Just a day in Equestria

by dave89898989

49 - Armed with death

I watched the armies of the Gods overtake the towns, setting them alight and destroying the areas that ponies once lived in. The bonfire rose into the skies, mixing with the blue and transforming it into a dark red. Various ponies who had not made it with the rest of the evacuees were rounded up and killed, one by one. Every precious life meant nothing to the Gods. I just couldn’t stand for this any longer, but I would stand no chance against the horde. If I had trained harder as a fighter instead of a lover, maybe I could stand tall and prevail against this nightmare, but what good is love when it comes to the fight?

I had been a fool all my life. I made this happen by becoming what I once was on Earth. I should have stayed with my family, stayed as an innocent as the bomb blast swept them all away.

That sparked inspiration in me at that moment. For all this time, I wallowed in my own misery. But what about everyone on Earth who had been slain at the hands of the Gods? My family, the neighbourhood, the country, the world. All decimated by the sheer power of the almighty beings. Now came the time to avenge them all. If anything, the spirit of all humankind had to live on in my veins, unless all those lives would go to waste, after billions of years of development and prosperity, the work we had put in could not go unnoticed. The Gods built us, but we thrived on our own. They became jealous, scared even, and wiped us out. Except for a select few. The survivors. Me. And as I slowly realised this new purpose, it became my duty to avenge the human race, as well as defend the population of Equestria. But I couldn’t do it alone. Even if I tried. But maybe, just maybe for a while...I could prevail against the dark army.

I ran towards the burning remains of Ponyville, crashing into one of the patrolling squad members, and snapping the runt’s neck. I took his ammo, loaded my pistol, and began the true retaliation. As another patrolman came past the building I stood behind, I swiftly shot him without his notice, causing him to fall flat on the ground. He had another pistol, which I took and stored in my saddlebag. I glanced at my platinum armour, hoping that it could take a few bullets, but I doubted it, surveying the thin density of the layers.

When I came across the local well, I took the bucket hanging from the pole above of the hole, filled it with water and threw it over the flames engulfing the charred buildings. Of course, my acts wouldn’t go unnoticed, so I had to react fast and shoot the fleeting infantry. After taking their weapons, I tried my best to put out the fires. The deserted town made me shiver between the numerous ambushes I had to set up. Nothing could be left to save now. Nopony stayed around, and all possessions had been lost.

Out of nowhere, the army came together again, facing up to me as I stood alone against the multitude of aggressors. Nothing but doom befell me if I stayed, so I repeated the procedure of shooting down as many as I could before running from the area as fast as I could.

A well-aimed sniper shot sent me flying and dented my armour as I tried getting over the hill of which the evacuees traveled. My opportunity to fight back came and went, but I fought as much as possible in that small window of opportunity. I galloped hard, trying my best to get away from the masses of troops.

Rain began falling intensely, putting out the town’s fires slowly as well as making the ground I ran on muddy and slippery. I trudged my way through a narrow path in between dense forests, disappearing out of sight of my pursuers and into a clearing facing a rushing river. I dove in straight away and fought the current. The weight of my armour caused me to buckle temporarily, but I got up and carried on. I didn’t know where my destination lay, but I only hoped to find some form of counter-attack.

I stepped onto a freshly plowed field as I kept my speed up. I aimed to get past another wave of trees in front of me, but instead I abruptly fell into a hastily dug trench. Stallions dressed in military gear stood in this ditch, and fixated their view on me as I landed.

“General Blue ma’am! What’s the situation?” addressed one of the crew.

“I don’t know,” I simply replied. “There isn’t much hope for us yet. This ragtag group you’ve got here is nothing compared to the large amount of footsoldiers who are heading straight for us.”

“And that’s why we dug this hole. Ambush. We take the front line by surprise, and deal a number-scattering strike,” the stallion repeated his plan in confidence.

I remembered the guns I had collected from the dead. “Here, take these and arm yourselves properly,” I announced to the others, and showed them how to hold the weapons properly as well as load them. “Don’t hesitate to shoot on sight, and the bigger gun they have, the better for us to take from. We cannot let them break through this one line of defense.”

“One line? General, you must think that we’re the only military backup here. Look over the top of the trench, past the trees…” this intelligent pony told me.

I poked my head out from under cover, squinted my eyes to see beyond the trees that blocked the way. I made out silhouettes of hundreds of army ponies at the ready, waiting for the signal to go. They all held longbows in their hooves. Unbelievable; there existed a force to fight back the invaders.

We sat there in the dirty, waterlogged pit, anticipating the enemy’s movements. I took a swig from one of the officer’s whiskey hip flasks, and prepared to make the ambush.

For what seemed like hours of wasting time, we finally heard footsteps, differing from the normal hoofsteps. It had to be them.

“Okay, I’m going to take a peek, and if it’s them and they come running, we must pull as many as we can under when the moment is right. We kill them, take whatever they have equipped, and fight hard,” I bravely announced. “We can do this, we can destroy the opposition. As General, I give you all my hope and luck. Ready?”

I raised my head to the surface of the field, and grew excited at the sight of the fleet. I brought up my pistol, with one round remaining. I aimed, and fired at a hulking brute, taking him down in one precise hit. The rest took notice of me, and sprinted towards my position.

Me and the stallions in the trench all reached up simultaneously and took a long string of minions down. “Quickly! Blot out the sky with your arrows!” I screamed.

The many ponies on the other side of the scuffle fired their bows in unison, causing a hailstorm of dark arrows to mix with the rain and hit the army severely, lowering their numbers by almost half. I picked up an assault rifle and randomly sprayed bullets over the top of our cover, managing to take out a few more infantry in the process. The others followed suit, shooting the contents of the stolen rifle’s magazines into the crowd of attackers.

The enemy dwindled, and they had no control over it. We cheered in victory as the stallions climbed over the trench and fired at the remainders. I ordered the rest of us to come out from behind the foliage and take up better arms.

“Surely this couldn’t have been it…” I thought aloud. I looked up into the sky and realised that statement became true. Droves of fighters flew out of numerous portals, including massive tripod-like machines. The stood in front of us and began to deliver the killing blow immediately. As I had stayed in the trench, they did not notice me at first. I crept around the side and took the rocket launcher from the brute I fired at earlier, loaded it with a projectile, and locked on to one of the metallic creatures. I shot off the rocket, which impacted with the armour of the machine and caused it to explode on contact. The tripod fell instantly. Unfortunately no more ammo existed for the launcher, so I dropped it and scavenged more magazines for my pistol.

I saw the machines warm up the miniguns hanging from under the cockpit, then swept the field and hit everything in sight, not caring if the guns hit the allies or not. The brutality of the opposing force scared me. The need to stay in the area had passed, so I ran again.

The rain suddenly stopped when I reached the desert. The arid lands housed a small camp of tents where the refugees resided now. Rich and poor cowered in fear together while Celestia tried to console them all. I swallowed back the pain in my throat. I didn’t want anypony to come to harm, but this just had to happen. My rage grew stronger against the Gods. I vowed for total and utter revenge for each and every God and Goddess. They would all perish by my hoof.

I stood atop of a sand dune, overseeing the landscape. The enemy kept advancing, bringing dark stormclouds with them as they marched. The outlook seemed grim, and I could not keep retreating like this. The desert had to become the place of my final stand.

To my surprise, the cavalry had arrived just in time. A thousand lines of military ponies filed up the hill to join me in a proud salute to the troops. What scared me out of the character of General happened to be the appearance of all of my friends standing by at the front. “Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie...Destiny, Braeburn...Twisha, Spark, Mother, Father...what are you all doing here?”

“We’re fighting with you!” Cried them all, with so many other townsponies joining the ranks all of a sudden too.

“No...no, you mustn’t do this,” I responded, now worrying about the fates of the innocent.

“Why not? We’ve been driven back, and now it’s time to go on the offensive!” Shouted a villager-pony.

“But, none of you are trained in combat! You can’t just go up against highly trained soldiers and hope to win against them!” I tried to convince them.

“So what? They have the guns, but we have the numbers, don’t we?” These ponies who lived normal lives refused to back down.

I wouldn’t allow it. “Please, think about what you’re saying! Yes, you’re all angry, and so am I, but that doesn’t mean you can go and lose your reasoning. I’m not just going to let you all go and get yourselves killed!”

“We’re not leaving you, no way!” argued Applejack, one of the most steadfast friends I had.

I closed my eyes in frustration. “As General, I order you all to stand down! Let the professionals handle this. I do not want any collateral damage or slaying of the untrained ponies. I don’t want to hold the guilt and regret of losing the more important lives than ours.”

Some of the battalion grimaced at that statement, but they understood my words. The others still wouldn’t listen to reason. Not being used to battle situations, they didn’t figure out what they were trying to get themselves into. If they had seen what I have in the past, the other ponies would know that their place lay in survival.

The Princess approached me and stood by my side.

“Celestia, please, make them listen to me! I don’t wish to put their lives at stake, so I order these ponies to stay away from the battlefield,” I told her majesty.

“General Blue, you see, when the ponies of Equestria make a stand, they mean to. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do, nor I. I know this must be difficult for you, but you must accept this. The best thing you can do is protect them all as best as you can. You are perfect for that role.” The flowing-maned alicorn announced to me and the rest of the masses. “Everypony, you must all be prepared to take on dark forces from another realm. General Blue will guide you all into victory, while you all fight hard and push back the opposition. Those who are trained in combat, advise the newcomers and protect them as much as Blue will. It is your duty to aid Equestria’s continuance.”

I felt nauseous. My mind harkened back to my time as a corrupt mercenary. The amount of civilians I murdered by my own hand...the sacrifices I made...and for what? Power? Money? Appeasing the Gods? To me now, every reason appeared as useless. Maybe...did Celestia plan this? I’ve told her about my past as a human before, and she remembered that time. This had to be a test to see if I possessed the ability to keep everypony safe instead of vice versa. It seemed cruel, gambling the lives of these folk, but she knew about my process of reforming and becoming a protector. It all came down to me now. My chance to ultimately prove myself and redeem myself from the darkness that surrounded me for all this time.

The army of the Gods came into view as they stepped onto the desert plains. Both parties now stood opposite to each other atop of our own separate dunes. The God called Ares pushed his way to the front of the crowd, and shot a menacing glare straight at me.

“My my, Anne. You are certainly a defiant one. You put up much more of a fight than the others…” he said with a smirk.

“The others? Who do you mean?” I shouted back.

“You know...the fugitives you were staying with, in that warehouse you fled to. We invaded their worlds too; and now they all cease to be. You’re the only one left I’m afraid.” This god unsheathed a gladiatorial sword and began to polish the blood from the blade with a freshly ripped off piece of sleeve from one of the armymen.

That pain in my heart came back to me as I processed those words. “How dare you...Just why would you go and slay so many lives...they did nothing to you, nothing!” A dark aura surrounded me as I started to lose my cool.

“That’s right. But it’s all part of the bloodsport. We hunt for the mortal survivors as we gain power through each day. It’s also entertaining to give your subjects the time of their lives, and then strip them of those few last moments before we slay them. That’s how the game is played, dear Anne.” Ares broke out in a fit of maniacal laughter, proud of himself and his recent actions.

The darkness slowly clouded my mind and vision as I grew ever more hateful and rage-induced. The want for the revenge of the Gods increased. I trembled as I held my ground as much as I could. The ponies behind me yelled worried questions at me, but my mood didn’t permit me to listen.

“You will pay for this! For everyone! For everything! I’m going to kill you, and all the other Gods, and your entire battalion by myself! I can take you all on and win! The blood of the almighty will be splashed to the four winds as you cower in fear as one by one, you all fall in your broken glory. This will be my final redemption and your final ultimatum. Prepare for your utter doom and defeat!” I cried in a valiant, twisted battlecry.

I charged alone, the other behind me hesitant to move. Nopony could do or say a thing as they witnessed the bloodthirsty, warmongering side to me. I crashed into the wall of guns and armour, shooting all in my way as I chased the fleeing Ares. The soulless minions collapsed by the bullets riddling their bodies. The hordes reacted and shot at me, hitting my flesh hard. The adrenaline and massive burst of strength kept me going. Ares climbed atop of a boulder, to get the higher ground. I joined him on the rock, tackling him finally with an animal-like maneuver of violence. He wrestled me off, and stood up to face me. The sword he swung caught my foreleg, making me drop my gun. Bullets flew in all directions, some hitting my armour and denting in until it became useless, so the missiles could pierce through and pepper me even further. I didn’t care about the pain anymore, as countless years of experience numbed me to the feeling. I got up on two legs, threw my armour off, and tried to punch the God of war. I knocked him clean on the jaw, dazing him for a window of opportunity. I crippled his arm, by snapping it in a way which it wouldn’t normally bend, took his sword, and plunged it into his heart.

“You think you can kill me?” Ares exclaimed. “I am a God! I cannot die!”

I drove the sword into his heart again and again, not stopping until something would happen. I didn’t want to let Ares gain the advantage. Slowly but surely, he coughed up blood.

“What?!” He roared in contempt. “This cannot be! What have you done to cause this?!”

I slashed and tore at the body as he writhed in agony, the work of a miracle. Or perhaps the Gods weren’t as immortal as imagined. I brought down the sword, now bent out of shape, one last time, severing his head from the rest of him, which rolled off of the rock and into the angry crowd. They saw this debacle, the great Ares, now dead by the hooves of a mortal. They all took aim and fired at me, not stopping until their magazines ran on empty. I kicked the remaining body from the boulder and laid down in a pool of my own blood.

From the corner of my eye, I watched the defending ponies run down the hill, fighting the overwhelming troops back. They had no leader. The morale lowered even more for the invaders while each of them died in a furious counter attack. Crass Charger fought in the skirmish; she had my back like she promised. The band of ponies struck back hard as the powerful magic users reflected the bullets, the pegasi swarmed and divebombed the unsuspecting, and the earth ponies broke through with brute strength.

A fog of dust and sand descended on the warzone. The deterrent heeded no match to the combatants though, as they kept on the battle. My aggressive assault on the leader of the pack sparked inspiration and fire in my team’s hearts, leading them all to this. The opposition tumbled about, running and dying while I watched intently. I felt satisfied that I did my part for the greater good, despite the many sacrifices. My status had me going nowhere however, even if I did have the motivation to carry on and dispose of the other Gods.

My time had come at long last. My hearing faded into nothingness. My friends surrounded me now, shouting at my pale, wounded figure. I tried to say “leave me, I’m finished, goodbye,” and hoped that it came out right, then they began to sob. While I smiled at them, their expressions took a turn for the worse. But my statement rang true, as my life happened to be finished for me. My vision now blurred and lost the vibrant colours of the world, so I closed my eyes. My mind blacked out, cell by cell, as all of the memories rushed by and transitioned to grey. Somepony shook me as if I lay asleep, but sleeping waited for the time to come. Right at that moment, my soul was to begin the journey beyond the planes of existence and onto some other land.

As much as I regretted the most of the things I did in my life, the past I spent in Equestria brought me the true meaning of friendship, love, and a purpose. I only I spent more time apologising to everypony and everyone who I had met for the things I have done. It meant nothing now though. I was shown a good time however, a laugh or two, a reuniting on many occasions, love on many scales, a parallel universe involving a better Blue, adventures, a teaching and learning process, a garden grow, and most importantly, friends. I couldn’t be anymore thankful to the ponies who gave me those opportunities.

Maybe my name would go down in history. Maybe I would set an example for some. Maybe everypony learned a thing or two from me. Maybe I ultimately had no regrets. And maybe I...would live forever.

Comments

[Pinkamina vs Butchershy]

Ah ok then it was fun while it lasted

[Pinkamina vs Butchershy]

OMFG I cant take the sadness please tell me she wakes up in a hospital