//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: Blood on Your Hooves // Story: Fallout: Equestria - Our Finest Hour // by MintCakeWrites //------------------------------// “Come fly with me, let's fly away” The main deck of the mothership throbbed with life, hundreds of ponies raced around the floor from screen to screen as night fell upon Equestria. Pegasi and unicorns conversed over ongoing flight missions, as the ship flew along gracefully. A squadron of armoured ponies flew ahead of the fortress, guiding it to its maiden battle. I stood in the sky chariot, gazing in wonder at the flying ponies' technology and feeling a little jealous of the unicorns and pegasi who operated the cloud-based terminals; not only were they able to operate them, but they knew how they worked. I kicked my hoof on the floor, pouting a little at the loss of the chance to study something new as our pilot flew us alongside the behemoth. My squad, along with half the camp, were flying to the fortress in the sky: a ThunderHead Cloudship named The Wing of Luna, in an air-force sky chariot. Thunder beamed at the looks of wonder on our faces as we approached the behemoth, smiling at it warmly as if it were his own foal. He seemed to take great pleasure in answering all of our unasked questions as our pilot circled the fortress, giving us a grand tour of the outer hull. “She's the second one ever built, three more to come apparently. She's dropped more explosives on the zebra army than the entire pegasi bomber division put together.” “How many confirmed kills?” Hefty asked, studying the cannons that covered almost every inch of free space one the upper decks. “We've honestly lost the actual kill count for her, but we estimate it to be around a thousand.” As the pilot continued the tour along the ship's starboard rear I heard Gadget inhale suddenly and sharply. I curiously craned my neck towards the tiny port-hole window, trying to catch a glimpse of what it was the took the immovable pony's breath away. “Fuck me! How big was the bastard?!” he exclaimed. Thunder raised an eyebrow and peered out of the window, drawing a shuddering breath, “I... I’m not sure on that one. The bastard flew away before we could get him, but he was wild rather than with the zebras. Didn't have any signs of allegiance on him at least.” I felt my jaw drop slightly. Until now, the hull of the fortress had been clean; not so much as a dent in the plating. Here however, several large chunks of the armour had been torn off, the edges blackened and large gashes were visible. I swallowed hard; everypony knew what dragons were capable of, and that some had sided with the zebras, but to face one in combat and to survive was a feat in its own. “How many did you loose?” Slate's blunt question clearly struck a nerve in the pilot and Thunder, forcing them to relive memories they had hoped to bury six feet under. It was clear from the prior brush off from Thunder that this subject was taboo. I tried to intervene to prevent upset before he interrupted. “At least two dozen; mainly unicorn engineers working on a new rear defence system when the hull was breached. Most were sucked out in an instant, the rest were either burnt alive or torn in half when he started trying to tear it open,” Thunder screwed his eyes up and shook himself, the memory seemed painful for him to remember. Slate stepped forward and offered his thoughts, “Don't blame yourself. There is always the chance that any of us could die at any given moment, you said that yourself.” “They died off guard! It was a cowardly, sneaky thing to do. Even more so when it's a dragon!” Thunder kicked the plating hard, the ship giving off a boom as the noise reverberated around the hull, “Most ponies on here are spouses or relatives... how are you able to look each and every one of them in the eye and tell them that their husband, wife, brother, sister, child died for the good of Equestria when they know that they were killed by dragon who was a little bit pissed off for no damn reason!” Thunder's anger began to surge, before subsiding abruptly. His wings sagged and his head drooped. He looked tired, defeated; the weight of the dead was pressing down on him and he couldn't take it for much longer. He turned his eyes on me, and growled, “Rivet, this is your first combat mission, correct?” I nodded, fear preventing me from uttering a word. “Then listen well. This war will never end in peace. You know the saying? 'Better Wiped than Striped?' That's more or less my motto now. A code I will live by.” He looked out at the clouds, as though he were searching for something. His yellow eyes darted across the horizon, gritting his teeth as the wound of the ThunderHead came into view again. “I will personally hunt down and kill every single zebra that took part in this war. I will find their families and tell them how they all died before killing them. I will be the one who will wipe the zebra race out, and then every pony will call me a hero, give me a medal and forget about it,” Thunder spat out at the world; challenging the earth, sky and sea to bring him the best they have. “Then you'll have to be a hero before I end this war,” I retorted teasingly, distracting him from his thousand mile stare, “I will fight until there is no longer a need to, and then I’ll bring peace back to Equestria.” Now, I understand that such a way of thinking will get you killed faster than you can cry to your mummy, but back then it was a true belief. I still hold a little bit of that ideal, at least I hope I do if I ever wake up; there is a way for peace to exist between us and the zebras, but until we find that common ground I will kill them before they kill me. Thunder gave a dry laugh, looking down on me and my foalish dreams, “You're an interesting pony Rivet. A soldier that will fight for peace in a war that will obliterate us, maybe you'll sing a different tune after your first kill.” He turned back around and continued his staring competition with the world, the chariot rolling by The Wings of Luna before pivoting and hovering slowly towards a cloud attached to the edge of the ship. It barely made a sound as it touched down on the landing platform, the door opening to a roaring wind and an entrance into the ThunderHead. Thunder stepped out first, walking towards the door where he stood patiently waiting for us. Slate hefted his bag onto his back and walked out of the chariot, his spell preventing him from falling through the clouds and to his death. I could only hope that it worked for me as well as I left the safety of the ship. I took my first shaky step onto the cloud, almost wetting myself as I felt the dampness of the fluffy white floor underneath my hoof. My logical side was screaming at me for attempting such a thing; earth ponies were NOT meant to be anywhere near this high. I swallowed hard, trying to keep the contents of my stomach inside before feeling my body fly forwards. “Come on ye fucker, shake a hoof,” Gadget trotted past me after bucking me onto the cloud. “You're a right prick, you know that?” I replied, my armour soaked by the cloud and and my flanks beginning to chill as the wind whistled around me. I stood up, shook myself and continued into the ship, my fear not conquered but sedated for the moment. “Ye still love me though,” He grinned, still smiling as I slammed my hoof into his spanner cutie mark in revenge, barely shifting him. We continued down the walkway, the cool wetness of the air reminding me that the entire ship was built around a cloud. The thought made my stomach spin; I wasn't one for heights it seemed. Thunder lead us onto the main deck, where I met the ponies I had flown by just minutes ago face to face. I stood and observed their actions, gazing in wonder at the complexity of cloud technology until a thought dawned on me. It was logical as to why, but there wasn't a single earth pony on deck other than myself. The sky suddenly felt lonelier than it had ever before; everypony else had somepony they belonged with up here. Everypony except me. My squad were fine company, but even they looked down on me for my lack of magic just like the rest of the platoon. It turns out that after my father, I was the third earth pony to have ever served in the Royal Engineers. That meant that everypony knew my name, and that those who knew that and nothing more detested me for 'dirtying' their platoon. “This is where the magic happens,” Thunder stated, a pun so cheesy it was almost sickening but it caused a smile to appear nonetheless, “I'll introduce you all to the team.” He guided us back off the main deck and down towards the ThunderHead's hanger, leading us into a Raptor. We boarded, and made our way up to a mission room, pegasi saluting Thunder as we entered. He returned the gesture, saluting with his wing. “These fine mares and stallions will be our flight crew for the mission. I hoof picked each and every one of these ponies so we'll be in the best of care,” Thunder pointed out the gunners, pilots, spotters and the chariot pullers for the mission ahead. A mission I was dreading. I knew that I would have to kill a zebra at some point, we were at war with them. But it was a daunting feeling; I didn't know if I could kill. Hitting a target with pinpoint precision is one thing, hitting a mesh of blood, flesh and bone which was trying to hit you is something else. 'We only hear our side of the war,' I thought to myself, wondering if a young zebra was bawling her eyes out at the loss of a parent or brother. A parent or brother that I would have to kill. I gritted my teeth; 'This war is pointless'. The materials we were fighting over were so trivial when compared to the importance of life, and after 13 years nothing had changed. “Keep up, we're gonna meet the fire teams,” Thunder lead us past an armoury and into a small room, where a small herd of ponies sat waiting. I studied each one of them, trying to remember their faces when an orange mare stood up and walked over to me. “Private Bolt, where are are your manners?” she inquired, her face sporting a scar that led from her stump of an ear down to her mouth, turning it into a sneer like smile. “Don't you recognise little old me?” she jested, running a hoof playfully along the ridge of her new feature. I blinked hard and finally made the connection, giving her a huge grin and a salute, “Apologies Sunset, loving the new look though. Scars are all the rage at the moment.” A gentle hoof to the head and her strange giggle-snort laugh made my grin grow larger. I had missed her dearly, just as I missed Snowfall and Xander. But it was the hope that we would meet again like this that kept my mind at ease during the long weeks of hard work with the Royal Engineers, they were strong ponies, and they would surely survive. “That's Corporal Sunset to you, soldier,” she corrected, a stern look on her face pulling her muzzle into a strange grimace, “but I think I can make an exception for a strapping buck like you.” She punctuated this last comment with a cheeky wink, before turning around and beckoning me to follow her, “You'll be flying with Thunder tonight, right?” I nodded hopefully, my inner pony almost praying for the chance to fight alongside her. I had seen her fearsome combat prowess in training, but I was yet to have the chance to see her in a real fight. Then again, I was yet to find out how I’d fare as well. “Shame, I’d love to fight alongside you but they've put me in with the big one from your squad and Thunder's second in command. Guess our catch up will have to wait until after the mission,” she said warmly with another wink, trotting over to the locker she sat by when we entered. Spinning the dial with her tongue, she opened the metal container and took out two photos, passing one to me and holding the other in her hooves. Sitting on a bench nearby, I studied the image curiously. Sunset was stood smiling, nuzzled against a unicorn buck. His coat was covered in mud brown and white stripes, and his flank bore a very unusual cutie mark. He was unlike any unicorn I had ever seen, yet something about his eyes seemed to stir memories deep inside me. They were brimming with joy, yet pained, as if happiness physically hurt him. “We've been together ever since we left Torntail. Bastard doesn't let me out of his sight when we're on a mission together,” Sunset's voice began to waver as I looked at the photo, before breaking into gentle sobs, “he's the greatest pony I’ve ever known; caring, compassionate yet ready to die for Equestria at the word go.” “But he isn't a pony, is he?” I pointed out, rechecking the buck, “He's a zebra, at least in part.” Sunset nodded, tears forming at her eyes. I felt my stomach drop miles. She was always the strongest of our group, and now she was crying like a filly over this zebra unicorn half breed. Her eyes were bloodshot and bleary, and her breaths were long choking shudders. I looked at the picture once more and felt something in my head click. The buck's eyes were familiar, too familiar to be coincidence. “You figured it out yet? That's your damn talent isn't it?” Sunset scowled, her wavering voice full of aggression, as if hiding her shame at crying before me. “...Xander?” I couldn't stop the name from falling out. I looked over to Sunset and my suspicions were confirmed by a tearful nod. My thoughts began to stir as I remembered the how he spoke of his family. “My family live in a small settlement underneath Canterlot. It isn't much, but everyone knows everyone.” “Everyone? You mean things other than ponies live there?” “You could say that.” I had heard rumours of the last zebra settlement in Equestria being underneath Canterlot. Some of the platoon had been there to repair the water system and they told of how the zebras were completely different to any they had faced in battle. They were more pony-like than most ponies, as if they were compensating for having stripes. One stallion mentioned how the foals would roll in mud to cover their coat, and how it was almost impossible to tell if they were a pony or zebra if they stopped rhyming in their mess of zebra tongue and ponyspeak. “Well... wait, what's wrong with that?! Xander's a good pony, a good friend. He's perfect for you!” I put a comforting hoof around the mare, only to be shoved away and passed the other photo. This one displayed the smiling faces of a stern looking stallion, a smiling orange mare and three foals. Two fillies and a colt, each grinning from ear to ear. One filly had her cutie mark already, the image of a flower on each flank, while the other foals were bare. The other had a coat of orange, just like the mare she was nuzzled lovingly against. “My family. I’m the blank flank with the orange coat. “My elder brother took this photo. He was supposed to ship off in the morning after this was taken,” Sunset began to explain, sitting down and staring blankly as she recounted her lost childhood. “We lived on the edge of the fighting, but were promised protection by the army if my brother served them. The house had been in the family for generations, so nopony was just going to lie down and let the zebras take it. But it doesn't matter, it's all gone now. “The night before he left, my brother thought he heard something outside. He stepped out, and disappeared into the night. We didn't even hear his screams when they killed him. We only found out when his severed head was thrown through the living room window and the door was kicked in. Three zebras, fully armed and covered in my brother's blood. They took us at gunpoint, made us sit on the floor next to his head.” Sunset's voice trailed off and her hooves scraped along the seat. She gritted her teeth, her eyes returning to the soul consuming horrors I had seen on the chariot all those weeks ago. I felt frightened for my life, afraid to move in case she slaughtered me on the spot. “They took my father first. They made him cut his own head off with a blunt sword, threatening to kill my mother and my siblings if he didn't comply. It took him five minutes before he collapsed from the blood loss. Then they shot his body to make sure he was dead.” The burning anger in the mare's eyes dampened, turning into those of a filly who had just fallen out with her friends. They were full of tears, which fell with choking sobs as her story continued. “M-my m-mother was n-next. One of them t-took her up-upstairs while the other t-two b-beat my little b-brother,” Sunset's tears had begun to flow freely, in anger and upset, “H-he only l-lasted a few m-minutes. M-my sister t-tried to stop them b-but they kno-knocked her out. I then t-tried to stop them, b-but they beat m-me until I p-passed out.” Sunset began to heave, I passed her an empty maintenance bucket as she threw up. I placed a hoof on the mare's shoulders as she retched, “Sunset, you can stop. You don't need to do this to yourself.” Mare shook her head, “You need to know Rivet. You need to know why it hurts so much to love him,” Sunset took a shaky step up, shaking her body as if to wake herself from a nightmare. “When I came to, the house was a wreck. The zebras were gone, but they had desecrated the place before leaving. My brother's body was lying next to my father's broken mess on the floor, his head was caved in. It took all my strength to go upstairs, I was weak and feeble. When I reached my mother's room... by Luna, it made Tartarus look beautiful. “Both my mother's and sister's bodies were on the bed, their hind legs stuck in the position they were when their heads were cut off. They had been raped, before and after they died.” I felt bile of my own rise, swallowing it to prevent my breakfast returning. My mouth was dry, as if Sunset had stole all the moisture to fund her tears. It was a horrific thing to do, something nopony should ever go through. “It's how I got my cutie mark, a dandelion. A weed, the plant that sprouts back up after being kicked into the dirt, always surviving. By any means necessary,” Sunset fixed me with a glare, “I hate my family Rivet. My brother died, unable to anything. My father and mother died without a thought for their foals. They're all dead and gone and I’m alone!” Sunset's sudden outburst shook me to the core, I had never experienced such vile polluted hatred towards anypony. The fact that the hatred was directed towards her defenceless dead family made it all the worse. “I will kill those zebra, Rivet. I will hunt them down. If they're dead when I find them, I’ll bring the fuckers back from hell and kill them again and again until I can kill no more.” I felt a shiver down my spine; it explained why she chose to serve in Special Operations, it gave her the chance to find the zebras in her own time. It also told me why her relationship with Xander was such a toll on her, “You're scared you're going to loose it and kill him... right?” Sunset nodded, looking over at me, “He looks just like them when he isn't disguised. I’m scared that one day he might not be able to calm me down and I’ll end up taking this all out on him. I love him Rivet, I don't want to hurt him.” The sound of hoof striking metal echoed from behind, and Slate joined us. He sat down and gave out a long sigh before placing a comforting hoof on Sunset's shoulders, “Xander is an amazing pony.” Sunset looked up, eyes full of tears, “Sir?” Slate smiled and spoke softly, “I was watching all of you during training. Every single pony on that chariot was special, the cream of the crop. It doesn't matter what coat you wear, if you're ready to die for Equestria then you are a pony in my books.” Sunset gave a weak smile, and stood up, “Thank you sir. Excuse me, it's best I clean up before my squad sees me like this.” The air that night was cool against my coat. The pegasi provided stealth armour which was less comfortable than my customised carapace body armour, causing me to shift uncomfortably every now and then. I turned around to the combat team I had been placed with, smiling at each of them. First, there was Thunder. He was squad leader and liaison with the chariot pony who was flying us in. Second was a member of Sunset's team, a buck called Shadow. He mentioned that he had worked with my father on one of these missions, and that he was sorry for my loss. Empty repeated words. Finally, there was a mint green pegasus mare. She held two saddlebags, each with a single pink butterfly on them. Each squad had been assigned a combat medic, she was ours. When we were giving introductions, she stayed silent; gazing at me intensely. She had remained silent the entire time, gazing out of window at the rapidly changing terrain. She had a distant look on her face, as if the war disinterested her. Yet I had a strange feeling that her silence wasn't out of respect or meditation. An uneasy calm was draped over her I trotted over to her, nudging her slightly, “Err, hey.” She looked up at me, her eyes flitting over my body, “Hey.” “So... um... what's your name?” I gave a sheepish grin, trying to defuse the icy silence. “Does it matter? You'll just shout medic when you need me,” the pegasus replied coolly, turning back to the terrain. 'Luna save me, this was awkward,' I racked my brains to find a way to engage with her, determined to follow Thunder's prior actions on board the transport earlier that day. I cleared my throat, only to for the mare to turn and flutter her eyelashes at me. “Thirty seconds until drop guys, opening door now,” the pilot interrupted the moment, saving me from potential embarassment. A section of the chariot slid open, and our manes began to swirl in the tempest that followed. I poked my head out and spotted our objective; the mother of the cannon I had destroyed a few months ago. There were four more like it, each one had to be taken down before the major offensive at dawn. The plan was to plant an explosive on each one, then blow them all at the same time to cause confusion. It was simple, effective and harder to pull off than we anticipated. Due to the nature of the magic, most electronic instruments were ineffective. Radios would be too full of magic induced static to be used, so we were relying on clockwork watches and a pot of luck to pull it off. Shadow approached me and cast a spell that would slow our descent, so long as we stayed still. He nodded at me and we took our places behind Thunder and the medic. “Ten seconds!” I swallowed hard, trying to stop myself from shaking as the drop off point approached. “Five seconds!” Thunder turned and began to mouth the countdown. “Four, three, tw-” An explosion rocked the entire chariot as one of the cannons exploded in a ball of neon green light. More explosions came as the gemstones' magic was released, each adding a new colour to the concoction. “Oh fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Thunder began to yell as sirens whirred into life, spotlights beaming up and scanning the sky. One spotted our chariot, and hundreds of bullets slammed into the lower plating. The pilot gave a yell of terror as the shots began to focus on him, turning violently to avoid the fire. Thunder, Shadow and I all braced against the movement, but the daydreaming medic was flung out the gap. She twirled mid air, unfurling her wings and began to fly back until a stray bullet struck the tip of her wing. She cried out as her mint green feathers were thinly coated in blood, spiralling as the wing locked up in shock. I took a run at the opening, leaping from the chariot and towards the falling pegasus. I’m still unsure what was going through my head at that time. I just didn't want anypony to die on my first mission, that much was clear to me. I flew through the air, praying that I wasn't hit. I stretched a hoof out to the medic, yelling out to her, “Grab on!” Shadow's spell and her working wing slowing our descent, making us easier targets. The pegasus stretched out to me, our hooves touching for a moment before being blown apart, 'I will catch you!' I clenched my teeth and tried a second time. Our hooves tapped and I took hold of her leg. I pulled her close and moved so my back was closer to the ground, bracing myself for the impact. We collided with the treetops a second later. Searing pain shot up my back as branches snapped and whipped against it. I bit my lip and held on tighter to the pegasus, trying to tough the pain out than reveal our location with a cry. We smashed into a trunk and I felt the wind fly out of me. I slid down the wood, landed on a branch and gasped for air as the medic set herself down next to me, gracefully in comparison. She took a cautious step towards me as I grunted in pain. I stretched out my limbs, hearing my back groan and crack at the action. Wincing, I stood up and made my way over to the mare. She had already taking out a healing potion and was sipping on it gently, conserving as much as possible for a later battle. “You OK?” I grunted, wincing a little. The mare walked up to me, pushing me down onto my rump and began to caress my torso gently. I shifted uncomfortably, 'Sweet Celestia, what is wrong with this mare? Just a second ago she was ice, now she's massaging me? I don't even know her name!' “You've broken a rib or two, but you haven't done too much damage to yourself yet,” she passed me a healing potion for any internal bleed, wrapping my bruised torso in bandages. Her hooves lingered for a split second, before she turned around and flapped her wings, testing them. I let out a sigh of relief, glad I had merely misunderstood her actions. She then tested her legs and hooves, flexing each and every joint. She shook her hind legs, moving her rump in a similar manner. As paralysed as I was, I had little choice but to notice that this last action was slightly more seductive than the others. 'Maybe not, then.' I coughed, and averted my eyes. My heart gave a little skip as my mind turned the image to a particular yellow pegasus performing the same action. I shook myself, wincing as my ribs moved at the action. “My name's Starshine. You're Rivet Bolt, right?” I blinked in surprise at the mare's voice. It rang out like as if the stars themselves has voices and were singing sweet nothings into my ears. I nodded after savouring the sound of her, before shaking myself back to reality. 'There's only one mare for me,' a younger version of myself crossly pointed out, stood next to my beloved Fluttershy. The daydream was crushed when two more explosions went off, the morbid fireworks set off to decorate the night sky. Starshine grabbed my hoof and pulled me off the branch, gliding us down to the ground. I touched down hard, letting out a grunt of pain before Starshine landed next to me. “Ah! Heh, this isn't as bad as it could be,” I tried to laugh out the pain, Starshine pushing against me to keep me upright. I blinked back tears as she brushed a bruised rib, trying to keep up the tough pony act. “You're still in shock. Just relax and the pain will recede a little, else you'll do serious damage to yourself.” I couldn't tell if she had whispered the advice, but it still sent chills down my spine as if she had. She guided me to the bottom of a tree, sitting beside me in amongst the roots. I looked over at her, glancing nervously at the sounds of gunfire. “We really need to move. What if the fighting comes closer?” “Relax, they're far off and I don't think they saw where we landed. We'll rest here for a moment,” Starshine replied, getting my to lie next to her. I was powerless, all the fight seeping out of me as the healing potions took force. I could detect the gentle rise and fall of her torso as she breathed, the soft scent of her breath filling up my senses. I felt her wings run through my mane, and stood upright instantly, the unfamiliar touch frightening me. Starshine blinked and beckoned me to return, “Just relax. It's my talent, it's easy for me to make ponies feel at peace,” she tilted her head and gave a smile that could turn any stallion's heart to butter and their mind to mush. I complied and sat next to her, laying my head on her flank and letting her wing run through my mane again. I felt relaxed, more relaxed than ever before. Soon, I stopped worrying that there was a horde of blood thirsty zebra less than a mile away, that I could die at any moment. I just wanted to sleep all those troubles away. I felt Starshine's breath on my ear, and felt her silky voice float its way into my skull, “Thank you Rivet. For saving me I mean. I don't think there's an earth stallion alive who would attempt such a stupid thing for a mare he has just met.” “Don't mention it,” I mumbled in reply, trying to stay awake despite the weight of my eyelids. I heard the medical mare let out a soft sigh, and felt her lean in closer. I began to get nervous; it felt strange for her to be so close to me. Her closeness ended with a kiss on my face, and a whispered “Thank you.” I blinked in surprise, and my mind clicked, “Starshine, what are you..?” My moment of realisation came to a grinding halt as a rustle sounded nearby. I threw myself to my hooves, crouching in a fighting stance. Starshine gave me a confused and somewhat hurt look at my actions. I looked over to her, and brought a hoof up to my lips. She nodded slowly, holding her position in case she hadn't been spotted yet. I carefully surveyed my surroundings, the chatter of gunfire echoing in the distance adding a layer of discordant beats to my heart. I swallowed hard, trying to recall my training as best I could. A crunch sounded nearby, and I ran headlong towards it. Crashing into a shadowy figure, I fell the the ground. We both stood up on our hooves, the moon showing itself from behind a cloud and bathing the clearing in pale light. A zebra dressed in a crimson cloak stood before me, snorting and pacing the ground. I took a similar stance, dragging my hoof across the floor. My head was a near mess with a rush of adrenaline and emotion, but I held on to the slim clarity that remained. 'This is it Rivet, your do or die moment. You must survive dammit!' The zebra bounded towards me, bringing his hooves down towards my neck. I pushed up onto my hind legs and put my fore hooves up in defence, feeling his blow strike my leg. The pain numbed the limb, and left me dazed for a moment. 'Where did that strength come from?! He's no bigger than me!' A hoof shot out and tripped me up, sending me sprawling on the floor. I gasped for air, and barely managed to roll away from a stomp the zebra. My ribs cried in protest, but the adrenaline forced me onwards despite the pain of breathing. I tried to stand up, only to be kicked by my foe. The pain was unbearable, forcing me to kick into the ground to stop a scream from sounding. I heard whispering from behind my head, and rolled again as the zebra tried to break my neck with a blow. Forcing myself to stand up, I pulled out my father's knife from the sheath on my right shoulder and ran at the zebra. Closing my eyes, I tackled him to the ground. Hot iron tasting liquid filled my mouth as I dug the knife deeper, the zebra letting out a horrific choking cough as he bled. I pulled back, spitting blood out and wiping it from my face. The zebra was on his back, spluttering and wheezing for air as hooves came up to pull the knife free. “DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THAT!” I screamed at the zebra, feeling an indomitable rage take over me. I ran forward and stomped on the blade, burying half the hilt inside the wound. The zebra let out a howl of agony, and continued to as I pulled the blade out and brought it down on the twitching carcass again and again and again. I lost track of how many times I slid the blade into the body, when it stopped moving and how many times Starshine called out to me before pulling me away from the body. I moved back onto four hooves and looked at the mess of blood and gore that was once a zebra, breathing hard. The survival instinct dropped as the adrenaline faded, and I felt a wash of emotions come flooding in. “Oh... oh...” I felt tears well up as I looked at the remains and coughed hard, mucus and zebra coming into my mouth as my eyes started streaming, “F-fuck... oh sweet Celestia, fuck.... FUCK!” I started crying hard, moving to the body and pulling the knife out. I sat and looked at the gore covered decorations, my body shaking hard as I forced heaving breaths into my lungs. I turned to Starshine, feeling a greater fear than anything I had ever felt. “I-I didn't mean to kill him! I just, I just... oh fuck!” Starshine placed her legs around me, holding me tight as I sobbed harder. She pressed her head into the back of my mane, speaking softly and making empty promises of everything being OK. I gave in to her half-truths, my breath slowing until I was almost back to my normal self. “You've never killed before?” Starshine turned my head around to her, forcing me to look into her eyes. I nodded slowly, feeling ashamed at admitting it. She gave a sigh, and placed a kiss on my forehead, “It's OK. It's completely against our nature to kill another animal, but we have to. That's just the way things are now.” I whimpered in response, nodding at her words as she passed me a healing potion, waiting for me to drink my fill. The pain in my chest subsided, but my ribs were still broken from my brief flight. I managed to get to my hooves, still dizzy from the wave of emotions. By the time I could stand on my own, an orange mare had ran out into the clearing. She grimaced at the zebra body, and looked up at me, sighing in relief. “Thank Luna, you both made it. Slate and a few of the others are taking care of the last cannon,” Sunset nodded to Starshine and guided me to a gathering of the other teams. The walk was long, painful but peaceful. Every step was agony in my chest until Starshine pulled out a syringe and injected me with anaesthetic. Hefty nodded at me as we drew near, Thunder rushing over to Starshine and ordering a report. I sat by one of the chariots, letting out a sigh before looking over at several huddled masses. It dawned on me that they were all zebras, each of them holding either fear or loathing in their eyes. I looked each one over, noticing how similar Xander was to them. A burst of static sounded on one of Thunder's pony's radio, Shadow's garbled voice coming through. 'Looks like the magic interference has diminished somewhat,' I thought, unable to hear what the news but glad we had contact with others. The peagsus grunted in reply, beckoning the others to follow him. Soon, I was left with Thunder, Starshine and Sunset, all of us looking at the zebras. Thunder gave a sigh, and walked over to one of them. The zebra looked nervously at his comrades, and spoke in a strange sing-song like language to Thunder. The pegasus gave him a blank stare, cocking his head to one side as if tilting his ears would let him understand the zebra. The black stallion turned and smiled at me, “You OK there Rivet? Feeling better after seeing your first dead zebra?” I nodded grimly, it was an image that would haunt me forever. The stench, the feeling of his exposed flesh, the sound it made when I took out the knife. My senses were poisoned by death, and there was no escape from it now. “Good, good. Let's show you a few more,” Thunder called out cheerfully, pulling out a handgun with his wing and blowing the head off the zebra he had singled out. The crack made me jump out of my coat, Starshine and Sunset both looking over to see what was going on. I stood up and ran over to the helpless cowering group, standing between them and Thunder. Starshine walked over to his side, standing by him. “Thunder, what are you doing? These zebras are helpless, they're hostages! You can't just kill them like that! It's not right!” I appealed to him, the stallion looking at me strangely. “Hey Rivet, it looks like they're trying to escape. Uh oh, is one of them making a swipe at you?” “What are you on abou-” Thunder's hoof connected to my nose, breaking it instantly. I hit the ground for what felt like the millionth time that day, tasting blood. “Oh my, they launched an attack on us. Looks like we had to retaliate with force,” Thunder brought his gun up again and took the head off another zebra. He passed the handgun to Starshine, who put it to one side and came over to me. Setting the bone straight, she forced me to drink a healing potion while Thunder kicked his battle saddle into action, gunning down the striped beings indiscriminately. The grass began to churn into bloody mud under the panicked hooves of the prisoners, all of them crying in terror at the demon pegasus. I turned to Sunset, looking at her with pleading eyes, “Please, do something!” The mare shook her head, and I remembered how she was back on The Wing of Luna when she told her story, “I'm sorry Rivet. I won't join him, but these fuckers deserve every last bullet.” “Starshine, please! I’m begging you!” I appealed to the medic, though it was in vain. The mint coloured pegasus shook her head, “I can't. It's only because you're injured that I’m not killing them myself.” “You'd do the same as him?!” “Of course... why wouldn't I?” I shook in anger, pounding the ground with my hoof until the firing stopped. I turned to Thunder who was stood looking at the single survivor, both covered in the gore of Thunder's actions. He forced the shaking figure to its feet, the light revealing it to be a mare. An earth pony mare. She had painted her coat in stripes, showing her allegiance to the zebras proudly. Thunder walked past her and sat himself nearby, his eyes locked on her. “Rivet, kill her.” I swallowed hard at his words, looking over at him, “Is that an order?” “I can make it one,” he growled, Starshine passing me the handgun. I took the weapon in my mouth and stood up, trotting in front of the prisoner. I placed the barrel to her head, closing my eyes to avoid contact with her hateful stare. “What are you waiting for Private Bolt? Kill the traitor,” Thunder spoke impatiently, as if he would kill me as well if I took too long. “Bolt? You're related to Bolt?” the mare suddenly spoke, my eyes opened wide at her tone, “You want to know how loud he screamed when we were killing him?” I felt my heart stop, and the gun fell the ground, “What did you say?” Thunder snorted a little, he seemed pleased at the situation. I leaned down to pick up the gun, surprised at how the mare sat and waited for me. The painted pony sneered at me, “You're not a killer, you're too gentle. Same as that sack of shit that was your father.” I brought the gun down on her head, striking her hard enough to bleed but not enough to knock her out. I wanted her to feel every blow I gave her, “You shut the fuck up about my father!” “Aww, is the wittle pony upset 'cause daddy's dead? Poor wittle pony,” the mare giggled as I advanced on her, striking her repeatedly, “You won't kill me you shit. You're a fucking coward, afraid to loose yourself to the killer within.” I gave out a yell, bringing my hooves over her head. The mare's teeth came down on her tongue, opening to reveal a river of blood as the severed muscle fell on the gore soak earth. She gave out a cry, stopping as I placed the gun at her head. A whimper and shiver betrayed the fear she was hiding. I bit down on the handle, shoved the barrel into the mare's skull and made her brain kiss the mud on the other side of head. I continued firing into her until the weapon clicked uselessly, dropping it and panting hard. 'That bitch killed my father. A fucking pony killed him!' Thunder applauded me, and trotted over to my seething form, “Well done Rivet, you did well buck. They're all scum, and they all deserve to die. Even the ponies who have forgotten who they should be fighting for. Now you have purpose.” I turned to him as his motto came to mind, and I reeled in horror at the implications. 'How many times has he done this?!' “Hunt down every single zebra and pony that killed your father. Avenge him,” the pegasus spoke, nearly threatening me with the thought of my father never resting in peace. Thunder placed a hoof on my shoulder and I panicked, smacking him away and galloping out of the clearing. It felt like I could explode with anger, burn all the trees up and consume the area in the flames of my anger. I panted hard, letting out a scream into the night in an attempt to force all emotion out. All I managed to force out were the contents of my stomach, spewing hard on the grass. “Fuck. Luna damn me... oh fuck fuck fuckety fuck!” I sat heaving next to the vomit, too weak to stand up again, “This is insane. This is fucking insane. Why the fuck am I here? What the fuck are we doing here?” A flutter sounded behind me, and a voice I had all but fallen in love with drifted over, “Rivet... the others are back, we're heading off before the zebras get here.” I nodded slowly, “Just go without me, I can't fight any more.” A blow to the back of the head made me lurch forward, I turned to see Starshine's angry face. “Where did the stallion that saved me go? Who are you and what have you done to Rivet?” I stood up and faced her, staring straight into her eyes, “This is the real me Starshine. I’m no hero.” I gestured towards the vomit as if to justify my point. She raised a hoof and brought it across the side of my face, “Shut up Rivet, just shut up! You are a hero! Don't become a martyr just to spite me!” I snorted, dismissing her thoughts, “You don't understand where I stand! I’m the last my mother has! I can't die! I have to live for her!” Starshine placed her lips on mine, cutting my sentence short. I pulled back in an instant, blushing heavily, “What are you doing?!” The pegasus smiled and looked deep into my eyes, as if she were trying to pull my soul out for the world to see, “I plan to keep on fighting, despite my family's wishes. I could die at any moment, but I get the feeling that if you're by my side... I’ll live forever. So fight and live for me too.” “I... I’m not sure what you mean,” I replied, my words sounding clumsy. “Be by my side, no matter what.” I blushed harder, and looked away from her gaze, “You're asking a lot of me, I don't think I can do that.” The pegasus shook her head, “I'm not asking you Rivet. I will fight alongside you until my last breath, whether you want me to or not.” Then came three words that I thought I’d never hear. Words that carried the greatest weight I have ever carried. Even now, as I lie on this slab drowning in my memories, they're pressing down on my heart and head. A constant pressure, forcing me to remember my responsibilities to everypony I’ve ever met. “I love you.” All emotion flooded out of my body and I stood upright, walking past the mare, “We'd better leave, before they send out a search party.” Starshine turned her head, her voice breaking a little, “D-didn't you hear me?” “I heard you, I just don't have an answer to it yet,” I felt cruel, almost evil, but it was a necessary feeling. I really didn't have an answer to such a statement. I felt duty bound to protect her because of it, but my heart beat out for another pony. I couldn't figure out a solution to this, it was too difficult to figure out. 'Even for a genius like me...' the thought amused me, it was a challenge I wasn't looking forward to. We met the others and stepped aboard the chariot. Thunder nodding at us as we stepped aboard, sending a shiver of nausea through my body. Shadow sat in the corner sporting a cut along his side as he drank a healing potion. Thunder motioned me to take up a gunner position, the pegasus who had manned the turret filling in for a wounded pilot for another chariot. I took the handle into my mouth as the pilot took off, pulling us up into the night sky and wheeling towards The Wing of Luna. The cold metal brought me back to reality. My mind was a blur with all the events of the evening, my first kill, Starshine's sudden confession, my shaken ideals. I shook myself, trying to think straight. 'Father wouldn't want blood on his grave, but I will fight to stay alive. It's the least I can do for all these ponies.' Thunder then took out a small device and bit down on a button. An awkward silence came, broken by Thunder clicking the button again. “Oh fuck,” he dropped the device and looked over to me, “You think you can hit one of those gems from here?” I swallowed hard as his words sunk in. We were flying away from an anti-air cannon that had the pegasi scared. A weapon that should be a smouldering pile of metal by now. A weapon still fully operational with zebra nearby to fire it. I nodded and turned the gun towards the cannon. Lining up a shot, I pulled the trigger. A loud crack sounded as the weapon fired, leading to an innumerable amount of pings as the zebras returned fire on the chariot. Ten seconds later, the zebra cannon turned slowly to our position, and I felt my stomach drop. “Fillies and gentlecolts, it's been an honour serving with you,” Thunder spoke, standing proud as a deafening whine built up, the entire gun lighting up in magical energy. We all stood and waited, the pilot flying as fast as he could in a pitiful attempt to save us. The whine built to a strange screaming sound, the air becoming rich with magical static. I could see why the Air Force needed this destroyed; it could shoot down anything they had. I didn't want to die, but it seemed futile to try and escape. I stood and came at peace with everything, waiting for the end. A loud bang crashed through the sky, followed by an earth rocking explosion and a shock wave that almost threw the chariot off balance. Thunder and I poked our heads out an armoured window, looking out at the smouldering remains of the zebra position. “Well done Private, well fucking done!” Thunder patted me on a back as Shadow and the pilot let out a cheer, the radio suddenly bursting into life as the voices of Sunset, Slate, Hefty and Gadget all came through, cheering at a mission well done. I beamed at the praise, felt on top of the world as the pegasi called to their ThunderHead, informing them of the situation. I looked over the ponies in the chariot, noticing Starshine's gaze. She smiled, as did her eyes, but seemed upset as well. It was painful, but I tried to put it out of my mind as Shadow shook my hoof. I felt at a daze. One half of me was shining at the praise and the emotions rushing through me, the other quietly reminded me that I had just killed tens of zebras. But it didn't sicken me, it didn't faze me. 'Now I’m a soldier.' Thunder stepped over to me, tapping me on the back. I turned, waiting for more praise but found his face serious. He passed me the headset for the radio, and spoke “He's here now.” A slightly garbled voice came out, broken a little by the static, “Private Bolt, I’m afraid I have some bad news. Your brother is dead.” “Are you sure you want to see this?” I drew in a deep breath in front of the commanders aboard the ThunderHead, “Yes sir.” The pegasus walked over to a strange device, placing a small ball into a hole and pressing a button. The machine whirred into life and a light came on, casting an image onto the wall. I honestly hated my brother, but I wasn't watching this out of spite. I was watching his final moments because it would be the last time he was alive. The last time I could pretend he still loved me. The image flickered, and my brother was shown standing next to gun not unlike the zebra anti-air cannon. Several ponies dressed in suits were stood watching him, all focused on the gun. “Fillies and gentlecolts, we all know the zebras have begun using magically enhanced weapons in this war. We all know it puts them at an advantage over our conventional guns and ammunition. I say no more! Today, my little ponies, we strike back. Fight fire with fire!” Ratchet stepped over to the gun, and pulled several levers. An all too familiar whine began to build and the gun turned and pointed away from the crowd. The machine began to glow with the energy, Ratchet stood by proudly. “I give you, the first in the line of Magic Energy Wea-” A figure burst from the crowd, crying out in a foreign language as they rammed my brother in front of the machine. The whine had built into a death scream and the machine fired straight at my brother and his attacker. Ratchet's eyes went wide as he threw his killer at the gun, putting him in the way. The zebra let out a squeak as the shot hit him squarely in the torso. A blinding light flashed and the sound of the crowd crying out in despair was drowned by my brother's own screams. The light subsided, and all that was left of my elder brother was a pile of ashes. The machine whirred before resting, the image fading as it did so. I swallowed hard, turning to the commanding officers. Not one of them were fazed by the film, not a single one of the seemed to care. They all sat looking at me, before one of the spoke. “Your brother left everything in your name. Obviously, you can't run the factory so we'll take it off your hooves. We also want to continue research into the weapon he had designed, combine with some of Canterlot's ideas. What do you say Private?” I felt cold. I wasn't sure if it was meant as one last insult, but I assumed it was. My brother had given me the responsibility of aiding in the deaths of untold numbers of zebras. I slowly nodded, trying to clean my hooves of his blood, “You can take it all sirs, I don't want anything to do with it.” The pegasi seemed pleased, and dismissed me. I walked through the ship's hallways, eventually finding an unused passage. I sat heavily, resting against the wall. I brought my hooves up to my eyes and began to sob. “Y-you bastard. N-now I’m all tha-that's left,” I cried at the loss of my brother, the loss of my father, the loss of myself. They had forced the responsibility on me, the weight of our family's future. I let out a wail and lay on my side, 'No doubt mum's heard the news... I wonder how she took it?' It felt like I was lying there for hours, just listening to the low boom of thunder as The Wing of Luna continued its way along the cloud line. I dozed off at some point, as I woke with a start as the ship came to a stop. I pushed myself back on my rump and stared at the floor. A rumble shuddered through the decking and a roar sounded as a Raptor pulled away from the hanger. I sighed heavily, and turned my attention to the ceiling. Pipes hissed at me, carrying water for the thunder clouds that powered the behemoth of a ship. I cracked my neck, wiped my eyes and stood up. I walked towards the barracks, bumping into Officer Slate and Sunset on the way. “Rivet? Where have you been?” Sunset looked worried, concerned even. She put a hoof under my chin and tried to look into my eyes, sighing a little as I turned my head away, “We've been looking for you.” “I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't intend for any concern,” I bowed my head a little, both to hide myself and to show respect. I didn't want to be a burden on them. “Private Bolt,” Slate began to speak as I walked past them, making me stop in mid-step, “Report to me in the morning. You'll be assigned to a squad for the upcoming battle.” “Yes sir,” I replied, all the energy sucked out of me. I walked down to the barracks and to my bunk, collapsing on the hard mattress. I closed my eyes, and let the darkness engulf me. That night, I wanted nothing more than the blackness swallow me whole and for me to never wake up. I felt at my wit's end, I just couldn't go on. But I had to. “It's all up to you now Rivet, we’ve brought you back from the dead. But do you want to stay in the past, where you'll be safe and cared for? Or come back to the hell you live in? Choose soon, my little pony.”