Wake of Destruction

“Daddy!” Phoenix squealed as she ran in the front door.

“Hey sweetie! Dinner is ready so have a seat at the table!” I told the eager filly.

Spitfire followed close behind her as they both hopped into their seats to enjoy the meal I had prepared. Halfway through the meal, a series of low booms gently shook the table. I continued to eat, not paying the slightest attention to it.

As I was cleaning up dinner and Spitfire was tucking Phoenix into bed, a knock was heard at the door.

I dried the water off of my hands and opened the door. Soarin and Fleetfoot stood there, the look on their faces did not bode well.

“Soarin, Fleetfoot? What are you two doing here?” I asked the pair.

They glanced at one another.

“We need to talk to both of you.” Fleetfoot said grimly.

“Very well,” I invited them in and ushered to the sofa.

Spitfire came down the stairs and saw the two senior Wonderbolts on the couch with me.

“Ah, good. Now we can start.” Soarin said gruffly.

“What is the issue?” I asked them

“Canterlot was just attacked. The Gryphons just bombed the hell out of the castle and the surrounding suburbs.” Soarin said.

Jesus Christ almighty...

I looked at Spitfire as she stared up at me, a look of fear and sadness in her eyes.

War had finally come to Equestria’s door.

“So we leave, tonight?” Spitfire asked.

“That’s what the military council has ordered. We’re off to a base near Las Pegasus, the closest base we have in range.” Soarin briefed us.

“I thought we had two weeks!” I exclaimed.

“So did we. But the recent attack has made it evident that we need to strike back immediately. Each of us has command of a squadron at the base. We leave tomorrow at 0700 hours.” Soarin said, handing me a sealed envelope.

“Those are your orders. Good luck sir, see you on the other side.” Fleetfoot said as her and Soarin gave a salute and left.

Spitfire held it in until the door shut. As soon as the latch clicked into place, Spitfire buried her head in my side and started to bawl. I lifted her up and carried her up the stairs. As I set her down, she yanked me down with her, continuing to sob loudly into my chest.

“Shh.” I tried to sooth the distressed mare in his grasp.

“What if I never get to see my daughter again? What is she going to do without us? I don’t want to leave her without us!” She wailed, her emotion spilling out.

“We have to leave her somewhere safe. Somewhere far away from any potential targets.” I thought out loud.

“Sweet Apple Acres! It’s far enough away from any town or city to not make it a target!” Spitfire exclaimed.

“Very well then, why don’t we take her there now. Soarin is probably there anyway.” I said, getting up and entering Phoenix’s room. I wrapped her in a blanket and floated down the stairs. I exited the door and flew over to Sweet Apple Acres, careful not to wake Phoenix. I knocked on the door of the farmhouse and had it answered by Applejack. She saw the little filly in my arms and looked at me with a sympathetic gaze.

“Applejack, do you think you and your family could look after Phoenix until we get back?” I pleaded to the mare.

“Of course. Soarin would want me to do that and Ah might as well get a taste of motherhood before Ah follow through with Soarin. Fleetfoot’s son is already here anyway. ” Applejack whispered as she took the still sleeping filly.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart Applejack. I owe you my life,” I said, kissing her cheek and embracing her.

“Go, before she has to see you leave.” Applejack said.

I flew off into the night, though I felt I had left a piece of my own soul back at Sweet Apple Acres, knowing that there my child would be safe but away from my side. Tears were carried across the side of my face by the whipping wind as I flew away.

Spitfire and I silently wept on our way to Las Pegasus, our daughter now safe in the hands of the Apple family.

“I don’t want to leave David, I want to be able to live a peaceful life and see my daughter grow up into a woman!” Spitfire wailed, overcome with emotion mid-flight.

“We WILL get home. We WILL see our daughter again. We WILL not die in this wretched war.” I said to her without any doubt in my heart.

Little did I know how that would change.

The base was a buzz with life as the Wonderbolt Squadrons moved about, anxiously waiting for their names to be called for the next raid. They wore odd bodysuits. Looking over them closely, I realized that they were combat suits. They had machine guns attached to their bodies, the triggers were attached to their hooves so I assumed I would get a similar apparatus.

The mechanics fitted me and Spitfire out with one within an hour and I was assigned to my squadron with Spitfire as my co-commander.

Parasprite Squadron.

They were all recruits, fresh out of training. We were 17th in line for deployment so I figured I would get to know them.

Before long we were next in line, waiting on the runway, bombs strapped to our combat vests, ready to be dropped on our target, the capital city of the empire, Clawton.

The signal came and we took off into the night sky, our wings and guns prepped for a hard battle ahead of us. Spitfire looked at me, worry written all over her beautiful face.

The 3 hour flight was agony for most of the boys, when the city finally came into sight, searchlights and gryphons darted across the sky. The gryphons, it appeared had very similar devices to our own vests due to the flashes coming from their chests.

I gave the signal and we dropped altitude and our bombs, setting fire to a good portion of the city. That got the enemy’s attention, an entire squadron of gryphons raced towards our unit.

“Scramble!” I yelled.

But it was too late, the bastards were on top of us and I saw two of the boys drop out of the sky, a neat hole drilled through their skulls.

“Fuck!” I yelled, dodging a salvo of machine gun fire from a grunt. I dumped speed and pulled the trigger, filling the gryphon’s body with lead. He dropped out of the sky like a sack of meat. I then turned my head to see an ace on Spitfire's tail. I tried to help but I was half a second too late. I saw the ace’s gun discharge as the bullet sailed towards my beautiful wife, striking her in the side. She fell from the sky, her mouth open in a silent scream.

“NO!” I screamed.

I fired of a volley of rounds at the enemy ace but he was too far away. One of my remaining squadron members flew up to me and told me the worst possible thing.

“Sir, command wants us to pull out immediately.”

I could only comply as tears fell from my eyes as the Wonderbolts retreated and left Clawton and my wife’s body behind in the waning moonlight.