Chapter 20
I woke up in my bed. I am home again? Finally! Suddenly the door to my room was kicked open. I screamed in fear as the bad guys grabbed me and dragged me out of our house. My family was nowhere to be seen.
Outside, I saw soldiers on top of buildings and helicopters swarmed the area. “Today, we rise again as one nation, in the face of betrayal and corruption!” a man said over a radio. The soldiers dragged me into a car. To make sure, I would stay, one of them hit me into the face with his weapon as i tried in panic to get out. That hurt.
Scared, I looked around, as the car started to move. Soldiers were running down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the car. At a fork soldiers stood on the side, firing into the air. Soldiers were strangling ponies back on the road. The car was driving down a sandy, uphill drive, after an IFV. Soldiers were smoking on the sides.
What’s going on? Took the Forgotten Army control over Ponyville?
On one side of the road a soldier was pinning a pony and then gutting him. On the other several soldiers are firing into buildings. An IFV came out of an alley closely followed by ponies. Soldiers aren't far behind. The IFV stopped near a market place, soldiers got out and started shooting and stabbing the shoppers. The car went down a hill. At the bottom a garbage can was rolling with a pony under it. The pony got out and was shot from behind. The car came to an intersection. A truck chock full of soldiers went ahead of the car. The other roads were swarmed with soldiers. The car followed the truck. They came to a fork. The truck went left. In the middle was an empty concrete area behind a building. Many Ponies were lined up against it with their hooves behind their heads and their faces against the brick. Several Ponies were on the ground being arrested by soldiers.
“Collusion breeds slavery! And we shall not be enslaved!”
On a corner bend there was another empty area behind a building where some more Ponies were being killed and arrested for resisting the soldiers.
Some Ponies stole guns from soldiers and fired upon soldiers of the Forgotten Army in a small courtyard. They were all killed. Other Soldiers exited an IFV and ran down the sidewalk. The car went right at a fork into an alley.
“The time has come to show our true strength. They underestimate our resolve. Let us show that we do not fear them. As one people, we shall free our brethren from the yoke of foreign oppression!”
After the alley, the car went to a road. Here, Soldiers ran across from the right end to the left. The car turned right and followed the soldiers. On the left several soldiers sneaked around a crashed truck and started firing up the road. The car went straight. On the left many ponies were lined up with their backs facing the road. Soldiers reloaded and aimed at them. As the car passed they fired and the bodies dropped in a hail of gunfire.
How can they do something cruel? Where are Princess Celestia and Luna?
“Our armies are strong and our cause is just.”
The car turned left at a small courtyard where soldiers were lined up and tanks were parked.
“As I speak, our armies are nearing their objectives, by which we will restore the independence of our once great nations.”
The car traveled down a deserted road. At the end were some soldiers talking and smoking. At the very end there was a marketplace on the right. Many soldiers were lined up here. They all fired their guns into the air as they cheered. The car stopped outside the marketplace. A soldier opened the back door; another pulled me out, and threw me onto the ground.
“Our noble crusade has begun.”
The soldier kicked me in the face, my vision blacked out. As my vision came to, two soldiers took take one of my forelegs and lead me down the long hallway into the market place. They lead me towards a bloody, wooden stake in the middle of the market place. The bodies of my family and friends were tied on some others.
“Just as they lay waste to our country, we shall lay waste to theirs. We will show the Europeans, Americans and Russians that we are capable of defeating them, as we defeated the princesses.”
The soldiers tied me up and other soldiers cheered very loudly. A man with a beret and a pistol in his hand walked towards me. He looked into a camera and said, “This is how it begins.”
Everything went in slow-motion and I heard my heartbeat as he aimed the pistol at my face. My vision instantly blacked out after he fired.
Then I was in a room out of blackness. Crying, I curled up into a ball.
“Dinky? Can you hear me? Please don’t cry.” That sounded like my mother.
Looking up, I saw a light and my family stood in front of me with tears.
“Mama?”
“Yes sweetie, it’s me.”
“MAMA!” I ran up to her and hugged her tightly. “I miss you!” Tears leaved my eyes.
“We too. But we are also happy that you’re alright.”
“Princess Luna connected our dreams.” Daddy stroked my mane as Luna joined us.
“What happened?” My sister asked. I took a deep breath.
“The convoy that was supposed to bring us home got ambushed. We managed to flee to an abandoned city in the Crystal Mountains. Enforcers were deployed to rescue us.” I told them.
“The war has reached Equestria?” Mommy asked in shock.
“Not exactly. The Enforcers are fighting the Forgotten Army who makes heavy resistance.”
“Then, we will send guards to assist. This threat must be eliminated.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary Princess Luna, as the Enforcers have sent everything they got. Right now, they are repairing a tank that will help us out of the city.”
“Still, we will send some guards to overlook the situation.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow!”
“Stay safe, Dinky.” Mommy gave me a kiss on the forehead before they left.
Then I woke up by a strange noise. Yawning, I saw that the others were still asleep.
I could swear I saw something in an alley. 3 green googles or something like that. “Psst, over here.” I was suspicious but the other soldiers were too far away and I didn’t want to leave my friends alone.
Using my horn as flashlight, I checked the alley. Then I heard a whistle.
Moving slowly and careful to the direction where the whistle came from, I could feel my heartbeat was high from the fear. “Must been my imagination.” I turned around.
Then, someone grabbed me and was holding a knife near my throat. “A truly beautiful night.”
“What…”
“Shh, I’m not going to hurt you.”
“W-who are you?”
“I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
“P-please no…” Tears leaved my eyes and I wet myself.
“I'm only mucking about, relax.” That didn’t help me to relax. “Just tell me how many soldiers are there.”
“T-there’s 19 in total. 4 regular soldiers, 10 Grenadiers and 5 Kommandos. T-there are here to bring me and my friends’ home. T-that’s everything I know.”
“Thanks. I think it’s time for you to take a nap then.”
Then he choked me until I passed out.
Must be another dream. I thought after I woke up in a helicopter.
It was flying away from the city. “All European forces, be advised, we have a confirmed nuclear threat in the city. NEST teams are on site and attempting to disarm. I repeat, we're...” The ramp was still open. Suddenly, before the warning could be repeated, it was cut off by static as a nuclear explosion went off in the distance. Tom looked away and shielded his eyes with his free arm not holding his rifle to avoid witnessing the flash of the detonation, I did the same with my hoof. We stared in shock and disbelief at what has just happened. The familiar mushroom cloud began to rise into the air; the shock wave knocked down many helicopters and destroyed everything in its path.
“Everyone, hang on!” Peter shouted as the shockwave hit us and the Gadfly spun out of control. Tom tried to hang on, but was sliding out out of the chopper due to the G-forces caused by the spin. I lunged and grabbed him by the hand, trying to pull him back in, but the force was too strong and his hand slipped and he fell out of the chopper. I fell on my back and hanged into the seats.
As the Gadfly crashed, my vision immediately blacked out upon impact.
I woke up in the crashed Gadfly with great pain. I looked at my hooves, they had scratches. Severely injured from the crash, I crawled out of the wreck. I gasped twice and I heard my heartbeat. Also there was a radio faintly transmitting chatter.
“Flash, NBC-1 Nuclear, Bravo, NB-0 6-2, 6-3-4, solid, 90 degree grid, hotel, surface, Juliet, 90 seconds.” The radio got garbled up with noises, and a woman began transmitting.
“...Be advised, nuclear detonation detected, fallout predicted within a radius of 7.4 miles, epicenter located at N-G-0-5-8-6-8-0. Personnel within primary affected zone are ordered to commence immediate evacuation. Contamination centers are being established at this time, and they should be operational within 2 hours. Personnel are advised to be there, I am *static*. Personnel with highly elevated levels are advised to seek medical attention at the first available opportunity.”
I fell out of the wreck and hurt myself mildly. Getting up was painful and I looked around the darkened city. A massive white mushroom cloud was rising in the horizon from the nuclear explosion. Radioactive dust blew all around me and the city. The bodies of the European soldiers and my friends were scattered dead on the ground around the crash site.
I tried to walk but my hindleg was injured, so I leaned right with every step. A building was crumbling down as a result of the nuclear detonation. As I weakly and in pain, walked up to a school playground, my hearing began to deafen with the ghostly sounds of children playing. I fell to the ground, looked up, and my vision whited out. One child called out for his dad, and eventually one calling out for help. I am so sorry mama…