Chapters Hearth's Warming Eve - what a wonderful time of year for Equestria. Well... yeah, there was a bloody and long war going on, and everypony was still pretty scared out of their wits over the idea of Zebra aerial attacks... but it was still a merry time of the year! Mares and Stallions bundled from the cold, fillies and colts oohed and aahed at the beautiful decorations all strewn about, and everypony enjoyed their lives for what they were worth for a few days of the year. They could afford to forget about the war for a short while, at least, everypony deserved to relax and feel a sense of normalcy in the crazy way the world was... except, well, for me. No relaxing underneath the icebox, not when you've got a radar screen to watch, for hours on end.
Equestrian Aerospace Defense, probably one of the most survivable facilities around if everything went to hell. I swear they overengineered this place on purpose - those springs that hold up the floor are absolutely insane! How big a strike are they thinking this place would have sent against it? I mean, I've heard about those big tests conducted east of here, but... Zebras couldn't have things like whatever those are, right? Guh, stop thinking about it North Star, you're just watching for dragon aerial strike fleets. Slow-moving, obvious, big dragon aerial strike fleets.
The green line continued to sweep around the screen, little square blips marking friendlies. Buh, seen the same five or so markers every day, day in, day out, same place. To the far west, barely on the screen, was the Sea Mare Ordinance Depot; Down south of us, Trotisk Ordinance Depot; further south was the Pripytrot Ballistic Missile Base, and square in the bottom right quarter was the Quebuck Ballistic Missile Base; and top left, our furthest north airbase, Sunrise Castle. Blip, bleep boop, bleep bleep. Blip, bleep boop, bleep bleep. Same thing, every day, day in and day out. How I'm not in the nuthouse yet, I don't know.
"Oh hey, fifty-thousandth and sixty-second sweep of the day... and still nothing. Blip, bleep boop, bleep bleep. I feel like I'm listening to a RobronCo securimare..." I dropped my head to the desk, listening to the constant beeping in my ears as it went around for sweep 50,064. There was a time when I took this job seriously, but... it's always slower in the winter months. They've only been doing tactical attacks, and hardly any of them have been in this neck of the woods. None on my screen. The same monotonous beeping. I looked up, resting my head on my hoof, idly chewing on my pen and glancing down at the notepad;
24th December, 09:14 - speck spotted on screen, no beep, not moving. Monitoring closely.
24th December, 09:35 - speck determined to be just a bit of snack cake. Remember to smack E.D. across the face next shift change. Slob.
24th December, 15:47 - 25,000th sweep today, woo-hoo!
24th December, 22:56 - I need coffee.
I played with the pen in my mouth idly, the same five beeps sounding out. I swear I could write a song to it if I had the sense to go through with it. The clock kept on ticking around, moving the day forwards. Was going to be Hearth's Warming Day in only an hour. Oh yay, that means only one more hour until I get to smack that slob across his face... and one more hour of listening to this beeping. Blip, bleep boop, bleep bleep. Blip, bleep boop, bleep bleep. Blip, bleep boop, bleep bleep, bip. Blip, blee- wait a minute.
The arm swung around again, and again there was an extra bip in the system. Right on the far left edge of the screen, a single, pointy object moved across, jumping from spot to spot. Oh boy, I needed the adrenaline rush! 24th December, 23:04 - unidentified object in system, moving W-E, high speed. Tracking. Confidence high. This is really happening. I pushed on the button at my station, looking up to the big board ahead and stuttering into the3 microphone, hearing my voice over the speakers.
"A-ahm, unidentified object in the system, grid reference Zero, Fiver, Zero, Foxtrot, Mike. Confidence Report?" W-what was this thing? Did the Zebras... was this some new dragon or something? I've never seen anything move that fast before. A murmuring rose from the other seats, my screen suddenly being shown on one side of the big board, along with little points lighting up along the continent. There was a distinct track it was following - it was going to fly right over Trotisk, and head straight for Sea Mare. Or, maybe they'd change course and land in Quebuck. Or, or maybe they'll just take out Trotisk... oh goddesses, this was really happening!!
"Confidence Report, grid reference Zero, Four, Zero. Confidence high."
"Confidence Report, grid reference Zero, Four, One. Confidence high."
"Confidence Report, grid reference Zero, Fiver, One. Confidence high."
I could feel my breathing starting to quicken as the bip kept on moving, traveling between Pripytrot and Trotisk. It had to be moving at a kilometer a second, at least! No way this could be a dragon attack - too fast, and, and... there was only one in the system. Could, could it be a... "Are we scheduled for a launch today? Somepony, get the nearest base on the line, uh... um... the one by Stalliongrad, yeah, that one." I shouted in the mike, watching the bip continue on it's path. It'd be over the highway and on route to Quebuck now. Ponies outside would be looking up and seeing whatever this thing was screaming across the sky. Ooh, if only we had eyes on the outside. We've just got a big computer screen representation of the entire continent. It's not like we had video cameras out- just a bucking minute.
"Somepony, try to patch in a video feed from, from, well, anywhere! Quebuck, their Ballistic Defense Base, wherever!!" The murmuring rose again - and yet it still was just the one bip. You'd think, if this was an attack, there'd be more of them flying over the horizon... Oh, goddesses, you had to fear for the worst, though. Could they have made some kind of new superweapon, or something? Were they launching these things in waves, or just hoping to hit as many targets as they could with one strike?
The screens in the main room flickered, patchy video coming in of the sky over the Quebuck defense base. A great light trailed behind a huge, dark form, the camera following it as it passed by the city... least they weren't striking civilians. Yet. It kept it's course, leaving a streak of smoke behind it as it screamed overhead, the camera's motors whirring to keep up with the missile. It zoomed out, getting a good shot of the broadside of the rocket as it passed over the base, a frame captured from it displayed over the map. Those were... Equestrian Military markings. What?
The camera spun around, or the video feed switched, I dunno. The screen showed the tail end of the missile, the engine behind it pushing it straight towards the Sea Mare facility. Everything was tense as all eyes were watching the screens, tracking the missile - OUR missile - that was flying overhead. The camera continued to follow the missile closely, zoomed right up to the firey exhaust as it kept going, speeding on to the target. Did the Zebras manage to take over the base while we weren't looking? Did somepony misfire on purpose?
Are we watching the start of the end, live?
The screen showing the live video suddenly burst into white, the camera seizing up as astonished gasps rose from my co-workers. I looked down at my screen - there was a big greenish splotch halfway between Quebuck and Sea Mare. Radar interference? What the hell was up with that? No, wait, back up, what the hell was THAT!? The camera had been stuck in place, and cries began sounding in the room. Wind was whistling in the camera's microphone as we all watched a massive cloud beginning to rise from the snowy grounds, shaped like a huge cauliflower, or mushroom, or something. A snowy blizzard seemed to grow infront of it, the few clouds that were in the sky now entirely vaporized. As the snowstorm reached the base, and the camera, the speakers resounded with a massive, rumbling BANG!, making everypony jump in surprise as it rumbled away, the camera having been shaken to a skewed angle. The speakers whined for a moment, before being cut in by the voice of a stallion.
"Mares and Stallions of EQUAD, this is the Commander-in-Chief of this facility. We have received word that this was an unanticipated test of a marine-launched cruise missile carrying a Megaspell warhead. This incident was NOT an attack by Zebra forces - repeat, NOT an attack - and the missile has not caused any recorded casualties thus far, safely detonated above a designated area far away from civilian centers. Continue on with your service... and Merry Hearth's Warming Eve to you all." The speaker system fizzled out, the tenseness in the room seeming to fade with it. I fell back into my chair, letting loose a sigh of relief - good, the world wasn't going to end tonight.
December 25th, 00:12 - Misfire, test of the system. Armageddon not around the corner. N.S. clocking out.
December 25th, 00:34 - E.D. clocked in. Note to self, don't eat at the work station anymore. OW!
Blood on the Risers, Fire in the Snow
"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?"
"Mommy! Look what I did up in school today!" I bounded in through my front door, looking around excitedly for my mom. The TV was off, maybe she was out in the garage working on a reactor for somepony, but the stove was still warm and... mmmm, sugar cookies! She had to be in the house somewhere. "Mommy? Moooommy! Come out, come out wherever you are!" I dropped my schoolbags to the floor, trotting upstairs to our bedrooms. Maybe she was just getting some clothes out or something. "Moooom?"
"Airstrike!" I felt myself suddenly jumped on and flipped around, familiar hooves tickling madly at my belly as I laughed, looking up at the giggling face of my mommy. I batted at her hooves in play, her long red mane flapping about and tickling my belly even more as she leaned forwards. She blew raspberries on my upturned belly, my cheeks reddened from laughing so much, before picking me up in a hug, laying on her bedroom's floor and cuddling. "Ah, welcome home Alpha~"
"Mommy, you're so silly!" I giggled happily, looking up onto her and daddy's bed, noticing she folded in the sheets. She only did that when daddy was supposed to be coming home. I stared at the extra pillow for a little while while mommy stood herself up, trotting to her dresser and pulling out some clothes. "Mommy? Do you really think he'll be coming home this time?"
"I... I don't know, honey. He is off helping fight in the war, but his nice commander sent a letter saying that he would be home for Hearth's Warming Day." She shut the drawer, the folded clothes floating in her magic beside me onto the bed. That was her nice dress, the one with the pretty blue laces and long flowing skirt. Aw, don't tell me we're going to church again... but, wait, she would want to look nice for daddy when he came home off of the bus, though! "Get on your fancy dress, sweetie, we're going over to church for mass. I hear they have a new Chaplain, Vicare I think her name is."
"Aw..." I fell back onto the bed, letting off a groan. Church was boooring!
"Well... even I have to admit, that ran a little longer than I had hoped it to. She must be really new..." Mommy trotted inside the house with myself trudging behind. Zebras are evil, zebras are evil, yeesh, that new preacher or whatever she was sounded like a broken record. At least it was almost time to go to sleep, so I could wake up tomorrow nice and early and meet daddy when he arrived home again! We'd be able to play with each other, he'd give me rides on his back and I'll show him all the pictures I've drawn, and he and mommy would both be smiling, and we'd all sit down to a happy dinner. It'd be just like it should be.
I trotted up to my bedroom, tossing my pretty dress onto the floor and hopping into bed, looking out the window. Mommy said that Daddy was over in that big city called Trotisk, part of an air-born unit or something. Why was an earth pony like daddy with an air-born unit, he couldn't fly! The military can be really silly sometimes. Private Ion Radiation of the, uh, Thirty-second air-born unit, Equestrian Royal Armed Forces. That's who my daddy was, everypony in the military was a hero. My daddy was a hero...
A bright, flickering star caught my eye, far, faaar off in the distance, over that big city called Quebuck. I lifted my head from the pillow, curious and watching as it... it was moving! A big, bright shooting star! Mommy told me that I could make wishes on shooting stars, long as I believed hard enough. They worked with a special kind of magic, one that only the best of unicorns could use, like Princess Luna. It was worth believing in...
"I wish that daddy came home tomorrow..." I whispered it to myself - that was fine, as long as nopony but myself or the princesses heard it - and layed back on the pillow, squeezing my eyes shut as it continued flying along. I kept them squeezed tight, trying to believe hard enough for it to come true. I wanted to see my daddy again. I just had to believe hard enough.
Thinking I had believed hardly for long enough, I let my eyes open again, watching as the shooting star kept on flying outside my window. I smiled, letting off a little sigh as there was suddenly a big, bright flash where the star was a minute ago. W-what was that!? It... it must have gotten my wish! Mommy never said what happened if a shooting star got the wish made to it, I guess it makes a big huge flash! I let off a little squee, cuddling in under the covers and snuggling into my pillow.
Daddy was going to come home.
"Alpha Ray, calm yourself down! You-you're going to mess up your dress, you silly filly!" I was jumping all up and down the length of the bus station, mommy trying to catch up to me. Come on mommy, let me be excited, daddy was finally coming home for Hearth's Warming Day! The shooting star last night said so! Or, at least, the big flash it made said so. But the important thing was that daddy was finally coming home again!
"When is the bus going to be here mommy? I wanna be right there when daddy gets off of it! Oooh, do you think he'll like my new dress?" I giggled, leaning over and looking down the road. A light, fluffy snow was falling, and ponies were starting to head home from the cold. Daddy was going to be on the last bus, he had to get all of his things together, and Trotisk was a really really long way away from what Miss Lightening said. I giggled, feeling as mommy wrapped a hoof around my neck, hugging me close as a pair of lights cut through the snow. Oooh, that was the bus!
"I'm sure he's going to love your dress, sweetie. Come on, we need to move back on the platform for safety, that's his bus coming in now!" Mommy let off a cheerful laugh, pulling me back from the edge of the station. The big bus that daddy was on landed down, headed by a pair of pegasusususes... pegasi? Pegasee? Two flying ponies, that's easier. I wrestled myself free, rushing to be in front of the door, watching as it opened up, grinning widely. Mommy trotted up behind me, a few big ponies climbing off with huge green bags on their backs that clinked and jingled as they walked. Daddy was a sky-blue earth pony with a pretty white mane, but he probably would be wearing a big green jacket with a fancy patch sewn in on the arms. I stared through the crowd, smiling as wide as I could, trying to find him. He was going to step off any minute!
"Daddy? Private Ion Ray? Daddy Private Ion Ray?" Searching through the last few ponies that were stepping off and grabbing their bags, mommy pulled me into a gentle hug, sniffling a little bit. He was supposed to be on this bus, that shooting star last night said so! The bus doors closed shut, a bell ringing as the two ponies with wings in front flapped, lifting the whole big bus up off of the ground and out of the station. No, no, daddy was still on there, you can't leave yet! I rushed up to the edge of the platform, mommy telling me to get away from it, watching as the big bus vanished off into the gentle snow. My haunches fell to the platform, mommy grabbing me and drawing me into a hug. Mommy was crying... oh, maybe the shooting star just thought I meant tomorrow night instead. I squeezed her neck gently, turning to her.
"A-Alpha Ray..."
"Don't cry, mommy. Daddy'll be on the next bus tomorrow. I wished on a shooting star last night, so it has to happen!" I smiled, and mommy sniffled in, wiping at her eyes. She looked at me for a few moments, before squeezing myself more tightly in the hug.
"O-of course he is, honey..." Mommy stood up, and I followed her, both of us turning to trot back home. She was still crying a little... stupid war. Because my daddy is off fighting it, mommy is crying.
"Mommy?"
"Yes, Alpha?"
"I hate this war."
"I do too, sweetie. I do, too."
"Would somepony like to explain to me exactly how in the name of Princess Luna above a LIVE cruise missile with a MEGASPELL WARHEAD WAS FIRED FROM THIS SHIP WITHOUT MY EXPLICIT ORDER?!" The Captain fumed as he charged up onto the missile deck, his hoofsteps resounding loudly against the hard metal floor. I cringed and stepped out of his way - first the storm strands my wing on this ship, and now we had an Equestrian missile launched at our own country? Could this day get any worse than it already has? The maintainence crew scurried about as Capt. Dazzle continued through, inspecting each of the seventeen remaining cruisers on deck.
"Captain Seafire? Everything alright?" My ears perked at the sound of one of my squad trotting up behind me, giving her dampened feathers a ruffle. Turning to face her - Pfc. Wildcat, prettiest mare in the whole wing - I let off a sigh, hearing thunder cracking over in the distance. The whole destroyer shifted with the restless sea, tilting back and forth uneasily beneath us, making it a bit of a challenge to just keep upright.
"Wildcat... I'm really not sure. I mean, they said that the cruiser detonated over the northern deserts, but... guh, just call me worried. Everypony else in the wing gone below deck already? How's Scram doing with his wing?" I moved off of the railing overlooking the missile deck, beginning to trot down the small overlook walkway to the stairs. Destroyers weren't exactly made for pegasi to land on easily, let alone when they're being tossed around in the middle of a storm. Wildfire followed alongside, spray from the frigid sea sprinkling over us as the wind whipped around the bridge, us both diving in through the bulkhead and shutting it tight behind.
"The doc said that he ought to be good to make it back to base once this storm passes. What a stroke of goddess-forsaken luck we wind up caught in it on Hearth's Warming Eve." Our hoofsteps clanged down the hallway, damp clothes hanging off of our backs. It was just supposed to be an average patrol flight, damnit. Somepony could've told us that we were testing some new fancy weather tech BEFORE we left...
"Bravo Lucy Tango Norman, I guess." We stopped outside the bunkrooms - or were they called something else on these things? - and moved back, letting a pair in coveralls with tools jangling about on their belts rush by, heading to help with the rest of the missiles as well. The ship pitched again, and we both wound up sliding into each other on the opposite wall, rather embarrasingly to say the least. Stupid watercraft, what good did they ever do... other than move invasion forces, provide anti-dragon support and soften seaside fortresses... alright, alright, I get it already. I'd rather have my auto-loaders and agility over a floating safe, though.
"Oofh... buh, sooner that we can get back home, the better. How much longer do you think the war can go on, anyways?" Wildcat was musing again, but she kind of had a point. After so much fighting, surely they were at least on their last hooves now, the striped bastards. Then again, things have looked that way for almost a decade now...
"No clue. If we live to see those things Old Dazzle has back there launch off in anything other than an accident, doubt it would go on for long afterwards." We trotted in silence for a short while, the hum of the engines and heaters resonating against the heavy storm outside. Big metal beasts, these things were. Wildcat let off a sigh, brushing her damp mane out of her eyes.
"Hopefully we can see to it ending before that happens. Hopefully." With a bit of effort, the sick bay bulkhead was able to be coaxed open, the softened, familiar grunt of a firey-blue-maned pegasus pawing at the bandages wrapped around his wings being the first thing to greet our ears, the ship seeming to start to settle, finally.
"Guh, how much longer'm I going to have to have these damn things on? Cap, we gotta head back to base, storm or not." Lt. Scram-Jet, stubborn son of a mule'd fly through a twister if he had two feathers left. Exactly why I wanted him in with my wing. We fit in alongside his cot, grabbing onto the rails in anticipation of the ship rolling again. He seemed to be fuming, even when he winced at touching his slammed wing.
"Cool your tailfeathers Lieutenant, we're not going anywhere until this rogue storm blows over. Don't even think about going out to clear it." He let off a defeated sigh, laying back in the bed and resting his hooves across his chest. With a smirk, I let go of the railing, trotting around to the foot of the bed. "So, what have we learned, Lieutenant Scram?" He pouted, fidgeting uncomfortably.
"Don't try to land on the mid-deck of a destroyer bridge in winds exceeding 25 knots and with a rough sea... sir." Letting of a grunt, he looked up towards the ceiling of the sick bay, myself smirking widely. Some grunts just never seem to get it out of their systems.
"I'll have to remember that quip for the post-sortie report... -Specialist- Scram." Wildcat stifled a snicker, following behind as I made my way out through the bulkhead. She came up alongside and glanced back, a grin on her face. "He'll get it eventually..." Scram seemed to harrumph annoyedly, hooves crossed, before his eyes popped open.
"Specialis- wait a minute!" Needless to say, we laughed all the way back to the bunks.
I was used to the sounds of thunder and waves crashing - funny how closely they resembled artillery fire in the trenches - but the very squelchy splash of hay fries and MREs hitting the floor beside my cot definitely was foreign. The sound of retching rang throughout the bunkroom, another spray of vomit falling from the upper bunk, followed by exhausted panting from the pegasus mare above. One of her hooves dropped over the side, her chin banging lightly against the edge as I peered out up at her.
"Uh, everything alright, Wildcat? Need to join Scram in sick bay, or..." She waved her hoof, spitting idly and lifting herself up back onto her bunk. Don't tell me we're going to be delayed even further, now...
"N-negative, Captain. Just a little sea-urp... sea-sick, is all. Guh... I hate boats." She rolled herself over on the upper bunk, the fabric shaking as she shuddered lightly. I slid back under my own covers, looking out at the small window on the wall. Lightning flashed across the sea, illuminating the room for a flash second - damn mass rogue storms.
"At ease, soldier. We'll be back home soon." The dull sound of thunder met the ship, it shifting to the side again and then settling. The dull hum of the engines resonated in the small chamber, the errant sound of somepony tending to something across the ship mixing in with it every now and again. Why, of all things, why did this have to pop into my mind. "Wildcat? Ah... about that night..."
There was a shuffling above, followed by quite a resounding snore from the mouth of the seasick mare. Well, damn, that was news for me. I stared up at the bottom of the bunk for a few moments in disbelief, letting off a sigh and keeping my yap shut. I shouldn't bring it up; I shouldn't worry over it. It was just a mistake.
Wildcat was just seasick.
"Exactly the right stallion for this mission. Right. Just because of what I managed in that, that massacre... no. Dashites are Dashites. And they're dangerous." The pegasus stallion moved the cigar around in his mouth, the tattered, perfectly white suit that covered his body from head to hoof offering considerable warmth as he lay on the snowy ridge. He'd seen his target crawl into that door for something, goddesses-know-what, and now he was just watching, and waiting, eye focused through the scope of the large-caliber rifle. He took a long draw, feeling the warmth of the ash nearing his face, letting the smoke out in a long, slow huff, watching as it disappated on the icy breeze. Never could trust the wind, but from this distance, it didn't matter too much. It'd be simple - one bullet, one head, one dead Dashite.
His attention fell to the wooden door as it shifted, swinging open out into the icy blast, a curled, tattered red mane attached to a blue body crawling out of the hole. Had to be her. He took a breath and held it, viewing the crosshairs in his rifle's scope as they settled across her face. Let's see the boys back in Thunderhead pull this off with their beam weapons. Plinking someone to death with condensed light? No thanks. His hoof pulled back on the trigger mechanism, keeping it tight, watching his prey for the moment as the figure crawled out into the wastes. A thin trail of red moved behind her body; Poor thing's hurt. This'll be mercy, even if she didn't deserve it. Orders were orders. Dashites are Dashites.
The white cloth suit flapped about his body as he fully squeezed the trigger, time seeming to slow down in those passing moments. The hammer in the rifle's action was released, flying forwards and impacting the primer at the back of the case. The explosion caused the powder inside to burn with extreme rapidity, propelling the round forwards out of the barrel of the rifle while the force of the expanding gases also pushed the rifle backwards, the stallion tensing at the energy the stock transferred to his shoulder. The large bullet expanded to fit in the rifled grooves of the half-inch pipe, spinning as it traveled through the remaining length and passed through the muzzlebrake, the rapidly expanding gases erupting in a thunderous explosion that rang through out the wasteland. Slicing through the cold air, the loud crack of the half-inch round piercing through the air meeting the first explosion from the muzzlebrake, making the wasteland ring with the sound of inevitable death once again in the two-century history.
The mare had just lifted her head from the snow, weakened, eyes glazed over in pain and looking around the icy, white wastes with no rhyme nor reason. The stallion with the rifle locked eyes with her through the scope mere hundredths of a second before the round impacted, piercing directly between her eyes and causing her skull to rupture, the force of the high-caliber round driving through skull and brain vaporizing both on it's path, the spray that exited staining the snow in a wide, bloody fan shape. What was left of the mare's head fell into the snow, her body falling limp entirely, red staining her bluish coat along one side, the pegasus stallion exhaling a held breath, the nub that remained of his cigar falling to the snow. He lifted himself to his hooves, the rifle slinging onto his back and the suit allowing concealed movement in the snow, a gentle dusting beginning to fall.
"Hell. Just what I needed, some radiation poisoning to bring back home. Damn wasteland." He bit out another cigar from a pocket on his suit's hoof, striking it against the ground and watching it ignite, drawing and huffing a light grey cloud, trotting forwards down the mountain pass. Had to clean up, can't trust the wasteland to reclaim. Just like Pripytrot.
His wings spread wide underneath the suit, the weight and unrulyness of the camoflauging fabric just barely allowing him to glide down from his position, the faint click-click-click in his ears only making him want to be over and done with it all already. His hooves landed heavily against the snow, quietly trotting forwards to look over the remains of the Dashite - there wasn't much left of the head, and the body... a small pool was forming where the trail out of the wooden door ended, the pegasus shaking his head and rolling the body out of it. What the hell happened to her in there, anyways, there shouldn't be nearly this much blood from just her head getting blown off.
He looked to the side of the nearby road - it would along a mountainside, a deep crevice bordering it. Perfect. He grunted, looking back to the overturned body, limbs spread open in the snowy ground. There was a distinct wound along the stomach, deep, gashing, still dripping with blood that oozed from it's sides. Must have been a timberwolf that got to her, or something. Surprised she even managed to survive that. No splinters, though... he mused over the wound, standing in idle silence and taking a draw off of his cigar, huffing a thick cloud of smoke from his nostrils and watching the red ooze that stained the snow a deep crimson. If this was a timberwolf, or even a sand dog... there wouldn't have been just one cut like that. There wouldn't have been anything left, at that. Those marks on her coat, the places where the fur was lighter and thinner...
He stalled, staring down at the body of the decapitated mare in the snow, his jaw falling loose. That mare... that mare was pregnant. -Was- pregnant. Titchbreeze never mentioned anything about her being pregnant. He... he knew what happened at Pripytrot, he knew about... goddesses. The stallion's cigar fell from his mouth, landing in the snow with a hiss. This was more than he could handle. This was too much. Pripytrot... he couldn't go back. He couldn't go on with himself after... after this. That wasn't taking down an Enclave defector, or wiping out an enemy force, that was... that was cold-blooded murder. He stepped backwards, feeling the pool of crimson starting to wet his hooves, turning his dropped cigar into a bloodstained mess. Blood on his hooves. He killed his own kind in cold blood.
He swallowed heavily, looking down the road that led out north, far up into the wasteland. He wouldn't live with himself if he went back, but... all the same, he wasn't going to die on a firing squad. He'd find something. He'd fight on his own terms. One day, he'd confront Titchbreeze. But... that wasn't today. Today, he learned what a deserter would feel like. He removed the snow-white suit, laying it over the body of the Dashite, hiding it from the wasteland. Dashite... deserter... nopony deserved it.
His under-armor providing some warmth, he spread his wings widely, the large rifle on his back jostling about as he rose into the icy sky. There wasn't anything he wanted that could make him go back home now. The further he flew along the road, and the more he thought, however, one word kept returning to his mind, slowly gaining a hold in a subconscious section of his thoughts as the chill wind bit at his face.
Revenge.