Pepper Comet was rudely awoken in the early hours of the morning by a loud bang. He threw himself up. This woke up his wife. She sat up next to him.
“What’s up honey?” she asked groggily, still half asleep.
“I thought I heard a bang.” He replied, trying to decide if it was just his mind playing tricks on him or it was real.
As he was about to go back to sleep, BANG! There it was again, except it sounded closer this time. He got up and shuffled over to his apartment window. He was a white unicorn pony with a silky back and green mane and tail, and his cutie mark was a spanner and nut. He gazed up and down the street, but he couldn’t see much in the dark night. He was only a few floors up too which didn’t help as most of the surrounding buildings were higher than he was. There was yet again another bang, even closer this time. His daughter came galloping in to the room.
“Daddy, there’s loud noises and I’m scared.” Her eyes well filled with tears.
“It’s okay sweetie, I want you and your mother to go into the other room please.” He asked
His wife gave him an uncomfortable look. He nodded to her for reassurance and they went to the next room as asked. He continued to stare out the window for the source of the commotion. Then he could hear gunfire that sound very close, followed by the horrific screams of ponies in the distance. He slid open his window for a better look. Then he saw what looked like 3 zebras running up the street towards his apartment. they were wearing masks but he could see their distinctive black and white stripes. They looked to have weapons on saddle mountings on their backs. As he continued to watch their advance, one of them stopped and looked at him. Pepper looked him straight in the eyes then ducked back from the window hoping they would just carry on to where they were going. He waited a minute or two then peaked back out to see if they’d gone. That’s when he heard a familiar hiss and a few seconds later he was thrown back from the window followed by debris and a cloud of dust. He landed on the other side of the room buried.
He awoke a few days later to find himself in hospital bed. He looked around, other than himself, the room was empty. It was a small room with cream walls. mater of fact there was nothing in the room but himself and the bed he was in.
"Nurse? Nurse? Is anypony there?" He felt weak trying to speak. "Hello?"
His wife and came into the room. Pepper was so happy to see them but he could tell by the fake expressions on her face that something was wrong.
"Honey, im so glad to see you awake. I were so worried about you. When i heard the explosion i ran into the room but you were unconscious. They got you here as soon as they could." His wife explained.
"Are you okay?" Pepper asked her, he could sense something wasn't right in her voice.
"Yes yes, i'm fine." She responded.
"Where's our daughter?" He noticed she wasn't present.
"Well..." she lowered her head. "She needs you, that means you need to wake up.
"what? I am awake." Pepper was struggling to understand what she meant.
"She's hurt pretty bad and you need to be there for her. So you need to wake up. You need to let go, please for her sake." Tears began to slide down her face.
"What i don't understand. Let go of what?" He didn't know what she was talking about, he didn't understand why she was crying.
He tried to get up, but found he couldn't move. He struggled and struggled but it was as if he was paralyzed. There was a loud bang in the background. Then another and another. It took him a moment to realize that they were the same sounds as that night.
"Honey, What's going on?" he asked her in desperation.
She stood there staring at him but didn't reply. Then there was gunfire and the same terrible screams. He began to sweat. Within moments his coat was matted in sweat as it poured off him. His eyes were filled with terror. He frantically looked around to find something to help him, but it was an empty room. The screams were getting louder and closer. A chill ran through his spine. Thud! There was somepony trying to get in. Thud! Thud! the door finally gave way and swung open. It took a moment for Pepper to recognize the figure stood in the doorway, it was the zebra he saw that night. Once again they gazed into each others eyes as the zebra stood in the doorway. Pepper could see hate, pain, death and destruction in his eyes.
"What do you want?" Pepper asked the zebra.
The Zebra lifted his rifle, he pointed it to Peppers wife's head. she didn't even flinch, it was s if she didn't know it was there. Pepper on the other hand was very sure it was there. He shook his head begging the zebra not to do it. Tears fell from his eyes, he went to speak but he couldn't open his mouth. Peppers wife looked Pepper straight in the eyes and Pepper looked back through his tears. She looked loving and genuine as she spoke.
"It's time to let go and move on. I love you." She spoke with heavenly grace.
With that the zebra Squeezed the trigger and with a flash from his rifle and the loud bang that followed, his wife dropped to the floor like a rag doll, painting the empty cream wall with splatters of blood. Both terror and anger filled his mind. All he wanted to do was get up and kill this sick pile of shit, but he still couldn't move, he couldn't even speak. All he could do was watch as the mare he loved drained away from existence right in front of him. The zebra said nothing. He smiled to Pepper then turned around and walked out, the door slamming shut behind him. He sat there in shock and disbelieve of what he just witnessed. He regained the ability to move. He jumped out of the bed and galloped over to his wife. There was a pool of blood surrounding her which grew larger and larger. he nuzzled her with his muzzle, tears streaming from his eyes, mixing with her blood as they fell to the ground. He looked at his hooves, they were soaked in her blood. Her lifeless body began to grow cold. He stepped back and noticed a window on the opposite wall. Confusion moved into his mind. That window definitely was there before. He slowly moved over to it to see what was out side. A figure, it was that zebra again. He was just stood on the grass, bodies lying all around him with patches of the grass dyed red with the ponies' blood. The zebra stared at him, as if he knew Pepper would come to the window. the zebra lifted a hoof and pointed to his left, no longer holding his rifle but now having a bazooka on his saddle mounting. Pepper looked to where he was pointing. 'ITS YOUR FAULT' was spelled out on the grass in blood. He looked back to the zebra to see a object moving through the air towards him with that familiar hiss following it. He was thrown from the window followed by shattered glass and debris, but this time remained conscious. He landed hard next to his wife's body. He looked at her then looked up to watch a piece of debris to fall from the ceiling, then it went black.
He bolted upright, drenched in sweat. He looked around frantically. The room was the same but there was a first aid box hung on the wall by the door. He saw the window, which had a crack in it. He continued to look around. There was a small table next to his bed with a vase of yellow flowers and a Daring Do book. He liked Daring Do, he had all the books at home. He then notice a clock above the door that he hadn't noticed before hand. It was almost midday. his stomach rumbled and hunger overcame his terror.
"Nurse? Nurse? Is anyone there?
The door opened and a white mare with a pink mane and tail dressed in a nurses uniform peaked her head in, then shouted up the corridor.
"Doctor! He's awake!" she announced.
She and the doctor came into the room. they didn't say anything. They checked on his condition then left the room.
"hey! come back! what's going on?" Pepper shouted.
Nopony answered. He threw his head back into his pillow. He ached all over.
"Can i at least get some food please, im starving in here?" He shouted as loud as he could manage trying to get the attention of somepony to help.
The door opened and the doctor pony trotted in closing the door behind him. He was a brown unicorn pony with a cream mane and tail which matched the walls.
"What's going on doc? Where's my wife and filly?" Pepper questioned with desperation in his voice.
"You were involved in an explosion during the attack last week..." the doctor pony started.
"LAST WEEK? how long have i been out? Pepper interrupted.
"six days." the doctor pony answered. "Anyway, you were knocked unconscious and brought here, we kept a close eye on you, and honestly we were unsure whether you were going to wake up or not. thankfully you did. you appear to be fully healed except a few scratches and bruises."
"Okay but where's my family?"
"Well.." the doctor pony began. "it was a very large explosion, which cause some of the building to come down. I'm so sorry but your wife didn't make it."
Then it hit him, that's what his wife meant by 'It's time to let go.' Tears began to fall again. Then he remembered she said their filly was hurt.
"What about my daughter?" Pepper asked hoping she was okay.
"Well, she was found unconscious in the rubble, but still alive. she woke up after two days but we kept her in so we could keep an eye on her. We'll get you sorted and we'll take you to her."
They walked out the room, closing the door behind him. They headed down the corridor and a few rooms down they went into a room on the right hand side of the corridor. The filly saw Pepper and jumped up and galloped over to him. He opened his arms to catch her.
"i'm so glad your'e okay." he looked at her realizing that it was just him and her from now on.
"Daddy, i was so scared. There was a loud noise then i woke up here and you and mummy wasn't there."
"It's okay sweetie, i'm here now." he hugged her tight.
"where's..." she began but was stopped by Pepper.
"Your mother didn't make it." he could feel tears but held them back.
The filly dropped to the floor, bawling her eyes out.
"i know sweetie, let it all out." he placed a hoof on her head.
A few moments later a pony dressed in a military uniform stepped into the room.
"Sargent Comet, I'm sorry for your loss." came a deep but sympathetic voice.
Pepper turned to see it was his platoon commander, captain cross.
"Thank you, sir" Pepper replied.
"I know your grieving, but your presence is required back at base." the captain continued.
"Okay, but im going to bring her." Pepper added
"That's fine." Cross replied.
Pepper helped his filly up, and the three of them left the room. Outside, a dropship was waiting to take them back. Dropships were what the Equestrian military used to fly about in. It was powered by a engine crafted from a mix of science and magic. It was propelled by two thrusters mounted on each wing. It also had a 20mm cannon on the front and a pony operated, mounted 5mm minigun on each side. They boarded and the door slid shut behind them. The pilot flick a few switches and it roared into life. They had the ability to take off and land vertically, then rotate the thrusters to fly horizontally. They slowly lifted. when they got to the right height, the thrusters rotated and they began o move forward. Pepper slowly drifted off with his filly leaning up against him.