The Mare of the Equestrian Eighth
The Mare of the Equestrian Eighth
The 24th Pegasus
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Saw the headlines on that day.
She snatched the paper in her teeth
And dropped two bits to pay.
She couldn’t fly back home to read
The paper she had bought.
Instead she found a place to glean
The info that she sought.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Dropped the paper on a table.
“War Declared!" Its title screamed,
“Reserves, head to your stables!”
The mare read on, her excitement piqued;
The paper spoke at length.
King Sombra, the feared lord of shadow,
Had returned to full strength.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Read the reports of the battles.
“Our colts are strong,” the paper said,
“Yet need more in the saddle!”
“So now what are you waiting for?”
The paper asked quite clearly.
“Stop standing around, stop looking lost!
The army needs you dearly!”
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Wasted not a breath that day.
She flew back to her Cloudsdale home
And on her bed she lay:
Wallet, ID, and bits too;
A nice dress for the road;
Toothbrush, toothpaste, and some floss;
The rest in her abode.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Left her house with a light pack.
Blue wings fluttered over neighbors;
She never once looked back.
Across the floating city’s sky
Her wings did carry true,
Until here a white building stood;
Its purpose there, she knew.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Wasted no time at the door.
She barged right in, her shoulders square,
And looked across the floor.
Lines of ponies, some hundreds strong,
Were queued up at the tables.
And at each desk, in golden garb,
Were soldiers and their labels.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Knew which desk she desired.
For even though the line was long,
The mare there, she admired.
Captain Spitfire, in the flesh!
And at the stable, too?
Did she turn in her uniform?
And with the army, flew?
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Painfully waited in line.
The minutes crept by, and then the hours,
Then finally, that shine.
Spitfire, decked in golden arms,
Raised an eyebrow at the mare.
“So, Rainbow Dash, you here to fight?”
She gave a knowing stare.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Proudly stood up tall.
“Yes, ma’am, I am, and ready to serve.”
Her tail betrayed it all.
Nodding, the captain pressed her hoof
Atop the mare’s signed forms.
A small black mark, a black horseshoe,
A passage to the storms.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
From cheek to cheek she smiled
“Welcome to the Eighth, kid,”
The captain’s smirk was wild.
Some ponies showed her where to go;
She let them take the lead.
Now she was here, no turning back,
No matter how she’d bleed.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Soon found herself in camp.
The days were bleak and rainy.
Her mane was always damp.
She slept next to her wing mates.
She crawled with them through mud.
They suffered from the sergeant’s wrath
Through tears, sweat, and blood.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Learned to fly in tight formation.
She learned how to fight with hoof and wing.
She learned to defend her station.
She learned the marching orders.
She learned the battle cries.
She learned to hate the enemy.
She learned to guard the skies.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
For weeks on end, she thrived.
While lesser ponies cracked and split
In boot camp, she survived.
She graduated top in class
High marks in every skill.
But there was one thing that she did not learn
And that was how to kill.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Knew the tactics, knew the score.
But no amount of combat drills
Could prepare her for war.
By Spitfire’s side she flew to fight;
Hoof-picked to join the elite.
They flew to lands far to the north
And fought to see through sleet.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Had never seen a war.
But then she saw the casualties:
Thousands, maybe more.
In frigid snow, on blood red sheets
The ponies lay there dying.
Their comrades stood off to the side
Their faces screwed and crying.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Just couldn’t look away.
The cries of pain and suffering
And all this in a day?
Where once she thought she’d find a fight
She now saw only death.
This wasn’t grand, this wasn’t fair
And then she took a breath.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Saw those yellow wings turn.
Together, the Eighth plunged through the wind
And her flesh began to burn
Heart racing, wings pumping, limbs full of lead
The mare did join the fight.
The front was now a bloody mess.
The lines of ponies, tight.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Followed her captain’s lead.
They folded their wings, put nose to ground,
And swiftly picked up speed.
Like a hammer on an anvil,
Valkyries of death and pain,
The Mighty Eighth slammed Sombra’s lines
And tore their center in twain.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Hardly thought that fight.
Her wings were fueled by instinct,
And instinct led them right.
Helmets split, skulls were crunched,
And ribs were broke in two.
Blood splatter, screams of death,
Sharp crimson on her blue.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Didn’t know when it was over.
Next thing she knew, she was back at camp
And staring into her clovers.
She didn’t have an appetite.
She couldn’t even eat.
Was this what it was like to fly
As one of the elite?
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Left the mess without a peep.
While her comrades drank and partied,
She cried herself to sleep.
The nightmares soon both came and went
And left her short of rest.
But even still, on the next day,
She had to fight her best.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
For three months now she fought.
The days never got easier.
But she learned to own her thoughts.
Her mane grown out, her tail cut short,
She made an impressive vet.
And now she watched the new recruits
Who hadn’t seen war yet.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Had swiftly climbed the ranks.
She only had to crush her soul
And the mark on both her flanks.
No more the happy stuntsmare.
No more the lazy kid.
The privates called her cruel and cold;
She noticed when they hid.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Tasted her share of defeat.
The lines were shifted so many times;
She hated to retreat.
She hated the Crystals with all her soul.
She hated watching friends fall.
But even then, for all she’d done,
She hated herself most of all.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Watched Celestia from up high.
The white alicorn appeared unannounced
In a carriage from the sky
She didn’t want the Princess here;
She distracted from the fight.
But seeing the way ponies’ eyes lit up…
Maybe the Princess was right.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Almost saw the attack too late.
While Celestia spoke and raised morale,
King Sombra threw all his weight.
Thousands of Crystals, with one thing in mind:
To end the solar reign
And as the mare flew, the onslaught began
With arrows falling as rain.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Fought a brutal fight that day
She took on twenty, and when it was won,
On the hard ground she lay.
Her squad mates were the first to her side
Then the doctors and medics, too.
They took her up and back to camp
And buried a bit of blue.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Woke only to despair.
For one side was both feathery and warm
But the other side was bare.
She didn’t cry; she simply couldn’t
She’d last cried so long ago.
Instead she withdrew inside herself
And bottled up her woe.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Now a grounded, one-winged mare
Knew her fighting days were over.
To dream of flying, she didn’t dare.
For days she lay in misery
Even when they sent her home.
She found a knife, and in the night—
Thankfully, she hit a bone.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Lay there, slick with blood.
An old friend from Cloudsdale found her.
She looked funny, covered in mud.
Fluttershee, or Fluttershy?
The poor mare couldn’t remember.
But tender hooves did work their magic
And with their bandages, saved her.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Lay on the bathroom floor.
And while her friend flew to get help,
She found the tears sought for.
They took her to the hospital.
They asked about the knife.
Yes, she told them, and calmly admitted
She’d tried to end her life.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Was placed into a ward.
She’d rest in here, a friendly place;
She was unbelievably bored.
The words they spoke were all the same
Even though the faces, new.
But no matter how they talked and talked
They couldn’t bring back her blue.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Lamented in her bed.
And as the days both came and went,
She wished that she was dead.
What world awaited beyond this room?
A world stripped bare of flight?
Was such a world worth living in
When not a thing feels right?
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Stopped talking to the nurse.
She withdrew inside herself;
Her condition got much worse.
But then she got a visitor,
A mare of lavender and horn.
She said she was an engineer
An oath to help, she’d sworn.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Dared to hope and dream.
Could this mare be speaking the truth?
Were the skies nearer than they seem?
This mare who came from Canterlot;
Twilight, she was named.
She promised to give the gift of flight
But could she do what she claimed?
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Saw no other choice.
She wanted the skies, she wanted her wings;
She gave these thoughts her voice.
Twilight smiled and took her aside,
And they made plans that night.
When they were done, the mare was gay
But felt even then, her fright.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Waited a long time for her wing.
She didn’t see Twilight again
And didn’t know what she’d bring.
But then one day, Twilight returned
With burlap on her back.
It opened to reveal a wing;
Not blue, but nearly black.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Stared in awe at the device
Could this roughened steel contraption
Redeem her sacrifice?
Twilight led her through the basics
Of this shiny metal wing.
Then they took her back to place
The brace to hold the thing.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Returned from the table.
Twilight met her and began to test
Whether to move the thing, she was able.
They walked behind the hospital
And began to do the test.
The mare only had to give thought;
The machine did all the rest.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Learned to fly again that day.
It took her several hours,
But she soon found her way.
From loops and twirls to flips and dives
The machine was precise.
It executed her every thought.
Such a wonderful device!
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Spent that whole day flying.
So it was with surprise that Twilight saw
Upon her descent, crying.
She rushed forward to give a hug
And asked her what was wrong.
The answer the mare gave was simple:
She’d been grounded for too long.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Left the hospital that day.
And even though it needed tuning,
The machine gave her a way:
To return to battle in the north;
To soar those bloody skies;
To finally find her friends again
And fight right by their sides.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Returned to much fanfare.
It raised the spirits of the reeling army
To know that she was there.
It was several days before she fought,
But when she did, she knew
That this was where her soul belonged,
Amongst the blood and blue.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Returned, weary and worn.
She’d led the charge at Sapphire Pass;
She’d stomped King Sombra’s horn.
So now to the droll life of citizenry
The hero finally returned.
Some nights she dreamt of losing her wing,
And the flesh on her shoulder burned.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Watched as the world moved on.
She drifted the land, from town to town;
She never stayed very long.
What need did the world have for heroes?
What good were ponies like her?
Just an ugly scar from years of war;
A reminder of how things were.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Lost everything on the Earth.
She lost her money, home, youth, and more,
But most of all, her mirth.
The days of being an Equestrian hero
Felt like so long ago.
Ponies would look her way and see her wing,
Then avert their eyes and go.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Pulled in what jobs she could.
But they were barely enough to keep her fed;
When she could leave, she would.
She hardly cared to fly these days;
What reason did she care?
She was only a broken relic of the past,
A flying freak of a mare.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Drifted into Canterlot
Where after much inquiry and trial,
She found the mare she sought.
The post war years had done Twilight well;
An academy of her own.
Twilight, surprised at first, soon took her in
To her own three story home.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Sipped the tea that Twilight made.
It was fancy tea, in a fancy house,
With cushions made of suede.
Twilight asked what brought her here,
And the mare could only shrug.
She gave no response, least not in words,
But gave Twilight a hug.
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
For once, didn’t weep that day.
Though her gut roiled and grumbled,
She had nothing left to say.
She left Twilight behind at her home
And took back to the street.
She sought a secluded place to hide,
From the public eye, retreat
The mare of the Equestrian Eighth
Felt a stirring in her heart.
It was the first in many months;
Maybe it knew to depart.
And so, that night, in the shadowed wharf,
Now that she’d seen her friend,
She strung a length of rope up high,
With a loop beyond the bend.
And on the next day Equestria knew,
The dockhooves on the wharf found a bit of blue.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- The 24th Pegasus · 4.6k words · 62 2 · 750 views
- The 24th Pegasus · 15k words · 353 18 · 4.8k views
- Smaug the Golden · 1.1k words · 20 0 · 653 views
- The 24th Pegasus · 4.5k words · 40 1 · 1.1k views
- LoyalLiar · 1.1k words · 92 2 · 1.4k views
- LoyalLiar · 10k words · 128 1 · 2k views
- The 24th Pegasus · 230k words · 343 6 · 4.3k views
- Anneal · 3k words · 46 3 · 659 views
Stats
Page generated in 0.146 seconds
Total duration
901 users online
259,968 hits today, 1,960,719 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
A hell of an epic told in 2000 words.
And that end. Jesus.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Oh geeze, that ending.
Nice idea for the source of her replacement wing.
Many people think about the end of the war.
Not many think about what happens after.
Beautiful story, 24th.
6958815
6958930
6959386
The ending sort of came out of nowhere when writing this, really. It was originally going down a different path but stalled out, so I tore out several stanzas and started something different. That led me to finish the entire story in one sitting in like, half an hour.
Besides, it's Rainbow Dash. I have a really bad habit of killing her/doing horrible things to her.
6959927
IthoughtthatwasLoyalLiar'sjob. :v
6959932
No, he only killed her once then tore her wings off. I've killed Rainbow twice and torn one of her wings off. And given her horrible amnesia paired with crippling anxiety. I think I win.
6959943
Ah, right. You're right about that.
He made her suffer longer wordwise, though. (not counting the amnesia bit)
http://youtu.be/Ja06DJrFe5E
[youtube=youtu.be/Ja06DJrFe5E]
6961191
Fixed it for you.
~Skeeter The Lurker
6961260
Thank you!
...I'm a horrible person aren't I?
Seriously though this was amazing. Thanks 24 for continuously being able to make me cry. Well I'm not actually crying but if I had tears they would be coming out right now.
6959943
Still got nothing on the torture Imploding Colon has given to her.
Crying so hard right now
Now every time I hear the word blue then I'm gonna think of this story
Oh god dammit 24th! You know I'm gonna have to read this too!
this story is so powerfull and really shows what war is
Just wanted to let you know I posted a review of this story — and 13 other entries in the Scribblefest competition — over at my blog.
Good luck in the competition!
I reviewed this as part of Read It Later Reviews #46.
My review can be found here.
I stumbled in one or two stanzas, but that was mostly due to my excitement causing me to read too fast and mess with the rhythm of the piece.
I'm a huge fan of poetry done well and this shattered my expectations. Well written!
Holy......damn........so awesome, even if that was a fucking dark ending.
Reread:
No words. Just.....it touches you.
Always new she was a wuss. That's what you get for being a bum with no true roots.
7127874 ..... apparently someone doesn't get that she was suffering from fucking Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which is a VERY dangerous and horrible thing for a veteran to suffer from.
7128341 oh I got that alright. Still, many more veterans of the RL conflicts manage to overcome their experiences, if only partially, despite returning to a far less hospitable civilian life.
This story's Dash has my sympathy, but I question 24th descision to make her lack tenacity and mental fortitude PoL Dash displays constantly. He tried to make her an ideal victim of the PTSD and IMO overlooked her established character. But maybe it's just my headcanon speaking.
The other thing that has directly influenced my experience with this poem is the fact that I read it back to back with re-reading Tvardovsky and Remarque, with obvious results.
I don't say this about most stories on here, but this truly inspired me to try creating something. This poem was amazing and truly captured the tragedies of war, PTSD, and more. You've definitely earned a favorite from me, and keep up the good work.
Buitiful
Did a reading of this!
7183922
Awesome! Thank you!
7185391 No problem. I don't know if I'm allowed to reveal this, but whatever, but I was one of the judges of the EFNW Scribblefest. I voted for this one for the Rarity.
7185438
That means a lot to me, glad you enjoyed the story!
Hello!
Grand Moff Pony here on behalf of the group You Might Like This. I wanted to let you know that your story was featured in one of our latest recommendation posts!
Thank you for sharing your story with the community, and have a great day!
-GMP
I don't usually care much for poetry but that was beautiful.
That was AMAZING
Congratulations Project Horizons, you have just been put on my list of the Ten best damn stories on FimFic. List is here:
1. Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons, by Somber
2. Fallout Equestria, by kkat
3. Past Sins, by Pen Stroke
4. Symphony of the Damned, by Lord Benjamin Moorington
5. The Railway Ponies: Highball, by The Descendant
6. The Torch be Ours, by The 24th Pegisus
7. The Things We Leave Behind, by theswimmingbrony
8. Of the Hive, by Law Abiding Pony
9. The Mare of the Equestrian 8th, by The 24th Pegisus
10. Rekindling, by Tealea-and-Cody
This is my opinion. You are entitled to your own opinion of what is best. That being said, I would recommend reading all of these stories at some point.
pony PTSD
Damn... that was deep... and the format... expert precision and proper use of the format... and a very, very accurate telling of a soldiers life.
And the aftermath that they suffer, can most times cause a veteran to take their own life.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a very serious thing, but not only do veterans suffer from PTSD, but they are most times forgotten by their own families and are left without a home, living on the streets, ignored and bypassed.
Many veterans die forgotten and alone, if you have a veteran in your home or neighborhood, please, let them know that they are not forgotten, and thank them for their sacrifice so that our freedom may continue it's reign.
My step-father; a Corporal in the United States Army, retired after serving 22 years, 20 in active duty, 2 in reserve, raised me for 17 years and I always showed my appreciation for his sacrifice with my daily love and affection.
I was shattered when he passed just two days before my birthday on March 8th, 2013.
To the veterans and soldiers currently serving, I thank you for your service and your sacrifice.
And to the soldiers who have died, thank you for your sacrifice and service, Rest In Peace.
This is pure art! I don't really have much interest in poems and the like but this was...beautiful!
And, while I was reading this, I just couldn't get this song out of my head:
Blue lips, blue veins.
Blue, the colour of our planet from far, far away.
Blue lips, blue veins.
Blue, the most human colour.
Dammit 24th, why must you make best pone suffer so?
This was a true epic, a tragedy perhaps, not as the modern man weaves, but as the Greeks once told.
Here, have a fave. I hate such endings, but I do recognize art when I see it.
This is beautiful.
A wonderful, moving story. You've earned a follow my friend! Thank you for your talent.
You can has review!
Im going to have fun reading this, why? Cause it reminds me of this!
I didn't expect a rhyming poem of all things...
So precious...
A tale of a whole campaign, of war and the mare that fought in it, in just 2000 words is very very impressive!
7322859 Symphony of The Damned, that brings me back. Remember when I wrote it.