Useless
The whiskey burns down my throat as I take in another shot. It was strong. Damn strong. Almost strong enough to make a full pony cry. But I have no more tears to shed. I long stopped crying years ago, yet the grief I’ve held since then has stayed with me. Crying doesn’t fix anything nor does it bring back what you lost. All it does is just waste time.
The explosions above had long stopped spooking me. I hear the sounds of battle, cries of the dying, and orders of those coming to kill or capture us all. I hear the others panicking outside my door. Some are asking for orders. Others are praying to our now dead goddesses to save them from the humans and traitors. A few are taking swords to their neck, and dying like free ponies. I think about just ending it there, but I still got some of the drink left.
I stared at the bottle I held in one hoof. It was the last Sweet Apple Acres Whiskey in all of the world. Rainbow Dash gave it to me as a welcoming present when I joined the Freedom Fighters. She said we would open it after we achieved our victory. The day we would overthrow Twilight, kick out the humans, restore Equestria to her former glory, and have a nice drink on the land of a new Ponyville. Was that all just a distant dream? A fantasy that we held onto in this cruel reality we live in?
All the deaths, bombings, attacks, destruction, protests, kidnappings, propaganda, and more. I have done things that would have made the old me kick myself in the face. I have blood on my hooves. Blood of humans and ponies of all ages both young and old. I no longer deserve to be called Honesty. I sacrificed my morals, my soul, my very principles for the cause and what did it lead to? It lead to our hideout in the mountains getting bombed to oblivion with soldiers coming up and shooting us down one by one. All these years and what did it amount to?
Nothing.
Not a single damn thing.
Everything we had done... that I had done... was just useless.
Equestria was still humanity’s bitch and would never be what it once was. The Golden Age we had was forever dark. Twilight, that coward and traitor, was still alive sucking monkey dick. I wish I had just kicked her face and broken her neck the first time we met to save us all the trouble. Our fillies and colts would never grow up knowing the wonders of Equestria like it was in the good old days. They would be swayed by the human culture, their beliefs, their gods, and their technology. Buck them. Buck all of them to whatever hell exists for humans.
I should have known it was all over the moment Princess Celestia was murdered. Our Goddess was dead. What hope did we have when even our gods fail?
There was nothing left in me but this burning hatred I had for humanity. I wish we just killed them all in the first place instead of converting them. They weren’t worth making into us. They weren’t worth anything. What kind of reality did we enter when monsters defeated the heroes?
Yet, whatever hatred I felt is slowly going away. Now? All I feel is nothing. All I do is just drink and wait for my death at the hands of some angry human because I turned his fellow man into a pony. I’m not even scared I’m going to die soon. Hay, I’m welcoming it. My spirit was already dying when Ponyville was bombed and it went to rest in its grave when Twilight surrendered. I’m tired. I just want to go to sleep and never wake up.
Since there was to be no victory I figured to hay with it and just drink the damn thing now. Like the bottle, I was the last of a dying breed. I was the last Apple. My clan. My family. All dead from the war. Their bones scattered like the four winds.
And I’m not counting that backstabbing, monkey bucking, slut Braeburn. A traitor he is and traitor he will be to me forever more.
I continued to drink my fill as I looked around the room I shared with Rainbow Dash. She was the one who introduced me to the Freedom Fighters not to long after Twilight surrendered us to humanity. I joined in an instant. I wanted to kill as many humans as I could and free our nation. I wanted to make Twilight see that Equestria wasn’t dead.
Now we’re on our last legs as our doom approaches us. Rainbow Dash was out fighting, but if she wasn’t already dead then she would be soon. A part of me wanted to go out there and die fighting alongside her. The only true friend I have left. Yet, I just can’t move my butt from my chair. My body is done. My spirit is crushed. All I have left is this drink.
Another bomb from above goes off and the dirt from the ceiling in our underground base hits my head. I reach for my head, but all I feel is my mane. I’ve never felt complete since I lost my hat... since I lost everything.
I can still hear the planes soaring above as they unleash their horde of death upon us. We had no defenses in Ponyville. We never thought they would attack us or even get as far as they did. In a single moment, the town began to burn to the ground as flesh and bone is scattered across the streets I used to play around in as a filly.
My apple trees are blown to bits. The farms we had crumbled into dust. The graves of my family wiped out. So many faces I see on the ground, torn apart or dying in pools of blood.
Sweetie Belle is crying over Rarity’s corpse as I scream for her to come over here. It’s too late. A second later, a bomb explodes and she’s on the ground, her blood mixing with her sister’s as they leave this earth together.
I see Pinkie Pie for the last time as she goes to Sugarcube Corner to help the Cakes and the Twins... and then it explodes into nothing. I pray she escaped. Did something Pinkie-like to make it out. But there is nothing that remains of her. Her party is over.
Apple Bloom.
Sweet Apple Bloom.
A single explosion.
A bit of shrapnel to the head.
She felt no pain upon her death. I felt pain everywhere and wished I could die right there.
Yet I lived. I lived to see my world come to an end. I fought a useless battle to see it come back to life. Now I wait for it to all be over.
The door opens and I turn around to see Rainbow Dash, armored up and covered in blood. She and I stare at each other for a bit before she closes the door and sit down, taking in deep breaths. “They’re... inside... I got... as many as I could... did a few Sonic... Rainbooms... not enough...”
I didn’t answer. I just closed my eyes and said what we both knew. “It’s over.”
“...why?” asked Rainbow Dash, closing her eyes. “We’ve won against every other bad guy. Why can’t we win against humanity?”
“Maybe because we ain’t the good guys. Or maybe we really just won because of darn luck instead of fate...” I answered.
“No,” Rainbow Dash answered, shaking her head. “I refuse to believe that. We did things no other pony could ever dream of doing. We took down gods.”
“Yet, they killed ours,” I whispered.
Rainbow Dash slammed her hoof on the ground and spat. “I’m not surrendering. I’ll die fighting. At least Twilight will see how a real pony dies!” She stares at me as I just continue drinking. “You could have helped, you know?”
“Ah fail to see how Ah could have done any different,” I said as I poured a new shot. I nudge it over on the other side of the desk. “Drink up. It’s the last one you’ll ever have.”
Rainbow Dash slowly forced herself to her hooves and made her way towards the table. She’s changed so much since we joined. That once bright mane is all dulled out. Her wings are as dirty as a hog. Her body littered with scars, some of them from Twilight herself during that one time we tried to assassinate her.
Yes, I tried to kill my former best friend. You may think I have some regret over that but I don’t. To me, Twilight Sparkle is already dead to me. She died a long time ago. Just like all my other friends. Me and Rainbow Dash are the real last members of the Elements of Harmony. Or is that just a lie I tell myself? It’s funny. I’m honest to others, but sometimes I’m not honest to myself.
Rainbow Dash took the drink and took it all in one gulp. “We can still escape...”
“And go where? Everypony hates us. We have nothin’ outside of this little room,” I muttered, shaking my head. “We built our own grave. Now we lie in it.”
Rainbow Dash doesn’t respond to me. For a long time, there is only the sound of the battle outside. I’m still not afraid. I’ve been afraid to die before but that was when I had something waiting for me. Now, I got nothing. Nothing but a shallow grave with a tombstone that will state my name, date of birth, date of death, and luckily something nice. History will only see me as a terrorist instead of an honest farmer trying to do the right thing. Whatever that means anymore.
“I saw... Spike...” whispered Rainbow Dash, closing her eyes. “He looks good. Really grown.”
“Did ya talk or fight?” I asked, raising my head in curiosity.
“We talked, believe it or not,” replied Rainbow Dash with a sigh. “He says if we surrender now, Twilight will make sure we get a life sentence instead of the death penalty.”
“What did ya say?”
“I told him to shove it,” responded Rainbow Dash before she finished the drink and slammed the glass on the table. “I’m not going to run away... not again...”
I raised my eyebrow at her. She must have known I was curious because she looked at me with her teary eyes and silently cried. Slowly, I raised my hoof and wrapped it around her neck, letting her cry on my shoulder. I wished I could have cried with her, but I was still out of tears.
“I left them to die, Applejack,” whispered Rainbow Dash, as she let her body sink into mine. “During the invasion at the coast... all of us Wonderbolts were to be part of the first wave of defense... Me, Spitfire, Soarin, Fleetfoot, and... Scootaloo...”
Until that moment, Rainbow Dash never once talked about what happened during that battle. The battle where the Wonderbolts were all annihilated except for her. Many praised her as a hero for surviving, but Rainbow Dash never once called herself that. In fact, it was after that battle that I saw her change from the once cocky and daredevil heroic pegasus into the depressing, battle-scarred pegasus I knew now. If anybody held any bigger hatred for humanity, it was Dash. I never once asked her what happened that day. I figured she would tell me when she was ready. I guess with our deaths looming over us now there is no better time.
“We flew in formation. Spitfire promised to buy drinks when this was over... she was the first shot down,” whispered Rainbow Dash as she shivered. “The guns... they tore her apart... tore them all apart... I saw their remains fall into the ocean and sink into nothingness... so much blood... so much of it on me... Scootaloo...” She held me closer as she gave out a sob. “Scootaloo and I were the last... she asked me what to do... I just saw everypony dying... our ships burning... pegasi falling to their deaths... I just... I ran...”
She slowly looked up towards my eyes with such guilt that I bit my lip. “I flew like a coward... I let her die... I lost the right to be Loyalty...” She took a deep breath. “That’s why I couldn’t just accept we lost... that’s why I told Twilight to kiss my flank... that surrender... what did they all die for then? To me, surrendering is spitting on the memory of all of them... I’d rather die than let them down again...”
I hugged her. I hugged her so tight that I could have squeezed her in half. I damned the humans. They took everything from us. They ruined us. I didn’t care if a thousand years from now it would be the greatest thing in the world for ponies and humans working together. I just cursed them all.
“Do you think... they’ll forgive me?” asked Rainbow Dash. “In Elysium that is?”
“She will... they’re all waitin’ for us... Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, everypony in Ponyville... it’s gonna be a huge welcome home party for us all...” I said as a single tear dripped down my heart. I guess I had enough strength to cry after all. “It’s going to be okay, Rainbow Dash. We’re going to be okay.”
“Y-yeah... I just...” She took a deep breath. “I’m just glad that I got to be with you in the end.”
“Hey, friends to the end, ya know?” I said with a chuckle. I looked at the bottle. It was almost finished. Just enough for two more shots. “How about we drink to our life and go out there killin’ as many as them humans as possible?”
Rainbow Dash nodded before she gave an old grin I hadn’t seen in awhile. “Betcha I can kill more before we’re dead.”
“Yer on,” I said as I reached for the drink.
That’s when the door slammed open. I turned to look for who it was but a second later I felt pain all over my body as the sounds of a “ratatata” was heard in echoing in my head. My body felt like it was torn apart as multiple objects entered my chest and legs, ripping my skin apart as I saw red all over.
I lost all strength to stand up and fell against the wall, crashing into my desk and chair along the way. The echo continued for a bit longer before it ended as my head slammed against the wall. The pain slowly started to fade as I opened my blurry eyes. Even with the damaged vision I could tell it was a human, aiming something at me. I looked down and saw my chest ripped apart and my legs looking chewed up.
They got me.
They got me.
Rainbow Dash.
I looked to my right. She’s just like me only her eyes are closed and half her cheek is missing. They got her too.
They got us both.
I stare at the bottle that lays before me, right between my dead best friend and myself. It’s broken and in pieces like I am. I didn’t even give a chance to finish it.
The human doesn’t even stick around, he’s already gone. It’s like were were just two ponies to kill and be forgotten.
My life starts laying out before me. Everything good and bad about it like a film biography about my life. I cry again as I see everything I had done or could have done. I see my family, my friends, and our adventures. I see what I’ve loved and lost. My life wasn’t perfect, but it was good. Damn good.
Now as it comes to an end, I start to feel cold. My eyes are slowly closing for the last time as I lay there beside my friend. Our blood mixing together on the floor as silence and cold surround me. For the first time in years, I say a prayer. My last prayer. I pray that Equestria will be okay. I pray for forgiveness for my sins. I pray... that one day the six of us will be united. I pray that I can see my family again.
I pray...
... pray...
...pr...
...
***
Terrorist Group Destroyed! Victory for Pony-Human Coalition!
The War on Terror has reached a major victory with the utter destruction of the Equestrian Freedom Fighters. Human and Pony forces surrounded the base hidden in the Macintosh Mountains using a combination of aerial bombing and magical artillery strikes to weak outer defences before bravely charging in. This marks the first time both pony and human forces have worked together to defeat a common enemy.
“It’s hard to believe that years ago I was fighting them,” said Private Evans Park. “Now I can say that I was proud to fight alongside them. I owe some a few thanks for saving my hide out there.”
While many of the terrorists choose to die fighting or commit suicide, a number of prisoners were taken upon overwhelming the base. Trials will be committed for the numerous war crimes the terrorists have done, including the bombing of Canterlot Square that resulted in the deaths of over a hundred ponies and sixty humans. Many were on the streets around the world when the news that the Freedom Fighters were defeated as hashtag #RIPFF and #HumanityStandsStrong exploded on Twitter.
“I’m just glad it’s all over,” said Ambassador Lyra Sentry whose husband, Commander Flash Sentry, was one of the leaders in the attack. “I pray for my fellow ponies who choose to fight against our new way of life, but they needed to be stopped for the sake of peace between our races.”
Ambassador Lyra Sentry was shocked when it was discovered that the Freedom Fighter’s leader, who committed suicide, was former Equestrian Secret Service Agent Sweetie Drops who was believed to have died under the name Bon Bon in the Bombing of Ponyville. She says she had no idea that her former best friend was behind this. When asked how she feels she responded, “I am heartbroken. Bon Bon was my best friend and we parted on bad terms when I sided with humanity. I lost her once and now I lost her a second time. I just pray she’s at peace.”
Among the deceased are also former Elements of Harmony, Applejack Apple and Rainbow Dash. Princess Twilight had nothing to say on the subject and wished to bury her former friends in a private ceremony. A planned vigil for all the losses is planned later this week.
For more Information, see Page 3
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Another Good Story. I am putting this in my faves.
It's funny how this has 3 views yet 12 votes in total XD
7315355
I think the view count is somehow always slow cause 14 people are reading it now
Sweet Baby Jesus was that depressing.
I loved it, keep it up!
Applejack and Rainbow Dash gunned down before they could finish their final drink. To find out how a lot of the ponies died was heart-wrenching. The only Apple left now is Braeburn? I wonder what happened to Big MacIntosh? Poor Lyra. Finding out that her best friend, Bon Bon (aka Sweetie Drops), who she thought died in Ponyville, was actually the leader of the Equestrian Freedom Fighters. BTW, where is Spike in all this? I haven't seen him yet and thought he died in Ponyville.
I wonder who will be laying on their "Deathbed"?
Well, now all the elements are accounted for.
7315355
7315358
I remembered seeing a mod post somewhere that stated that votes tally immediately while views lag by 10 to 20 minutes.
Either case, this is a fine, if depressing story. Though I find it more depressing for the shattered friendships rather than the actual death of the characters. If all the Mane Six had died fighting a common cause, for example, that would indeed be tragic, but the fact that they remained friends until the end would have been noble. To see them going to their deaths potentially hating each other is more tragic than their actual deaths (at least in my view).
Praying will do Applejack and Rainbow no good since they sided with Evil still. Time to see Satan send them to HFIL. (OR hell. I'm a DBZ Nerd)
You did not disappoint. I eagerly await the next story.
The last relics of the past have been swept away by the winds of time, now to press forward into the future.
No, Applejack!!!!
I liked this one a lot better than the previous one. Getting a chance to see the last moments of the other side was interesting and the whole Flash Sentry thing was pretty funny. It has the same problem as most of these did, though: it starts slow and with a long-winded, repetitive monologue instead of the dialogue and action that it was really about.
I suppose at this point we can just call that your style, though, since you keep doing it anyway no matter how often you're told.
7315355 it's Conversion Bureau, frankly I have no problem with that
Awww....I wanted to turn to page three.
I'm somehow curious about Discord's sight on described events. How he, avatar of chaos, feel about total and absolute chaos of destroyed lifes, familys, towns, countrys, ideas... . How he, reformed villain, feel about heroes, who converted him, changing into villains and monsters. He was mentioned in "Reunited", but I would like to read more about him.
7315392
Well, Big Mac and Granny probably died during the bombing of Ponyville, along with Applebloom and many others.
Also, from the context it's clear that Spike stayed Twilight, no matter what. The only bright spot in this whole thing.
I still wonder what prompted humans to wipe out Ponyville in first place? Given that Bearers would only count as a symbol against human weapons, I think it was the fact that Twilight was living there at the time. A failed decapitation strike.
Think twilight in her immortality and having to run the pony nation can have something to keep her sane
Like finding someone to love or to relate better to humanity, adopt a human child orphaned by the war or something
7315585
Twilight is not immortal
I was very sad to see what happened to sunset shimmer. I will look forward to the next installment. i'm curious will the sirens Adagio, Aria and Sonata ever make an appearance or will we see the shadowbolts from the friendship games movie?
They got when they deserved. The scumbags would have killed (converted) every human down to the last child. Even when they were nearly defeated, they could not see the human's point of view of not wanting to face extinction.
7315586 okay but to cap all this series
I just hope that teilight as the last element besides fluttershy finds somethign to give her a little happiness before she dies (not just the fact that she reconciled with one of her friends)
A human child to call her mum and when she dies at least she would be remembered as the leader who surrendered and made peace with the humans, allowing the surviving ponies a chance at their own world on earth
I can't decide if I'm relieved or disappointed that Applejack and Rainbow Dash died without learning the truth. A part of me feels like they needed to know that what they were fighting for was a lie, but they already suffered and lost so much, taking away what they believed in may have been too cruel.
Also, Lyra married a stallion?! And it's Flash Sentry?! Wow, I did not see that coming in so many ways.
quick question wtf happened to discord there no mention of him anywere
Well, I don't know what to say, it was more of a fic where in the end, nobody really won. I mean, from the get-go we knew that RD and AJs cause was going to fail. Not to mention that the elements are obviously broken at this point. But I still have one question:
Is Scootaloo still alive? Or was she was left behind to get shredded? I'm still going over the story to make sure I hadn't glossed over something, but this part really confused me.
Either way, great fic.
Goosebumps galore.
7315572
Did you read Negotiations first?
7315586 Twilight's not immortal? Well, now I know who's on their 'Deathbed'.
Meh. Disappointed they didn't learn the truth, but this incarnation of these two got what they deserved, to die as another pair of statistics in this war they helped propagate.
Also, the fic is pretty good. Keep it up.
As always you have never failed to disappoint. This was quite depressing yet very well done, and Flash Sentry and Lyra? That's a pairing I never thought of. Also what happened to trixie?
The sad fact is they fought the good fight and lost. And even worse they will be remembered as terrorists for eternity. On war though there are no heroes, just survivors and victims. And Applejack and RD were both.
I still hate that Rarity died early on.
7315730 Maybe they are not inmortal and just live for a very LOOONG time
Yeah, I... I honestly didn't give a shit about Twilight and Flash's love life. Kinda seems like there were more important things going on than who Flash ended up banging.
Great story though. Such lore.
7315765
Similarly Nazi Germany also fought a good fight against multiple opponents at once, but I don't think that their final loss is sad fact and it's worldwide accepted to treat them as absolutly evil and it's good. RD and AJ continued absolutly evil war of Celestia against whole world, so as Bendy sayed above they got what they deserve.
Well... Now I'm depressed.
Filthy xenos had it coming for them.
I am actually surprised, I though Applejack was the lider of the group with Rainbow Dash I didn't expect it to be BomBom.
7315668
I did, but it was a while ago, I've forgotten the details. It seems to confirm my idea here, tho.
You know I have to wonder why people think nukes would be the answer to humanity winning a war against ponies. I mean does nobody remember the laws governing biological warfare? Like a country that has not signed that particalure treaty and uses biological warfare (see tranformation potion.) is fair game for any and all biological warfare in retalition.
Imagine all the bio weapons every nation has stockpiled being use in one day, maybe some particularly nasty diseases would begin popping up by "accident".
It would be a nasty clean up but a rather efficient execution.
All of that was for the pun.
7315957
Deathbed is focused around Twilight dying while Spike watches. When it comes out I am unsure
Well, it's kinda refreshing to see Celestia portrayed not as pure evil she is in "The Other Side of Spectrum", but rather a Well Intetioned Extremist.
However, she fouled up not once, not twice, but three times! First by sending Sunset Shimmer to contact a primitive tribe without any kind of backup, then taking the result as a representative sample of human attitude, then picking up the fight with humanity instead of isolating themselves under the Barrier and finding another world to hop into.
And most of ponykind didn't even consider the possibility of her being wrong.
On an unrelated note, it's interesting how the first contact pretty much mirrors the one that happened with Griffons in "An Academic Visit".
One would think that AJ and RD would be prioritized as capture targets. Oh, well.
7315868 True, in the end Celestia's War against humanity was wrong and AJ and RD had reasons to be fighting. For there lost nation, for there pride, and vengeance for there lost town and friends. Also remember that AJ and RD probably didn't know about the converted problems that Twilight and Celestia did know about. In there eyes they were doing humanity a favor.
7316082
I don't think so. This story take place minimal 6-7 years past loss of Equestria. All facts about Celestia's crime certainly been carefully spread on whole world for general knowlegde, why she was evil. So they absolutly know about this all, but still sided with this, what made them even worse. They was terminally sick from hatred combined with sureness that they are absolutly right which is one of worse imaginable dangerous traits of anybody.
Applejack sayed clearly that she want humans dead. It's hardly wanting to do favor.
7316038
Not really, the guy who shoot them either:
A: Didn't know
B: Didn't care
C: Or the orders were to kill anyone on the compound, it was pretty clear that they wanted no survivors, and if they spared AJ and RD, they would be the targets of multiple rescue missions. And the FF would still have a reason to fight.
7315469
I can't see that as a bad thing. The stories are written quite well and the style fits the story.
7315926
You're kiiiiind of contradicting yourself, here. You're saying she knew that the truth was that she was wrong, but she didn't want to face it, so she clung to a lie. And then you say that Honesty is about the truth and that truths are subjective. Just... what?
It's here. ^.^
7316181
I'm a big believer in starting in medias res. In my opinion, the best way to draw a reader in is to have a line of dialogue as the first sentence of a story, or at least very near the beginning. It gives it a certain dynamism. Long, navel-gazing monologues before the actual action starts set a very slow pace and, honestly, often also make readers lose their patience and interest if stretched out too far. It's basically infodump narrative in first person, something that really should be revealed through interaction between characters, not soliloquys.
What's actually said is interesting enough to save it, but personally, I think it's not good style.
Seeing AJ like this broke my heart. And yet, it was written splendidly. Seeing her die was even more saddening. If anything can be salvaged from this it's the Lyra Sentry shipping that this brought fourth.
Well done.
Now to take a moment to recall a better path...derpicdn.net/img/2013/6/17/350942/full.png