the unicorn waved her hoof and motioned me forward. I hesitated.
“Don’ shoot, okay?” I repeated.
“We’re not gonna shoot you, stranger,” the yellow stallion said calmly. Taking a deep breath, I took a hoof step forward. Then another. And another. Stepping into the light of the campfire, I watched the ponies’ expressions turn to mild shock.
“A-A ghoul?” the unicorn inched backward. The two stallions just blinked.
“No,” the yellow stallion pointed his hoof towards me. “He still has skin, see?”
“What’s wrong with his eyes?” Questioned the white stallion. “Is he blind?” I stood and listened to the three ponies discuss amongst themselves for a few moments before the unicorn addressed me directly.
“W-What exactly are you, partner?” the unicorn asked, trying to regain her composure. The ponies hadn’t run away or shot at me yet, that was a good sign. They just seemed surprised. Taking a few more hoof steps forward and sitting down in front of the fire, I gave a sigh of relief to be off my hooves and near a source of heat.
“Ah don’t really know how ta answer that,” I looked towards the mare. “Ah don’t really know what’s goin’ on at all, to be honest.”
“What happened?” The white stallion addressed me next. Turning to look at him, I asked myself the same question.
“It’s a long story,” I started. “An’ I have more questions than Ah do answers, too.”
“We’ve got time,” this time the yellow stallion spoke. He hoofed me a bottle of water which I graciously accepted, opening and sipping slowly. The dirty water left a grimy taste in my mouth, but it was exceptionally better than the taste the gel left.
“Alright then,” I began. “It all started when Ah enlisted…”
- - -
When I’d finished retelling the events that transpired, the three ponies looked at me with a mix of disbelief and awe. I’d answered as many questions as I could that the trio had asked. In turn they answered my questions. A lot had transpired between the time I had fallen asleep to when I had woken up in the lab.
A short time after the tanks had closed, the megaspells hit. Megaspells were concentrated spells of destruction that were detonated in Equestria, thus turning the once vibrant land into one of desolation and chaos. Many ponies had taken refuge in large underground structures called Stables that were specifically designed to shield the inhabitants from megaspells. Ponies that weren’t lucky enough to get into the stables were either vaporized in the explosions or exposed to lethal amounts of magical radiation. There were, however, quite a few ponies that managed to survive on the surface. Settlements and organized groups scattered the post-megaspell wasteland.
The trio of ponies had introduced themselves. The yellow coated stallion was a merchant pony named Discount. Odds was the white stallion sitting on the opposite side of the campfire and Ends was the unicorn mare sitting across from him. Odds and Ends were twin mercenaries whom Discount had hired to get himself and his wares from place to place safely. Discount sold mostly articles of food and a few weapons along with a hooful of items he considered valuable.
Equestria’s economy had altered slightly while I was asleep. Odds had, upon my questioning, explained that bottlecaps were the common form of currency in Equestria. Ends explained that bottlecaps could be found just about everywhere in the wasteland, especially on unopened bottles of Sparkle-Cola and Sunrise Sarsaparilla; the most popular soft drinks in Equestria. Discount hoofed me a bottle of Sparkle-Cola.
“First one’s on the house,” Discount winked at me. The bottle of Sparkle-Cola gave off a faint lavender glow, as if the liquid inside was under the control of a unicorn’s magic. Taking the bottle from him, I twisted the cap with my sharpened teeth. A pleasant pop and the sound of carbonation greeted me as the bottlecap came off. Before taking a sip, I had spit the bottlecap into my hoof and looked at it. A six-pointed star was emblazoned on the bottlecap along with the small ‘Sparkle-Cola’ logo. Putting the bottle to my lips, I closed my eyes and took a drink. The sweet taste of carrots overwhelmed my tastebuds as the glowing liquid poured down my throat. After taking a few gulps, I lowered the bottle and sighed contently. The cola had a pleasant aftertaste and left me feeling revitalized. Slowly opening my eyes, the ponies around me lurched back.
“Whoa nelly,” Odds exclaimed. Ends’ jaw hung open as she blinked in rapid succession.
“Well I’ll be,” started Discount in awe. “Never seen that happen before.” My face must have revealed my confusion, because Ends snapped back into reality and trotted over to the cart.
“Partner,” she pulled something from the cart and trotted back to the campfire, sitting down in front of me and holding the object up. “You seein’ what we’re seein’?” The object Ends had held up was a mirror. Fragments of the mirror were missing and a large crack ran down the middle, but I could still see my reflection.
The pony in the mirror stared back at me; the same charcoal coat and blue mane. What stood out about my reflection was my eyes. The two white orbs I’d woken up with gave off a soft white glow. My eyes were illuminated. Turning my head from side to side revealed that my eyes were indeed glowing and it was not just the light playing tricks.
“Are you okay?” Ends asked hesitantly.
“Ah feel fine,” I remarked. “Better than fine, honestly.” Ends sat the mirror down and kept staring. There was a deafening silence that lasted a few minutes as Discount and Odds joined in, staring at my eyes intently.
“D’ya think it’s permanent?” Odds piped up, breaking the silence.
“Well,” Discount interjected. “I guess that answers that question.” I raised an eyebrow in question and picked up the mirror in front of me, looking into my reflection again to see that the glow was fading.
“Oh good,” I grinned and sat the mirror down, picking up the half-empty bottle of Sparkle-Cola and downing the rest of its contents. As if on cue, the glow returned to my eyes as I swallowed the last few drops of the soda. Ends started to snicker.
“Y’know,” her snickering subsided. “Ah’ve never met a pony with headlights.” I felt myself snortle as Odds and Discount started to chuckle in unison at Ends’ quip.
“Hey,” Discount started after the laughter had faded. “We should get some shuteye. We’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow and I wanna make it to New Appleoosa by sundown.” Odds and Ends nodded confirmation. Ends began hoofing dirt onto the fire to extinguish it while Odds pulled a few bedrolls from the cart.
“So where are you heading?” Discount asked, staring at me expectantly. “Got any place in mind?” I looked down at the ground, staring blankly at the bottlecap. “I see. You know how to use those, I assume?” Looking back up, I noticed Discount was pointing to the guns strapped to my sides. I nodded in response, earning a wide grin from Discount. “That’s good to hear. If you don’t have anywhere to go, why don’t you tag along with us? I could use an extra gun guarding the cart, at least until we get to New Appleoosa. Maybe you can sort things out there,” he suggested.
“We’d appreciate the extra help,” Odds interjected, unfurling a bedroll in front of me before unfurling two more nearby.
“Seventy-five caps a day,” Ends added, settling down on her own bedroll. “Being a caravan guard pays well enough. Besides, ya get to take in all the sights the wasteland has t’ offer,” she tacked on in mock wonder.
“What do you say?” Discount inquired. I settled onto the bedroll I’d been presented and got comfortable. There really wasn’t any reason I could fathom for me to refuse.
“Ah’m in.” My head hit the bedroll and my eyes drifted closed. Sleep came quickly.
- - -
“Up and at ‘em,” Discount’s voice was accompanied by hoofstomps unreasonably close to my head. I shot up in an instant and looked around.
“Huh? Whuzza?” It took a few moments for the sleep to fade and for my eyes to adjust to the morning light. I blinked out of sequence and I felt my mane stick to the side of my face.
“Good mornin’, sleepin’ beauty,” Ends nickered and put her hoof on my jaw, shaking me away. “Sleep well?” For the first time, I’d found myself looking at Ends close up. Her face was lean and gentle yet had the look of somepony who’d experienced a fair amount of hardship. Her blue eyes shifted back and forth between my own.
“Uh, Ah’m up Ah’m up,” I shook my head quickly, shaking my mane from the side of my face. Ends grinned and rolled her eyes.
“Breakfast is ready,” Odds called, tossing an apple in my direction. Leaning forward to snatch the apple, I sunk my teeth into the fruit hungrily, taking a rather large bite and savoring it. I hadn’t eaten in years. Ends and Discount had gathered up the bedrolls and loaded them onto the cart.
“Hurry up and finish,” Discount hollered at me. “We gotta get a move on.” Taking a few more bites, I all but finished my apple, tucking the core away in my pocket. Discount had hooked himself up to the cart and started off, Odds and Ends by his side. I cantered after them, moving up along the left side of the cart next to Odds.
“So this place we’re headed fer,” I started. Odds glanced aside at me. “New Aploosa?”
“New Appleoosa,” Odds corrected me. “It’s a settlement north of here where we usually go to replenish our stock.” He gave a drawn out yawn and shook his head rapidly.
“Tired?” My question seemed to confuse Odds, as if he wasn’t sure if I were serious or not. I was.
“You better believe it,” Odds trailed off with another yawn. “I was up all night keeping guard for raiders.” Raiders were a common sight in the wasteland; and true to their name they raided whatever they saw fit. It seemed that raider ponies regularly attacked travelling caravans and even the occasional travelling merchant in hopes of stealing their wares. Raiders were even known to attack small settlements and towns.
“Ye always keep guard at night?”
“Only when we’re out in the wasteland,” Odds answered. “Ends and I take turns and sometimes Discount will offer to stay up.”
“Oh,” I looked over at Ends. “So it’s yer turn next?” Ends turned her head to look at me.
“Oh no,” she started. “Next time, you can be the nightwatch,” she emphasized her statement by pointing her hoof at me.
The conversations between the caravan ponies and I changed topics throughout the morning into the early afternoon. Odds had crawled onto the back of the cart and drifted off to sleep in the midday overcast. The journey to New Appleoosa was long, but for the most part uneventful. Downtrodden buildings and makeshift lean-tos scattered the sides of the road along the way. I had expected Equestria to be in a bad state after learning that megaspells hit, but seeing how things had turned out was something else entirely.
“So you’re from Trotland?” Discount inquired. “That explains the accent.”
“I thought Trotland was a neutral territory,” Ends piped in. “Why’d ya join Equestria’s fight?”
“Ah wanted to get out an’ see the world,” I explained, thinking back to when I was a colt sitting in my room staring at the wall I’d plastered with maps and postcards. “Ah figured if I joined the Equestrian army I’d get ta explore the world outside o’ my home country. Not ta mention the military benefits were a nice bonus.”
“So what was it like before the megaspells?” Ends inquired.
“Well,” I thought for a few moments. “There was a lot more green. An’ life. An’ buildings that weren’t cavin’ in on themselves. Generally I’d say it was a much nicer place ta live. O’ course I wasn’ here in Equestria when the war first broke out.”
“Mmmn,” Ends hummed, seemingly deep in thought. “It sounds so nice.” Looking over, I noticed that Ends had closed her eyes and was more than likely imagined a pre-apocalyptic Equestria in her mind. I started to think back; to think of my home. My ma and pa were probably a hundred years dead by now. Everypony I’d known as a colt was a hundred years dead. The memories I’d made with my friends in the military were just that; memories.
I wondered how they’d ceased living. Did my friends perish in the spellfire or were their lives cut short on a battlefield before the war came to an end? How many ponies and zebras alike were claimed by the megaspells? Why were the megaspells deployed, anyway? A heavy sense of dread washed over me. Instead of asking myself how and why so many died; I began to wonder why I didn’t.
“This looks like a good place to stop and rest,” Discount’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. My hooves had been moving without me thinking for quite a while, it would seem, because I didn’t recognize our surroundings. We’d stopped in front of a lean-to alongside the road with an old bench resting underneath the sheet metal overhang. The red paint was chipping away from the aged wood, but aside from the aesthetic blemish the bench seemed to be sturdy enough.
Discount unhooked himself from the cart and trotted around to the side to procure a few boxes and a quartet of bottled water. He hoofed a box and bottle to Ends before cantering around to the back of the cart and swatting Odds with the second box, waking the snoozing stallion. With a start, Odds shot awake in a similar manner I had earlier.
“Get up, Odds,” Discount tore open the box and began munching on the contents. “It’s time for lunch.” Odds gave a yawn and uncapped the water the yellow stallion had sat down next to him, taking a small sip before trading for the box.
Ends trotted over to the bench, the box and bottle held firmly in her magic grasp. Taking a seat on the wooden seat, she motioned me over to join her. I hopped up onto the bench as Ends magicked the bottle open and levitated it to me before opening the box the same way. I took a small drink of water and instantly felt refreshed. The long trek along the trail had left me quite parched. The bottle was enveloped in magic and lifted from my hooves as Ends swapped items with me. I glanced down at the package in my hooves. ‘Dandy Colt Apples’ is what the label read. Shaking the box a few times rewarded me with a few shriveled red clumps that slid out the opening. Taking a bite, I discovered that they were dehydrated apples.
“Good, huh?” Ends jabbed me in the side with her hoof. I let out a grunt and rubbed at my ribcage.
“Eh,” I chewed and swallowed a few more dried apples. “Ah’ve had worse.” The mare gave an amused sound and took a drink from the bottle. Discount sat propped up against the cart while Odds was alternating between stretches and trotting in circles.
After Ends and I had finished our rations, Discount hooked himself back up to the cart and we took off. I trotted on Discount’s right whilst Odds was opposite on the left. Ends sat in the back of the cart and kept watch behind us.
“How soon till we get there?” Odds groaned. “I could really use a bath.”
“Don’t we know it?” Ends remarked from the back, earning a chuckle from Discount.
“It’s not too far now,” Discount interjected. “It’s been a quiet day so we’re making great time. We should be in New Appleoosa in about three hours or so.” Odds let out another groan.
“First thing I’m gonna do is make a stop at the bar,” Ends stated matter-of-factly. “It’s been too long since I’ve had a chance to get hammered.”
“Spending your pay well, I see,” Discount remarked with a grin.
A loud ping drew our attention as something ricocheted off one of the wheels on the cart. Odds scanned the area to our left as Ends surveyed the area to our rear.
“Do you see anything?” Discount asked in a hushed tone. Another bullet tore through the wooden siding on the cart a moment later.
“Raiders,” Ends hollered, reaching for her shotgun and taking aim to our southwest. Odds ran around to the back of the cart to grab a weapon; a hunting rifle. Discount took shelter behind the east side of the cart as Ends and Odds fired off a few rounds before the raiders began firing back in full force. Thinking quickly, I pulled the rifle from my side and loaded the clip and took aim, looking through the scope and trying to find where the raiders were located.
I spotted a few ponies dressed in metal-plated armor huddled behind the corner of a decrepit building. A few meters to their left, three more similarly dressed ponies hid behind an overturned chariot. Sucking in a breath and holding it, I took aim at a raider peeking around the building. The rifle kicked when I fired, but I knew I hit my mark. A spray of red mist was indication that there was one less raider to worry about.
“Nice shot,” Odds commented. I didn’t have time to respond as I sucked in another breath and took aim again. My target this time was a raider peeking over the chariot. I clicked the trigger and my rifle kicked. The shot missed this time, evidenced by the spark of my bullet colliding with the metal adorning the sides of the chariot. Pulling the rifle up again, I looked through the scope to take aim.
“Augh!” Odds’ scream tore me from my concentration as I turned to look at the stallion. A bullet had shattered the knee in his left foreleg and twisted it at an odd angle. The stallion gritted his teeth and hissed in agony.
“Odds,” Ends cried out and jumped down from the cover of the wagon to her brother. Before I could react, the mare’s body jerked as a bullet passed through her neck. Her body flopped to the ground lifelessly as blood began to pool around her. Odds’ screams only intensified as I watched in disbelief; Ends’ blue eyes staring wide into the air. The stallion hunched over his sister, tears streaming down his face as he called her name out again and again, desperately hoping against all odds that she would respond. She didn’t.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as I watched a grenade land a few feet away from the back of the cart. On impulse, I dove to the front of the cart as the explosive went off; the blast sending Ends and Odds away in a shower of blood and dismembered body parts. A jolt of hot white pain shot through my left hind leg as a few fragments of shrapnel tore through my flank. Ignoring the pain and the ringing in my ears, I looked around to see if Discount was alright. To my relief, he was still propped up against the side of the cart. It seemed as though he’d missed the worst of things and the blast had merely knocked him unconscious. The adrenaline pumping through my blood helped steady my hooves as I raised my rifle and took aim at the raiders again. My target this time was the raider pony readying another grenade. I waited until he pulled the pin before I fired, sending the round right into his skull. Two raiders nearby scrambled to get away as the grenade exploded in a flash of blood and shrapnel. Three down, two to go.
A raider pony in spiked armor leapt out from behind the chariot, his armor stained with the blood of, I assume, his fellow raider ponies. The raider held a pistol in his teeth and fired off several rounds that whizzed by me as he charged forward in a blind rage. Time slowed to a crawl again and the entire world went silent as I raised my rifle and sent another round right into the raider’s neck, dropping him to the ground. The raider coughed, sending a spray of blood from his mouth. I could hear him try to groan in pain or perhaps say something. The only sound that came from his muzzle was a damp gargle accompanied by red bubbles.
The last raider pony must have decided their attack was a lost cause, because he galloped out from behind the chariot and into a jungle of concrete; the remains of several large buildings. Raider territory, I guessed.
Taking a deep breath, I stuck the rifle back to my side and hobbled towards Discount. My hooves gave out beneath me as the adrenaline wore off and the pain in my leg crept back into full force. Pushing myself back up on shaky hooves, I carefully inched towards the yellow stallion. Giving him a nudge with my hoof didn’t get a response. I nudged him again, harder this time. Still no response.
“Mate?” I shook him this time. Still nothing. Shaking Discount harder caused his head to slump to the side, facing me. I felt my stomach flip. The grenade hadn’t knocked Discount out. The explosive had torn away the entire side of Discount’s face, leaving bone and muscle exposed. Discount’s right eye was missing. It was merely an empty socket. The yellow stallion’s skull was cracked open; a bit of his brain tissue visible behind the bone. Bits of shrapnel were embedded into his neck.
Taking a few pained steps back, I unloaded the contents of my stomach onto the ground. Then again, just for good measure. I sat there on the ground for a good while as my brain processed what had happened, the throbbing pain in my leg just a minor hindrance at this point. That morning I was awakened by a pony I could call my fiend. That friend was now dead, along with two other ponies I’d become friends with. That morning I woke up with friends. Now I was alone.
I ran my forehoof across my face, wiping away tears I didn’t know I’d shed. Turning towards the cart, I decided to search through it. Some healing potions and bandages were tucked away in a first-aid kit which I’d opened first of all. Procuring the contents, I started to treat my wounds. Reaching around to my flank, I carefully dug the bits of shrapnel out with my teeth; ignoring the discomfort. Once all the fragments had been dislodged, I wrapped some bandaging around my flank to stop the bleeding before using healing potion and returning to dig through the contents of the supply cart.
After a few minutes of rummaging, I found what I needed. A shovel. Finding a suitable spot a few meters off the trail, I dug the spade into the dirt and started digging. The sun was setting by the time I’d finished. The fruits of my labor were three modest-sized graves. Dragging Discount’s body into the first grave, I sat in a moment of respectful silence. After repeating this with what I could find of Odds’ and Ends’ remains, I filled in each grave.
Turning around, I’d glanced across the road at some of the rubble and the bodies of the raider ponies. Opting to search them for valuables, I trotted across to sort through their belongings. I’d managed to collect a few hundred bottlecaps and stuffed them all in one pouch for convenience. A few of the raiders were carrying medical supplies; a few magical bandages and healing potions. Stuffing my spoils into the pockets on my jacket, I continued towards the rubble. A few pieces seemed suitable enough for what I’d needed, so I picked up a large chunk of rubble and carried it back across the path. I repeated this twice more with two more pieces of rubble and stuck them all upright in the dirt near the graves as makeshift headstones.
I sat in silence at the edge of the graves until the last bit of sunlight disappeared and gave way to the night. Night creatures started to emerge in the wasteland. Crickets chirped into the evening accompanied by the occasional wolf howl. With a heavy sigh, I crawled up onto the cart and sat up; overlooking the graves in silence.
The sun rose up over the horizon as the night finally gave way to morning. I took a deep breath of morning air and stretched, listening to my bones crackle and pop back into place. After loosening my stiff joints, I hopped down off of the cart and looked off into the distance. New Appleoosa was where we had been headed. It was where I was heading.
I turned and looked at the cart; the fruits of Discount’s labor. Deciding to look through it for anything I could use, I began rummaging further through the contents. I found an empty set of light saddlebags which I’d filled with a few foodstuffs and ammunition for my guns and strapped them to my sides. I’d also procured an old worn cloak which I donned to shield myself from the elements.
I took a few steps away from the cart before stopping in my tracks. I couldn’t just leave it. It wasn’t right. Stepping back to the cart, I hitched myself up to it and continued on, pulling the merchant cart and its contents along with me. The sun crawled further into the sky as I walked on in silence. The rolling of the wheels and the occasional gust of wind were the only other noises that permeated the silence aside from my hoofsteps.
New Appleoosa was getting closer with each step, and I was wondering what sort of settlement would await me. The immediate surroundings were nothing more than dilapidated buildings and rubble. Rail lines were visible here and there, leading me to wonder if there was an established railway system in this Equestrian Wasteland.
As I continued on, more and more rail lines seemed to appear, leading to what looked like a bunch of old train boxcars stacked atop one another to make a wall. As I approached, I noticed ponies scattered along the top of the wall, which I could now see stretched around in what I only assumed was a circular barricade.
“Trader!” One of the ponies atop the boxcars yelled over his shoulder upon seeing me approach. “Open the gates!” I stopped as I heard metal screeching. Two large sheets of scrap metal parted slowly to reveal what looked like a small town made up of reworked railway cars and scrap metal. “Alright, head on through,” one of the ponies from up on the wall called down to me. I took a tentative step forward, opting not to verbally respond but to just continue on.
“Welcome to New Appleoosa!” An enthusiastic caramel colored pony in a leather vest stepped forward to greet me. “Haven’t seen you before, pardner. Y’all a friend o’ Ditzy’s?” The pony looked around to eye the cart I was toting, then back to me. “Got some goods to trade?”
I stared at the oddly friendly pony as my brain processed what was going on. I had just entered New Appleoosa, met an overly enthusiastic pony, and been mistaken for somepony’s acquaintance. The stallion grinned at me silently, probably waiting for a response. I held out my hoof. “Aye,” I finally spoke. The stallion raised his hoof to meet mine and shook it.
“Oh, I forgot ta introduce myself,” the caramel pony apologized. “Name’s Spark.”
“...Night,” I responded reluctantly. Spark turned and pointed his hoof off towards a building marked with a sign that read ‘Absolutely Everything’. The building sat on a raised platform with a small metal ramp leading up to the entrance.
“Well Night,” Spark continued without skipping a beat. “Y’all can find Ditzy in her shop over yonder,” the stallion motioned toward the aforementioned establishment. I nodded in appreciation and pulled the cart along as I began to move toward Absolutely Everything. Looking over my shoulder, I watched Spark wave and walk off in the opposite direction.
Pulling the cart up the ramp, I stopped in front of the entrance. I hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door with my hoof. After a short pause, a feminine voice from inside beckoned me to come in. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside. Upon seeing the pony behind the counter, I stopped. My eyes went wide as I took in the sight of what seemed to be a decomposing corpse.
“Hello,” the corpse greeted. “Welcome to Absolutely Everything,” the pony waved her hooves around in a sweeping motion as if to show off the room. I blinked a few times and shook my head. Looking back towards the counter, my eyes landed on the same sight; a gray mare with patches of blonde mane and a set of misaligned eyes. This was not a corpse but by some cruel means a living breathing pony. The mare tilted her head to the side as if she were sizing me up. “It’s rare to see other ghouls around here. Where are you from?”
“Eh, uh,” I stammered. The mare eyed the cart behind me and smiled.
“Oh, you’re here to trade goods? Why didn’t you say so?” The pony hopped down from her seat behind the counter and stepped around it. I could see her more clearly now, and I noted that she was a pegasus, or used to be. Seeing the state of decay her body was in paired with the fact that she still seemed alive and well made my skin crawl. The mare seemed to notice my discomfort. “Ooh, I forgot to introduce myself,” the mare held out her hoof. “I’m Ditzy Doo.”
“...Night,” I hesitated before taking her hoof and shaking it. I reasoned that if this pony was in charge of a trading post regardless of her appearance, her appearance mustn’t be considered strange. I had a lot to learn about this new Equestria.
“Good to meet you, Night. Now what have you got to trade?” I unhitched myself from the cart and took a few steps away from it.
“Everything,” I said flatly, waving my hoof across the cart.
“Everything?” Ditzy eyed the cart and me at the same time. “The cart, too?” I nodded.
“It’s no use t’ me,” I explained. Ditzy’s expression changed from surprise to contemplation. She lifted the cover and eyed the contents of the trading cart.
“Alright,” the mare lowered the cover and hitched herself to the cart before pulling it into another room. I took a moment to look around the shop, eying some guns and other weapons lining the walls. Along the shelves were books and magazines and other miscellaneous oddities like scraps of metal and sturdy-looking clipboards.
My attention was drawn away from the walls as Ditzy returned from the other room with a leather pouch in her teeth. She sat the pouch down on the counter with a metallic jingle. She smiled and motioned for me to take it. Taking a step toward the counter, I opened the pouch and found it stuffed with bottle caps. It took me a moment to remember that bottle caps were the new form of currency.
“This is how much I can offer for your things,” Ditzy explained. “Does nineteen-hundred caps sound reasonable?” I stared silently at the pouch for a while before taking a deep breath.
“One-fifty,” I stated flatly. Ditzy’s ears perked as her expression changed again to one of confusion.
“What?” The mare looked at me with her crooked eyes as if I were crazy. I hoofed some caps into my saddlebags and left the rest in the pouch on the counter.
“One-hundred an’ fifty caps,” I repeated. “Two days o’ caravan duty, paid in full.”
“B-But,” Ditzy’s gaze flew back and forth between the pouch and I. “What about the rest?”
“Keep it,” I flipped my saddlebags closed. “It innae mine to take.” The mare gave an exasperated sigh before looking back at me.
“Fine,” she huffed before prodding me with her hoof. “But if you ever need anything, anything at all, you come right back here. Okay?” I couldn’t help but smile and nod.
“Hey,” I started. “Is there a bar here?”
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Stepping through the door into the bar, I was greeted by the scent of mediocre food and cheap alcohol. There were ponies scattered about the room sitting at booths and tables making idle chatter. Despite the dozen or so patrons, the bar felt staggeringly empty.
“Take a seat, pal,” a pony behind the counter hollered over at me. The stallion in question was cleaning out a glass with a towel that looked like it had seen better days. Behind the barkeep were shelves lined with bottles of alcoholic drinks ranging from cider to bottles marked ‘paint-thinner’.
I took a seat at the bar next to a blue earth pony with a dirty blonde mane. Glancing at him for a moment, I noticed he wore a tattered leather coat and donned a set of interesting looking saddlebags. The barkeep approached and drew my attention away from the stranger.
“What’ll it be?” The stallion leaned on the counter and glared at me patiently. I scanned the contents of the shelves once more and pointed a hoof at a bottle that caught my eye.
“Whatever’s in that green bottle up there,” I motioned. The stallion turned and pulled the drink from the shelf, pouring the contents into a tall glass and sliding it to me.
“Eight caps,” he stated flatly. I reached into my saddlebags and tossed the adequate amount onto the counter. Sweeping the caps into his hoof, the barkeep turned to the stallion seated next to me. “You want anything else, bud?” The earth pony only shook his head. With a grunt, the barkeep left us. “Enjoy.”
I sniffed at the contents of my glass; a sickly green liquid that smelled sour and rotten. Lifting the glass in my hooves, I took a small sip. The liquid had no sooner reached my throat before I began coughing. Setting the glass down on the counter and reeling, I continued to cough and gag. A noise from my right drew my attention through the haze of disgust. The stallion seated next to me was laughing almost as hard as I was coughing.
“Ooh,” the pony patted me on the back with his hoof, trying to stifle his laughter. “You gotta shotgun it.” I glared at the stranger for a moment before taking my glass and tossing my head back, pouring the offending drink down my throat quickly. Surprisingly enough, the coughing fit never came; only the bitter aftertaste of the drink. Setting the empty glass down on the counter, I turned to get a good look at this stranger.
His eyes were a matching blue to his coat, and despite his young appearance the stallion looked wise beyond his years. He caught me staring and waved a hoof in front of my face.
“You okay there?” The stallion asked. “Did that drink knock something loose in that ghoul head of yours?” I shook my head and turned away, looking down at the empty glass in front of me.
“Ah’m fine,” I retorted. “Ah’ve jus’ had a long day is all,” my voice trailed off. The stallion patted me on the back again and laughed.
“Haven’t we all? Hey, Stills,” the stallion called to the barkeep. “Another couple of drinks here for me and my friend.” The barkeep, Stills, nodded and prepared a set of drinks before sliding them down the bar toward the noisy stallion and myself. “Name’s Finn, by the way,” the pony introduced himself. “Drink up, uh…”
“Nightwatch,” I filled in the blank for him and took a generous sip of the drink in front of me. The taste was much less insulting than the previous drink, and I welcomed it.
“Where you coming from, Night?” Finn nudged my side. “You with a caravan or something?”
“I was,” I took another drink from my glass.
“Was? Something happen?” Finn prodded. The silence that followed seemed to be enough of an answer for him. “Oh, I see.” The stallion stared at his own drink. “I’m sorry.” A longer silence ensued.
“The wasteland is a tough place,” Finn started. There was a tone to his voice that caught my attention. My ears perked up as he continued. “Ponies out there in the wastes will kill you for the caps in your saddlebags. A bunch of them will kill you for less than that, and some of them will kill you just because they feel like it,” Finn turned and stared at me. The look in his eyes told me he’d seen many a ruthless thing out there in the wastes. “But not everypony is out to get you. There are good ponies out there who only want to do the right thing. Ponies with virtue,” Finn added. “There are too many ponies out there who just want to watch the world burn,” Finn turned back to his glass and stared off into nothingness. “Don’t become a pony like that, Nightwatch.” Taking his glass, Finn downed the remainder of his drink.
“What are ye trying to say?” At my question, Finn turned to me again.
“Ponies like us have an obligation to make Equestria better for the ponies that will come after us,” Finn explained. His tone seemed a bit guilty. Setting a few bottlecaps on the counter, Finn got up from his seat and staggered just a bit. “Sorry for ranting, Night. I think I’ve had enough to drink. It was nice meeting you,” the stallion took a few steps before stopping. Turning his head, Finn looked back at me and opened his mouth as if he were about to say something. The words never came as the stallion turned again and left the bar.
As Finn disappeared beyond the door, I was left alone with my thoughts again. I downed the rest of my drink and began thinking about what he had said. The time seemed to fly by as I replayed the events of the past few days over and over again in my head. I thought about Discount, Odds and Ends. I thought about the raider ponies that attacked. I thought about my life before the war. I thought about my parents and how they only wished the best for me. I thought about what I was going to do the next day.
Hopping down from my seat, I left a few bottle caps on the counter and exited the bar, stepping out into the cool night air. I trotted through New Appleoosa up towards the familiar building. The sign was lit by a few dim bulbs that illuminated the sign adequately enough. Making my way up the ramp again towards the door, I knocked a few times before stepping inside.
“Welcome to Abs- Oh,” Ditzy waved happily as I stepped through the doorway. “Back again, Night? Did you need something else?”
“Ah could use a little help with a few things,” I answered. Stepping toward the counter, I began digging through my saddlebags. Pulling the rifle and revolver from my bags, I set them both on the counter. Ditzy looked them over curiously.
“Do they need repairs?” the mare asked. I shook my head.
“No. Ah’d like t’ modify them a bit.” Ditzy looked at the guns and I carefully.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Well,” I started. “The rifle kicks a bit too much an’ I’d like it to be silenced if it innae too much trouble.” Ditzy only nodded. “As for the revolver,” I continued. “I think it could use a bit more kick.”
“Sounds easy enough,” the mare beamed. “I’ll have it done by morning. I have all the parts I need in the back, so you can just come by tomorrow and pick them up, okay?” Ditzy pulled my weapons off of the counter and trotted into the back room before returning.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” I piped up. The mare tilted her head. “How much will it cost?” Ditzy grinned and waved her hoof.
“For you, nothing.” I was about to object, but catching the glare Ditzy gave me, decided against it. “Oh, and Night? Do you have a place to stay?” I shook my head. “You can spend the night in the common house, if you’d like. It’s not the best, but it’s a bed and a roof over your head,” Ditzy offered.
“Aye then,” I nodded and turned to leave. “I’ll be around in the morning.” Ditzy waved as I exited her store and stepped out into the night again. After a brief stroll around the town, I came across the common house and stepped inside. The interior of the building was what I’d expected; sheet metal walls and flooring, complete with dim lighting. The beds were in pretty bad shape; most of them simply stained mattresses matted to the floor while others were raised up on rusted frames. Earth ponies and unicorns dressed in rags were scattered about on the mattresses, content with their sleeping conditions. Deciding to accept this myself, I picked a bed at random and claimed it for the night. Setting my bags underneath the bed frame, I crawled onto the worn mattress and curled up, using my overcoat as a makeshift blanket. Within minutes I was asleep.
- - - - -
The dreamless night ended as I awoke the next morning. Rolling myself off of the worn mattress, I planted my hooves down on the cold metal floor and stretched. My joints popped and crackled as my wings uncomfortably failed to outstretch underneath my overcoat. I pulled my saddlebags out from beneath the bed and settled them across my back before heading toward the door and out into the New Appleoosan morning.
Initially blinded by the sunlight, I waited for my eyes to adjust before making my way down to Absolutely Everything to retrieve my gear. Passing by various townsponies, I responded to ‘hello’s and ‘good morning’s in kind as I approached my destination. I rapped my hoof against the metal door of Absolutely Everything before pushing it open and stepping inside.
As the door closed behind me and my eyes adjusted to the change in light once more, I spotted Ditzy Doo at the counter with her face down. Scattered around her were various weapon modifications and parts. I approached the counter slowly and quietly so as not to wake the mare. Once I was a mere few inches from Ditzy’s sleeping face, I cleared my throat, startling the ghoul from her slumber.
“Wha?” Ditzy’s head shot up quickly and her hooves swept across the countertop, knocking parts aside. Her good eye focused on me and her demeanor changed from one of shock to annoyance. “Oh, haha,” Ditzy mock laughed and began tidying up the parts on the counter. “Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt a lady’s beauty rest?”
“My apologies,” I grinned and bowed my head to hide my amusement. “How’re my things?” I raised my head and scanned the countertop.
“Right,” Ditzy disappeared beneath the counter and reappeared with what resembled Lily, my revolver, and hoofed it across the countertop to me. My eyes scanned the weapon thoroughly. The barrel was slightly longer and a scope was fastened to the side. Picking Lily up, I noticed the handle had been modified, both to offset the weight of the barrel and to allow for a better grip. Tilting my head, I pointed the revolver at a barren wall and looked down the sight. I pressed down on the bit to test its sensitivity and was pleased to find it gave little resistance.
“You like it?” Ditzy leaned over the counter and smiled at me. I turned back to the counter and set Lily down before nodding my approval. “Your rifle’s in the back,” Ditzy scooted back off of her stool and stepped into another room. “I think you’re really going to like it,” her voice echoed around the corner. Within a few moments, Ditzy returned with my rifle, Angelica. With practiced ease, Ditzy hoisted the rifle onto the countertop and slid it toward me.
The first difference I noticed about Angelica was the color. What had been a dark grey akin to my coat was now an earthly yellow, as if the rifle was made of golden sand. The next modification that caught my attention was a suppressor attached to the end of what looked like a newer, longer barrel. Angelica was fitted with a larger scope as well as what appeared to be a larger magazine.Wrapping my hooves around the gun and lifting it from the counter, I was surprised to find that the weight hadn’t increased much.
“I used carbon fibre parts,” Ditzy explained as if she were reading my mind. “I figured it would be too heavy for you, otherwise. I fiddled with the stock a bit so it wouldn’t kick as much, too.” I smiled and strapped Angelica to my side before hoofing Lily into my saddlebags.
“Much obliged,” I thanked the mare wholeheartedly. I raised my hoof across the counter. Ditzy returned the gesture and placed her hoof in mine as we shook.
“Are you heading out now?” Ditzy settled back into her seat. I just nodded. “If it’s not too much to ask, where are you headed?”
“Cannae say,” I answered. “Ah just plan t’ pick a direction and wander.” Ditzy frowned and leaned forward a bit.
“Steer clear of Ponyville to the east and, under no circumstances should you go south as far as Old Olneigh and Maripony,” Ditzy glared at me. “Ponyville’s been a raider base and Old Olneigh is just a hive of radiation and mutants.”
“Ah’ll be careful,” I promised Ditzy as I turned to leave.
“You’d better be,” Ditzy warned, flailing her hoof over the counter at me in mock anger. “And you come right back here if you need anything, okay? Food, supplies, ammunition, I’ve got,” Ditzy paused for a moment, waving her hoof along the shelves behind her. “Absolutely Everything.” I couldn’t help but chuckle as I stepped out into New Appleoosa again. I told myself I would have to take Ditzy up on her offer.
I stepped out into the New Appleoosan air and hoofed it toward the main gates. As I approached, the guardponies opened the large metal doors. Beyond the gates, I spotted a familiar looking unicorn speaking with what looked to be a trader outside. Upon closer inspection, I realized the pony in question was Finn.
Finn was dressed in a light brown overcoat and was hitched to a large covered wagon. I watched curiously as he hoofed the trader some bottle caps in exchange for some bottled water. As Finn turned to store the water in the saddlebags across his back, he caught sight of me and motioned me toward him.
“Hey Night, you heading out?” Finn asked as I approached. I nodded in response. “You heading anywhere in particular?” I shook my head. “Great,” Finn grinned. “I’ve got some work for you if you’re interested.”
“What’s the job?” I asked quizzically, tilting my head.
“I’ve got some business in Appleossa and I could use somepony with a gun,” Finn answered. I cocked an eyebrow. “I mean as a guard, it’s a three day trek and another pony would make the trip a lot easier,” Finn explained. I tossed the idea around in my head for a moment.
“How much?” Finn smiled and his horn lit, levitating a sum of bottle caps from his saddlebags and magicking them to me.
“Two-hundred caps sound good?” Thinking of little else to do, I accepted the offer and stashed the caps away in my saddlebags. “Alright, let’s go,” Finn started off toward where the sun was rising into the firmament. I followed behind the wagon as we made our way east toward Appleoosa.
