This Is Not A Drill

"A-Are you sure about this, Sergeant? I-I mean... eep." I looked down off the edge of the cloud, seeing the billows and waves of icy snow as they were picked up by the wind and carried into rolling dunes, giving a little jump at the sound of a hoof tapping against the hard plastic on my helmet. Oh, don't think that word, I was not looking forwards to that word...

"Private Radiation, are you meaning to inform me you're having reservations about preforming a non-combat training jump?" I looked over at the pegasus beside me, darkened by the opaque lens. Well, gee, sorry an earth pony isn't bloody used to walking on clouds, let alone jumping off of them in the dead of night! "The system is tried and true, and the only way you're going to die from it is if you seize up and don't even deploy your goddess-damned chute. Get this overwith and we all can head home for the holidays. Is that clear, Private?"

"C-crystal, sir." Thankful that the heavy jacket managed to cover the sight of my legs shaking in complete mortal terror, I adjusted the straps that held the mass of canvas and wire on my back. Parachute troopers, armed with light machine guns and battle saddles, going to die before they even hit zebra lands... or when they hit zebra lands, if the case is such. Oh, hush up Ion, just get this overwith so you can see Emily and Allie again. I glanced back at the unicorn behind as she fiddled with the field radio, adjusting the antenna and clicking on the microphone, glancing up at myself. "We have radio contact with base, right, sir?"

"Still working on that. We'll be in contact as you float down, just start screaming if it goes FUBAR and I'll save your ass. Am I going to have to ask Lieutenant Wind to remove your cloudwalking spell, or will I have to throw you off this cloud myself, Private?" Sergeant Windwalker, only thing colder up here than the wind itself. I took a big swallow, hearing the radio in my helmet buzz in my ears and looking over the edge of the cloud again. Alright, alright, it'll be just like jumping in the ball pits when you were a foal, just take a running start and try to stay upright. Taking a breath, I stepped back from the edge, looking forwards. Windwalker was hovering off to the side, staring at myself with those cold eyes, holding the microphone for the field radio. His voice buzzed in my ears on the radio, and was compounded with his actual voice speaking a few feet away. "On my mark... Green, go go go!"

Charging forwards, I leapt into the open air... thanking the goddesses I didn't eat before coming up here... feeling as gravity took hold, bringing myself plunging down towards the planet. This was no place for an earth pony, damnitall! My legs flailed in open air as I struggled, nosing forwards into the mask of the helmet and pulling in the bit for the chute. With a bite that could've snapped the damn thing if it weren't made of metal, a loud sound of rippling filled my ears for a moment before I felt a sudden jolt, accompanied with a loud FWHUMP! The straps around my body went taut with the force of the large canvas opening overhead, myself watching as the ground lazily floated closer. My quickened breathing slowed, forehooves wrapping around the cables leading up from my back, looking up at the large round pile of canvas that was keeping me from being a splotch in the snow. Chuckling turned into elated laughing as the buzzing came back, accompanied by Lt. Wind's voice.

"Private Ray, Private Ray, is everything on the level?" I twisted and spun around as I fell, getting a fantastic pegasus' eye view of the snowy, wintry night, being gently tossed and played with by the cool wind. Thank the Goddesses for thermal insulation. Letting off a chuckle, I took a breath, looking over towards the lights of Mooscow for a moment. This was so very beautiful...

"Copy ma'am, just ah... just taking everything in. Would like to complain, I think these straps gilded me..." I snickered, hearing the annoyed sigh on the other end. All honesty though, could they have made this rig any less comfortable? I mean, yeah, yeah, it's still a pretty new tech, but... not all of us are mares, yanno! I spun myself around, getting a fantastic panoramic view of the bluish snowy mountains, finding myself looking towards the far-off Pripytrot and the nearer Quebuck, smiling and grinning widely as I floated back down to the earth. Lt. Wind crackled over the speakers again.

"We've got a connection with base, going to patch you in with us. Finally those damned talismans work..." I heard a grunt on the other end of the line, still taking in the sight of this wintry wonderland. Over Quebuck, the stars twinkled brightly... and one seemed to be burning brighter than the others. Uh... well...

"Uh, S-Sergeant... I have an unidentified object over Quebuck on visual, and... I think it's on approach towards us..." I blinked a few times, rubbing at the visor with my free hoof. Nope, I was not just seeing things, there was definitely something coming in. The base commander crackled in over my headset, choppy but definitely there.

"Jump Te-- --ravo Six, what is your lo--tion? We hav-... --identi----... ...--coming from southwest. Advi---... ...all costs." Oh, shit. I wasn't seeing things. That thing, whatever it was, was definitely getting much, -much- bigger. And I was a sitting duck. Flail, flail for your life!! I need to see my wife and filly again! Falling through the air was no place for an earth pony!!

"Private Ray, come in. We have visual confirmation on the UO, still trying to confirm what it is exactly but it is definitely danger close. Evade if necessary." That was the Sergeant, but... was that actual, honest-to-Luna fear in his voice? Or was I just going crazy? Oh, goddesses, I needed to get home!

I swung the chute from side to side, trying to move myself as the whatever-it-was screamed closer, the air starting to fill with a high whine and rushing of air. It was going to pass by me with only a few meters' clearance... oh this was not good at all!! I took a breath, tracking it with my eyes as it rocketed by with a deafening roar and blinding light on the tail, spun around as the turbulence struck the parachute and threw me about like a ragdoll on a string. My ears whined for a few moments - oh goddesses, please don't let me be deaf - before the sound of screaming on the radio came over.

"Private Ray, ditch and use your reserve pack, UO is an Equestrian cruiser with Megaspell capability. Repeat, Equestrian cruise missile with Meg-" The radio cut out with a whine as the night turned into day, half my visor bleached in radiance. A pulse and tingle shot through my body, no time to think before an even more deafening roar blasted into myself. My body burned on the side that was facing the brilliant flash, even through that fancy suit they put me in. The helmet visor cracked, the entire thing splitting in half as once again I was thrown by the wind that kept roaring around me. My body went limp, trying to keep my eyes shut... but I couldn't do it with both. Am... am I missing an EYELID!? Burning again, burning, so much burning. I need to get back to my family.

A gigantic mushroom-shaped cloud filled my vision in both eyes, a split-screen image as half was obscured by the remaining part of the helmet's shattered visor. I couldn't move - could barely breathe - watching silently as the ground rumbled around far beneath me. There were the lights of Mooscow over there. Just up on that mountain, Emerald Ridge. It was just getting past midnight, wasn't it? Alpha would be cuddled in bed, Emma would be up reading, or working with a client on their home reactor. I wonder if they'd see this. I wonder if I'd ever see them again.

The snowy ground drew close, my legs collapsing under my weight as the parachute set myself down. The wind picked up, pulling the straps taut and dragging me a few feet in the freezing snow. Half of my body burned as it touched the permafrost, my head falling back in the snowdrift. I stared up into the sky, wheezing in and out through the entirely scarred nostrils and mouth that remained of my face, the sound of the parachute flapping idly in the wind greeting my left ear - the only ear that I had left - the wind picking up and dragging me a few more feet. A gentle snow was falling, and I wheezed out a cough, each snowflake stinging as they fell against my burned skin, one after another. Why did they fire that missile? Why did I survive it, like this?

Why was everything getting darker?

"...Private Ion Ray?"