Author's Note

This one is a interesting fanfic I came up with, as it's the first, but not the last, to be centered on a OC.

I really hope you guys like it. Enjoy. ^_^

How I Lost My Eye.

Classified Date and Time.

Before I begin, everyone in my squadron was a Earth pony. We flew in flying machines specifically designed for ponies. Meaning they were steered with hooves. We were known as "The Flying Earth Ponies".

I remember that day like any other. I had just signed up to the Air Force and was tasked with bomber escort over North Africa.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love flying, but escorting a group of bombers is not my speciality.

The bomber target was a Italian outpost that served as a training post for locals who wanted to join the Axis Powers.

The mission was supposed to be smooth... Supposed to being the keywords.

The moment we were above land...

"Captain Hearts! We have incoming fighters! 10 o clock high!" One of the bombers radioed me.

"Alright. Squadron, maintain formation! We need to make sure the bombers get to their targets on time!" I ordered my squadron to keep them from doing anything stupid...

That was my job.

Not long after, a squadron of German Stuka's started opening fire on our bombers.

"We're taking fire! Get those damn Stuka's off our asses!" One of the bombers ordered.

I immediately broke formation and began attacking the fighters.

I took twelve fighters down, I would've got 13 but the last one got away before I could get him in my line of sight.

"Damn it! Got away!" I swore as the fighter got away.

We eventually reached our target and the bombers began their bombing run.

"Wahooo!!! Look at those explosions! Nothing like the smell of explosives in the morning!" I exclaimed over the radio as the bombers obliterated the outpost.

"Yeah. But we lost Matchstick, Hawkeye, Lucky, and Silverbolt. Two bombers were also shot down." Mike "Techhead" Dixon, my wing pony, said over the radio.

"Damn it... Let's go- STUKA'S!!!" I exclaimed as I spotted another squadron of Stuka's approaching our position.

I immediately recognized the markings on the lead Stuka as the one I didn't shoot down. This time, he was going down hard.

"Alright. Techhead, Tagz, you take the ones on the left. Fuse, Fixer, you take the ones on the right. Rook, you're with me." I order my squadron to take new formations.

"I'm with you, Crazy 8." Rook said.

Eddie "Rook" (Short for Rookie) Gears had just joined the other day, but he could fly a airplane better than a Pegasus can fly regularly.

"Alright Rook, you're my wingpony on this. I'm trusting you to keep us both alive." I explained.

We began opening fire on the incoming fighters, taking down a large portion of them.

Rook kept me covered like I told him to. We made a great team.

"Alright Rook. Just one left. He's mine!" I ordered as I spotted the same Stuka from before and began attacking it.

The stuka returned fire and we engaged in a fierce one-on-one dogfight to the death.

Bullets punctured our fighters until, finally, both our fighters were flaming wrecks.

Both I and the German ejected from our airplanes and continued our fight on the ground.

"Ah. American Mudpony! Now we face each other like warriors!" The German taunted.

"Yeah, and only one of us will be going home!" I exclaimed as I began punching the pilot.

We exchanged blows for what seemed like forever, until the bastard pulled out a knife and started swinging it at me.

One blow slashed me across the left side of my face, permanently blinding me in my left eye and forcing me to wear a eyepatch for the rest of my life.

"Ow!!! Son of a bitch!" I swore as I grabbed my bleeding face with my hooves.

"American coward!" The German said as he dropped his knife and began beating me to a pulp.

It felt like a eternity before he finally stopped.

I was half dead and leaking blood all over the place, the German stood over me and pulled out his pistol, using his hoof to hold it at my head.

"I'm sorry, American. But, as you said, only one of us will be going home." The German said.

I closed my eye, expecting to be shot, and just relaxed.

Just as I did, I heard a gunshot and opened my eyes. The German fell to the ground with a bullet hole in his head, and behind him was Rook.

Rook helped me to my hooves and helped me stand up.

"Crazy 8, I'm glad you're alive! When you got shot down, the others thought you were dead. But I knew you survived, I remembered what you told us: Always expect the unexpected. So I landed as close to here as I could without being spotted.

The moment I saw the kraut about to kill you, I shot him first." Rook explained as he carried me away to his plane.

I don't remember much after that because I blacked out from blood loss.

I woke up the next morning in a medical tent.

"Good morning, Captain Hearts. Nice to see you're still alive." The medic said as he trotted over to my bed.

"Ugh... What happened? Last thing I remember was being taken to Rook's airplane." I said as I sat up.

"Yes, Private Gears explained the situation to me yesterday when he brought you in." The medic explains.

After a few days, I was cleared for duty because even without my left eye, I'm a dead shot.

After being cleared, I prepared for my next mission when I received news that haunts me to this day...

Eddie "Rook" Gears, age 19, was killed by a scorpion sting.... He was a good soldier, pilot, and friend.

He should have died in the sky against the enemy, not from a poisoned stinger.

Turns out, the scorpion was planted in our camp by locals working with the Axis.

One thing is certain about the entirety of this event...

I have not been the same since. It was here that my callsign became a fitting name...

Archibald "Crazy 8" Hearts, the nutcase of The Flying Earth Ponies.