Fallout: Equestria - Shadow War

by CJN

Rating: mature
Tags: Anthology, Kirins, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Storm King, Drama, Changelings, Crystal Ponies, Profanity, Adventure, Griffons, Violence, Crossover, Death, Fallout
Length: 5694

A series of short stories set during the Great War.

The Great War was a decades-long militarized conflict between two global superpowers, the pony nation of Equestria and an unnamed zebra nation with whom it shared a border. Equestria was forced into a rushed industrial revolution as the two superpowers raced to outdo each other in the fields of arcane science, industry, and wartime technology.

That's what everypony believed. As time has shown, the past has many secrets, some of which tend to be forgotten.

Other factions emerged during the conflict. Some took advantage of the chaos Equestria had fallen into and gained power, others were formed to protect their homeland and people, a few were forced, and there were those who simply wanted to tear it all down and start anew.

One individual made certain these forces were erased from the history books, so their stories were never told, until now.

Published 2024-01-09 11:40:01 UTC
Last updated 2024-04-11 05:04:40 UTC

Containment Breach

Containment Breach

"You treated me like a piece of hardware instead of a living being!"

Location: Maripony

Year: Unknown

ALERT! THE SUBJECT HAS BREACHED CONTAINMENT. ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO YOUR ASSIGNED STATIONS!

The experiment landed in a heap of medical fluid and shattered glass. He shot up with a gasp, sputtering and coughing up phlegm as he struggled to stand up. Being covered in the liquid from the vat made it extremely hard to find footing. Spotting a railing, he worked to maneuver towards it, ignoring the glass pieces digging into him.

REPEAT! THE SUBJECT HAS BREACHED CONTAINMENT. ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO YOUR ASSIGNED STATIONS! LOCKDOWN PROCEDURES SHALL BEGIN SHORTLY.

"No.."

The experiment felt a sudden surge of adrenaline and lunged towards the railing. He managed to propel himself forward, if only briefly as he then slipped and slid across the floor. He would've slid through the rail had his horn not caught on the top, giving him time to grab hold and brace himself. With great difficulty, he was finally standing on all four legs.

It was at that moment that he realized his head was throbbing. He winced and inhaled sharply as he rubbed his head, the base of his horn felt particularly sensitive. No doubt it was the aftermath of yesterday's session. He couldn't even begin to count how many spells and examinations his horn went through. It didn't help that the doors to the room flew open seconds later.

"There he is!" He heard a voice cry out while several pairs of hoofsteps entered the room. "Surround him!"

No. Not now.

He staggered back, his legs still weak. His eyes darted left to right and vice versa as several ponies of various species in security uniforms moved to block his escape.

"He's disorientated," a unicorn remarked. "This shouldn't be too hard."

"Did you forget what this facility is for, rookie?" An older, gruffer earth pony snapped. "Have all of you forgotten what he is?!"

"Where are the sedatives?" A third asked. "We need to take him down before he injures himself or others.

Stay away. Don't come near me!

The experiment stumbled back as several of the unicorns levitated syringes full of a white liquid, nearly losing his balance from slipping. He needed to get out.

"Woah, Woah, Woah," a pegasus havering above him tried to reassure him with a calm voice. "Easy there, friend. We're not going to hurt you."

"No point in being friendly," the unicorn closest to him commented. "He's more like a weapon if anything. Let's just get this over with."

The pony advanced on him, a syringe floating beside them aimed at the experiment's neck.

His eyes widened. "NO!"

His horn faintly glowed, only for it to immediately go out as he buckled and let out a blood-curdling cry of pain. Obviously, he still needed to recover.

Several of the guards backed away in surprise at the scene in front of them. It was the first time they heard him talk. Of course, in their defense, they were never truly present during his growth and training sessions. They mainly observed him through hidden cameras. The Ministry Mare made it clear only herself and specifically selected unicorns would be present in the same room as him whenever he was let out of his vat.

Something clattered to the floor beside him. He turned to see the unicorn who had approached now holding a dumbfounded look on its face. In the confusion, their spell had dissipated, allowing the syringe to hit the floor. Not wanting this opportunity to go to waste, he used whatever strength he could find to turn and buck them square in the face.

Then came the rest of the guards. Some pulled out weapons, a couple moved to cover their wounded companion, who was clutching desperately as teeth bleeding snout, even a few teeth had fallen out. Others moved as though they were going to tackle him, but kept their distance when he moved to snarl and glare at them. Even the pegasus didn't dare get too close.

"He's like a rabid diamond dog," one commented as they got into a defensive position. "Why in Tartarus would the MInistry Mare even consider making a monster like this?!"

"Don't ask me," a unicorn, who was levitating a stun baton, responded. "There's no way we're taking this freak out easily!"

They call me a monster, a freak. As if any of them know what a true monster is. I do. I was created by one.

Every time he slept he saw her eyes. Cold. Uncaring. And, no matter how hard he tried when it came to training, there was always a third emotion in those orbs. Dissatisfaction. She never missed a beat when it came to voicing how disappointed she was with his results.

The alarm suddenly cut out, and a new voice came over the speakers.

"Have you forgotten my orders? I distinctly said I wanted him to be properly sedated without being damaged! If none of you can properly follow this command, then I'll deal with him myself."

It was her voice.

No... I won't let her control me again!

"Uh, sir?"

The security ponies all turned to see the experiment had once again buckled. He was gritting his teeth as a few tears leaked from his closed eyes, but that wasn't what scared them. What scared them was the faint red-violet light coming from his horn, only unlike this time, this wasn't didn't go out, and it grew brighter with each passing second.

"That isn't good."

"What's he doing?!"

"Hit him with the sedative! NOW!

One unicorn broke out of his confusion, swiftly levitated two syringes, and rushed toward the experiment, but it was too late. The experiment, opened his eyes, both now glowing with the same light coming from his horn.

"Everypony get down!" The gruff guard shouted as he tackled the charging unicorn out of the experiment's line of sight.

Another cry escaped from the experiment. Not a cry of pain, but of sorrow and anger. At the same time, the light around the horn, now so bright that it nearly filled the room, exploded, sending out a shockwave of magical aura. The glass of the vats and windows was shattered, terminals exploded, and guards and medical equipment were sent flying.

For a short while, the room was mostly silent. If one was there, one could hear the faint sparks and tiny electrical fires coming from the destroyed machines. Other sounds included the medical fluid from vats dripping through the grates of the floor along with the blood slowly seeping out of the numerous corpses now peppered throughout the room. The loudest sound among them had to be the heavy breathing coming from the experiment, shaking not only from the use of such a powerful spell but also from the damage and death it caused.

Which was what he was born to do.

He flinched as the pegasus from before tumbled down from the ceiling and landed in front of him, twisted and unmoving. The shock that the experiment was experiencing kept him in place long enough to get a good look at the dead pony.

She was a mare with a jasmine-colored coat and a mane and tail colored tiffany blue. Her eyes were a shade of turquoise, while her cutie mark was three raindrops. Two of her legs, along with her wings, were twisted and bent in ways that were anything but natural as blood slowly seeped from protruding bones. The experiment could not help but take a step back upon noticing one of her eyes was staring up at him the other had rolled to the back of her head. The sight truly disturbed him.

He had taken her life, along with the rest of the ponies that accompanied her. All of them snuffed out in a matter of seconds. The more he stared at the corpse, the heavier his breathing got.

"Get- get it together."

He shook his head rapidly. There wasn't time to pity them, nor should he have to. Not when they were working for her. Using a dry spell on himself, he quickly rushed towards the door. It was now or never.

Subject A-001 is loose in the facility! Repeat: Subject A-001 is loose in the facility!

Being stationed as a guard at Maripony protecting a classified project conducted by the Element of Magic herself sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That's what Rare Find originally thought at first, but as time dragged on, the less he believed it. Hardly anything ever happened during his patrols, the only action he ever saw was that once in a while a few diamond dogs would attempt to sneak into Splendid Valley and would have to be chased off.

The brown unicorn never understood why they would keep coming back to this place. He could understand it was once their home, but all the gems had been mined out, and it wasn't hard to see that both the Valley and the mine below were now filled with hazardous materials and poisons that had been generated in the facility. Anyway, removing the diamond dogs was hardly challenging. All in all, every day was pretty much dull.

Until now.

The Ministry Mare's experiment had broken free and killed several guards. When the orders came through requesting Rare Find's team to assist in capturing and sedating it he couldn't help but feel excited. Finally! A chance to see some real action that could get his blood pumping! Or so he thought.

Shots echoed through the corridors as the team rushed to the experiment's last reported location. Evidently, the other teams involved gave up on trying to sedate it. No doubt they'd all be facing the Element's wrath once this was all over. The shots grew closer as they turned left down one of the hallways, but what they saw rounding the corner at the other end of the hall caused them to slow their pace in confusion.

It was one of the other patrols, tripping over themselves in their struggle to flee whatever was coming.

"Get out of my way!" One cried out as he rushed through Rare Find's team. "That thing's a fucking monster!"

A sudden flash of green dragged Rare Find's attention from the fleeing pony. He turned to see a few more ponies round the corner, one was being supported by another, while a third dropped the rifle they were holding in their haste. Rare then took notice of two others at the far back, they were slowly backing away while staring down the adjacent hallway their companions retreated from. One was a unicorn wildly firing green blasts of magic toward whatever was following them, while the other was a limping pink earth pony with a yellow mane.

"Cherry Berry?" One of Rare's teammates called out to her over the blasts.

The earth pony quickly whipped her head in their direction. Rare FInd felt his blood run cold upon seeing the terror in her eyes. "Turn back, turn back!"

Out of nowhere, the limp body of another pony collided with her and the unicorn, slamming both of them into a wall. Rare Find and the others flinched, with a couple taking a step or two back. Even the retreating ponies froze in fear. They all stared at the unconscious forms of their fellow guards as a series of hoofsteps grew closer and closer. As the experiment rounded the corner, Rare Find felt his jaw drop as the blue aura holding his stun baton up dissipated, the weapon went unnoticed as it clattered on the floor.

The experiment was an Alicorn.

A damn Alicorn.

"Open fire!" The pony who dropped his rifle earlier cried out as he tripped over himself. "Kill it, kill it!"

Rare Find didn't know who fired first and it didn't matter. Almost instantly, the experiment's horn projects a shield of red-violet energy. Dozens of bullets disintegrated against the light as soon as they were in contact while he slowly approached them. The panicking pony could only wail in horror as he got to his hooves and ran, brushing against a levitating rifle, and causing several bullets to find different targets, one of them was, unfortunately, the eye of the wounded pony, whose brains exploded out of the new hole in the back of their head.

Their friend barely had seconds to react as the body slumped out of their grip to the floor before they were enveloped by a red-violet aura. They were then unceremoniously slammed into the wall and flung behind the Alicorn. Whether the impact killed them nopony could tell, nor did they have time to.

The alicorn kept advancing, and nothing Rare Find's team threw at him was enough to slow his pace. Rare could do nothing, but watch as the experiment took out his teammates if they were too close, one by one. One was slammed into the ceiling and then slammed back down, another had their neck twisted 180 degrees, and a third was forcibly thrown to the ground, with a panel from the ceiling immediately crushing him. Having forgotten the gun he dropped, Rare had been forced to rely on whatever spells his horn could cast.

To say he was scared was an understatement. The thing he was supposed to capture was a freaking Alicorn! How was that even possible? Not only that but said Alicorn was currently slaughtering everypony in its path without breaking a sweat. He honestly did not believe he was going to survive this night, but if he did, he'd immediately put in a request for a transfer first thing in the morning.

After witnessing another pony meet a grisly end, one of his remaining teammates, Spiral Snatch, moved as far back as he could while activating the radio in his helmet. "The experiment's too strong! We're getting ripped apart in here!"

Over the chaos in the hall, Rare could barely hear the crackle of the radio's response. Luckily, it was distinguishable enough for Spiral to hear.

"We need to fall back for now. They're going to activate the blast doors!"

The team's brief acknowledgment of the order gave the experiment the opportunity he needed to rip their remaining guns away from them.

"Move, move!"

Rare Find turned to follow his team as they fled, only to feel something forcibly slam him to the ground. As he struggled to stand, an unknown force suddenly affixed to his throat.

After cutting through yet another blast door, the experiment stepped into what looked like the disposal room. Massive tanks dotted both sides of the room, no doubt containing was likely hazardous materials. Dozens of once brightly colored containers were lined up neatly among the tanks, bearing yellow diamond-shaped labels with dark purple warning symbols, just waiting to be filled. A similar amount of guards and scientists were waiting for him, some on the same level, others on the walkways up above.

The experiment's eyes scanned the room, weighing his options on how to escape. True, he could dispose of them all and continue on his way, but he did not know the layout of the facility. Spending at least a few more hours searching for the exit would also be a waste of time. The best option seemed to be the windows that dotted the upper level, but then again, flying up there would also be a hassle when there were the guns and spells to worry about. Again, he could deal with all that easily but surely there could be another way to leave without making an even bigger mess.

Drifting his view to the unconscious brown unicorn wrapped in his aura, he pondered what leverage he could achieve through negotiation. Perhaps the carnage he... wished he hadn't caused could be enough for them to back off and allow him to leave. He moved forward, orbiting the captive pony around him as guards readied their weapons while scientists backed away.

"Not another step!" One guard snapped as the experiment neared a stairway to one of the catwalks. "Or we'll shoot."

The experiment slowly turned to the guard, who shuffled uncomfortably under the former's gaze. He then proceeded to pause his captive's floating. Slowly turning him around similar to a foal holding up a snow globe.

"You're certainly welcome to try."

"Subject A-001." A unicorn scientist stepped forward, waving away the foreleg of a guard trying got hold her back. "Sure you must see the folly of your actions. Even if you were allowed to leave, where could you possibly go without direction? You know nothing of the world outside of Maripony, nor are you aware of the current turmoil we all face."

A-001 studied the mare. Dark purple eyes full of fear stared back, sitting behind the lenses of slightly damaged glasses. Her multicolored mane appeared disheveled, and her yellowish coat and uniform were stained with sweat and grime. He didn't know her name, but he recognized her. One of the observers who made constant notes of each session conducted by her.

Oh yes, he knew the consequences of his actions. And the damage it would do to them all.

"Direction?" Still holding the captive, he began to pace around the floor, ignoring the guards who shuffled back. "There is nowhere to go when one has no destination, and it's clear you all know what's best for me."

He stopped, a frown etching itself across his face as he turned back to the scientist. "And I wonder, would the direction you'd give me be something as simple as "shoot to kill"?

He could almost feel the ghost of a smirk on his face as the scientist's face faltered. "I don't know what it's like outside of Maripony, but I'd rather take my chances over staying in this prison. Besides, you've all seen what I can do to those who stand in my way."

Some of the guards and scientists faintly shuddered at the tone of his voice, and the tension grew as the captive began to awake.

"Wh-wha? What's go-"

A-001 forced his mouth shut. "Quiet."

The guards quickly regained their composure.

"Put him down!"

"Last chance freak!"

"Subject A-001, please think--"

He snarled. "I said QUIET! No more talking."

The glow around A-001's horn began to brighten as he stood his ground, the pain in his head returned as small sparks sputtered from his luminous appendage. He gritted his teeth as he briefly buckled, groaning before straightening himself out. Now or never.

"Hold your fire!"

No. Not her.

A-001's eyes drifted up towards the unicorn mare coming into view at the top of the stairway. She stared back, and all he saw were those cold calculating orbs he came to hate. Like a switch, her presence elevated the pain to a whole new level, and he felt afraid. Afraid of her judgment, afraid of being sent back to the vat, afraid of... disappointing her?

He paused and everything went quiet, his mind racing. Did he still see her as--

Something struck his cheek. The unicorn was now flailing widely and screaming yet A-001 still heard nothing. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw movement and he didn't think. Without warning, the unicorn was flung towards the nearest guards, before A-001 rushed the stairway. Any ponies in his way were knocked away by either a spell from his horn or a reaction to the shield around him.

He saw her step back as he neared the top. Ignore her. Keep Moving.

When the top was reached he leapt and unfurled his wings as he aimed for a window. Freedom was within his reach. A flash of purple beneath briefly caught his attention with something striking his immediately after before he crashed through the windows.

He could feel the air greet him as he fell. For the first time today, he bore a smile on his face. In a flash of red-violet light, he was gone.

Twilight felt as though hours had passed since the breakout, she stared out the broken window lost in thought. The look of anger on his face was still fresh in her mind, and she knew it would haunt her throughout the rest of this forsaken war if not her whole life.

"Miss Sparkle?"

She blinked, turning to the unicorn approaching her. "Hm, yes?"

"We found no trace of A-001 outside of the facility. No body or blood. It's very likely he survived and fled."

Twilight found herself letting out a sigh of relief. "Good, good. Be sure to send a search party out for him, Moon Dancer. Make it clear, if he's found they are NOT to engage, just keep tabs on him for the time being."

She turned to Moon Dancer with a stern expression. "Anypony, and I mean anypony, who harms him in any way will answer to me."

"Yes, ma'am. Though it'll be a miracle if he keeps himself out of sight and trouble." Moon Dancer lifted her glasses to rub the sleep from her eye. "Ponies will ask questions the more he's seen."

"I know."

The two moved away from the window, passing the workers sent to clear and repair any damages done to the room by A-001. Steering clear of the blocked-off hallway containing the aftermath of his rampage, they eventually made their way to Twilight's office.

"I'll arrange a meeting between myself, Luna, and the other Ministry Mares," Twilight revealed as they stepped inside, moving towards her desk to sit. "A contingency will be put in place, A-001 is brilliant with magic, but his mind is still unstable."

It's not hard to see why.

"And the artificial alicorn project? Will it be put on hold?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, that's still going forward. Despite A-001's absence, we have plenty of genetic material and magic residue samples needed for the I.M.P. With enough testing, it'll be complete."

Moon Dancer nodded before adjusting her glasses. "Then with your leave, I'll go check on the status of the rest of our projects."

"Go ahead."

Twilight activated her terminal pulling up the contact information of Luna and each of the Ministry Mares. She briefly grimaced when she pulled up Pinkie Pie's info. Lately, the two had not been on the best of terms due to Pinkie's use of Party-time Mint-als. All those drugs did was make her fellow Ministry Mare more unstable and erratic. Twilight was even beginning to believe that Pinkie's mind was too far gone.

After sending out the messages, Twilight began to scour through the day's security footage. The hallway massacre was a nauseating site, with Twilight reminding herself to send out letters to the families of the deceased. Looking at the confrontation next, brought back the fear she felt the moment he rushed her. It didn't help that it was her spell that sent him out the window in a less than hospitable way, leaving her wondering if she had killed him.

She found herself looking back at the album holding the images detailing the progress of his growth. One image in particular made her eyes widen. It was herself, lying in a hospital bed disheveled and tired but with a small on her face as she looked down at the bundled-up foal in her forelegs. He was sleeping soundly with not a care in the world, unaware of what awaited him in the years to follow.

A tear streamed down Twilight's cheek as she continued to reminisce over what she lost.

"Oh, Spark. What have I done?"

Author's Note

And here is the first chapter of Shadow War, an anthology focusing on various characters both familiar and original.

If anyone has any story suggestions or ideas that'd like to see, please let me know.

I'm also not the best when it comes to details, so if any of you would like to offer some help, I'd be grateful.

Musings of an Old Soldier

Musings of an Old Soldier

"When this war ends, what happens to us?"

Location: Unknown Village

Year: 189 AGW (After the Great War)

Wind Torpedo had often considered himself a capable pony. Growing up, his parents had regaled him with stories of their family's place as an important cog within the Grand Pegasus Enclave. Upon hearing about their contributions, he never once doubted that he was born among the only pure pony race.

When the time came for him to begin his training, Torpedo fully embraced it. Finally, he had a chance to show his greatness like his ancestors. And show them he did. Time and again his fellow trainees would be utterly wiped out on either side of him. Time and again he stood among them, untouched.

He rose through the ranks, surpassing test after test. An immense feeling of satisfaction grew within him when he was finally bestowed the rank of Commander. After all, who could make a better leader than he?

The day he was approached with his first assignment was one of the happiest of Torpedo's life. A traitor to the Enclave had been found, a dashite. This one had been on the Enclave's radar for years following an attack on one of their recon missions. Torpedo relished the chance to accomplish his first mission with flying colors and the opportunity to end a betrayer to their race. With shiny new armor, powerful armaments, and a squad to lead, his future held so much promise; truly nopony had a prayer against him now.

Or so he thought.

The battered and crippled pegasus sprinted down the ruined road between the ancient pre-war structures, a far cry from the perfect warrior he claimed to be. His breath came out in ragged gasps as he fled, stumbling along the way, his eyes searching in every direction. He didn't dare stop, didn't think to consider catching his breath, despite the agonizing protests of his legs and his aching lungs.

It had all been working out so well! His squad had tracked the dashite to some remote, forgotten village with an extremely unoriginal name. Once they arrived, Torpedo and his troops mapped the village to locate perfect spots to ambush their target. One dozen of the fastest, strongest, and deadliest pegasi he trained with had each chosen a spot to take position. They were ready to strike, little did they know it was the last thing they would ever do.

Without warning, the demon struck. Ponies fell to the ground, clutching their wings as the projectiles fired from the shadows ripped through them. The javelines pierced the ground, staining it with blood.

Torpedo couldn't understand. They weren't stupid enough to announce their position, for years he and his troops had been prepared for anything below the clouds, and were given extensive knowledge of their target—one dozen molded soldiers against a single traitor past their prime.

Once shots were fired, there was no escape.

The demon set off an explosion that turned a wall into confetti, and chunks of stone rained down turning two unlucky pegasi into bloody smears on the ground. Torpedo and the remaining had opened fire immediately, a veritable wall of lead cutting through the air with the sole intention of turning the monster into a pile of blood and bone. There was one thing they hadn't counted on however, this creature was fast.

When they managed to return fire, it had already swooped down to their position. The few bullets that connected seemed to bounce off like rubber pellets.

Within a few minutes, Torpedo was shown how out of his league he truly was. He was slammed into from the side and sent careening into a wall. Maybe it was the shock keeping him from feeling it, but he knew a wing was broken.

The others, graduates and soldiers of the Enclave were mercilessly torn apart by the bastardized remnant of Equestria's foolishness. He couldn't keep his lunch down witnessing that monstrous robotic tail impale one of his original classmates, Whirlcrash; the fool screaming his lungs out as his stomach was ripped open, spilling its contents for all to see.

As the slaughter continued, Torpedo gathered what little sanity he had left and chose his only option. He fled. He galloped faster than he had ever galloped before. Facing down the strictest of teachers and equally driven cadets was one thing, but nothing compared to the sheer terrifying carnage that this thing had brought down upon them.

Tears of helpless fear streamed down his snout, as he frantically searched for anything that could provide him salvation. Despite his best efforts, all he could see were crumbled remains and forgotten bones.

After a while, he dove through an empty window. Backing into the farthest corner of the room, he struggled to catch his breath while straining his ears. There was nothing, no screams, no explosions, no gunshots, just silence.

It was looking for him.

Knowing he couldn't sit still for too long, Topedo got to his hooves and slowly moved through the building, keeping his head down the whole time. He would need a way to communicate, his radio damaged during the scuffle. As the seconds passed his thoughts turned from fear to humiliation to anger. All his achievements and he was nothing more than a ragdoll to be tossed aside by a freak of nature. Now Torpedo limped away like a bullied colt at a playard.

He gritted his teeth as thoughts of revenge filled the pegasus's mind. No, no this wasn't the end of his story! He climbed to the top once, he could do it again. He escaped from the clutches of death, he was a survivor! This was just a setback.

Any dreams or goals for the future came to a crashing halt as he entered the next room. Illuminated by the light poking through the holes in the roof, it looked to have once been a bakery. The entire place had been ransacked by whoever or whatever had passed through it before him. A few bullet holes scarred the walls, clearly a forgotten story of the wasteland.

None of this mattered as the only thing on Torpedo's mind was a single figure, sitting on a stool near the door. The glaring visor of the mask fixed him to the spot.

In that moment it was more than a monster. It had become Torpedo's angel of death. While his mind screamed at him, his legs were glued to the spot. He could hear the dashite's armor shift as its owner stood and turned to face him. As it moved by the light, his eyes widened upon realizing what weapon it had chosen.

"Wait... no..."

His pleas were ignored as the flamethrowers came to life. Torpedo fell back, a few ribs cracking, while his legs flailed to protect himself, but it was a feeble attempt to escape the inevitable. The flames slammed into him, licking at his armor.

Within moments, his armor felt red hot, and he screamed as his flesh began to burst and blister from the heat. Encased in a metal coffin, his whole body sizzled and popped. As he lay rolling in agony, his howls were eventually reduced to dying gurgles.

Wind Torpedo died in an empty room, all his ambition for glory reduced to ash by an ancient war engine.

"Mission... accomplished..."

Leaving the smoldering building behind, Azure Blaze felt the haze clear from his mind, leaving nothing but frustration and fatigue. The adrenaline dissipated as he reached home, allowing him to collapse in his armor.

"I knew they'd send more, but I had to be sure. How many does that make now, Dash?"

Counting each second, tick, tick, tick, never-ending, and never changing. Not for an old soldier like him, if he could even be called that anymore.

"They're gone now, broken and burning. I didn't stick around or hear the rattle in their windpipe, but I know they couldn't have survived."

With whatever little strength he had left, Blaze rolled onto his back, eyes staring but not searching. More seconds went by, thoughts full of questions.

"Do they believe I am truly alive? They do if they keep sending more, then again, are they certain it is me? When the great war ended, my body was never found. No one ever saw it. I've come to realize Dash, if one doesn't find a body... then the rotten stuff is what comes back."

A husk, dried up and old. That's all he was now.

"It's funny, Dash. The good can die, alone and unnoticed, and they stay dead. But the ones that wake up, what are they? Are you awake like me, Dash?"

Old, fuzzy memories began to surface. They felt like happy ones, fleeting, but there. Memories of laughs, vows, giving way to loyalty, and endless clouds. Each memory had its own unique atmosphere, but one thing existed in all of them; a rainbow that brought a faint smile to Blaze's face.

"Is it loyalty that keeps me going, Dash? Loyalty to what this world once was? Loyalty to powers that no longer exist? Was it loyalty that drove us away from each other?"

He remembered arguing, fighting, passion, sadness, and acceptance. It was the last memory that contained a rainbow.

The pegasus suddenly found himself wishing to reminisce a little longer. Rolling back over and standing up, he moved towards a dust-covered table in a sickly-looking corner. The one decoration on it was a single slipcase.

Using a nearby stone as a makeshift chair, Blaze pulled out a leather-cased journal, one full of stories and notes from a time long forgotten.

"I hope you don't mind Dash, but this old soldier wishes to read himself a story."

He flipped open the book, randomly chose a page, and began to read.

Author's Note

Chapter Two is here.

This is the first part of a small arc focusing on an OC on the run who thinks back to his time during the war.

Again, if anyone has any writing or idea suggestions I'm open to them.