GREEN
440
0
1729 10.05 KB 164
1729 10.05 KB 164
-
1.
Originally published August 2014
-
2.
-
3.
Side story to SgtAnon.
-
4.
-
5.
> You are Spitfire.
-
6.
> Currently facedown in mud, warmed by the early fall sun into a tepid stew.
-
7.
> It clings to your coat and clumps in your mane, an affront you would have never tolerated a few months ago.
-
8.
> You do not care.
-
9.
> Above you, the sky burns. The enemy's rapid-fire guns are sending angry orange-red steams of fire skyward, scything through the remaining pegasi in the air.
-
10.
> The air shudders with the roar and rumble of guns, the pop-popping of distant explosions, and the sharper crack-rumbles of pegasus-driven lightning strikes.
-
11.
> You do not care.
-
12.
> You finally heave your muzzle out of the mud only when your lungs scream for oxygen, a burning need that overrides all other thoughts.
-
13.
> Immediately collapsing back down to the ground, you stare upwards dully, watching a few armored chariots vainly attempting to break though the anti-air fire and allow the unicorns inside to wield their magic against the enemies.
-
14.
> Even as you watch, a burning light streaks skyward on a column of smoke, homing in with unnatural accuracy on a chariot.
-
15.
> The unicorn jumps free to late, and chariot, pegasus, and unicorn alike are all consumed in a flash and puff of smoke.
-
16.
> You do not care.
-
17.
> Your mind is elsewhere
-
18.
> Eyes may view the carnage around you, but it is not what you see.
-
19.
> Your vision is locked to a scene not a few minutes prior.
-
20.
> They are all there beside you.
-
21.
> The finest of your Wonderbolts.
-
22.
> Misty Fly on your left, Rapidfire behind her.
-
23.
> Fleetfoot covering your back, with Blaze on her wing.
-
24.
> To your right is the only pegasus you would ever trust to be your wing.
-
25.
> Your glance over and nod to Soarin'; he gives a quick nod back.
-
26.
> There's no chance to hide the trepidation in his appearance.
-
27.
> None of you are at peak performance, after all.
-
28.
> Not after enduring the weeks of siege in Cloudsdale on cut rations.
-
29.
> But there was no way to avoid this now.
-
30.
> Supplies, not only of food but of medicine and other basic necessities, had begun to run low.
-
31.
> You had to open a path for the sky-carts if more was to come.
-
32.
> Yet even as Soarin' betrays his apprehension, there is an steel-will determination there to succeed at all costs.
-
33.
> You've seen it before, at the start of every race.
-
34.
> The only difference is, this time you are racing for more than a medal.
-
35.
> More than your lives, even.
-
36.
> This time, you race for victory.
-
37.
"Break! Break! Go! Go! Go!"
-
38.
> Your Wonderbolts react perfectly, launching from a cloud as soon as you give the signal.
-
39.
> Banking over another passing cloud, you dive low.
-
40.
> Hopefully too low for the enemy's anti-air guns to track with their freakishly unerring accuracy.
-
41.
> Dodging and weaving back and forth, you make for the nearest battery of long-range weapons.
-
42.
> If you can break these, the siege will be broken. Supplies can get through to Cloudsdale again.
-
43.
> You will hit them.
-
44.
> You have to hit them.
-
45.
> You cannot bear to have to return back to the once-legendary city of the pegasi, only to see more wretchedly thin bodies and dilapidated cloud-structures.
-
46.
> Angling towards a patch of trees, you dodge through them barely above the ground.
-
47.
> Branches and leaves whip around you, but it is nothing you haven't experienced before on a race.
-
48.
> Indeed, you feel the old rush pumping in your blood even though there will be no cheering fans, no basking in success today.
-
49.
> The most you can hope for today, is to stave them off the city a while longer.
-
50.
> You break through a treeline, the enemy anti-air position in the clear before you.
-
51.
> A eight of their ugly, twisted-looking metal vehicles, surrounded by revetments and soldiers dug in.
-
52.
> You come in so low over the ground that you can see their shocked faces as you clear the first trenches.
-
53.
> Misty's warning cry comes to late.
-
54.
> Two of the enemy's vehicles have seen you with their unblinking eyes, the turreted tops swiveling down to track your 'bolts.
-
55.
> No!
-
56.
> You're so close!
-
57.
> Just another couple seco-
-
58.
> The vehicles' guns fire with a throaty growl, jets of flame and smoke pouring from their muzzles.
-
59.
> An agonized screech wrenches your attention to the side.
-
60.
> Just in time to see Rapidfire, surrounded by a cloud of bursting enemy shells, plow into the ground.
-
61.
> You don't wait to watch the dust cloud clear.
-
62.
> Even if the enemy's guns hadn't gotten him, no pegasus could survive an impact with the ground like that.
-
63.
> Not even a Wonderbolt.
-
64.
> In the two seconds you have been given, you pass over the cluster of enemy soldiers.
-
65.
> Without a thought you pull the handle on the side of your suit.
-
66.
> The saddlebag strapped to your side slips open, disgorging a mist of liquid rainbow across their position.
-
67.
> You don't hear their cries of shock and surprise, but you know the spicy concoction will have left the alien creatures blinded and distracted - or worse.
-
68.
> Four seconds.
-
69.
> The vehicles' turrets are moving again, tracking your remaining 'bolts - but it is to late for them to fire again.
-
70.
> A quick twist back allows you a perfect four-point sideways landing - slamming into the side of the vehicle evenly on all hooves.
-
71.
> A ready-made thundercloud is pulled from its special pouch on the opposite saddlebag.
-
72.
> Bucking it against the vehicles' hull, you let the lightning flow through the metal skin.
-
73.
> You don't understand how the aliens' machine-weapons work, but you do know that Princess Twilight said a sufficient electrical current can damage or destroy them.
-
74.
> So current you give them.
-
75.
> Bursting skyward from the disabled vehicle, you see your remaining four 'bolts taking off from their assigned vehicles as well.
-
76.
> Up, up, up - you need to gather stormclouds for a proper lightning strike, to finish off the vehicles.
-
77.
> Soarin' pulls in beside you. "Easy as pie, eh, Spits?"
-
78.
"When I can have one again, I'll tell you!" you rebut, grabbing a dark-looking nearby cloud and preparing it for a proper thunder.
-
79.
> "Hah! I'm looking forward to one myself; I'll have a piece in Rapidfire's me-"
-
80.
> A sharp pop followed by a growing roar drags your attention downwards.
-
81.
> What you see drops an icy ball into your stomach.
-
82.
> A spear is rising on flame and smoke from one of the vehicles, right up towards you.
-
83.
> They were supposed to be disabled!
-
84.
> Did you screw up?
-
85.
> Had the aliens found a way around that?
-
86.
> Was the princess simply wrong?
-
87.
> No, you're overthinking it. Got to-
-
88.
"SCATTER, DOWN NOW!"
-
89.
> Your shout comes to late.
-
90.
> Even as you all break downwards, you can tell you waited to long.
-
91.
> The spear is fixated on Fleetfoot.
-
92.
> Even with her flight goggles hiding her eyes, you can see the terror on her face.
-
93.
"Come on, Fleet."
-
94.
> Your voice is soft as you maneuver.
-
95.
"Don't lock up. Don't lock up, we've trained on this!"
-
96.
> To late Fleetfoot tries to bank off to the side of the missile's flight.
-
97.
> It passes her close by and erupts in a blinding flash and deafening thunderclap.
-
98.
> There is no Flootfoot moments later.
-
99.
> Another growling cough from the guns below, and your attention is again dragged away to see-
-
100.
"No."
-
101.
> Soarin' is trailing out of a cloud of shell bursts, spinning wildly.
-
102.
> Why is stomach-churningly obvious.
-
103.
> Where once a wide, strong wing had emerged from his back, is now just a red gash.
-
104.
"NO!"
-
105.
> Misty Fly crosses your vision, trying to outmaneuver one of the enemy's rising missiles.
-
106.
> That is enough to snap you out of it.
-
107.
> There is nothing you can do for Soarin'.
-
108.
> He's never going to get back to Cloudsdale on one wing.
-
109.
> Let alone land safely.
-
110.
> You tear your eyes away, unable to bear seeing him hit the ground.
-
111.
> Just in time to see an enemy missile fill your vision, colliding with your head seconds later.
-
112.
-
113.
---
-
114.
-
115.
> Something snaps you out of your memories.
-
116.
> Looking around, you blink slightly.
-
117.
> What had done that?
-
118.
> What had-
-
119.
"Spitfire! Captain!"
-
120.
> Misty drops in beside you, looking rattled.
-
121.
> Her flight suit is torn in several places, blood leaking from some. Shrapnel.
-
122.
> "Captain, are you wounded?"
-
123.
> You look dumbly at your forelegs, giving all four of the limbs a few experimental steps.
-
124.
> They still function, and your wings flap without pain as well.
-
125.
> The missile.
-
126.
> Why hadn't the missile...?
-
127.
> No, no time to ponder that.
-
128.
> Just accept the luck Celestia has granted you.
-
129.
> You shake your head, pulling off your shattered flight goggles.
-
130.
> Thankfully the glass had stayed in its frame, or you would be blind right now.
-
131.
"Where.... where's Blaze? Where's your wingpony, Misty?"
-
132.
> She shakes her head.
-
133.
> "I don't know, Captain. I lost sight of him and can't find him anywhere."
-
134.
> Another pause, her voice shakier.
-
135.
> "Captain, I saw, Soarin'..."
-
136.
> You interrupt her.
-
137.
"I saw as well. Come on. This... this failed. We need to get out of here. This..."
-
138.
> You look around the battlefield.
-
139.
> The sky is still full of pegasi - weaving, dancing, forming thunderclouds.
-
140.
> Some play elegant, deadly duels with the enemies' larger metal aircraft.
-
141.
> But it is also still full of streams of fire and rising pillars of smoke.
-
142.
> There will be no breaking the siege on Cloudsdale today.
-
143.
"This is a disaster. We have to go, Misty."
-
144.
> "And leave Clo-"
-
145.
"I know!"
-
146.
> Your voice cracks.
-
147.
"I know. I don't want to either, but if we go back there... it's surrender or starve. I can't do either. I have to keep going; I have to keep racing."
-
148.
> You pause.
-
149.
"For Soarin's sake."
-
150.
> Misty stares, then nods.
-
151.
> You take off together, sticking low and close to obstacles to fool their anti-air weapons.
-
152.
> For once, you let Misty lead.
-
153.
> You aren't fully paying attention anyhow.
-
154.
> Other images fill your mind.
-
155.
> A light-blue coat and darker mane.
-
156.
> His laughter, calm and happy as he devoured his way through another pie.
-
157.
> Green eyes, half-closed in contentment and bliss.
-
158.
> Rejoicing together after another successful race.
-
159.
> Limbs curled together on a cloudbed, your muzzle nestled into his wing.
-
160.
> You shake yourself free of the memories, narrowing your eyes and pushing your aching wings harder.
-
161.
> In that moment, you would unashamedly admit that the tears in your eyes are not just because of the wind gusting over them.
-
162.
> You will fight on, though.
-
163.
> You will see this alien army cast out of Equestria.
-
164.
> For Soarin's sake.
by Lurkernon
by Lurkernon
by Lurkernon
by Lurkernon
by Lurkernon