Resistance: The Equestrian War Effort

I stared at the weapon, dumbfounded.  She wanted me to kill something?

“I-I can’t do this!”

“Listen up, kid. It’s either us or them. They didn’t hesitate when they slaughtered hundreds of innocents, why should we hesitate to fight back?”

“I know, I know! But, I just…can’t! I can’t do it!”

Annoyance emanated from Rip Corde like heat from a radiator.

“She’s right, Vita. We have to do this.”

I stared at Fidelis, shocked. He was alright with this?

“Guys, they’re closing in pretty fast!” Deadeye sounded from above.

Fidelis nudged me into the building. I could barely think. Fear started gripping me with icy talons.

“Almost here!” Deadeye’s updates only helped with its progression.

I levitated the Chimeran weapon, the business end pointing out the window.

“No, no. Don’t use magic. They’ll see the glow. Use the harness.” Rip Corde quietly rebuked.

I adjusted as quickly as I could.

Rip Corde announced the battle plan.

“Alright, BlackJack stays with the girl. Fiddie ‘n me will head upstairs to help DeadEye.”

Fiddie? So she was giving pet names along with orders?

The long wait struck my nerves like a mortar shell.

BlackJack’s voice nearly sent me flying out of my skin. “Don’t leave me hanging! When I start shooting, you’d better have my back!”

I nodded quickly.

The Chimeran party walked unsuspectingly in front of us.

“Now!”

A plethora of loud noises sounded from above and beside me. Blood splatter from several Chimera stained a nearby market stand. Alerted, the few remaining Chimera pointed their weapons in our direction.

Plasma bolts flew past my head.

“What’re you waiting for?” BlackJack spat while taking cover.

Quaking, I put the bit in my mouth.

I tugged on the bit. Several Chimera fell, soaking the road with blood.

I turned my head away. The fruits of my labor sickened me.

The gunshots stopped as the last Chimera fell, dead.

Tears distorted my vision. Disoriented, I made my way over to a velvet chair opposite the window.

I crawled on the seat, a wretched mess.

I buried my face into the cushion.  The sobbing I managed to hold back, but my face still showed obvious signs of misery.

A gentle hoof rested on my neck.

At least Fidelis was here.

I turned around, BlackJack was standing where Fidelis should’ve been.

“You alright, sweetheart?”  His voice was slightly muffled by his armor.

“Yeah…I guess…” I sheepishly stuttered, taken aback by the stallion’s action.

“Believe it or not, that was my first time killing something, too.”

“Huh. Really?”  I questioned, almost seriously. No other response came to my mind.

“Yep.”

His head turned to the side, a sigh following.

“I just thought, that, well, getting back at them would make me feel better. Nothing’s changed. They’re still taking lives. I can’t stop thinking about that. This little victory of ours means nothing.  Tomorrow, Equestria will still be smack dab in the---”

Rip Corde and the others entered the room, interrupting  BlackJack.

Fidelis’ stressed voice met my ears. “Is she alright? She wasn’t hit, was she?”

BlackJack removed his hoof from my neck.

“Nah, just a little stressed out, ‘is all.”

Fidelis sighed in relief.

“We’d better head back to the library. I could go for some AppleJack Daniel’s.” Rip Corde announced.

“I second that.”

“Third it.”

“…Fourth.”  I Mumbled, exiting the chair.

Fidelis gave me a concerned look.

“I think we’ll all need a drink by the end of today.” I explained.

A short time later, we were back in the library. I was sitting at a make-shift bar created by Rip Corde and Deadeye.

“Screw thet one manth, eh?” Rip Corde slurred as she poured me another glass.

“Shuddap.” I spat.

The same bitter-sweet burn left me feeling dizzy and slow.

I didn’t care. My mind was blank. I motioned for another glass.

Rip Corde did nothing.

“Gemme enather wen!”  I was slurring so terribly it couldn’t even be considered slurring. It was more like the garbled noises made by the Chimera.

“Naw, Nuh-uh. Weef both hed too mush to drenk…”

I left the bar, spouting obscenities as I tumbled over to the denim couch.

I embraced the Blackness that took me away from this crappy world.

Once again, I was in invasion-tattered Ponyville. Again, I watched the slaughter of innocent ponies as I stood still, doing nothing. Actually, I was doing something. I was pointing my rifle at the Chimera, but I wasn’t shooting. I simply stood there, too afraid to use the rifle. Again, The Chimeran troop gripped me, crushing my head with claws that nearly burned my flesh.

I woke up, trembling. I was drenched in sweat. I tried to leap out of the bed, but something was constricting my movement.

Wait, bed?

Upon further inspection, I wasn’t just in bed. I was in bed with somepony else. Their hooves had been wrapped around me tightly.

“Get the BUCK off me!”

I leaped from the bed. As soon as my hooves touched the marble floor, I turned to meet a black earth pony. He wobbled as he rose from the bed.

“Whatsa madder, Swet-hert? Didja hev eh naht-mer?” I could pick out BlackJack’s voice, even through the slurred speech.

“BlackJack? Why the buck were you…UGH!”

Surprise shot across BlackJack’s face.

“Yer thuh wahn thet esked meh to slehp wit-cha’!”

“Wh-What!”

I swallowed hard. I was pretty drunk…anything could’ve happened.

“Oh!” BlackJack spoke up.

He hobbled off the bed. “Yah thunk that weh…Aw, NAW! Aheh! Ha ha!” A clumsy grin appeared on his stupid face.

“Naw, nah, Sweeteh. Ya jus’ wanned a li’l… Shoul’er to len on. We di’n’t do that …”

I had heard enough.

“Alright…Um, sorry. I have to get going.” I quickly trotted away from the bed.

“A’raht, honeh… talk t’ me iffin’ yeh ned a fren.”

My trot evolved into a gallop.

I was so embarrassed!

I trotted to the end of the library. An empty bottle of AppleJack Daniel’s rested next to a stack of books.

Freakin’ AppleJack Daniel’s.

I crushed the bottle beneath my hooves. Then, I dropped to the floor.

I almost shed a tear.  If I was lucky, BlackJack would’ve been too drunk to remember anything.

I took a glimpse at the books that littered the floor. The book, Fallout: Equestria caught my eye.

After a few chapters I had to put the book down.

“I guess Equestria could be worse.” I thought out loud.