01. Falling into the abyss.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
Location: Above the cloud cover, Grand Pegasus Enclave territory. Sector 8.
Date: Classified. Metal Storm protocol active.
Mission Objective: Rescue of five hostage Enclave operatives from insurgent territory.
Deployed agents:
- Nimbus, Wing Sargeant. Mission leader.
- Blackwind, communications officer.
- Swift Feathers, recon operative.
- Shining Sun, recon operative.
- Counterblow, heavy weapons.
- Purple Gust, field medic.
- Shooting Star, Recruit. Designated markspony.
Mission Status: Successfully completed.
It was a dark, cold night above the cloud cover. The thick, dark grey clouds rumbled under our hooves as we sat at the highest promontory overlooking a desolate landscape of rebel villages. Bad ponies who had betrayed the Grand Pegasus Enclave and decided to claim a small cloud harvest area for themselves, thus negating the rest of our people one of the most needed resources: food. The Enclave's reaction had been swift and definitive, sending troops to negotiate or crush the rebel force under a firm hoof. But despite the Enclave's troopers superior firepower, the insurgent ponies outnumbered them. The Enclave's assault cut a deep wound in the rebellion's flesh, but those Enclave ponies who had survived were taken hostage, or lined up for summary execution.
According to our recon operatives, only five Enclave ponies had survived. They were kept inside a two storey building on a upper floor's room without windows, with numerous and heavily armed vigilance around and inside the first level. Clearly these insurgent ponies were not good strategists, they had left only one pony to guard our captive comrades while the rest of the defenders concentrated on the rest of the second floor and around and inside the first storey. Our plan was simple and effective: take down the pony guarding our comrades before he could give the alarm, and then proceed to clean the building starting from the second floor, creating a defensive perimeter in front of the room where our friends were.
But in order to take that guard down, we needed a shot. Just a single well placed shot from one of the most advanced weapons the Enclave had: a magically enhanced laser sniper rifle. A large saddle mounted rifle painted a sleek black with several red lights flashing across its form, with the power to generate a laser shot so hot and powerful that it could pierce through nearly anything... even the sturdy steel plates the insurgents had used to reinforce their storage building, even the scope was augmented so the shoother could see through walls. And to fire such gun, we needed a talented designated markspony. I happened to be such markspony.
Probably the less impressive pegasus that ever existed. A young teenager mare, not even the size of an adult pony... and also, an albino mare. My coat, mane and tail were totally of an immaculate white, and I had bright red eyes. Now, I know what you all must be thinking: I bet her Cutie Mark has something to be with being a sniper, or a rifle or maybe crosshairs. Well... nope. I was a very good shot yes, but that wasn't my special talent...not by a long shot.
My Cutie Mark was a star. Well... not precisely a star but a meteorite. But ponies in general thought it was a shooting star, a conception that wasn't too far from reality. The two pictures in my flanks depicted a red shooting star (a circular like object) with a red tail tracing an arch over a thin black borderline like horizon. I would like to tell you how did I get my cutie mark but all what I will say right now is that when it finally showed up it made me take my name into a new perspective. My name is Shooting Star, pleased to meet ya.
But back to what I was saying. I had been selected to make the shot and take down the guard, and then my teammates would sneak into the second floor of the warehouse -flying through the windows- and start the cleansing operation, prioritizing the safety of the hostage agents. Everything was ready... and we were waiting... Well, they were waiting. I was on a separated position ready to take the shot. It only took me a momment to get used to the scope's enhanced systems...
I could feel the cold, dry wind in my mouth. The rest of my body except the muzzle concealed in a black, insectoid armor with two orange plates for the visor. The scorpion like tail at the end still bugged me a small bit, but I would eventually get used to handling another part of my body that wasn't supposed to move in such way. My breathing was slow, and calm. My eyes fixated on my target, peering through the scope of the massive rifle mounted on my right shoulder. My tongue was slightly touching the trigger, and I could taste metal and the cold water like sensation of the clouds.
My target's head was right in the center of the crosshairs -this was a energy weapon so I wouldn't have to worry about any balistic considerations- a tan pegasus buck with a yellow mane. His clothes were all ragged and dirty, his mane and tail were chopped in such a messy way that one could think he had cut his hair himself with a butcher knife. I felt... a pang of guilt... These were insurgents but... they were also ponies who were slowly starving to death and who had taken that crop section as their last resort to survive. I couldn't blame them for that... But -and then I steeled myself... a small bit- they had also killed countless Enclave soldiers. Many of them had been my friends.
With a slight grunt, and no more hesitation I focused again. The other six ponies on my team were somewhere under this promontory, waiting for me to make the shot. I let out a deep breath, and then pulled the trigger, softly.
KRRZZAAAAT!
The single red laser beam traveled the distance faster than I could follow, impacting the pegasus buck square in the side of his head. He glowed for a fraction of second before collapsing in a pile of red goop. One...two...three...four seconds.
Hell broke loose.
In the building below and ahead of me I could see -through my scope- my teammates swiftly flying into the annex zone next to the cells, and then starting to shoot. Their laser weapons were faster and smaller than this massive gun, and they made quick scorching sounds as the energy beams passed through, or completely desintegrated ponies. I focused and then swiveled a bit to the right, taking aim to another target. A purple mare with a light green mane, her cutie mark being a reaping hook. Another loud crackling sound from my gun, and she collapsed in a pile of red goop.
A red stallion with a black mane was shooting at Nimbus, our sargeant, with a battered but functional plasma rifle. I took aim, and saw a black and grey mare rushing to help the insurgent buck. I took a slow breath, and when she was about to reach the side of my target, I pulled the trigger. The laser beam cut right through both their heads, and both insurgents collapsed in a single pile of red glowing goop. Nimbus looked at my general direction and mouthed a warm "Thank you!" before opening fire in a incoming enemy.
I swiveled a bit more to the right and saw an enemy mare trying to skewer Purple Gust, our medic, right through the throat using an odd looking laser sword. An illegal weapon hoof-factured by the mercenaries of the slums. I felt my insides boil. One of those swords was used to cut my eldest brother's foreleg off! I growled low, before taking aim. This one wasn't going to have a painless death! I pulled the trigger, and the shot went right through her own throat instead. She stopped short, bringing her forehooves to her throat in surprise and shock, as she collapsed to the side with the momentum of my shot. Purple Gust looked rather sick, looking in my general direction to thank me, but she also looked... dissapointed? Maybe she would have wanted me to give the enemy mare a painless death. She rose her laser pistol, and put a shot through the mare's brow.
I was distracted then when Shining Sun and a blue and green mare flew through one of the windows with a crash, and then engaged in aerial combat. I made a slight surprise sound before managing to adjust the elevation of my shot (hovering myself a small bit) taking aim. I didn't want to hurt Shiny, so I waited. I waited even when the blue mare hurt my friend's leg, but when the insurget mare spun in the right way, I pulled the trigger. The shot went through her side on the neck, and had its scape point through one of her flanks in the opposite. She didn't turn into red goop, but fell straight to the clouds. Shining Sun looked in my direction and smiled mouthing "Helluva shot!" before dissapearing back inside.
I felt my cheeks flush a small bit -which, being an albino meant "flush quite a bit"- before I returned to the fight, dropping to the promontory. The enemy knew now. They knew there was a enemy markspony with a rifle that could punch right through the walls... and them. They tried to move as erratically as possible now... But that didn't save them from Counterblow. The big, black stallion with the fiery red mane -encased in a light grey armor- stood firmly as the compartiments in his armor opened, deploying two heavy laser miniguns. My teammates took cover behind him before the miniguns starting spraying red fiery death through the long, dark room.
kzzzZZATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT!
Pony legs, heads and pieces of flesh flew in several directions, while the rest of them was being turned into red ash. My teammates firing behind Counterblow, having took cover. The insurgents in the second floor, and those who were able to get up here -not counting the ones I had killed- from the first floor were obliterated. The Enclave made sure there were no "loose ends".
Counterblow's miniguns started to click just when the last insurgent pony took a shot to the knee, his leg was cut off. The pegasus collapsed in shock but quickly flew through the broken window, trying to scape. I sighed, taking aim... He looked... scared. Not just scared but terrified, I could tell he had wet himself in the chaos of Counterblow's slaughter. I gulped saliva, and then gave him peace. His head exploded becoming red goop, the body fell down right into the abyss.
"AND THAT'S HOW WE MAKE IT IN THE ENCLAVE!" Swift Feathers, our hyperactive, sugar hooked scout was screaming when I softly landed inside the second storey with them, avoiding to step in some of the red goop. "SHOOT!" she screamed and then before I could blink hugged me tight. "I was... worried about you."
I felt myself smile when answering. "Oh but, I was in the mission's safest location." She stepped aside and then I hovered to land in front of Sargeant Nimbus, giving a stiff salute. "Sixteen targets, and cell section's guard neutralized. Mission accomplished, Sargeant!" I pretended to ignore Blackwind's shocked features when she mouthed 'sixteen?!'. Nimbus looked down at me, once again making me remember that I was shorter than an adult pony. It almost had been a miracle that we could find power armor in my size. He gave an authoritarive, but pleased nod before adressing me with a smile.
"You've done me proud." I felt myself blush once again, this time because of the compliment. Nimbus lifted his head, adressing the rest of the team. "All of you. This has been an exemplar job. Now, we must hurry... The rest of the insurgents will be here within minutes." Everypony nodded and then Counterweight gave the cell section door a buck, the door flew back into the room unhinged. The ponies inside looked... emaciated. It made me feel a strong pang in the heart, and ultimately erased the rest of my doubts about the ponies we had just fought... and killed. Good ponies could have never done this to their prisioners.
They were barely concious, so we -well, the rest of the team- had to carry them in their backs. We took the best of the insurgent's weaponry before flying through the windows, and into the darkening sky... Back to our homes.
Location: Enclave's colonial city number 27. "New Hope" --- Trial chamber number 8.
Date: Three days ago.
I was sitting on a lower podium, right next to the Judge's higher one. Everypony was looking at me... And all of them looked pissed. Only my parents where the ones who looked friendly, and even then, Dad was shooting me dark looks. Sigh... I was fucked. This hadn't been my fault! I just had said what everypony else who had been in my position would've said!
If the insurgents of here were dying of starvation... Then the ponies under the cloud cover -if there were any- were probably with a hoof on the grave! The Enclave had to do the right thing! I was sure the Enclave would do the right thing! Help the Wasteland. Maybe New Hope was the only Enclave colony which didn't try to hide the existence of The Wasteland... But it didn't have to be so... passive when watching the situation of our unicorn and earth pony brothers and sisters who fought to thrive in the poisoned land.
That had been the first nail in my coffin.
Now that I was facing New Hope's Enclave council... I was about to put the second nail, without knowing it. The judge looked down at me, and then rising his deep voice he boomed. "Is there anything the accused wishes to add?" I had not even been granted with a defender, nopony would support me... except myself. That was the way our laws were done. So far, I had managed to repeat a fragile and weak version of the conversation that had doomed me, and gave a couple of arguments that only pissed off the council even further... I was about to sign my Enclave's death warrant... I was about to lose my family... my friends... my world. And I wasn't aware of alla that.
"I..." I faltered. "I wish to say only one last phrase." I gulped, in my mind, imagining that maybe I would be forced to domiciliary arrest for maybe a month or so if my defense failed. "Separated, we are weak. Together, Enclave and surface, we are stronger." I had read that phrase once in a book and adapted it now to my own purppose. The reason I didn't knew the gravity of the punishment hanging on my head was that I had never heard nor had anyone ever told me about the Dashites. It was like a huge hole in our city's law codex. And I had been taken away from my parents before they could explain their deep anguish to me. A filly who believed that she knew everything.
The only answer from the crowd was a deep gasp... The air became tense, and hostile. Their scowls becoming plantive fury looks, I reeled back, like hit hard in the face. The judge kept looking down at me, impassive, while my mother gave a deep sob, hidding her face into my father's embrace. He scowled, and spat. "Dashite." I felt myself grow pale, a feat for my albino body, not because of the word -which was unknown to me at the moment- but because of the hatred on his face.
I had just put the second and final nail.
The judge sighed, and then adressed the council. "Very well." He boomed. "The council's veredict?" The council members rose to their hooves, and began to beat the clouds alternatively with them. A stomping, rythmic and slow rumble could be heard... They said only a single word. Guilty and then Dashite. I recoiled, looking from one pony and side to another. The judge continued to adress the council before booming. "It is stated today, that the pegasus mare known as Shooting Star, who had before performed the charge of soldier and recruit in the Grand Pegasus Enclave's forces with honor and distinction, is now found guilty for crimes against the G.P.E. itself, and for elusive and heretic declarations... Therefore, this court and New Hope's council deems her blameworthy, and guilty of being a Dashite! She is now sentenced to be branded with the Dashite mark, and banished from our skies and territories under penalty of death."
I started to talk before seizing the gravity of his words. "Well I--- WAIT, WHAT!?" And then I felt two guard bucks grabbing my forelegs and wings, forcing me down and hoofcuffing me. I thrashed and struggled against them, wailing. "Mom! Dad! Help me! Please! PLEASE! ANYPONY...." But only dark looks answered my calling. Mom was still hidding on Dad's embrace, and he didn't even looked my way. I wailed and my cries resonated in the sky throughout the city as they "escorted" me out of the chamber.
Location: Enclave's prison number 3, "Solar Flame."
Date: Today.
I was laying on the cold floor. I couldn't feel any wind... any breeze at all. My mouth was dry, and I was showing slight signs of starvation. These ponies... They hadn't fed me or gave me something to drink as regularly as I would have needed. I felt weak... but not to the point of falling unconscious. They wanted me to feel and see what was going to happen today... I looked to the front, to the black bars of my cell... And then, only a minute later three ponies with black officer uniforms showed up. They pointed their guns at me before one of them opened the cell. "Come on dashite scum! Today is your farewell party!" He smirked, and the other two laughed.
I rose to my hooves, then followed them. They had put some sort of restriction device on my wings, like cuffs. I was forced to the center of their group and walked miserably along. We walked through long, grey hallways... More ponies were in the cells... waiting for their turn. There was only a few, but even a few were too many for what was about to happen. The Enclave... I had... missjudged it for something of a better, benign quality... The fascism had been hidden to me... 'Till I was forced to face it in the worst circumstances. How many had I killed under the orders of the Enclave? A hundred? More? All of them farmers and poor ponies who had, yes commited mistakes but... Didn't I had done the same thing killing them?
Before I could even process the information, we were on a big circular room. In the center was a table... a table with straps and restraints. From the ceiling and in a slight diagonal angle hung two big mechanical arms conected to a dish like device. A machine. I had been told that those arms hot dashite brand shaped ends injected chemicals and biomagical sustances along with the burn to make sure only a megaspell could restore your cutie marks... It wasn't a cheerful thought.
I was forced to walk to the table, where a stallion covered in medical clothing, a lab coat and odd mask and googles was waiting. He spoke in a muffled voice to the guards. "Good job mates, now set that Dashite scum here on the table and strap her. Then leave us alone. You know how the chemicals and energy from this device could be hazardous for you."
The three bucks nodded, the one who had spoken to me first looking sick. "Yeah doc, I don't want to be inside the dome when that shit happens." They proceeded to strap me down, giving me sadistic grins before leaving. I snorted. Were all the prison guards supposed to be sadistic bastards or cliches? Apparently, yes. Even prisons in the sky weren't an exception.
The stallions left, but stayed at the borders of the room before a large glass dome fell from the ceiling sealing the 'doctor' and I inside. I was surprised -and a little alarmed- when the buck leaned closer to my face, pretending to check my straps and then spoke in a quite familiar and not expected voice... "I told you that I would cover your six." I tried to hide my surprise. The dome might be sound proof... at least to some level, but it didn't make us invisible. Nimbus! How the...
He must have read my features because he added just as he stepped towards the controls. "Oh please, we were elites right? Infiltrating a prison is all in a days work." He paused and then touched the machine's controls... "I've got a plan. Listen closely, we only have a minute or so." I gulped, all ears. "I've got a smoke screen ready, It will give you the chance to leave this room as fast as you can. There's a small laser pistol taped to the underside of this bed. Grab it and then fly." He paused, seeming to hold back a whine. "But... There's a slight problem" My ears perked at that.
"This restraints are... magical. Not only the bed's but the ones holding your wings. They won't open... until the machine has branded the mark on your flanks, or your body." I felt myself go sick... the weight of his word crushing me. "So... I'll still have to brand you... to help your scape." I gritted my teeth, crying. "But!" I looked back, he was starting to manipulate the controls. "This machine isn't immobile aiming to your flanks... I can redirect the arms. I will brand your body, but not your flanks. And... normally, a slight doze of painkillers are administered to the dashite, enough for them to pass away just after being branded. In this case... I won't give you any of that, just a small shot so you can feel this without fainting... from the pain."
I swallowed, tasting bile. I had been forced so my belly and underside laid on the bed, legs extended so my flanks were exposed. "Once the machine has branded you, I will throw the smokescreen and then unbind you. Oh and... you will have to hit me, you know. To make them think all of this was your plan." From his voice, I could tell he was smiling sheepishly.
I sighed... then scowled. "Thank you... Let's do this."
Minutes ago.
The three guard bucks were standing there at the edge of the room. The doc had just leaned close to the dashite's face to check her restraints. Apparently, he had toled her something because the face she showed next was one of barely concealed shock. The left side buck of the group chuckled, fluttering his wings. "I bet the doc has just insulted that bitch. You all know how he likes to denigrate them dashites."
The right side buck nodded, the doctor had just moved to the machine's controls tampering with them like if he was calibrating them or something. The dashite's mare face went from shock, to something like relieve and then to shock again. The buck tilted his head and then commented. "Huh, looks like the doc is playing with her. You know, giving her a false hope only to have the reality crash back again. Heh, evil thing that."
There was a while where the doctor began to 'test' the mechanic arms, moving them out from their predetermined position. This never had happened before, and the mare's face had went from shock, to nauseous and then crying in anger then to nauseous again only to have that replaced with a determined scowl. The center buck chortled. "Hah, Doc is messing around. I haven't seen him do this for a long time..."
He was silenced then when the mechanic arms finally began to move again, this time going down closer and closer to the mare's body... She was trembling and shaking in fear before the brands touched her... In the midsection just above her hips and in the upper sides of her stomach close to her spine. The mare threw her head back and let out an earsplitting agony scream, her whole body seemed to shook and convulse, thrashing against the straps as tears flew from her eyes. The air went still and quiet.
The three bucks scowled and then slowly began to approach. "What the hay!? He is branding her in the incorrect place---" Then with a strong detonation smoke quickly filled the insides of the glass dome. There was the sound of many straps and restraints being undone, and then the bucks prepared to shoot just as the glass dome began to lift, there was a grunt and the sound of a hoof against a body before from the gap between of the dome and the floor emerged the branded dashite. Her sides bore the hot, red cauterized mark which made her skin and coat look badly injured.
She was crying... tears in her face. A face of hatred, and pain.
Before the guards could react she shoot the center one square in the face, the guard collapsed in a pile of ash just when the other two took from the ground, flying and exchanging shots with the prisoner. One of them tried to go for the intercom, but the dashite proved to be far more skilled... fearfully skilled in fact. She spun and shot the guard in the air, a wound on his chest as he fell to the ground with a sick crunch. The remaining guard tried to evade another shot, just to have his leg pierced. The shock made him falter enough for the prisoner to end his life with a shot to the head.
The dashite prisoner held the small laser pistol on her teeth, before swooping low to grab one of the laser rifles from one guard's battle saddle. She yanked it free and held it with her forehooves... With a last sad look to the glass dome, she flew through the door to the corridors.
The guards at the hallways were stunned by her appearance. A teen albino mare with fresh, bloody brands on her body but not on her flanks, her fur mane and tail looking messy, her face a fierce hatred expression. Her eyes red with tears. She opened fire on them, using the pistol on her mouth and the rifle on her forelegs. Several guards exploded in a rain of ash in her wake as she flew through it... The red ash seemed to follow her, like a bright, colored rain of glitter.
The prisoners were stunned, some of them cringed back, while some others praised her. The mare paid them none attention... either too rapt in her pain to notice and attempt to 'rescue' them, or too focused in her own scape. Probably both. The alarms started to sound then, there was a squeal as every door to the outside started to seal. The mare flew as fast as she could, more and more red ash following her wake as she shot. The combination of surprise and shock served her well, picking the guards from unexpected directions. More and more ash following her until it seemed to form a line and trace following her smaller shape. A thick and big trail.
She continued her flight, dropping the pistol when it was empty and then skillfully reloading the laser rifle drilling in the air to avoid a shot before turning yet another war into red colored ash folllowing her path.
The exit was right in front of here, protected by ten well armed guards. They boomed an order she could not hear. They were trying to stop her not because they didn't want her to scape, but because they wanted to line her for summary execution. She had killed way too many of their friends and relatives here... And violated the protocol of a dashite's handling. They wanted to brand her in the correct way.
The mare let out a battle cry that shook the soldiers to the brim, before launching herself in flight towards them. They focused their shots on her, but she avoided enough of them to only get superficial wounds. The painkiller numbing some of the hurt on her body, time seemed to move in a crawl for her as she saw a red beam of death coming for her. She thought fast, then lifted the laser rifle, blocking the host. The rifle made an odd hum and then began to shake in her hooves. The mare threw the rifle at the cluster of unsuspecting guards, before the weapon exploded in a bright red sphere of energy. The center of the group was turned to red ash, the double heavy steel doors were about to close.
The mare flew as fast as she could, several shots grazing her body, some of them intented to hit her cutie mark... but all of them missed. She screamed one last time as she barely made it through the heavy doors. Her battle cry shaking the sky as the red ashes following her burst through the door in a explosion of red glitter. And then... she began to fall. Not a controled fall, but a fast one. The red tail of ashes following her wake was the last that was seen of her as she fell through a gap in the cloud cover. Right into the abyss.
I was falling.
When I regained my consciousness I found myself falling freely, the world above the clouds nothing more than a dream as I stared at the grey dark clouds above my head. I was so close to the ground now... the true ground. I could see the brown, grey and black landscape of the wasteland below. I grunted, bleeding from so many wounds, fluttering my wings on a vain attempt to stop my fall. I gasped from exertion, and then finally managed to slow down.
That was all I could do, only control the speed, not the direction or movement which sadly, right now were directly towards the ground. I could see the small glimpses of ponies... small shapes against the landscape. Imposible to tell if somepony was looking towards me right now.
None of my belongings remained, not even the guns I had taken in the prison. It was only me, me and just me in the Wasteland now... That was, assuming I survived the crash... Which was a bit impossible. The ground was closer... and then I saw a small lake. It wasn't a clean lake, but rather a greenish pool of mildly radioactive water. It was approaching, closer and closer... And then I saw a posibility of survival.
If I could just move a slight bit...
I grunted and began to flutter my wings ignoring the pain and the warnings from my body... Just a bit further! I was sweating and panting heavily, but then... I saw the lake approaching! I had made it! I had---
The water felt like a wall of concrete. I am sure I might have screamed, because I felt all the air being punched out from my lungs in bubble streams. The water quickly invading my insides, and then I felt my body hit the bottom. Only with enough strenght to make me feel like if I had fallen through a set of stairs. I knew a small bit of swimming because of the recreational water parks up there. So I thrashed, struggled, and finally broke to the surface. I coughed and threw some water, thrashing towards the lake's border.
I felt the rough, dirt floor under my hooves and with a final effort, I pulled myself into the river border. I coughed, resting on my side which proved to be a terrible idea when the mark on my flanks burned in pain. I screamed and then rested on my belly, like I had done before... The world slowly becoming a blurring motion...
I was alive! Marked... and probably dying now though... But... I was still alive...
I don't know how much did I lay there, coughing water out and bleeding... But then... I saw something. A dark grey blotch moving in my blurring vision... I grunted. This would probably be a hungry mutant monster, hungry, that had smell my blood. I waited... closing my eyes and curling myself up defensively... And then I fainted, falling unconscious.
TO BE CONTINUED...
