The screams of the wounded and sounds of war carry for miles, blood sprays as the melee charges from both sides meet. Soldiers stumble over shot or stabbed corpses, rushing for the battle. But on the other side of the battlefield, up on high hills, cannons fire to support the main army, friendly fire is always guaranteed. The pony engineers and cannon crews continue to reload and shoot with stopping for a second. And reloading is all PVT Snakefang can think about, as if he has been programmed for it.
"FIRE!'
The cannons ring each one lets off a shot. Each as deadly as the last. Until a lookout spots the enemy coming for them.
"HERE THEY COME READY YOUR SWORDS AND PIKES!" He yells.
Snakefang grabs his warhammer. Ready for whatever awaited him.
"NO SURVIVORS" The captain yelled before he was grabbed and dragged away by one of the Griffon Knights.
He swings his hammer to meet the enemy, but is somehow parried and the hammer knocked out of his magic grip. 'That never happened before' The Private thought. He takes another blow to the face and feels extreme pain that would come of having your skull smashed. He looks up to see the chuckling Griffon Footsoldier, Snake looks around to see his friends fighting, and dying. Then looks back up, only to meet darkness.
Waking up drenched in sweat and fear, Snake looks around, only to find the same barracks he fell asleep in. His bunkmates, and the dawn rising. Sighing a breath of relief, jumps down from his bunk to get a headstart on the day.
<><><>
"Another bad night Snake?" A soldier asks as he passes him.
"Yeah Trail Breeze. Another bad night."
"You should call a therapist, because this isn't normal." He says as he walks off.
"Like you know me." Snakefang mutters.
He finally comes to a big stairway that leads to his post, he is also the only guard posted atop the guard tower. He begins to trot up the stairs, each step is a second of torture. Trail Breeze was right, it isn't normal to have nightmares of a war that happened two years ago, and he saw little combat, although he has been in sword fights with skirmishers, seen his friends die from counter-cannon attacks. Sometimes ordered to fire on innocent villages or risk execution for disobedience, the general was a cruel stallion. Time seems to go on forever as he walks up the stairway, finally after what felt like an eternity, arrived at the top. The Night Guard is still up there.
"Nightstalker Hedge, your relieved."
"Finally Snakefang, the sun is burning my eyes. Ill see you later today." The batpony said, before flying off.
"Hrmmm."
So continues the endless cycle of Fangs life. Haunted forever by the griffons he has killed, by the friendly fire that has been caused by him and his cannon crew.
<><><>
PFC Snakefang watches as the griffon falls dead, the blood gushing from its missing wing, blood spilling from his neck. Blood everywhere. He had done it. Killed his first griffon on the field of combat, it wasn't an easy feeling. Tears begin to run down his bloodstained yellow coated cheeks. He had told his loved ones before he went to war, that he wouldn't kill, that he would be an engineer. He had not told, he had promised. He broke that promise.
<><><>
The flashback begins to bring more tears to Fangs eyes. But not only because he had broken his promise to his wife and child. But also because after the day he killed that griffon, he had received word that they both were killed by the plague that lasted a year during the war. He never got to say goodbye. It was like the universe telling him. ' You broke a promise, now you pay with what you hold dear.'. He wipes the tears away and continues to keep a eye out for trouble, a wedding will be held here in Canterlot in 8 hours and he has to stay alert, as a threat was received. Looking around though, he spots that nopony is around. That he is all alone. He looks down to see the Canterlot gardens, devoid of life, say for a few butterflies and rabbits and birds.
<><><>
"Sir! We are out of cannonballs! What do we do?!" A fellow Engineer asked the Captain.
"Then we take the fight to them, grab your weapons and CHARGE!" The captain yelled as he galloped to join the rest of the army in the field.
Snakefang, Now a Corporal, grabs his warhammer and his flintlock and joins the rest of the crew as they galloped to battle, even though they are poorly trained in melee, they work well when with the main army. Snakefang runs into the scuffle, hoping that he wouldn't immediately be a target, but he was wrong. As soon as he rushed in, he was attacked by a Griffon Knight, but before he could be hit with the Bardiche, he aims his flintlock and fires, and tosses it aside as the Knight falls dead. He looks down at the corpse, watching the blood drain for a hole in the helmet. But has little time to mourn as a Footsoldier attacks his side, but doesn't hit him as Snake parries it.
<><><>
Snakefang holds his head as the flashback escapes his mind. He cannot take it anymore, its becoming to much. He looks back down towards the gardens. Still devoid of pony life, he looks around, not a soul around. He decides its time. He has been thinking about this for a long time. He steps up on the ledge on his two hind legs, thanks to the military about training him to stand like that incase he is in a pike square. He looks down to see the clean gardens, the beautiful grass and plants, soon to be ruined. He shuffles forward, taking in heavy breathes. Every moment seems to be an endless eternity. He closes his eyes and takes in one last breath. Visions of his wife fill his head, his mind, his closed eyes.
<><><>
"Yes I know I know, no matter what happens, always love you and so on blah blah blah." Snakefang says in a jokingly mockingly way.
"Hmph, and don't forget your lunchbox!" she joked back.
"Oh haha."
"And don't forget to NOT kill anything while your away!' She called after him as he set off for the ships.
"Don't worry, not a drip of blood will be spilt by me." He called back.
"I love you!"
"I love you too sweetie." Snakefang says as he walks back up to her for a final kiss goodbye.
<><><>
As the memory fades away, Snakefang shakes his head, realizing what he is about to do. He steps down from the ledge, what he was about to do was something his wife would never approve. Something he never thought he would do. But the flashbacks and the nightmares have been getting to him, and he wants to stop, now. He stares off into the sun, seeing the image of his wife in the brightness. He smiles. The first he has smiled in a long time, it appears to smile back, before disappearing not a second later.
"Ill always love you." Snakefang mutters. He writes down on a conjured piece of paper to go to a therapist when he is relieved.
Author's Note
My first shot at a dark or sad story, I put both tags up. This is my second One-Shot.
Suicide is a real problem and must end. Never resort to it and if you have a relative or a friend who show signs of suicide, help them out and show em that someone cares about them. Thanks for reading.
