Soldiers: Skyfall

AN: This chapter is going to be written slightly differently than the others. After this chapter things will return to their original format.

I want to be clear in that this was the first time I ever left Zebrica, in fact this was the first time I ever really left my home in Holen. I mean, I occasionally went to the next town over for work. But for the most part I just stayed in Holen.

I wasn’t like my brother who desired more than the small town life. No he had dreams of the big city, probably from those stories he read. I never understood it but I always focused on the work that needed doing whether it was my schooling or training. Not daydreaming.

I honestly was not surprised when my brother took his life savings and announced he was moving to the city…..it did not go over well with our father.

Do not get me wrong, our Father was good. I do not think I ever heard him raise his voice once in my entire life and he did support us in our endeavors such as when I chose to drive the town's ambulance rather than work in his store. But my Brother…..he was young….barely 20 and like me never left home. He only had the stories about life in the city and our Father wanted him to stay and save more money in case things did not go well.

My brother would not hear of it and left the house with his bags and life savings.

He did not speak to us again till our Father became sick. I think my brother kept in contact with his friends so he knew what was happening as one day shortly after Father got back from the hospital, honestly one of the most terrifying runs I had ever done bringing my own father to the hospital.

Anyways a few days after father was released from the hospital we received a letter postmarked from Manehattan containing some bits with a letter written in my brother’s hoofwritng simply saying “This is all i can spare, i will try to send more when able.”

These letters arrived infrequently and with various amounts of bits and while it wasn't a lot it did help ease things.

When Father passed i decided to write the address on the letter and after the 4th attempt i received a reply and confirmed it was brother.

We talked this way for months and I learned that my brother's dreams of big city life had gone as our Father had predicted in that he ended up losing his money and feared he would not be allowed back do to how he left.

I didn't have the heart to tell him that our Father waited to hear from him, even saved some money back in case he ended up needing it.

My Brother had worked various jobs till he was able to pay his way to Equestria in hope he could make it there better than he did in the city of Leri and he was doing better in a new city, ironically working n a store much like he did in his youth and was much appreciated by the owners and co-workers, even becoming the assistant manager something he was proud of.

It seems he had tempered his dreams of becoming a bigshot in the city and his life was now working out.

After many letters he invited me to visit sometime if able or him visit me.

I knew it would be better if I went to visit him what with his job and all as well as the issues with how he left.

So I saved up a bit of money, already had a decent amount but I did not want to fully deplete my savings, poor decision making that.

I then took the bus to the city and then boarded a plane for Manehattan.

I must say my brother described the city but it did not do it justice, calling a city the century of Equestrian Art i thought was just boasting but you have many art museums, galleries, statues and all manner of things for artists. The city was a monument to the arts.

My brother met me at the airport and to say it was awkward would be quite the understatement.

The last time I saw my brother he had been storming out of the house with his head full of his dreams.

He was always slightly larger than an average Zebra, he was naturally strong. but now he was still large but now he seemed….calmer…..more focused…..he honestly reminded me much of our Father.

He took me to his apartment and we talked about manything, his life, home, friends both new and old, my job, his job. Most everything late into the night, i will admit, i had brought some Dawso Fire liquor with me, a taste of home since i know that brand isn't imported and as i thought it was much delighted by my brother.

We did eventually sleep, my brother giving me his bed, insisting when I protested but he would not have it as he slept on the couch.

The next day was his day off so he showed me a few of the local areas near where he lived as well as where he worked. It was a larger store than our fathers with several employees by the name of Twin Pine’s Grocery. It was a nice store with many more products than our Father’s had but it was in a city so suppose it would.

Afterwards we went out to eat at a place called Hay Burger, a very different place then what i am used to to say the least.

That night we talked about the city and since he worked the next day he encouraged me to explore the city and see the sights, warning me of the areas to avoid.

I was concerned, being a foreigner and not knowing my way around in such a large city but he assured me it would be fine, even recommended some places to see.

When morning came he was getting ready for work when i left the room, i decided to make breakfast to help and we enjoyed the meal together and he told me when he'd be off work and left.

I spent some time in the apartment but eventually decided to take his advice and see the sights he mentioned. What was the worst that could happen?

And thus I made myself a lunch and left the apartment after writing a note in case my Brother came home early.

I saw a few museums that were nearby, saw Coldstone Tower the Stadium and eventually made my way to the ferry bound for Friendship Island.

I planned to explore the statue and then have my lunch in the grass at the base before returning.

I…...was at the top when the demon’s ship settled over the city. Surrounded by multi colored ponies, families like me on vacation and seeing the sights.

Most of their children lost interest rather quickly and began to run around as the adults all looked on concerned.

And then the air force arrived. I watched the first wave of missiles, saw their smoke trail, watched them detonate harmlessly against the shield.

And then the ship opened and 100s of smaller craft came swarming out.

We were all mesmerized as we watched the battle, it was almost like a dance….

Then one of the planes….I do not know whose side it was one, crashed into the statue and the whole structure shook.

Then there were more impacts, it shook us all from our trance like state and then the panic began as parents quickly ran, gathering up their children, some ran for the elevators. They tried to pile in as tighty a they could.

I know the ground in Equestria does not shake….so you do not know the risks when it comes to building damage. But in Zebraca the ground shakes somewhat frequently so even though I was from a small town I know the risk of an elevator in a damaged building….

I shouted for them to get out of the elevator, that it wasn't safe….

I heard the groan of the metal over the ponies….the snap as it gave way….and then the elevator was gone, the winch flying past the still open doors as the elevator plummeted…..

I do not know if the elevator had emergency brakes…..i do not know if they would even be able to stop an elevator whose winch has fallen with it.

I only wish that they were at peace before they met their fate…..

With the elevator now just a void into an open shaft the remainder of us still at the top ran for the stairs.

I nearly fell several times as everyone was pushing trying to get out of the statue, there was a gaping hole in opposite one part of the stares….the burning wreckage of a jet dangling from it, thrating to fall any second.

This drove me on as if it felt the lower floor would be filled with impassable fire.

Luckily I managed to reach the bottom along with all the others where two security guards were waving tourists towards the exit, yelling for us to go to the ferries.

Normally in such situations you see shelter where you are but outside of the small security offices the statue was the only place to seek shelter and it was far too dangerous.

And so I joined the crowd as we ran out the door and back into the light.

Your air force still engaged the demons though it was significantly fewer planes and now I could hear sirens from the city. I learned later those meant for everyone to evacuate to shelters, we either couldn't hear them from the top of the statue or they started while we ran down.

I was also able to see larger aircraft descending into the city and the first column of smoke rising.

It was then i hear the crying and calls for a “mommy” and “daddy” and when I looked I saw the pegasu child stumbling through the crowd calling for her parents as ponies ran around her or just jumped over her.

I knew she would be trampled if she remained there, and not knowing where her parents were, I grabbed the tiny pegasus and threw her onto my back trying to comfort her as I ran for the docks promising her to help her find her mother and father once we were safe.

This seemed to calm her as she held my nec tightly as I ran, soon reaching the docks there were more security guards ushering ponies up the gangplanks of the three ferries.

From what I saw the feries move back and forth taking tourists from the island and back….these three must have only just arrived at the island before the demons attacked else we would be trapped.

I ran up, more was pushed by the crowd, up the gangplank and moved towards the front of the ferry to find somewhere me and the child could avoid the stream of ponies.

It did not take long to find a space and i finally sat, the child’s face buried in my neck as she held on as tight as she could, i managed to coax her to let go with the lunch i had made for myself by the time the ferry launched she was sitting beside me quietly eating part of the sandwich as tear still ran down her face.

I did my best to comfort her as I looked around to see if anyone was looking for their child….i could only assume they ended up on one of the other ferries.

It was at this point I noticed the ferries were turning away from the city and out towards the sea where parts of your navy was arriving and engaging the demons with their weapons.

I questioned if somehow the Gods above had decided to end the world by unleashing an army of demons upon it as by the point the air force was gone by this point, either destroyed or retreated, i did not know which.

As I watched the ships engaging the demons I felt a small tug on my hoof and looked down at the child who was looking up at me with ehr big blue eyes.

IT the quietest noise ever, one rarely heard over the murmur of all the other ponies she said she needed to go to the bathroom.

I looked around and eventually spotted the sign for the ferries restroom and picked her up. Looking back this is probably what saved our life as I do not know what would have happened if we had still been at the front of the ferry.

I am not fully sure what exactly happened, supposedly the demons fired on the ferries.

All I know is one moment I was picking up the child after she came out of the bathroom and the next I was sailing through the air with her landing in the water.

I panicked at first not knowing how I went from being on the deck of a boat to suddenly being in the water but I soon got my head on straight and swam for the surface.

When…. I broke the surface I truly thought the world was ending….there was fire everywhere and screams from places i could not see beyond the flames and smoke.

I began to look for a way to escape the burning water when I remembered the child and knew she would be too young to swim on her own and dove below the water.

It did not take long to spot her flailing below the water trying to swim and I swam towards her. She was panicking and fought me once I grabbed her and swam towards the surface.

Once we broke the surface she calmed down as she clung to me as I looked for somewhere to go..anywhere.

I found no where….we were far from land. Still I had no choice but to try and I began to swim, diving below the fires and swimming. I saw other doing the same and...others who were no longer with us, I shielded the child from them as she did not need to see as she was already terrorized enough.

I was an okay swimmer, but I had never had to swim like that. I am not sure how long I swam for but the land barely got closer and I began to grow tired. My limbs grew slower and heavier and started dropping below the water.

Eventually I could not keep myself or the child above the water and I began to sink thinking this was my end and that I had failed to save the child.

Darkness was taking me when I felt myself rising up. It was my time to meet my maker….and then air filled my lungs before I was dropped onto hardwood.

When I coughed up the water from my lungs and found a unicorn pony in one of the finest tailored sailors uniforms I had ever seen.

“Easy there, take slow breaths.” The stallion said.

I saw other ponies in the same fine uniforms pulling others from the water under the watchful eye of a mare in one of the most expensives dresses I had ever seen with two large stallions ebsider her as she directed the sailors.

I soon realized I had been pulled onto a yacht and the crew was pulling others from the water.

I quickly looked for the child and found her being tended to by a mare and I quickly moved over to her. She wasted no time in grabbing me and holding me tightly.

As I comforted her I looked out and saw other boats pulling ponies from the water rather than making their way to safety they had stopped to help.

Soon all they could find were pulled from the water and the crew quickly moved to secure what they had to as they also tended to those of us they pulled from the water.

I looked back at the city as we departed and I could not help but wonder what happened to my brother…

I wondered this as I held the child as the city became smaller and smaller in the distance….and then the wave came…..