The Storms of War

I didn’t want it to end like this!

Tears fell down my face as I lay faceup on the cobblestone pavement in the streets of this Brayton city. Why me? Boots thudded all around, soldiers running down the road to rescue others, but I lay half hidden under a fallen piece of debris. I couldn't move my legs, and my face felt hot and cracked.

I had been running, running, with the rest of the squad, doing some night time PT to get stoked for the invasion next week. Sergeant Hard Times had been singing us the Cadence, and we had been enthusiastically repeating it back to him to keep time. We had not heard the growl of the bombers until the sirens went off, and we had been caught unawares as the first bomb dropped less than ten feet from our squad. By a miracle, I had been just about to come around the corner to the street that it was dropped in, and instead of being vaporised by the blast, I was thrown thirty feet, and had felt like I was punched in the small of my back as a bit of building landed on me. My rifle was knocked away from me, and I couldn’t reach my pistol.

Looking around, I feebly cried out “H-help... please, someone h-help...”

The thud of boots stopped, and in front of me appeared a white mare with, of all the things to notice, a pair of knitting needles peeking out of a hip pocket. “IRON! WE GOT A LIVE ONE!” she yelled, and a moment later, the largest stallion I had ever seen picked up the chunk of rubble as though it weighed nothing, casting it to the side.

“P-please h-h-he...” I got out, before coughing up a large amount of blood. It landed on her uniform, and she called “Help me move him! Get him to the side of the road!”

Hands grabbed me, and a moment later I was on the sidewalk, head held up a bit. She looked over me, ear to my chest. “Internal damage, probably bleeding. Hey! Look here!” she said. It took me a few moments to notice her snapping her fingers, and I looked at them, confused. “I... I need my shquad...” I slurred, before shaking my head. I felt a sharp prick, and my pain vanished. My head remained a bit fogged, however.

“No good. Lieutenant Bar, he's in mild shock, and we don’t have anything that can fix him. He's gonna die sir, recommend we move on.”

The officer looked at me, and nodded. “Sorry, we can't help you. I'll let someone know where to pick you up.”

I looked at them, panic grabbing me. “N-no! I c-can fight... h-help me up...” I said, before I leaned back, coughing again. My legs wouldn’t move. She shook her head, and they got up, moving down the street. “We gotta get going! Major Leaf is in the command center, we need to check in on her. Word is that-”

Their voices faded, and I looked down at my chest. There was a long piece of bar sticking through my stomach, although I couldn’t feel it. It was really kind of a bit of a lamp post, the kind they have around here that work off of gas or something... I didn’t know.

There was gunfire a few alleys away, and a number of screeches and curses in... Gryphic! I reached for my pistol, but it was gone. I dimly rememberd the bat pony from earlier taking it... they... they just left me to die... Tears filled my eyes again.

Suddenly, there was a loud THUD just off to my left. Looking that way, there was the body of a Marine Private, laying supine on the ground, eyes glassy and chest torn out. Before I could cry out or check him, a gryphoness lightly touched down. She had a bloody gash along her thigh, but she nevertheless carried herself as a predator. She was a lot smaller than the males, not much bigger than me. Staring at her, and her staring at me, a few moments passed. Then she turned away.

Sudden panic clawed at me, and I cried out “P-Please don’t go! I...” I said, before coughing interrupted me. “I... I don’t want to die...” I said, tears falling down my cheeks.

She turned, and came back over to me, looking down. Against the firelight of a burning building around the corner, she looked very fierce. “Zere is nozing I can do to save you, mine sworn enemy” she said, her accent very thick.

I stared up at her. “Please... then... d-dont go! I d-dont want to be alone...” I begged, grimacing against the onset of pain. Whatever morphine it was, it wasn’t enough.

Thinking, she finally came over and squatted next to me, before sitting down with a grunt. An odd sub machine gun clinked against the ground, and she tilted her head. “You die soon enough. But no one should die all alone. Tell me, pony soldier, vy do you vight?”

I choked a bit, and she helped me lean up against a wall, before pulling out something that was NOT water, but the burn dulled the fire in my guts as I drank. “I... I was forced to fight... they drafted me.”

She leaned back. “I vight because mine lord commands it. Glorious cause, I zink not. But good vight, ve will have. You vight now, against the end. Tell me, are you avraid?”

I looked at her, eyes still watery. “Y-yes! Please... c-can you s-” I started, before slumping over, coughing again, lungs feeling full of water. Alot of blood came out, and she leaned forward, pulling me back up and pressing me against the wall.

“No, I cannot zave you. You are Gratash'nak. How you say it, doomed. You not live much longer, then I go back to mission. Vat were you, before war?”

I gulped. “I-I wanted to be a cop... my b-brother, S-Silver Star... he is the Town Sheriff of Ponyville... h-he is my older brother” I said, feeling a bit lightheaded. “He helps people...”

She scooted a bit closer, eyes keenly focused on me. “Do you have anyzing for him? Letter?”

I nodded, looking down. “M-my left pocket.... but... i-its got blood on it....”

She reached forward, and took it out of my pocket. It was soaked with blood, and I knew that it was all mine. Opening it, she squinted. “Dear Bruzer.... if you're reading... ah, in case you die. Very clever.”

I looked up at her, pleading. “C-can you... I know you are... enemy.... get it to him?” I asked, suddenly desperate that he get this. She nodded. “Upon my, how you say, honor. I see he get it. War have rulze” she stated, as if it was a simple fact. I relaxed a bit, starting to feel warm. Minutes passed.

Finally, I looked back at her. “T-thank you.... not.... leaving” I croaked, smiling a bit, the tears on my cheeks now dry.

She nodded. “I keep you till Der Talik comes... the Dead Maker.”

A few silent minutes passed, and then I asked “W-will it hurt?”

She tilted her head. “I waz told that it is like falling asleep. Bright light, then with loved ones. Muzzer? Fazzer? Sizter? All wait for you on other side. Ponies go to endless fields. Good friends, all gone, now back. Play forever, be like foal again. Unless bad, then go to Tartarus. But you good?”

I nodded, tearing up again. “I tried my best... I really did! But-” I said, before suddenly I couldn’t breath. My eyes went wide as I struggled to draw breath, but when I opened my mouth, something in me broke and blood poured out, the metallic taste letting me know that this was it. Hacking it up, I drew one sputtering breath as she leaned me over and lay me all the way down on my back.

The night sky was moving towards dawn... or at least, there was a bright haze above me. The pain washed away as she looked down on me, more like an angel now, and I felt her beak on my forehead and then my muzzle as she muttered something, but all I could register was my mother, smiling, and my father, a proud smile on his face that I had done my duty. I closed my eyes, a much fainter smile forever etched on my face while a gryphon finally took off, returning to her mission.

Dear Brother,

If you are reading this... I'm really sorry. I wish I could have made it back... but I guess I had a bit too much of dad in me. I really don’t regret following in his footsteps, even if I didn’t choose it. But I want you to know, war sucks. It really does. First week of boot camp, one of the other recruits died, but we all moved on. I haven’t fought yet, as of writing this, but we are heading to Great Braytan tomorrow. We get on some sort of massive troop transport ships, and then go off to war.

Listen, I know you are gonna be upset. Just remember what I did okay? The thought of dying... it really scares me. But most people don’t get to choose when or where they die, like mom. But others, like dad, at least know that it will be sooner rather than later, and there IS a bit of comfort in that. I wish I could have gone back home, in like five months I was gonna get some leave if we were not invading anything important and come home and see how you and Pinkie Pie are doing. Don’t lie! I know you like her! And I know you asked her to be your fillyfriend last week. She wrote me. The Drill Sergeants still cant figure how she fit a party cannon in a small envelope, but I told them that pinkie probably had it enchanted or something.

Still... if you ARE reading this, that means I cannot do any of those things. It means I am not gonna be home for Hearths Warming Eave, or Hearts and Hooves day. It means that all those things we were gonna do... you gotta do em for me. Always you were the older brother, but this time, I get to protect you. Whatever you do, DONT give up your job and come over here. We got enough warm bodies, and more than enough guns to wipe out the gryphons twice over! We got this bro!

Tell Miss Cheerilee that I miss her, and that I wish I could have given that lecture to the new students about law, but that I am doing a job over here. I know it's a lot to ask... but can you bury me out near the cottage? The one Grandpa and Grandma are buried at? I really like the view...

I love you bro, and remember that I will be looking out for you from up here. Take care.

Love, Private Gold Star

PS Your brother died with honor. I stood vigil for him as he perished, and he faced his end with more courage than many of my comrades. ~Girda, First SS, Gryphany Special Forces.