Author's Note
Hey, everyone. Welcome back. Having watched Not Asking for Trouble, I got the idea for this story one morning at work and worked on pretty much the whole thing while I worked. This is a little dark, but it just seemed to fit. Hope you enjoy.
Ranger.
Choosing to Live
Ember exhaled as she leaned her head back, taking in the late morning air. She lifted her cup, taking the final sip of her drink before standing and tossing it into the nearby trash bin. "See ya, Marco." She waved at the stallion behind the counter of the vending cart.
"See ya, Miss Frost. Try to keep that boyfriend of yours in line, will ya?" the pale blue stallion said with a laugh.
The white earth pony laughed as she opened the door to her patrol car. "Hey, I already have one job, y'know." She laughed and waved as she got in the car. She reached for the mic as she buckled her seat belt. "34-Bravo to dispatch, show me 10-8." She heard the dispatcher acknowledge and put the car in drive, pulling out onto the road.
"34-Bravo?"
Ember cast a glance at the mic and picked it up. "34-Bravo, go ahead."
"34, commander requests for you to switch to channel 4. Urgent request," the dispatcher notified.
"34, acknowledged." She reached down and switched the tuner to channel 4. "34-Bravo." Channel 4 was a channel designated for urgent situations and private conversations only. Only the one radio at the station and any unit on that channel could converse.
"Captain."
She knew the voice. It was the commander of the force of her division. As well as her boyfriend. "Commander."
"We've got a situation. A pilot was flying over the mountains near Yakyakistan and..." He paused. "It's gone."
"Wait... What? How the heck can an entire village be gone?" she asked.
"Snow. There was an avalanche. They just reported it a few minutes ago. We've been asked to form a search and rescue team and head out there."
"Did the pilot see anyone?"
"They couldn't tell. Too much snow. That's why they're sending us in. Word was sent to Commissioner Blade. He wants us to head up there and check for survivors and provide any aid we can."
"On my way back. I'll be there ASAP."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. He knew how she felt about the concept of things like this. She was strong, that he didn't doubt. But he didn't like the idea of her seeing death. She hated seeing it herself. And although she still put on a brave front and made it through, he knew she was struggling inside.
There was a brief moment of silence. She wondered if it was something she should, could do. But since the commander was going, she didn't want him doing it alone. "Yeah. I'll be back there shortly."
"Are you sure about this?"
"Yes, sir. Heading back to HQ. Will rendezvous there."
"we are you? How fast can you get back to HQ?"
"I'm five minutes out."
"Alright. I'll prep the team and have everything ready. Meet me on the helipad after you're geared up."
"Acknowledged, sir." Ember's face firmed. She took a quick glance around her then turned the car around. Switching on the overheads and siren, she raced back to the station.
The car rolled into the parking lot of Ranger HQ, nearly skidding to a stop in the parking spot. The white mare got out of the car and made her way into the station, sprinting most of the way. She ran into the locker room and flung open her locker. Taking off her blue shirt, black pants, belt and holster, she grabbed her thick black pants, black boots, and quickly put on her black coat. She grabbed a blue beanie, backpack, belt, and other rescue equipment. Before closing the door, she paused, looking at the picture of her and Blitz she kept inside, and the little wooden cross she kept next to it. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then closed the door.
She exited the stairway out onto the helipad. The large black helicopter was already ready to take off, its rotors spinning in the air. She walked closer to Blitz who stood talking to two other Rangers near the chopper.
The other two rangers boarded as Ember walked up to Blitz, giving a salute. "Ready, sir."
"You sure you want to do this?" he asked.
She took a breath, her eyes catching the Ranger logo on the tail of the helicopter. She turned back to him, giving a nod. "Yeah. Let's go."
He examined her. He knew she wasn't one hundred percent sure, but then he knew she'd go anyway. "Hey, just between us... I'm not ready either." He gave a slight smile, and she gave one as well.
"Thanks." She climbed inside the chopper and he followed, the large door sliding shut behind. "Alright, let's go!" she ordered.
The engine revved as the helicopter lifted off the roof. As it pitched forward, it flew off in the direction of Yakyakistan.
XXX
The cold, snowy mountains had an eerie calm to them. Nothing otherworldly. Just quiet. Deathly quiet. The landscape was beautiful in all honesty. Wasn't the first time she'd been in the mountains. A couple of times situations called for her to be there. But there were also a couple of times she and Blitz just went there to admire the beauty. And to snowmobile.
"Any chance they'll be okay?"
The voice from Sharp brought her train of thought back to the reality around them.
There was a sigh from Blitz as he stared out the window. "It's hard to say..."
Ember looked at him before casting a glance back out the window on her side. She knew Blitz. And she knew herself. They hoped there would be survivors, but it was uncertain until they arrived. The avalanche could have happened in the night when the yaks were sleeping, or it could have happened during the day and they had time to evacuate. Her face turned back to Sharp and Razor. "Whatever we find, we take care of. We aid survivors and..." She sighed. "...search for missing yaks if need be."
"And if some didn't make it?" Razor asked.
"We bury them," Blitz answered with a heavy air in his voice. "Yaks are strict when it comes to their ways, to their culture. They want to be buried near their village."
"We're nearing Yakyakistan," the pilot announced.
Ember felt the large helicoptor pitch and slow. She tried to mentally and emotionally prepare herself. She took a deep breath, her gaze becoming more stern. "Coms on. Stay in contact. Don't stray too far from the team unless you notify us. Watch out for ledges, pits and more avalanches."
"Ma'am!" Sharp and Razor said in unison.
"Get us as close as you can, Arrow," Blitz told the pilot. The point was to have as easy an access as they could to supplies and to evacuate or make transport.
"Sir!" Arrow slowed the chopper as it lowered to the ground outside the gates to the village.
The helicopter pitched rearward, the tail tire coming to a rest in the snow before the other two tires touched down. The engine shut down, the rotors beginning to slow as the team unbuckled themselves and grabbed their gear. The door slid open as the four jumped out into the snow.
Except for the whirring of the engine, silence.
The rescue team looked around before advancing to the large wooden wall. The front door was already opened halfway, with snow having forced it open and now created a slope leading upward.
Blitz started up the slope with Ember following alongside. The other two members behind them. When they reached the top of the slope, the devastation became clear.
The whole village was buried. Only a couple of of the tips of the huts were visable while the rest were buried. No tracks were visible from where the group stood. It was then that they noticed brown peeking out from some mounds of snow. Ember let out a gasp as hard realization hit her.
"That's a yak!" She and Blitz ran over to one of the mounds of snow while the other two ran over to another. Ember and Blitz started frantically sweeping snow off the body of the yak, and when the face was revealed, Ember's heart sank as she froze.
It was the body of a yak child, laying on its side under the snow.
Her stomach lurched, her blood going cold. Getting her bearings, she reached to roll the child to administer CPR but the moment she touched the body all hope was gone.
It was frozen stiff. The fur was frozen, and the body was cold as ice. She slowly reached a shaking hoof up to the side of its neck and felt for a pulse, but her fears were confirmed. Nothing. It had frozen to death. She clenched her eyes shut as she withdrew her hoof. "Son of a..."
Blitz stepped closer and moved a hoof around her. "There's nothing we can do..."
"I know..." came her soft voice. "It's just... Jeez..." She pulled herself together as best she could and spoke into the mic. "We're..." She sighed. "...gonna need a body bag..." She turned to the other two Rangers that were checking another body. "Check all the bodies. There might be survivors."
"They must have thought they could hold out but it snowed again," Blitz guessed.
"If they would have just called for help..." Ember muttered, looking back to the yak child before turning away. "We could have helped them." She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Come on. We need to search for anyone still alive."
After about a half hour of searching and digging around in the snow, all the bodies of the villagers had been unearthed. And with each one, hope of survivors diminished. No one was alive. Or so they thought.
"Got a survivor!" Sharp shouted into the mic. Ember and Blitz looked up to see him waving and ran over to him. When they got to the unburied yak they were shocked to see the leader of the village.
"Prince Rutherford!" Ember knelt down to him as Razor and Sharp worked to free him from the snow.
"Snow... covered village..." he said quietly, his voice having a slight shiver to it.
"Hang on, we'll get you out," she said as she raised up and started helping to get him up.
"Yak's don't... need ponies help..."
"Yeah, well, tough," she said, helping to lift him from the snow. "Arrow, we've got a survivor! Start the chopper for emergency evac to Colton Medical Center."
"Roger that!" came Arrow's voice.
"Prince can... move..." the prince said as he stood on his own hooves. Though it was clear he was weak.
The Rangers escorted the yak leader toward the entrance. Climbing down the snowy incline, the Rangers loaded Rutherford into the chopper. Blitz closed the door before the engine of the helicopter revved, lifting the bird into the sky.
Ember sighed as she pulled off her beanie, laying it in the seat next to her. Razor examined Rutherford for injuries before leaning back in his seat next to the prince.
"Status report," Ember said, her voice lacking the sterness it usually had.
"All yaks were found," Sharp said. "But no survivors."
Ember leaned back, lifting her head up. She cast a glance at Rutherford who sat in the seat in silence, his head drooped a bit. She couldn't see his eyes due to his fur, and wondered if he really even knew what was going on. She sighed before lifting a hoof to key her mic. "Captain Frost to HQ. We're en route to Colton Medical with Prince Rutherford." She paused before continuing. "No other survivors found... We're going to need assistance for pickup." She lowered her hoof as she looked at the prince. She eyed him for a moment.
He just sat in silence.
"What happened?" Blitz asked.
"Avalanche. Snow covered village."
"Were you buried in the snow?" Blitz asked.
The prince shook his head. "Yaks make it out of snow. We wait until snow melted."
"Why didn't you send for help?" Ember asked.
"Yaks don't ask for help," was his stoic reply.
Her hoof clenched slightly as an eye narrowed. "What do you mean you don't ask for help? You needed medical attention. You would have froze to death if we hadn't come along."
Rutherford still remained in the same seating position. "Yaks don't ask for any help. Yaks do fine on own."
She tensed. Her eyes narrowed more now, and she felt her blood beginning to boil. "Yeah, you seemed to be doing just fine. What is it with you and this not asking for help crap? Sometimes you need to ask for help!" Her voice was a higher pitch now.
Blitz looked at her. He knew this was getting to her and rightfully so. She had every right to be upset.
"Yaks don't need to ask for help. Yaks don't need anypony's help."
Her teeth gritted. "Listen here..." She raised a hoof and got off her seat.
"Em..." Blitz reached for her but she shrugged off his extended hoof.
"No, Blitz. Sorry, but I have to say this." She turned back to the yak as she stood before him. "Listen here, you stubborn bastard... Because of your 'not wanting to ask for help' bull crap, everyone in your village is dead. All of them froze to death because of your stubbornness! And you can still sit here and say everything is fine?!" She turned, her hoof thumping hard against the wall to keep her from punching the prince. She panted a little, collecting herself. "I don't give a crap if you are the prince of Yakyakistan, you had a responsibility to protect and lead your village and now..." She turned to him. "You lead them all to their own death." She inhaled deeply. "We could have saved them. Had you have called for help we could have saved them and your village." She closed her eyes as she shook her head, trying to calm herself. She lifted a hoof to her head as she thought. She took her seat next to her commander again. "You're going to Colton Medical Center in Colton, Neighvada. Is there anyone we can get in contact with?"
"...No others..." Ruthorford's voice was softer than normal.
"Surely you've got some other family elsewhere," she said.
He finally moved, shaking his head. Albeit slightly. "No one." A moment of silence past before he spoke again. "Pony is right... Prince is stubborn." He looked out the window as the snowy mountains past by. "My village... Other yaks... Prince kill all of village."
Even though he had done what he had, she still wouldn't wish this on anyone. Not even her worst enemies. "Look... The snow can be moved and the village rebuilt."
The prince continued to look out the window. Then she watched as his head lowered slightly, and her blood ran cold as her eyes widened. She knew he was looking at the handle to the door.
"Prince was too stubborn to ask for help... Prince deserves to freeze." He dove for the door.
Ember jumped from her seat and grabbed his hoof, trying with all her strength to keep him from grabbing the handle. "What the heck are you thinking?!"
"Prince deserves to freeze!"
"No you don't!" She grunted as she pulled back on his hoof with all her strength.
By now, Blitz, Razor and Sharp had already grabbed hold of the prince and were trying to pull him back. But even with the four of them the brute strength of the yak was proving to be too much.
"Arrow, take us down!" Blitz ordered.
The pilot glanced back to see the commotion and started frantically looking for a place to land, but there were no safe places. He opted to just get as close as he could, but first he had to clear the mountains. "There's nowhere to land!"
The prince struggled to grab the handle as the Rangers struggled to keep him from it.
"I deserve this..."
"No you don't!" Ember managed to angled herself to look at him. "You're still alive, that's gotta mean something! Don't just throw it away!" It was at that moment she saw a tear roll down his cheek.
"Forgive me." He flung the group to the other side of the chopper, all thudding against the door. The prince grabbed the door and slid it open.
Ember shook her head from the impact and looked up, seeing the yak on the brink of death's door. "No! Don't!"
The prince turned back. "Prince don't need pony's help." He stepped out the door.
"No!"
As the prince stepped out of the door and started to fall, Ember managed to lunge toward him and grab hold of his hoof, keeping him from falling to his death. Behind her, Blitz, Razor and Sharp had also grabbed hold of the yak and Ember.
"Listen..." Ember began, gritting through the burning pain in her arm. Even with the other Rangers holding him, he was still heavy. And she felt like her arm would rip clean off. "You screwed up. Everyone makes mistakes. But some also deserve a second chance! Don't you want to be given that chance?"
The prince looked down at the snowy landscape under him as he dangled in the air. He looked back up at the Rangers once last time. "Yak doesn't deserve second chance." With that, he let go.
"Nooo!" Ember tried grabbing for him but it was too late. The four rangers watched as the yak fell. Ember looked away to avoid the horrific. She didn't see as his body hit the mountainside with a thud, his body rag-dolling down the mountainside as he caused an avalanche on the mountain he hit. His body soon disappeared under the barrage of snow, that now being his final resting place.
Blitz sighed heavily as he leaned sat back in the floor of the chopper. He heard a thud and turned to see his captain, and girlfriend, next to him. Her eyes were clenched shut, teeth were gritted, and he knew she had just pounded the floor.
"...That... selfish, stubborn bastard..." She looked up, anger and sadness burning in her eyes. "Doesn't he-...Didn't he know how precious life is? How much you should cherish it?" Her tone softened as she lowered her head.
Blitz moved an arm around her as he consoled her. "He didn't think like we do. He never knew the value of it."
Ember turned her face into him as she allowed her tears to fall.
Blitz closed his eyes as Razor closed the door. "Arrow. Take us home."
XXX
A conference was held later that night as the Rangers stood by the mayor. During the broadcast, he explained that there had been no survivors in the village, and a moment of silence was given for all of the yaks. A candle light vigil was held shortly after in honor of the yaks. The Rangers explained to the mayor about the prince's suicide, and all agreed to have that omitted from the conference. It was better people think it was the avalanche instead of a suicide.
Ember stood in front of the wall adorned with candles and pictures of the yaks. Flowers, and even a few teddy bears lay at the foot of the wall. She held a candle herself. She looked along the wall with a heavy sigh. This is not how things were supposed to be. She became a Ranger to protect, to help. Yet here were pictures of the one's she couldn't save at her hooves.
"Hey."
She turned to see Blitz standing next to her, holding a candle as well.
She gave a light half smile. "Hey."
"How ya holding up?"
She turned back to the pictures. "Good as I'll ever be, I guess."
"We did all we could," he reminded her. "There's nothing else we could have done."
She sighed. "I know. I just... If he hadn't been so stuck in his old ways we wouldn't be here right now."
"Don't blame yourself. He wanted to die. We couldn't have saved him. Even if we had've gotten him to the hospital he would have offed himself another way."
"Yeah. I know."
He moved an arm around her and she leaned into him. "What we do isn't easy. There will be times like this."
"We just have to push through and focus on the good we can do. On those we can save." She looked up at him. "And we push through it together."
He smiled. "You know I've got your back."
She smiled back. "And I've got yours." She cast a glance up to the sky for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I was wrong."
"Hm?" He looked at her.
She looked up at him. "I'm gonna be okay."
END