War nightmares
December 16, 1945 began as a cold evening in Ponyville, Texas. Former Wonderbolts Commander Riley Daniel Samborski was in bed with his wartime girlfriend, Applejack Apple. He met her when his P-51 Mustang nearly blew its engine over the Texas countryside, from the moment Riley landed at Sweet Apple Acres, his life was changed forever.
Riley was in bed with Applejack, and Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith were all already fast asleep.
"Riley, Ah know you've been having trouble sleeping lately. But after a few years of isolation from society in air combat, you just need some time to readjust and reintegrate back into society. Ah told mah friends about you not sleeping and Twilight said that she would come by tomorrow to help." Applejack reassured her boyfriend. She knew. Ever since Riley returned from deployment to the European theater, he had been having nightmares and bouts of restlessness.
"Okay, AJ. I could really use the support, especially during a time like this." Riley replied, a warm smile forming on his face.
"Anything for you, sugarcube." Applejack cooed, kissing Riley's cheek. "Come on, hon, let's get some sleep."
Applejack looped her arms around Riley's neck and intertwined both of her legs with Riley's right leg and rested her forehead on Riley's forehead. She softly hummed a lullaby her mother once hummed every night. Combined, all that helped Riley's memories of his time fighting the Germans fade away from him and allow him to fall asleep, and he did, and in Applejack's loving embrace. Riley fell asleep with a soft smile on his face. A few minutes after Riley fell asleep, he heard several engine drones. He opened his eyes and looked around. He saw that he was back in his P-51 Mustang. He looked down at himself and he saw that he was back in his flight suit. The moment when he looked outside the canopy of his plane, he saw that he was back flying with the other Wonderbolt Mustangs over the German countryside, Rainbow Dash's Mustang was right next to his, and it looked exactly the same when she ascended to Vice Commander.
"Is this the last patrol the Wonderbolts went on?" He asked himself. After a few minutes of looking around, Riley realized something. "Wait a minute! It IS! But....this is the day all of us almost got shot down! And most of all...this is the day I nearly died." Riley gasped.
But Riley's amazement was abruptly ended when he saw the other American Mustangs diving towards the ground. He banked and dived, following the other planes.
The moment the 9 planes broke through the base of the clouds, Riley was greeted with the very same German antiaircraft batteries that nearly killed him and annihilated the entire squadron. Riley gasped as he saw Fleetfoot's Mustang get blown to bits by antiaircraft fire. He then turned his head around just in time to see Spitfire get shot down, the engine exploded into a massive fireball and the fighter plane spiraled downward to the ground, leaving a smoke trail. Riley gasped at what he saw. But as he was trained, Riley knew that in the event of the head of the squadron being shot down, Riley was to assume command. When Spitfire's Mustang With the loss of the head of the squadron, with a heavy heart, Riley assumed command as the new Captain of the squadron, and Rainbow Dash was the new Commander.
Just as Riley assumed command of the Wonderbolts. Misty screamed in agony as her Mustang spiraled down to the ground, fire covering half of its fuselage. Riley watched in horror as plane after plane, friend after friend, Wonderbolt after Wonderbolt was shot down mercilessly. Wave Chill and Fire Streak were the next ones to go down. Wave Chill's Mustang spiraled to the ground in flames and Fire Streak's Mustang tumbled out of the sky in pieces. The two Wonderbolt pilots screamed as the bullets shredded their planes. From the safety of his P-51 Mustang, Riley dodged bullet after bullet but it was too late for the other pilots.
The slaughter continued relentlessly until the only pilots left were Riley, Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash. Riley looked down at the lone P-51 Mustang. He knew that he was only going to have one chance at saving the young pilot's life.
"Lightning Dust, I'm telling you!" Riley called to the other Wonderbolt pilot. "Lightning Dust, I know you can hear me! Pull up now! Get out of there!" He ordered.
But before he got a response, the Wonderbolt pilot screamed as antiaircraft fire ripped her Mustang in half. He saw her get blasted from the plane as it was blown apart, still strapped to her seat. Now, with the majority of the Wonderbolts shot down, the last remaining Wonderbolt pilots were Riley and Rainbow Dash
"Commander, stay close to me! We'll have to dodge and weave through this if we want to get out of this with our lives and our planes in one piece!" Riley shouted to her.
The two Wonderbolt pilots dodged and weaved through the lethal hurricane of antiaircraft fire like Riley said to. Riley then saw a break in the deadly storm of antiaircraft fire. For him, it was a window of opportunity, a window of escape. But he knew that that window wouldn't stay open for long.
"Dash, let's get out of here! It's now or never!" He said to Rainbow.
"Yeah, let's g-" but he was cut off when Rainbow Dash screamed. Her Mustang was turned into an inferno as an antiaircraft shell hit it in the engine. Riley could only watch and listen helplessly as she screamed all the way down to her earthly grave in the flaming wreckage of her plane.
Then, Riley's Mustang got hit. Antiaircraft fire dug deeply into the engine. The engine exploded into a fireball. Pain shot through him as shrapnel fragments from the engine and the cowling shattered the canopy and deeply lacerated both of his legs and his right arm, grievously wounding him. Blinding pain suddenly surged through him.
"Somebody help me!" Riley screamed, clutching his right arm with his one good arm.
But with Rainbow Dash already dead, Riley was completely alone. Another bullet hit his Mustang's right wing, causing him to lose control. With the propeller of his Mustang blown off, Riley's Mustang's nose dipped and another wave of sharp, burning pain flashed through his body as his Mustang was hit again, in the left wing. The entire wing is blown in half. The only part left is a small stub that stopped at the left gun port. Riley felt his Mustang spiral madly into a steep dive.
The last thing Riley saw out of the cockpit was flames wrapping around him, and the solid blue surface of a lake coming closer and closer. Then the fighter plane hit the water, crushing and crumpling the entire plane. Riley's entire body went numb almost as soon as his Mustang hit the water and the blue world faded to black.
Then Riley head a familiar voice.
"Riley! Riley, wake up!" the voice was familiar… "Riley, yer dreamin'! Wake up!" Something was grabbing his left arm, he shoved it away.
"Riley, it's just me, Applejack!" Riley opened his eyes; he was not drowning, not even in a puddle. He wasn't being burned by flames. He could feel his body and it was certainly not in pain. He wasn't in his plane, being dragged to the bottom of a lake. Riley looked out Applejack's window and through the dim moonlight, he saw his P-51D Mustang on the property, still as pristine as ever. He was at Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville, in Texas. His honest girlfriend, Applejack, was in bed next to him,
"Ya were having a nightmare, a bad one too. Ah couldn't even get near ya, not with you flailing your arms and legs around so madly."
Riley looked down at the bedsheets a little guiltily, "Did I wake you up?"
"Yeah, ya did. Ya yelled in yer sleep, somethin' about drownin'?" Applejack said.
"Sorry, AJ," Riley apologized.
"Ah, it's okay, sugarcube, ya can't help what ya do in yer sleep." Applejack knew that since Riley got back from deployment in the European theater, he was having restless sleep along with his nightmares and his occasional restlessness episodes.
"AJ, I'm so sorry." Riley said sadly.
"Riley, it's okay, sugar. Ya were just having another nightmare, a bad one from what it seems." Applejack said, calming Riley's jangled nerves.
"But that's nothing compared to what almost happened to my squadron on our last patrol…" Riley said to himself. The former Commander of the Wonderbolts, former Commander Riley Daniel Samborski hadn't just been having any nightmare, it was a severe one. Riley went back to sleep, Applejack soothing him.
