Fallout Equestria: Last Days

***

“Private Cherry Rain! Are you listening?”

The cream colored unicorn mare jumped, her back going rigid as she threw her hoof up in salute. She could feel her helmet slide down another inch over her bright red mane.

“Yes—yes, sir! Sergeant Haze—sir!”

She immediately closed her eyes, fighting the urge to facehoof.

Princess fucker. Why did she always flub the response?

Looking up, she could see the gray earth stallion trot forward in her direction, an irritated scowl set beneath his buzz cut mane and helmet. He was only a few years older than Cherry herself—thirty at the high end—but he everpresent furrow in his wrinkled brow made it easy to mistake him for a pony closer to forty.

Cherry furrowed her own brow at the thought.

Served him right. That’s what he got for bitching at her all the time.

“Is that a scowl on your face, Private?”

Cherry’s eyes widened. She hadn’t meant to make that face while he was looking.

“No! Sergeant—sir!”

“Right.”

The stallion trotted straight up to Cherry, glaring down at her from a hoof away. She winced as he tapped a hoof against her chest.

“Did you hear what I told you, Private?”

Cherry winced again.

“Sorry, sir! No, sir!”

He tapped her chest again. Harder this time.

“I said pay attention, Rain. Our rearguard can’t be daydreaming! Keep those eyes on the treeline!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Next time I see those eyes drift, your rations are halved for the next two days. Even if we do make it back to base. Do I make myself clear, Private?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good.”

Pulling his hoof back, the stallion turned, nodding to the rest of the squad as he trotted back toward the center. Cherry could hear a couple snickers as he left the back—several of her squadmates throwing smirks in her direction.

She averted her eyes in irritation, feeling the warmth rising in her cheeks.

Celestia this was stupid. The whole soldier act. They were still in Equestria, for crying out loud.

Sure it was the middle of nowhere—there was nothing but forest this far west of Neighagra Falls—but it wasn't like they’d been deployed at the border or out of the country.

The only reason they were out here was because there’d been rumors that some hikers might have stumbled across remnants of a zebra camp while passing through the forest. They'd spent the last two and a half months searching for the stupid thing and still came up short. It wasn’t like they were going to find anything now.

“You really enjoy getting under his hide, don’t you?”

Cherry glanced up, shooting the turquoise unicorn at her side a flat stare.

“It’s not like I’m trying to, Glow. I swear he has it out for me.”

“Well, to be fair, you were spacing out.”

“Don’t you start on me, too.”

The mare laughed. Cherry rolled her eyes.

She and Aqua Glow had known each other since gradeschool. Glow's family had moved to Canterlot from a suburb of Manehatten—Mareford—when she was six. Her grandfather ran a laundromat there. Glow still visited him from time to time.

Aqua and her were always like this, though. It was their thing. Their dynamic.

Aqua was the type of pony that seemed to fit in anywhere. She was capable. Friendly. As much as Cherry admired that part of her, it was frustrating sometimes. Haze never barked at her for losing her focus or dozing off.

Cherry sighed, glancing up as Glow started forward and following her lead.

It was thanks to Glow she’d made it this far, though. Through basic. Even with the “abridged” program the Ministries had put into effect for the time being—they were taking almost anypony these days—Cherry doubted she’d have made it through on her own.

Not that she'd particularly wanted to be a soldier, or anything. But it wasn’t like she was good at anything else.

What kind of special purpose was a picture of cherry flavored raindrops supposed to signify, anyways? Nothing marketable—that was for sure.

Cherry shook her head.

At least they were heading back to Canterlot, for the time being.

Their platoon had stayed out in the forest for a week after comms had gone down. They’d heard about the missile strikes on Canterlot—the fact the Princesses had put up their barriers to stop them.

It wasn’t too surprising that they hadn’t received any other transmissions immediately after that. Barriers like that had a way of interfering with most weaker signals. The terrain here didn’t help either. Too many mountains and ravines.

The fact it had been almost a month since they'd heard anything was odd, though. As was the weather.

Cloudsdale was usually visible from where they were now. It had been so cloudy the last few weeks that they still hadn’t caught sight of it, though.

In fact, they hadn’t seen a ray of sunlight since they’d started the march back.

Cherry clicked her tongue.

The fuck were the pegasai doing? Weren’t they in charge of things like that? Controlling the weather? Relaying messages when ground forces were tied up? Couldn’t they at least respond to their transmissions?

Even above the cloud cover, Cloudsdale had to be in range of their radios. She knew the pegasai were stuck up, but this was ridiculous.

“Hey ponies, we’ve got blacktop ahead.”

Cherry lifted her gaze as a couple shouts rose from her squadmates further ahead. She could see most of them grinning. A few of them exchanged hoof bumps. The sight of the road itself was just ahead of them—faded blacktop, silver guardrails, and a gaudy billboard advertising Sparkle Cola Quantum! in the distance.

Cherry sighed in relief.

The highway. Thank Celestia. They were finally out of the fucking forest. She didn’t care if she never saw another tree again in her life.

“Quiet down, soldiers. We may be outta the woods, but we’re not home yet.”

Cherry winced as Haze’s voice called back toward the rear—fortunately not just directed at her this time, though. She could see the stallion raise a hoof, signaling for them to hold as he nodded to Glow at Cherry's side.

“Private Glow, can you call for a sitrep from First Squadron? They were supposed to call back when they came up roadside.”

The turquoise unicorn nodded, saluting as she shifted the portable radio on her back to her hooves.

“Yes, sir!”

“Good."

The stallion turned toward the four ponies at the front of the formation.

"Alpha team. You break off ahead. Head toward that sign. Keep an eye out for any sign of First Squadron. I don’t like the fact we haven’t heard from them.”

“Yes, sir!”

Alpha's shouts echoed in unison, the four ponies setting off down the road. Cherry frowned when she realized Haze was hanging back with her and the others—his serious eyes scanning the treeline with intent.

To be honest, it made sense. Bravo team was all newbies. Herself. Glow. Spark. Rose. She still didn’t like feeling she was being babysat, though.

“Parasprite Platoon, First Squadron. This is Private Aqua Glow of Second Squadron. Do you copy?”

Cherry glanced back over to Glow at her side. She could see her friend fiddling with the dials of the radio, frowning as nothing but static came back. It was an old model transmitter—equipment from the early days of the war. Clunky. Poor range. Virtually indestructible. With production issues being what they were these days, though, third string platoons like theirs couldn't hope to see much better.

“Parasprite Platoon, First Squadron. This is Private Aqua Glow of Second Squadron. Do you copy?”

No answer.

Cherry could see Glow glance back up, shaking her head. Haze frowned from a few hooves away, turning back to the rest of the group.

“First Squadron’s gone dark. We’re moving up, regardless.”

Cherry clicked her teeth.

Luna humper. She’d been hoping they’d be able to rest for a few minutes. Her hooves were killing her.

Rising from her haunches, she could see Haze nod to the pink earth mare at the front of their group. The cross and butterflies of the Ministry of Peace stared back from her helmet.

“Rose, stay on point. Keep your eyes open for any sign of First. Watch for direction from Alpha. Cherry Rain—”

Cherry winced as the stallion narrowed his eyes in her direction.

“Keep an eye on our asses this time, understood?”

“Yes...sir.”

“Private Rain!”

“Yes, sir!”

Cherry held her salute as Haze turned, the other ponies in Bravo rising to their hooves as well. With a sigh, she dropped her hoof to the ground, bringing her own rifle up on her battle saddle. She could still see Alpha a hundred hooves down the road—eyes surveying their surroundings as they made their way down the highway.

She shook her head, following after them.

Celestia, this was dumb. They’d finally made it back to civilization, and here they were acting like they were still on a mission. Canterlot was practically around the corner.

She sighed again, glancing down at her hooves.

A greasy hayburger. A hot shower. A comfy bed. As soon as they made it back to the city, she was taking the day for herself, no matter what Haze had to say about it.

Whumph.

“Ghmmph!”

Cherry screwed her eyes shut as she suddenly ran into the pony ahead of her—Glow again—her face smacking square into the mare’s flank. Struggling to keep her balance as she tried not to trip, Cherry pulled back, spitting out a mouthful of dark blue tail.

“Geh—Glow! Tell me when you’re going to stop like that!”

“Cherry.”

Cherry raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the mare in front of her. Glow’s voice sounded distant for some reason. Dazed.

Craning her neck to the side, Cherry could see the turquoise mare staring southward, her eyes wide despite the vacant expression that had settled over her face.

“Glow?”

Glancing forward, Cherry could see the other ponies in Bravo staring in the same direction. Further down the road, the ponies of Alpha appeared to have stopped in their tracks as well.

Cherry tilted her head, following their gazes with her own.

What was going on with them? It was like they were possessed. Even Haze was staring like some sort of—

Cherry stopped cold, her eyes settling on the sight in the distance.

No.

No way.

No.

Cherry blinked.

This wasn’t happening.

Above the treeline, Cherry could see the familiar sight of the purple mountain atop which sat Equestria's crown.

Canterlot. The capital. A city of white and gold spires that pointed proudly toward the sky. Visible for miles in all directions.

Her home. Where she and Glow had grown up. Gone to school. Graduated. Where their families lived.

Everything in the city was pink.

Cherry had seen pink skies over Canterlot before.

Wonderbolt skywriting. Ministry of Morale fireworks shows. Sunrises and sunsets where the sun hit the sky just right.

This wasn’t like any of those. This wasn’t like any of those at all.

The city itself was shrouded in a bilious, churning pink cloud beneath the overcast sky—the silhouette of the rooftops and castle spire barely visible. Plumes of the sickly miasma poured off the mountainside toward the valley below—running off the edges of the city like a misty waterfall before dissipating into the air. The actual waterfall was tinged with the same, unnatural shade of pink—pouring down like some sort of nauseating, bubble-gum colored river of blood.

Cherry had heard about some of the weapons used on the Zebrican fronts. Clouds of gas that would flood onto the battlefield. Suffocate soldiers’ lungs. Melt their skin. Send streams of blood trailing from their eyes. Wipe out a whole company in minutes.

Ponies said the clouds were brightly colored. Pretty even, at a distance. A twisted joke, given their purpose. The more unassuming and cheerful the color, the more hellish the effect.

Cherry blinked again as her eyes traced over the Canterlot skyline. What she could see of it.

Pink.

It was all pink.

“Heh...heh heh.”

Cherry could hear herself laugh.

No. This was a joke. A prank.

Somepony from their squadron—or maybe somepony from First—was playing a trick on them. Silver Sorbet in First was a tactical cover specialist, wasn’t he? He could make images appear in front of ponies, couldn’t he?

Cherry laughed again.

Good one, Sorbet. She’d gotten him. And the rest of Second Squadron. Even Haze.

Good one, Sorbet. Good joke. Good prank. Seriously, though. That was enough.

Cherry could feel wet lines starting to roll down her cheeks.

She lifted a hoof to them, glancing down in surprise.

Tears? That was weird. Why was she crying over a prank? A joke? She wasn't a filly anymore.

Krakow!

Veeeowpths.

Thud.

Splat.

Cherry turned to her right.

A few steps ahead of her and Glow, she could see Comet Spark suddenly fall forward, his rifle clattering to his side as his hooves went limp.

Cherry blinked.

There was red pooling around the ground beneath the stallion's head.

His eyes were wide. Unblinking. There was a hole in his helmet the size of a closed hoof.

Cherry blinked again.

“Comet?”

Cherry tilted her head, glancing behind her. Scanning the forest.

She blinked a third time, staring dimly as a rustle of movement sounded from the brush at her left.

“GET DOWN!”

Haze’s shout met Cherry’s ears a half second before the gunfire did, the still scene in front of her shifting into a chaotic jumble of screams and explosions in an instant.

Rat-tat! Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat!

Pffew! Pffew! Pffew!

Ballistic weapons. Talisman rifles. On either flank. Black and white figures erupting from the treeline en masse.

Cherry’s eyes widened in panic—her body going rigid. Only one word came to mind.

Ambush.

“Cherry!”

Cherry’s eyes whipped to the side as she saw one of the black and white figures burst from the stand of trees beside her—its striped cheeks lined with red warpaint as it swung the barrel of its rifle up in her direction.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Glow scrambling to bring up her own weapon at the same time, the eyes of the attacker rapidly switching targets.

Rat-tat-tat!

Cherry could feel a splatter of warmth against her face, three hoof sized holes erupting in Glow’s chestpiece as she jerked backwards from the impact. There was an electric sizzle as the radio on her back sparked and shrieked—the bullets tearing clean through—a wet thud sounding as the unicorn collapsed at Cherry’s hooves.

Her amber eyes were vacant. Red blood trickled out from her mouth.

Cherry immediately vomited. Her morning rations splattered out onto her hooves, covering them in warm bile.

The barrel of he attacker’s rifle swung back in her direction, one eye closed as it stared down the sights.

Rat-tat!

A burst of crimson erupted outwards from the side of the attacker's head beneath its helmet—the figure crumpling to the ground in a heap. A half second later, Cherry felt somepony plow into her from the side, shoving her to the ground against the metal guardrail at the highway's edge.

“I said get down, Private Rain!”

Cherry’s bleary gaze rose in Haze’s direction, the stallion crouched over her as he returned fire from behind the metal railing at her side. She could see his brow furrowed in intensity, streaks of sweat running down the sides of his face. There were blood spatters on his fatigues—blood that wasn't his—the smell of iron filling Cherry’s nostrils.

She vomited again.

Rat-tat! Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat!

Pffew! Pffew!

Cherry’s eyes shifted back toward the road, her expression vacant. Aimless. Beyond Glow’s motionless corpse, she could see the rest of the squadron making for the edge of the road in either direction—ricocheting bullets and beams of light arcing across the scene.

She could see Summer Rose—the other mare from Bravo—leap over the guardrail on the opposite side of the street, shouting out in surprise as another figure darted from the brush, no weapons in its grip.

There was the sound of heavy hooves impacting flesh as the mare pitched forward—a pained gasp escaping her lips as the wind was knocked out of her. The striped figure didn't hesitate, slipping behind her, throwing its hooves around her neck and wrenching it to the side with a sickening snap.

Farther down the road, Alpha was trading fire with a group of attackers that had split off in their direction. Three of the striped figures crumpled to the ground as the ponies in the street coordinated their fire, prompting a second charge from another group of attackers that had been using the first as a distraction.

Cherry could see the two groups break across each other like crashing waves, the ponies of Alpha shouting out in panic as they tried to reach for the combat knives at their sides. Struggle ensued as the attackers leapt forward with hooves and knives of their own—grunts of effort and screams of pain echoing down the street.

Cherry could see one of the Alpha mares ignite as a stray talisman bolt arced down from the treeline, catching her in the side. Her shriek pierced the gray air as she was burned alive.

It was hell.

Tat. Rat-tat. Rat-tat-tat.

Cherry's eyes shifted back to Haze, the stallion holding his ground as he continued to lay down fire over the edge of the guardrail. The enemy forces that hadn't moved up on Alpha were hanging back—keeping to the treeline after Haze had managed to take out one of their own.

Each explosion from the stallion's rifle was deafening—Cherry’s ears ringing amid the haze and smell of gunpowder. Spent casings clinked against the ground on all sides of her. One landed on her neck, searing her hide beneath her coat.

Cherry screamed, bringing her hooves to her head as she began to rock back and forth.

Zebras? Here? Where had they come from? Had they been following them this whole time? Why hadn’t anypony noticed anything?

She could feel a cold realization trickle down her spine.

She’d been on rearguard. She was supposed to be the one watching for them.

Her eyes widened.

It was her fault.

Cherry vomited again. Or tried to. This time nothing came out.

Rat-tat. Rat-tat-tat. Rat-tat.

She coughed as she felt Haze shove her farther into the blacktop, the stallion cursing as he glanced down in her direction.

“Keep your head down, Private! That’s an order!”

Cherry didn’t respond. She couldn’t.

Why was this happening? Why were there zebras here? Why were they attacking?

“Fucking zeebs!”

Cherry’s eyes darted back down the road.

She could see Jackpot, the biggest stallion in their squad, throw back one of the zebras that had jumped up onto his back, slamming them onto the ground with his powerful hooves. There was a sickening splurch as he dove in with the knife clamped in his muzzle, gouts of red splashing across his coat as he ran his blade into the zebra’s neck over and over again.

Two more zebras rushed forward on either side of him, one throwing a length of wire around his neck as the other attempted to take his hooves out from under him. The gold stallion bellowed in pain, the three tumbling to the ground in a writhing pile of shouts, curses, heavy kicks, and breaking bone.

Lines of rifle fire erupted from both sides—from the zebras and Alpha team—the two zebras and Jackpot thrashing wildly and then going still as their bodies were riddled with bullets.

Cherry squeezed her eyes shut, clamping her hooves over her ears as Haze rained down more fire from above.

What the fuck was happening?

If Canterlot was gone, why were they still fighting? They were all already fucked. Everypony was. It was all over. All of it. Everything.

She cried out as she heard a ricochet plink off the guardrail above her.

Why were they still shooting, then!? Why were they still fighting!? It didn’t make any sense!

Tap tap-tap.

Cherry’s eyes opened as she heard something drop onto the ground a few hooves away.

Through her blurry, tear-filled vision, she could see a green, lemon shaped metal object roll to a stop on the blacktop. She could see Haze turn at the same time, his eyes going wide.

"Private—"

Everything went white.

Black.

White.

Black.

Cherry blinked. Blinked again.

What was going on? Where was she? Why was she suddenly looking up at the sky?

She shifted on her back, her eyes struggling to focus on the grayness above. The sounds of gunfire she could hear were muffled. Distant. Her mouth tasted like iron.

Her spinning head drifted down to her side. She could see pavement all around her. Blacktop.

Why was she in the middle of the road now? How long had she been out? Had the zebras pulled back? Where was Haze—

The mare’s eyes widened as they met the figure beside her.

She could see the gray stallion staring up at her, his forelegs wrapped around her barrel, his open eyes glassy and vacant. His helmet had fallen to the ground at his side, blood seeping out from shrapnel wounds along his neck and face.

His lower half rested ten hooves away, entrails spilling out onto the blacktop below.

Cherry could feel the same warmth spilling out across her flanks. Her hindlegs.

Cherry screamed again. Shrieked. Kicked frantically at the dead pony blown apart at her hooves.

White hot pain erupted all over her body—catching up with her now, her stupor broken.

Cuts. Shards. Dozens of them. Hundreds. The muscles along her back and side were fully exposed, blood streaming in rivulets from her ears, mouth, nose and eyes. One of her legs wasn’t moving.

Gunfire.

Shrieks.

Shouts from ponies.

Shouts in a language she didn’t know.

Another distant explosion.

Another flash.

More shrapnel raining down on her from above.

It wouldn't stop. It wouldn't end.

Primal, overwhelming terror seized her. She could feel new warmth spreading between her legs amid the cutting pain.

Coughing up blood—once, twice—she opened her mouth.

And screamed.

And screamed.

And screamed.

***