When the invasion of Equestria began, the Wonderbolts were the first to be among a long list of casualties, something that Rainbow Dash wished she was a part of.

In the tense days before the human invasion, Equestria had become a shadow of its former self.

Once a land of clear skies, verdant landscapes and clean waters, Equestria was now home to machine gun nests, mile long trenches and fortified bunkers.

With the country backed into a corner, Princess Celestia was forced to recant her stance on technology and begrudgingly approve Twilight’s recommendation to modernize their military, and by extension accelerate the technological development of Equestria as a whole, in the hopes that it will be enough to level the playing field against humanity when they ultimately arrive.

With her acquired knowledge of human technological advances Twilight spearheaded an ambitious, if remarkably late, renaissance in science, engineering and weapons development, bringing about an industrial revolution on an unprecedented scale that was maintained at a desperate pace.

However, despite the efforts of Equestria’s best and brightest, there was only so much that they could do with what little resources and time they had when their starting point was the human equivalent of the mid to late nineteenth century.

Sure, they had things like firearms and automotive vehicles in wide circulation now, but a lot of that prodigious technological growth meant very little in a war when your enemies were already way ahead of the curb, and had been for some time now.

In the span of a few short months zealous logging had turned entire valleys into barren seas of stumps, leaving hundreds if not thousands of furry woodland critters without a home and clearing the way for mudslides. Unregulated mining for metal ores have had disastrous ecological repercussions, with harsh chemicals and metallic elements seeping into the ground, contaminating the topsoil and groundwater and plaguing the surrounding lands with heavy metal pollution that would be felt for years to come.

All this was further compounded by countless factories working around the clock processing the materials into usable goods.

Thick towers of black smoke billowed from the factories' smoke stacks and into the air, choking the skies and land in asphyxiating miasma of smog. Toxic runoff and other nasty pollutants from these buildings were irresponsibly dumped into lakes and rivers or buried in massive landfills with little regards to the damage it caused to the environment. There just wasn't enough time to properly dispose of them. Fortunately acid rain had yet to become an issue, but with how quickly the pollution was spreading it was only a matter of time before it did.

These were but a few of the problems to have arise during these desperate times. But the princesses, Twilight in particular, had assured everypony that the temporary ecological damage caused by their rampant industrialization was a small price to pay when it came to winning the war.

Everypony was still expected to do their part when demanded of them and if a material carried even the smallest bit of value that was beneficial to the cause it was going to be collected, be it by the business end of an axe, scythe, hammer... or rifle.

Dark clouds of unnatural origins swirled above the forest by Equestria's northern shoreline as soldiers and laborers alike fell trees at an alarming pace, breaking their backs gathering building material to further the country's fortifications.

It was tragic seeing the beautiful woodland being torn down in such an efficient manner, and by pony hooves no less. Though, better by them to be harvested for a noble cause than to be blown apart in a salvo of terrible human ordinance, they reasoned.

Among those felling trees was Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, Daring Do superfan and senior officer of the Wonderbolts.

She and the team of fantastic flyers were a part of the logging crew serving out their hours of mandatory service. They'd been tasked with clipping the branches off the pine trees and prepping them for delivery to the coast. They performed their duty admirably and without complaints, striving to set an example to their fellow ponies in times of hardship.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash. Did you hear about the protesters that were here the other day?" Soarin started out of the blue, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

"Dissenters?" replied Rainbow Dash, resting her axe against her shoulder. "I thought the ESS dealt with them already."

"No, not dissidents. I'm talking about the hippies from the Equestrian Nature Conservation Society," Soarin chuckled. "Apparently they don't like it that we're cutting down Thimblepaw woods. Luckily we managed to chase them out before one of them could chain themselves to a tree."

"Tch, those hippies should be glad I don't report them to the secret service for obstruction of duty," Rainbow Dash spat. "Princess Twilight made it absolutely clear that we need every little bit of raw material we can gather before the humans invade, and we're going to deliver with or without their help."

"Don't you think we're going a little overboard, though?" said Lightning Streak, pausing his work to catch his breath. "Trees are one thing, they'll grow back. But a week ago I had the guard ransacking my home looking for whatever metal they could get their hooves on. Pots, pans, silverware, my grandpa's filling, you name it, they confiscated it. Word is we don't have nearly enough metal on the continent to manufacture as many of those fancy new toys they're rolling out for us as they'd like to and had to resort to mass recycling."

"Well, we can't get it anywhere else," replied Rainbow Dash. "We lost all our territory since the barrier fell, Equestria is all we have left. If eating without silverware is what it's gonna take to repel the human invasion then I can live without demonstrating proper table manners for a while."

"Not like you had them to begin with," Spitfire quipped as she flew onto the scene, causing the all the Wonderbolts to immediately stop what they were doing and snap to attention as they'd practiced countless times before. "Afternoon, lieutenant."

"At ease, everypony," Spitfire ordered and everyone visibly relaxed. "I've come bearing good news and even better news. The good news is that our mandatory hours of service are finally up. The better news is that we're finally moving out." The Wonderbolts cheered boisterously upon hearing the news.

"Bout time," said Lightning Streak. "I learned that I'm not cut out to a lumberjack."

"Well, then it's a good thing you're a Wonderbolt," Spitfire smirked. "Grab your things, everypony. Once we're down by the beach we're gonna be doing drills until sundown. Am I undestood?"

For the next few weeks down at the shoreline the Wonderbolts rigorously practiced aerial drills and weapons training from sunup to sundown. They flew in formation, practiced aerial maneuvers and bombing raids with aid from the newly refurbished Equestrian Navy. Their execution was tight and their speed were unparalleled. Everyday was like a show to the soldiers stationed there and the best part was they didn't even need to pay.

When they weren't flying they were learning how to use the new weapons that Twilight had developed for them.

Their armaments were limited but they were meant to capitalize on the Wonderbolts quickness in the air. Among such weapons were an eclectic collection of satchel charges, mortar rounds and grenades. The idea was that they would fly towards the human's fleet and bomb their ships with explosives before retreating to replenish their supplies. Rocket launchers had been considered but the added weight weighing them down would make them easy targets.

Should the humans make it to shore and begin their push up the beach their grease guns should be able to make short work of them. It was a low cost weapons that was remarkably easy to mass produce. The gun itself was lightweight, compact, easy to handle and able to spew out a reasonable amount of lead all at the pull of a trigger. It was the perfect weapon for pegasi.

And last but not least there was the humble combat knife. It doesn't need an introduction or even an explanation, just stick the pointy end towards the enemy and pray to the Alicorns you kill what you're stabbing at.

Currently the Wonderbolts were on the ground, practicing shots with their grease guns against burlap sack dummies. The results were mixed, with some demonstrating an impressive aptitude for firearms, taking to them like a fish takes to water despite never having held one before in their life, while others were living proof that giving an creature without fingers a gun based on old human design was a disaster just waiting to happen.

"Come on!" Spitfire shouted from the sidelines. "Aim down your sights, they're there for a reason!"

"Grr... It's harder than it looks!" Flitter grunted, correcting her aim and letting loose another concentrated burst. Her grouping was terrible, being inches apart, but at least she hit her target.

"Lightning Streak! For the love of all that is holy, reload on a sensible time scale!" Spitfire groaned. "The human's are gonna punch ya full of holes by the time you put in a fresh magazine!"

"I'm trying, captain!" hollered Lightning Streak, clumsily fumbling with the grease gun's magazines like a clown juggling bowling pins. "Grr... How do the humans do this?!"

"By Princess Celestia's rainbow mane, Corporal Scootaloo is out shooting you!" Spitfire pointed out, gesturing to the orange mare.

Scootaloo was beside Rainbow Dash on the range and was one of the few Wonderbolts who could not only hit her target and reload reliably, she demonstrated mindfulness for trigger and muzzle discipline as well. She was no Annie Oakley but when compared to the rest of her team she might as well be a savant.

"Alright, that's enough! Guns down, everyone back away," Spitfire ordered. Her team complied and ceased firing, but an additional shot rang out in the air followed by a scream. All eyes snapped to Soarin who was on the ground clutching at the bleeding wound on his hind leg and the smoking gun beside him. "Soarin!" she fumed. "What did I tell you about keeping your hoof on the trigger!"

Bringing a hoof to her face Spitfire let out a aggravated groan. "Of all the boneheaded... High Winds, Rapid Fire!" she called.

"Get happy hooves over here to the infirmary. Maybe some time in bed will remind him not to keep his hoof on the very thing that could send hot lead flying everywhere!" Spitfire snarled.

"Yes, ma'am! Right away, ma'am!" High Winds and Rapid Fire saluted before hauling Soarin away.

"As for the rest of you," Spitfire turned to the rest. "Drills are over for the day. Let's clean up and hit the showers. The rest of the day is free time, lights out at nine as per usual. We'll start flying maneuvers again at sunup. Dismissed."

With one final salute, Spitfire and the Wonderbolts dispersed. They began stowing away their equipment, collecting loose shell casings for reuse and resetting the dummies to their original positions.

One quick shower afterwards, everypony was enjoying their free time. Some were training their fighting skills using wooden spoons as a substitute for their knives, others were writing letters to their families back home inland. Scootaloo was resting on her bunk at the barracks, her attention firmly directed at a small faded golden locket that she was dangling inches above her muzzle when Rainbow Dash trotted over and greeted her.

"Heya, Scoots," Rainbow Dash smiled, leaning against the side of the bunk. "S'that the locket Applebloom gave you?"

"Yeah," Scootaloo smiled back. "It was her engagement gift to me. Told me it was an old family heirloom that's been passed down from one Apple to the next. Apparently they would use it as a way to declare their everlasting love to somepony."

"Yeah. She also told me Granny Smith gave it to her way back when just for a moment like this. Bless that old mare and her heart."

Rainbow Dash chuckled at the mention of Granny, she missed that old firecracker. "Boy, you can say that again. By the way, that was some mighty fine shooting out there today. You're probably the best one out of all of us, period. I gotta ask, how'd you get so good at it? Most ponies have never held anything like a gun before in their lives and here you are nailing shots like it's going out of style. What's your secret?"

"Oh, it's no big secret or anything, but..." Scootaloo's smile faded slightly. "...Do you remember the days before the war, back when we were able to explore human lands and try out their crazy gizmos?"

"Well, back when we could still access the internet, I used to be really into these gun channels on the web," Scootaloo blushed like a mare that just revealed she still played with dolls. "I don't know why I was drawn to them the way I was. Maybe it had something to do with how the humans in them always seem to be having a blast whenever they were firing their guns. Hooping and hollering, making trick shots and screaming things like 'Murica!' at the top of their lungs. It was pretty cool. Then the war started and, well, Equestria came first."

"So, yeah. I watched a ton of these videos. Like, a lot, a lot. Including the ones on the importance of gun safety and proper handling. I guess I'm just remembering all the stuff I learned before the war started and it's only now that I'm actually applying it," Scootaloo shrugged. "I never would've imagined I'd be using that knowledge to try and hold off a human invasion. It's almost like a bad joke if you ask me."

"What do you mean, what do I mean?" Rainbow smirked. "Clearly this was all meant to pass. All the knowledge you picked up is supposed to aid you in fighting against humanity!"

"Uh, duh. It's the universe's way of getting you back to Applebloom safe and sound. You just haven't realized it yet," Rainbow replied a matter o' factly. "Here we are backed up against the wall, forced to fight tooth and tail against the hordes of humans threatening to take over our fair lands. And here you are, a young Wonderbolt on the front lines with somepony waiting for you to come home to them. It's like something out of a sappy romance novel. The invisible hoof of fate has made it so that you will be able to fight and win and come home so you can marry Applebloom. You see what I mean?"

"Yeah..." A small smile began to form on Scootaloo's lips as it began to click in her head. "Yeah, yeah! I think I get it now!"

"I knew you would," Rainbow smiled warmly. "Have some faith, kiddo. Equestria isn't done yet. We're going to repel humanity and you're gonna go home and you're gonna love Applebloom with all your heart."

Without saying another word Rainbow Dash left Scootaloo to her own devices, hopefully having lifted her spirit with their little chat. She was going to need it for when they engage the humans. As for Scootaloo, she opened up the locket and smiled at the picture of Applebloom that was in it. She kissed it for good luck before turning in early for the night.

She was going to make it home, she thought to herself as she drifted off to the land of sleep.

After months of back breaking labor, fortifying their defenses and training the day they've all been waiting for had finally arrived.

The armies of humanity were rapidly approaching Equestria with the intention of invading the country and bringing about an end to the war once and for all, be it through unconditional surrender or extermination.

Princess Celestia had made their position clear: Equestria Stands Now and Forever More. They were going to stand their ground and fight to the bitter end. Humanity will have to work for their victory. Come hell or high water, everypony had taken up arms and assumed their defensive positions down by the foggy beachhead, determined to hold every inch of ground with their very lives.

Many of the ponies were stoic in the face of overwhelming odds, their personal beliefs and convictions girding them to what may come. Others were nervous, they were visibly shaking with their guns in hoof or vomiting out of anxiety. The rest were eager to fight, prepared to dish out everything they can give and kill as many humans as they could in the name of princess, country and ponykind.

The Wonderbolts fell somewhere between the first and third category. The entirety of their organization, both recruits and veterans alike, stood shoulder to shoulder in formation, expressions of stony pride etched upon their faces. As ponies, they represented the best of the best of the best. As pegasi, they were the pride of their kind. As soldiers, they were the spearhead, the very first and last thing that their enemies will ever see. This battle will be their finest hour, a defiant cry into the night that will echo for all to hear.

"Wonderbolts!" Spitfire shouted as everypony snapped to attention. "Today's the day we've all been waiting for!" She turned and gestured to the beach.
"Beyond that horizon lies the enemy: a circus troupe of monkeys and their mechanisms of death and destruction! They come seeking to conquer us and destroy all we've built in the centuries that have passed. I ask you, are we going to just let them take Equestria?"

"S'what I thought," Spitfire smirked. "Six years ago, Princess Celestia graciously gave the humanity a gift out of the goodness of her heart; the ponyfication potion. It would've solved all their problems. Let them live lives of peace and happiness in the light of harmony as ponies. But, no. The humans, in their infinite wisdom, rejected that gift, preferring to remain as hateful knuckle dragging apes."

The Wonderbolts jeered and booed at the mention. Shouting disdainfully in offense to humans.

"This war had begun in order to rectify that mistake, converting humanity has always been a righteous crusade. Our intention are pure, and it is because of that purity that we will triumph in the end, no matter how bleak things look. We will triumph for the fallen!"

"Now, follow me to glory!" Spitfire concluded boisterously and turned to face the shore, preparing herself for take off. The Wonderbolts mimicked their leader's action, crouching to the ground and flaring out their wings.

"This is it, Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo, slipping her goggles over her eyes. "The humans won't know what hit em."

"That's the attitude I wanna see, Scoots," Rainbow Dash smirked, slipping her own goggles on. "Try and keep up."

At her signal, the Wonderbolts took off in unison, kicking up a plume of dust as they ascended into the air. An awe inspiring trail of smoke, fire, rainbows and lightning was left in their wake as they zoomed across the sky in formation and into the foreboding mist where their enemies were hidden behind.

"Everypony!" Spitfire shouted across the winds. "We're almost to the human fleet! Try to target their ship's weapons! If we can disable them we'll be able to prevent the beachhead from being pounded by enemy fire! Do I make myself clear!"

"Good, then we're all in agreement!" Spitfire saluted her fellow Wonderbolts. "When this is all over you can bet your flanks I'm buying everypony the first round of drinks!"

The next five minutes of her life would forever haunt Rainbow Dash for the rest of her days.

Something had hit Spitfire the moment she stopped speaking. A cacophonous explosion ruptured across the winds and she was no more. Consumed by smoke and super heated air the strike rendered her into a thin pink mist that quickly dissipated into the clouds as bits of her more solid fleshy remains began a slow descent into the cold waters below.

The kill was sudden and palpable. By the time they registered Spitfire's death whatever bravado and gravitas the team displayed earlier shattered when their brave captain was wiped off the face of the planet in a single shot.

High Winds was next, dying mere seconds after Spitfire's own sudden demise. She died the same way. No pain, no suffering. Only a single shot of hot plasma from down below that effectively erased her from existence. At the loss of a second comrade the Wonderbolts descended into disarray and broke out of formation. They began flying wildly throughout the air with no sense of leadership or direction, scrambling to save their hides from another deadly shot. Confusion and panic had taken over completely, morale sank like a lead balloon.

"W-what the hell's going on?! Aaaah-!" Lightning Streak cried before evaporating into nothingness.

"On your left! Your lef-!" Sun Chaser warned, failing to notice the line of plasma coming up from behind her and vanishing the moment it made contact.

"Stay in formation, everypony! J-just keep calm and stay in forma-!?" Soarin called out futilely, swerving and swooping across the air before disappearing into a pink mist as well.

Throughout all this Rainbow Dash floated dumbly in place, discombobulated and stricken with tinnitus. Wordlessly she gawked with her jaw slack and vision blurry as the horrible scene unfolded before her that she was powerless to stop.

One by one or two by two the once proud and seemingly indomitable Wonderbolts were being picked out of the sky by a barrage of super heated death. She watched as the ponies she trained and fought alongside with for more than a decade now were eradicated in rapid succession, flying about in a frenzy to avoid anti-air fire before vanishing right in front of her eyes.

It was a waking nightmare. Nothing but silent screams and wide eyed terror right before they were put onto the express train to Elysium. Rainbow Dash had never been more afraid in her life than she was now when everything she'd ever care about was going up in smoke. As the carnage stretched out and their ranks dwindled, her fight or flight instincts screamed at her to fly for the hills, vying for attention from another voice that was also screaming at her through the shrill ringing in her ears.

"Bwuah?!" Rainbow yelped in surprise. Scootaloo's voice finally broke through the tinnitus, followed by a life saving tackle that prevented Rainbow Dash from meeting the same fate as the others. A stream of hot plasma narrowly missed the polychromatic pegasus, singing her fur and leaving a dull black mark on part of her uniform. Shakily she turned to face Scootaloo, who was staring at her with an expression of utter fear on her face.

"Rainbow Dash, we're all that's left!" She shouted over the barrage. "W-what do we do?!"

"U-uh... I-I..." Rainbow struggled to speak, her mouth agape like a fish on land. She was frozen in fear. Her eyes darted around, desperately searching for something that wasn't there all the while Scootaloo waited impatiently for an order. It was then that Rainbow Dash finally saw what it was that had been killing them.

Sailing, or rather floating, across the ocean was the newly upgraded human navy. A fleet of black colored mobile armor so numerous they could've been mistaken as a floating island fortress rather than an invading force. Every gun that they had mounted on those infernal things were firing upon the beachhead from miles away, absolutely devastating Equestria's defenses and immediately forcing the guard into a full retreat just as their planes started bombing the coast. The forces on the beach never stood a chance.

The sheer sight of the human navy effortlessly destroying Equestria's outer defenses, coupled with the trauma of seeing her team being mercilessly cut down only minutes before was all Rainbow Dash could handle before instinct won out in the end. She had finally accepted the hopelessness of the situation and acted without thinking.

Without so much as another word, Rainbow Dash turned around and quickly flew back inland, leaving behind Scootaloo as she called out to her hero in vain, eyes wide in disbelief.

Rainbow Dash shut the world out. She needed to get back to safety as fast as possible. It was her number one priority, nothing else mattered.

Choice

by zelkova48

Dereliction