War Pony

by CreeperZone

Trained to Forget

Hopeful leaned against the railing on his porch, watching the sun glisten over his fields on this warm and sunny day. He stared out at his wife Joyful Twist, sitting on a red and white checkered blanket. She was sitting there minding their daughter, Sugar Coat, who hopped around playing in the sun. Her lime coloured coat ruffled as she skipped back and forth, her shiny sky-blue mane reflected the sun, making her look like she was sparkling. Hopeful grinned, looking upon his family, so happy and peaceful.

Hopeful looked up at the sky and saw a cloud begin to form. He reached his hoof out and a snowflake, waving back and forth through the air, floated down onto his hoof.

A shadow glanced over the ground catching Hopefuls attention, as a Pegasus wearing metal-plated armor landed before him with a thud as her hooves hit the floor.

Hopeful pushed off the railing and stepped toward the Pegasus, “What are you doing here?! We already paid the rain tax this month!”

The Pegasus lifted her head and looked Hopeful in the eye, before she snorted, saying in a tough mare's voice, “Then consider this an advancement for next month.” The Pegasus chuckled and turned her head toward Hopeful’s wife and daughter. Hopeful looked at the sky once more and saw two Pegasi drop down and slam onto the ground beside his wife and take out pistols. Hopeful jumped off the porch and ran toward them. He was tripped by the Pegasus, falling down into the dirt and reaching out to his family who were still so far away.

He watched as one of the Pegasi nodded to the others and flew up to the trap door beside the barn where they preserved food. He tried to fling the trapdoor open but it wouldn't budge. After striking at it with his hoof, making it rattle, the Pegasus holding Hopeful down shouted to him, “Stop messing around you numbskull, use your bloody dropper on it!” He nodded and began to fly up and take out a long, metal weapon. He loaded a shell into a canister on the top of it and bit down onto a thin metal handle, pulling it up as high as he could, before letting it go. A screeching, apple-sized grenade propelled itself down onto the trapdoor, blowing it to smithereens. The explosion echoed thunderously around the planes. Wooden shards went flying before the dust began to settle.

Joyful Twist stood up to the Pegasus soldier holding her at gunpoint and tried to block them from reaching Sugar Coat, who was quivering behind her. The Pegasus struck Joy across the muzzle, making her fall into the grass, and walked past her toward the filly. Joyful Twist leaped up and bit down on the soldier’s armor, trying to knock him over. Hopeful scrabbled to his hooves, only to be kicked back down by the Pegasus behind him. He rolled over onto his back and could see the sky was completely covered in thick, snowy clouds. He tried to swing at the Pegasus and managed to knock her helmet off, exposing her face. She was a yellow Pegasus mare with deep green eyes and a flowy, golden mane. Hopeful tried to push the mare off of him, but she kicked him in his ribcage, paralyzing him as he gasped for air.

Two gunshots rang through the air. The mare looked up where the other Pegasi were and shouted “I TOLD YOU, NO CASUALTIES, YOU IDIOT!” Hopeful had just enough strength to turn his head around, but all he saw was blood staining the grass before his head was grabbed by the mare. “Sorry for this, but just know it’s nothing personal.” She grabbed the pistol from her shoulder and stretched her head back before swinging it into his skull.

Hopeful jolted up out of his bed, impacting his head on the metal bars holding the top bunk. He inspected himself. He was sweating and breathing heavily as he rubbed his bruised forehead.

“UP AND AT 'EM, NEWBIES!” the General from yesterday hollered at the doorway of the bunk room. The ponies moaned and groaned as they were broken out of their dreams. “I said, UP AND AT 'EM!” The General grabbed his whistle and furiously blew into it, “YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO GET YOUR SORRY ASSES OUT OF BED AND IN UNIFORM!” The General sighed and a chuckled to himself. “Ah, I love my job.”

Hopeful scanned the room, a dozen or so bunk beds on each side. Each bed had a green duffel bag, which were given out to everypony to hold their gear and personal possessions. Hopeful pushed off the side of the bed above him, landing on the floor and unzipping his bag. He heard Spring Step jump down onto the floor from the bed above his.

After the ponies frantically getting in their uniforms, two rows of ponies quivering from fear formed in front of the beds. The general smiled and took out a pocket watch. “Fifty-seven seconds. Well, it ain't no academy record.” He then walked down the center of room, looking left to right at the soldiers.

“At ease.” Many ponies let go of the breath they were stomaching. “We will begin with simple routine and command training, then field tactics and self defense. After that, if you do well enough, we will have a round of weapons training.” The general halted suddenly and swung around, his back to the recruits. “SINGLE FILE LINE, DOWN THE HALL, BEHIND ME, NOW!” He blew his whistle and strode down the the room, punching the door open, looking forward with a ferocity in his eyes.

The recruits followed instantly, and, with the line formed, they went through the underground labyrinth-of-an-army-base and down some stairs into a large hall. The cavernously high ceiling was supported by many steel beams protruding from the wall. Body bags hung from the walls and another twenty ponies were at the back, being drilled by another general.

The general they were following lead them to a corner of the hall and addressed them. “FORM UP!” The ponies created several rows in front of the general, who began walking in circles, going back and forth down the group. “Since I haven't formally introduced myself, I am General Fire Halo and I will be training you from the weak, emotionally unstable, scared little ponies you are into strong, brave soldiers. You will follow my orders to their full extent, and I don't care if I tell you to clear the fucking skies, you will do it! IS THAT CLEAR?” Fire Halo stared sharply at his regiment, which replied with a “Sir, yes sir!”

Fire Halo stomped his hoof down. “I DIDN'T HEAR YOU!”

The ponies took a breath to reply “SIR YES SIR!” unanimously.

“Good, now we will begin by giving you each a copy of this hoofbook.” Halo went to a table that was overflowing with equipment, from guns to armor, canteens to maps and the books that he’d spoken of. He bit a book and slung it over in front of his troops before walking up to it. “This right here is a standard issue of 'Military Guidelines and Orders,' which you will be required to know by heart by tomorrow. You may take one each right now.”

The ponies stood and looked at the book lying at Fire Halo's hooves, one pony at the front gulped when inspecting this book that was thicker than a Pegasus with half a brain.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Halo crossed his eyebrows. His eyes stalked the ponies as they went over to the table and picked up their individual copies, storing them inside their uniforms.

“We will begin training with a simple jog around the room. I will be giving orders as we run to do turns and formations mid-run, so I want you all on high alert!”

The troops looked around the room. While it was very large for an underground bunker, it sure wasn't any track running pitch.

Fire Halo shouted “FORWARD, MARCH!” and spun, stomping on the concrete going down the room. The ponies hastily followed the general and began to match his speed.

Hopeful found himself at the back of the line once again. He glanced over to his side where another pony marched, a brown-coated Earth Pony mare with a short and messy red mane. The mare glanced back. Their eyes locked and Hopeful quickly turned his head away, the mare gazing curiously at him.

---

“So... ah, whats... heh... your story?” the mare inquired through her breathing to Hopeful. They’d been running for nearly an hour. “Somepony like you... hheh... looks like... heh... they must have... some kind of story.” The mare gave a pleasant smile.

General Fire Halo blurted out, “READY, HALT!” He took one step and stood his ground to take out his pocket watch. “One hour,” Halo glanced behind him, “and only one pony couldn't take it.” He glared at Spring Step lying across a wall after being unable to run with the group for more than 30 minutes, panting out of exhaustion.

“REST,” Halo said to them while he walked by, after which he went to Spring Step. “And you, you'll be resting while you clean out the lavatories this evening!”

The ponies slumped down and relaxed. The mare turned to Hopeful again. “Name's Wicker Oak. I used to be a journalist before I volunteered to fight. I am an only child from Manechester with no children myself and no special somepony. Most ponies would call me a workaholic and I'm a known talker.” Wicker took a breath. “That's me, now you.” She stepped one hoof towards him and angled her head, looking at him.

“Well, Wicker, if you haven't noticed, there's really no need for newspapers, so I think I'll skip this interview.”

“Who said this was an interview? I just want to know.”

“And why do you want know my life story?”

“You can't be a good journalist without having some curiosity of your own, and I'm a very good journalist.”

“And you're curious about me?” Hopeful looked flatly at her.

“Yeah, you have that look about you, like you have a lot to tell. So I'm curious to know, what happened?”

“I must be the first pony you've spoken too then, or you would know what happened. The same fucking thing that happened to every other pony in this army.”

“Well um, Sir-”

“Hopeful,” he said while turning his head away.

“Well, Hopeful, I know what you mean, that this war has affected everypony, but you can't tell me that your story shouldn't be heard because of that.” The mare put her hoof onto his shoulder, “And if you're worried it’s not worth telling, trust me, there is no possible way your story is any less interesting than that rock-farmer pony I sat beside on the train ride over here.”

Hopeful took a second to think while the mare inquisitively looked at him.

“I owned a farm in the countryside, near Buckingham,” he said blankly, trying to appease her.

“You were a farmer? No wonder you didn't break a sweat during that run. Anypony waiting for you back there?”

“No, not anymore.” Hopeful lowered his eyes as the mare had just pulled a heart string.

“Oh, you..?”

“I… I had a daughter...” Hopeful said in a deep, quiet voice of remembrance staring straight through the ground.

“Is she..?” Wicker leaned away. Hopeful nodded slightly. “I'm very sorry.” Wicker lowered her head trying to think of a question. “What... was she like?”

“She,” Hopeful wiped his face and took a breath. “She was very strong… and so brave. She would stand up to anypony...” Hopeful shook his head in his hoof. He always tried to keep his mind on other things so he wouldn't have to remember.

He smudged the few tears that left his eyes and spoke as sternly as he could. “I don't care about how curious you are, just back off and don't ask any more questions, alright?”

Wicker jumped back, “Oh, uhh… yeah of course... You know, she sounds ver-” Wicker was interrupted by Fire Halo's overpowering voice.

“THAT'S FIVE MINUTES! FORM TWO LINES FACING EACH OTHER AND WE WILL BEGIN BASIC HOOF-TO-HOOF COMBAT TRAINING.” Fire Halo shoved Spring Step into the rest of them.

The ponies did as they were told, creating two long columns facing each other as fast as they could in an attempt to sate the General.

Halo blew his whistle. “Now you all might think that fighting on the battlefield will be all bullets and trenches, and you’re right for the most part, but if you get caught off-guard or don't have a firearm at your disposal, you need to know how to defend yourself.”

Halo walked down between the lines, “You will need to be able to take down a pony in seconds, especially when dealing with a unicorn ‘cause once they have prepared a spell, you’re as good as dead.”

He began eyeing the ponies, looking from side to side before stopping at Hopeful. “You, you look like a strong stallion, you probably could hold your own, correct?”

Hopeful nodded, keeping the rest of his body utterly still and eyes fixed forward.

“Good, now I will demonstrate a take-down on...” Fire Halo read the tag on Hopeful’s vest, “Private Hopeful.”

Fire Halo took a few steps back forcing Wicker to sidestep, and twirled in place to face Hopeful. “Now try and do your best to stop me.”

Hopeful nodded again and changed his hoofing into a fighting pose.

In a swift charge, the General came up to him. Hopeful raised a hoof in front of his face once he saw Fire Halo going for a punch. To Hopeful’s surprise, Fire Halo turned his hoof up and pushed against and away from the hoof Hopeful was blocking with. Fire Halo spun and with his other foreleg swung against Hopeful’s stomach. With his left hind-leg, he swept Hopeful's remaining fore-hoof on the ground. Hopeful fell onto his side and Fire Halo kept his momentum to fall down and wrap his hoof around Hopefuls neck. Fire Halo was lying on top of Hopeful, pinning him down, making any struggle a futile action.

“And from here one quick pull would snap the Unicorn's or Pegasi's neck.” Fire Halo looked around at the ponies that were in shock and amazement, before loosening his grip and standing up. Hopeful hobbled up to his hooves, rubbing the back of his neck to dull the pain.

“All of you, get a partner and do it!” Fire Halo picked up his whistle, and, even before he blew it, everypony went back to looking at their partner and standing up straight, Hopeful moved to another pony’s spot to avoid having to partner with Wicker. Fire Halo smiled. “BEGIN!”

---

The combat training started slow. Most of the ponies that had never even hurt a butterfly had a hard time hitting their fellow pony. After some time, some of the recruits had successfully performed the moves Fire Halo was showing them. Eventually the ponies were split into two groups, those who were performing well and those who weren't. Fire Halo took the proficient group and went over to another side of the training hall. A private was called in to help and teach the ponies that weren't learning well. Both Hopeful and Wicker went along with a few other ponies with Fire Halo.

Fire Halo addressed them. “All of you have been doing well. While the others continue to learn the basics, I will be teaching you more advanced moves.”

He went over to a stack of fold-up chairs at the side and took one and unfolded it and sat down. “But first I want to see what you can do.” Fire Halo pointed at two ponies “You two go first. I want a proper fight, no restrictions. The rest of you form a circle and watch.” He swiftly blew his whistle. “GO!”

The two ponies turned to each other and went into a battle pose.

Wicker walked up beside Hopeful and whispered, “I'm sorry about earlier. I'm not very good at being sensitive.”

“No shit, Star Swirl.” Hopeful whispered back.

The two ponies began hitting each other, trying to knock the other down they were blocking and attempting attacks. Hopeful and Wicker weren't paying attention to the fight.

Wicker jumped back offended at Hopefuls racist remark “I'm apologizing, there is no need to call me a Unicorn.”

One of the ponies fighting threw the other over their shoulder onto the ground, pinning them down. Fire Halo blew his whistle and pointed at two more ponies. “You two, you're up now.” The ponies then looked at each other awkwardly before walking forward and getting ready to fight.

Hopeful let out a sigh “Look, I just... I just don't like to think about the past anymore.”

Wicker looked off into the distance before whispering “My father was the one that got me into journalism, he was the reporter in our town and I always wanted to follow his hoofsteps. He died when I was young and it took me a long time to deal with that.”

She shifted closer to Hopeful, “I know what it feels like to lose someone so if you need to talk, we can talk. Trust me it will help.”

The ponies fighting took a second to engage each other. Once they did one of them swung a punch throwing the other a few meters. Fire Halo blew his whistle and stood up, trotting over to the thrown pony and checking if they were still conscious before walking over to the winner “You got a strong foreleg on you, what's your name?.”

“Fury Temper, *heh*, Sir,” the pony replied.

Hopeful turned to Wicker. “This is the army. I'm not here for therapy, I'm here to protect our nation. So if you really want to help me, stop talking, ok?”

Fire Halo popped up from outside of Hopeful’s line of sight “I THINK YOU SHOULD STOP TALKING, PRIVATE.” Hopeful stood up straight and looked forward at the general. “You’re next.” Fire Halo looked to his right at Wicker. “And you’re against her.” He blew his whistle in Hopefuls face “NOW!”

Hopeful gave a slight nod and walked toward the fighting area. He watched Wicker hesitate before walking to him. Fire Halo returned to his seat and blew his whistle.

Hopeful looked at Wicker and lowered himself into a pouncing position. Wicker didn't change her stance, she just rolled her eyes and waited for Hopeful to attack.

Hopeful was very confident after the training earlier, he could easily perform the take downs Fire Halo showed them and he was far better then the pony he trained with from before.

Hopeful sprinted up and tried to perform the move Fire Halo did on him. He ran up and spun, trying to slam down his hoof into her stomach. Wicker turned with him and wrapped her hoof around the one he was attacking with and purposely fell onto the ground to flip Hopeful around her. Hopeful was thrown to the other side of her onto his stomach and she rolled onto him, holding his hoof into the air and quickly standing up to place a hind leg onto his neck.

Wicker lowered her head trying to whisper to Hopeful while he struggled. “Back when my father died, I didn't want to talk to anypony either.”

Hopeful rolled from his stomach to his back pulling Wicker down onto the floor. He twirled around onto her and pushed his hoof alongside Wicker’s neck before he whispered back, “Just because you lost somepony too doesn't mean you know how to magically make it better by talking about it.”

Wicker wiggled, trying to get out. She kicked the ground with her hind legs and threw Hopeful over her. Both of them stood up and Wicker got the first punch in, forcing Hopeful to stumble back. Wicker ran at him and got him into a choke-hold. “You'll have to talk about it sometime, you know.”

Hopeful ducked under her hooves and swept her remaining legs, knocking her down before he pinned her. “Maybe I do, but not here, not now, and not with you.”

Wicker tried to struggle but couldn't escape and after a few seconds Fire Halo blew his whistle. “Very good performance from both of you.”

Hopeful shoved off of Wicker and walked to the other ponies.

Fire Halo looked at the two ponies that hadn’t fought yet. “After you two fight I will train you on advanced moves and maybe even on knives.”

Fire Halo stared back at the ponies to say, “Go on, FIGHT!” and blew his whistle.

---

Hopeful laid on the mattress of his bed, staring into space. The other ponies all chatted and laughed, relaxing before going to sleep. Everypony was exhausted after a long day of training and Hopeful was emotionally exhausted (and a bit peeved) after being questioned by Wicker. “Curious? What kind of pony gets curious about a stranger’s story in the middle of a war!.. And then that Spring Step guy? All the ponies in this base are crazy!”

Spring Step slammed the door open. He wobbled over to his bed with a piece of toilet paper trailing behind him, stuck to the back of his hoof. He climbed up the stubby ladder onto the bunk above Hopeful and instantly passed out and began snoring.

“Look at him. He probably won't even last the two weeks.” Hopeful thought to himself as he watched Spring Step’s arrival. He went back to lying on his bed and let out a sigh.

Many minutes passed as Hopeful fought a battle in his mind, trying to stay calm and collected while he tried to suppress the memories that have been surfacing recently. He wiped a tear running down his the side of his face as he heard more hoofsteps outside the door.

Wicker kicked the door open and walked into the sleeping quarters covered in blood. A light grey mare with a navy mane walked over to her. Wicker closed the door and told the mare “Don't worry, Basalt. I carried Quick Draw to the infirmary. He’s going to be fine. I still don't understand how you accidentally stabbed him, though. He wasn’t even your fighting partner.” Basalt gave a sigh of relief and a half smile as she shrugged her shoulders.

Wicker walked over to the ponies congregating around the only table in the room against the back wall, glancing in Hopeful's direction.

She looked at him and thought about how she acted earlier and had an idea. She trotted over to Hopeful smiling. “You alright?”

Hopeful rolled his eyes “I told you I don't want to talk.”

“You look lonely”

Hopeful groaned, “I said I don-”

Wicker placed a hoof over his mouth. “I know, you don't want to talk. But you still look like you need some company sooo...”

Hopeful knocked her hoof away. “So what?”

Wicker peeked over her shoulder at the crowd of ponies. “What if you didn't have to talk at all? I know me asking a bunch of personal questions was rude and you don't want to talk about it. So if you want you can just listen to me talk. I have one hell of a story about a colt in my old class that accidentally set the school on fire.”

Hopeful thought about her offer, it would be a good distraction for the time being and as long as he wouldn't have to say anything it might be fine. “I guess, but...”

Wicker hopped over to the side of his bed and sat down, interrupting him by beginning her story before he finished his sentence.

“So, I was a just little filly when I began writing stories for my school’s newsletter. My first story was about this colt who got his cutie mark in helping other ponies their cutie mark, and ironically...”

Hopeful laid there, listening to Wicker's story, Well… he wasn't really listening to it, but he enjoyed not being alone with his own thoughts anymore.

It took a few minutes and a few other ponies dozing off but Hopeful slowly drifted asleep to the sound of Wicker's stories that acted like white-noise to him. He smiled as he retired into his dreams.

Hopeful was on his porch back on his farm near Buckingham. He stood watching Sugar Coat play in the fields while Joyful Twist prepared a picnic.

He felt the strange sensation of tears running down his face before a hoof was placed on his shoulder. He turned to see Wicker standing next to him. He turned back to the photograph he was just looking at, a photo of his wife and daughter lying in the field with their blood scattered across the fresh snow. He put it down into the green bag beside his bed that he was sitting on.

Hopeful turned to Wicker. He wanted to say something.

“She was very brave...”