Shellshock

It is my duty as a Pararescueman to save lives and to aid the injured. I will be prepared at all times to perform my assigned duties quickly and efficiently, placing these duties before personal desires and comforts. These things I do, that others may live.

XxX

Name: Stunner

Rank: Senior Airman

Date: 10/02/2013

Time: 1402 Hours (4:02 pm)

Location: Sugarcube Corner

"BACK UP! EVERYPONY BACK THE FUCK UP NOW!" I yell. My team and the mane 6 hesitantly complying.

"Pinkie, I need four bags of ice now! Fluttershy I need you up here!" I start barking orders.

"Will he be alright?" I look back to see Ember, eyes red and tear stained.

"He better," I mutter to myself as I start assembling the litter. My blood was boiling.

All because of his race. He's a motherfucking soldier for Celestia sakes!

Pinkie returns with the bags of ice, Fluttershy was wrapping his hoof and Specter was applying a neck brace to keep his head stable. Fuse and Lt. Shadow Fang were arresting any survivors and placing the dead in body bags to be sent to the local morgue for processing.

Ok, that's two fractured ribs,  two are broken. He has a Grade 3 concussion, a broken right wing, and his rear left leg is also broken, I assess, and he's losing blood. No external lacerations, so it has to be internal.

I turn to Pinkie, "Ok, Pinkie, Set the ice on his chest and I'll wrap 'em.", Looking over to Specter and Fluttershy, I see they're doing exactly what I need them to do.

"Rainbow Dash, I need you to set his wing." As I look over, I hear her scoff at me.

"And why should I? If anything, that freak deserves to die in a pit!" Applejack and Rarity voice their agreements as Twilight and the rest of her friends look at them in disgust.

Before I can commence the pimp's prayer or standard bitch slapping procedure, both Fuse, Shadow Fang and Ember were on her like white on rice.

"The fuck you mean 'that freak deserves to die in a pit'?! Do you even know anything about him or what he went through? Or how BOTH of his parents died in his hooves?" I can hear Ember lay into her. I try to continue working on Echo as Stratus Breaker calls for a CASEVAC.

“Why da hell should we care?", I can hear Applejack say, "Nopony cares about him anyways so-" she was cut off as Fuse starts to throttle her.

"Now you listen here and you listen good," he growls at her, "that boy over there has done way more then any of you combined. Elements of Harmony be damned, I will end you all if you so much as mutter one more thing to him."

"Now what could he have possible done to earn so much respect hm?" Rarity asks sarcastically.

"He saved my life," Everypony's head turns to Pinkie.

"Thunderlane used me as a shield after he was hurt. Even when he was injured, he still made my safety a priority over his own." she continues in a sad tone.

"Is that enough proof for you, you rasistskiy ublyudki?" sneers Lieutenant Shadow Fang in his Russian accent. He's a white earth pony with green eyes which was currently boring into their souls, and a black mane. His huge muscles rippling under his black and blue dragon scale armored vest. He had no cutie mark but there was a symbol on his right shoulder, it was an outline of a cross with strange symbols that could only be described as ancient or foreign writing, a black bodark insignia.

"CAN Y'ALL KEEP IT DOWN?!" I yell, "IF YOUR GONNA CHEW THEIR ASSES OUT THEN TAKE THAT SHIT OUTSIDE!"

I was getting so frustrated with the noise that I couldn't focus.

"Ok, Ponyville General just chopped us an ambulance. ETA 6 minutes." I hear Stratus call over

"Good" I say while inserting a chest tube to drain the blood. The tape that held the ice was a little sloppy for my taste but that was secondary to me. Stabilizing Echo was my top priority.

"Ok, that should hold until the ambulance gets here. Guys, gut his shit, his ride should be here any moment now."

The team follows my orders. I may be a lower ranking enlisted man , but my experience and role allows me to order the team around when a teammate's life is jeopardized.

We strip him of his fatigues and retreive his knife just as the ambulance pulls up.

"Alright, our ride's here, load him up. We're still in the Golden Hour."

As my team loads him up in the ambulance, I start to pack up my kit. As I was half way through, I notice all the blood on my uniform.

"Sunny, stay with me! Keep your eyes open damnit, just stay awake! ", I yelled, tears running down my cheeks.

I was operating on a 18 year old private during the Canterlot Invasion. He had a horizontal sword slash going across his torso. Blood was all over the place as I tried in vain to stuff his guts back in.

"I... I hurt Stun... I... tell my brothers... my ma... tell 'em I love 'em, and...and.."

With that his eyes start to go dull and his chest starts to slow down.

He's gone.

"DAMNIT!", I yelled with tears were pouring down my face now,  "IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO END LIKE THIS!"

"Stunner, we gotta move! Hostiles are closing in on us! ", calls Master Sergeant Nimbus, "grab his tags, we'll get his body!"

I can only nod as I take his tags.

*Name: Skies,  Sunny

SSN: 167-77-8974 RG

Blood Type: O-Neg*

I'm sorry...

My vision blurs as tears well up in my eyes. My hooves shake as I drop my equipment.

Sunny... I'm so sorry...

XxX

Date: 10/02/2013

Time: 1415 Hours (4:15 pm)

Location: Unchanged

Omnipresent POV

Fluttershy saw Stunner start to breakdown and immediately hugged him. She's his marefriend of 2 years and knows of his past.

"Shhh, it's ok. I'm here Stun, I'm here. Just let it out.", she whispers to him. Memories that were burned into his mind all those years ago flash through his mind as she continues to hold him.

The rest of the mane 6 were about to ask what was up before Fuse steps in.

"Alright boys, we're goin ta check up on Echo. Ember, your more then welcome to come with us. Stunner needs to get his psyche pills and some rest."

"I'll take care of him sir, " Fluttershy says with confidence before nuzzling Stunner.

"Spasibo, Fluttershy." replies Shadow Fang, "Let's go boys."

With that Fuse, Specter, Shadow Fang, Stratus Breaker and Ember left.

Twilight and Pinkie look at Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity with disappointed expressions.

"What?" they say in unison.

"Don't 'what' us! What was that about?!" Twilight scolds

"He's only a freak. Why should we help him?" Rainbow Dash shot back.

"I'll admit, he looks intimidating. I'll admit I tried to get Celestia to transfer him to a different city. But he's still a soldier. You three don't have to like him, but you still need to respect him."

"He saved my life from that big meanie. Doesn't that alone deserve at least a teeny tiny bit of respect?", asks Pinkie

"Pinkie dear, that brute killed two stallions, handicapped a third, and reduced Thunderlane to a babbling mess. He's a monster that needs to be sent away.", Rarity chimes in.

"Rarity, how could you?" Pinkie asks in a hurt and disappointed tone. "Sure, his methods were brutal. But he did what he was trained to do and saved my life."

All three realized their point. A look of shame spread across their faces.

"Shoot, now that you mention it, he did risk his life to save Pinkie.", says Applejack

"Indeed darling", says Rarity

"Pfft, if he was a soldier. Shouldn't he be tougher then that?" Rainbow Dash sneers

"That's because his PTSD kicked in" a voice says

That voiced belonged to the team leader of the 1st Infantry Unit, Carbon. He's a black unicorn stallion with a black, scar riddled coat, a black mane and tail with gunmetal grey highlights. His pure white eyes scanning everything. He wore fatigues in Ghostex pattern with holsters for his six throwing knives. He also wore a silver locket around his neck along side his dog tags.

"PTSD?", asked Twilight

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," answers Lance Corporal Highwind, a  pegasus stallion with a orange coat and a shaved mane. He was wearing a set of fatigues in Multicam pattern which is the standard uniform for the Royal Marines, "a severe condition that may develop after a pony is exposed to one or more traumatic events. In Echo's case it's caused by his time in the militia on his home island."

This shut Rainbow up as a look of guilt crossed her face.

"According to his psych files, he experiences nightmares and has flashbacks if something triggers it", Highwind continues.

"So when he froze up...",Pinkie starts

"That was him having an episode", finishes Corporal Pyro. Pyro is a unicorn stallion and, like his younger brother Stunner, has a strange coat color, light blue eyes. He had a ash grey mane and tail with a red stripe running through the center. He wore a set of fatigues in black digital camo pattern.  His cutie Mark is a red star and had a matching "Brothers Till The End" tattoo in blue ink.

"How've you been holding up baby?" he asks as he hugs her.

"I'm fine, thanks to Echo", she replies with a nuzzle

"You know, I think we should visit him. Try and make amends and thank him", says Twilight.

The girls agree, but Fluttershy interjects.

"Sorry girls, but I can't. I promised that I'll take care of Stunner while they're at the hospital", She rubs Stunner's side as he shivers.

"Damnit, he had another episode didn't he?", asks Pyro, obviously concerned for his little brother.

She nods, wincing at his cursing

"If that's the case I'll stay back to.", He says before giving his marefriend a kiss on the cheek.

"Alright everypony, let's go", Rainbow says.

Lets just hope he's the forgiving type