My Little Realities: C21 - War is Hell

My Little Realities: C21 - War is Hell

>it’s night time when you leave P0nyville
>you step out alone once again towards the uncured Roots
>you take every precaution you can to make sure you’re not followed
>your trusty drone is guiding you
>making good ground
>you have been walking through the brush for a good six hours
>you’re quite tired, but you are not stopping
>after another four hours, you take a break
>you’re pretty sure that you’re getting close to the enemy Root forces
>you’ve programmed two routes in your drone, as your sense of direction is less than stellar and where you are going is important
>you resume your journey
>it’s not long before you notice that you’re getting close to the Roots
>as you expected, the bulk of their forces remain with the slow-moving Root Tanks
>you prepare the package you took from the R&D team
>the fruits of their labor
>they wondered why you needed this, but you would answer that later
>slowly setting up hundreds of paces of wire, setting your traps
>you head to your next destination, angling away from the path leading to the Roots
>walking to a sloping hill with few trees, you set up a hideout and wait, resting and waiting for the floral bastards
>you sit in your airtight suit, watching the sun rise and the scenery start to change
>the Roots blend in well with the foliage, obviously
>from afar, it looks like a time-lapse video of a sandy desert, with the sand dunes flowing
>it’s beautiful
>but not as pretty as what is about to happen
>it should be soon, if not now
FSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHH
>you hear that clearly in the distance
>the magically contained p0ny bio-weapon hisses ominously
>what in all the fuck did they put in there
>the plants wilt away like a snowball under a blowtorch
FSSSSSSSSSSSS-FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHOOO-SHOOOOOOOHHHHH
>more of them are set off
>the valley below you is turning sickly brown
>the trees lose their leaves so fast you’d think an explosion had occurred
>you smile as the Root forces slow
>most of them slow down because they are dying
>they curl up and turn dark brown, shuddering as pus-like fluid seeps from their orifices
>you stand up out of your hiding spot and fire a few magazines at the lot
>you start walking away from them, firing a few rounds here and there
>the p0nies’ bio weapon is more devastating than you’d imagined
>the whole valley is desolate, but the evil Root forces are innumerable
>you don’t know how many you killed
>you continue firing towards them at short intervals, not really bothering to aim
>they need to follow you
>you set the remaining bio-weapon on your belt to slow dispersal
>you shoot at them
>you bait them
”come on, you fuckfaces.  Waste your time on me, over here” you yell
>you give them a poisonous road to walk down on
>you see countless Roots starting to go up the hill
>they are engulfing the hill, many die but it’s like pissing in an ocean of piss
>their sheer number is diluting the bio-weapon
>they are getting closer, but your probe is leading you to your next destination
>just a few hours more to go
>they slowly stop the chase, as you veer too far from their intended destination, but this should have slowed most of them down enough and hopefully you’ve killed many
>you hope you’ll make it in time
>the ground is vibrating with the steps of the Root army behind your ass
>you see lights in the distance and begin to jog
>you’ve never felt this kind of desperation before
>you manage to put some distance between the Roots and you as your bio-weapon fizzes out
>you catch your breath, walking into a wall-to-wall hive-like colony
>Changelings
>they surround you
“TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE ME TO YOUR LEEEEEADER” you say, theatrically
>they are quizzical, but end up shrugging and then jumping you
>you end up hog-tied with your probe
>minutes later, you’re staring down the real Changeling Queen and not a battle-ready Princess Luna
“What’s this, another present?  My children are so generousss” she purrs
“More than they realize, my Queen” you say as suavely as you can
>she’s taken aback
“It talks?  Here I was thinking I’d get a quiet meal for once…” she states, unimpressed
“My most honorable Queen, I am the GREAT AND POWERFUL LEEROY JENKINS.  WIZARD OF OZ – AT YOUR SERVICE. “ you yell
“I come bearing more than just a meal option…  I come with a proposition” you say, keeping your composure
“And what would that be?” she says almost sarcastically
“A way to defeat Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Cadence and Shining Armor in one fell swoop”
>her ears perk up
>she tries to hide her enthusiasm
“Go on, but quickly, I haven’t got all day” she says
“The p0nies are engaged in an all-out war against their new enemy.  They’ve put on a strong face to deter you but it’s a bluff.  I have a route that will take you where their defenses are the weakest, where you can launch a surprise attack and take their key members all at once.  Shining Armor and Cadence are separated right now due to the war effort.”
>she raises an eyebrow
“Why should I believe you?  You don’t look like a wizard that I’ve ever seen.”
“Would the p0nies send a strange creature to be captured by an enemy force so that creature can attempt to set up an attack against the p0nies, in the middle of another invasion?  My queen, I can prove that I am, in fact, a wizard”
“what’s in it for you, strange wizard from a land I’ve never heard of?
>this may work yet
“Little old me?  Why, I just want” – your voice grows deep and cold - Celestia’s horn.” You finish
>she gives you a “what the fuck?” look
“observe my wizard powers!”
>your binds fall from your hands and feet
>you shoot three changelings before they’ve even started to move
“This is my MAGIC BOOMSTICK WAND!” you cry out
>the Queen’s jaw drops
“I am a wizard” you say
“I am a wizard, and I need Celestia’s horn for my magic.  You need them all dead to take over Equestria, do you not?  Celestia, Luna and the rest of their forces are weakening.  Now is the time to strike”
>she swallows, not wanting to underestimate your magic wand
“We should both pool our strengths and attack now.  I will be at the front line, if you still doubt my intentions.  If I am fooling you, it would be rather poor planning to set myself at the front, where it’s the most dangerous”
>the Queen thinks hard
“Can we fly there?” she asks
“Yes.  The p0nies are fighting an enemy that cannot fly; we can make our approach but we need to set down to sneak the bulk of your children in the gap of their defenses”
>she commands two changelings to grab your arms, two more for the probe
>as you hoped, the probe wasn’t recognized
>the changelings that beat it up are one in the thousands up here
>you worry that it could blow your cover, but
“Come along, children, time to FEED” she says, greedy with the idea of a quick victory
>the noise is thunderous, thousands and thousands of Changeling insect-like wings beating
>they all take off in unison, wicked grins on their faces
>the flight is uncomfortable
>you have spotted your landing zone
>you can make out where the evil Roots are, after studying their movements and what they look like, blended in
>you see the large dead spot where your bio-weapon was set off, and how the Roots bunched up to get around it
>you spot where they are the most numerous and not spaced out from each other
“THERE, WE LAND THERE”
>you can almost sense the addict Root beam weapons warming up
>the changeling mass dive down and land
“Now, wizard, where do we march?” says the Changeling Queen
>you unstrap the probe from your back and start booting up your VPT bubble
“Now, my Queen, you fight”
>CHAOS
>all around you, practically one for one, the changelings are matched with a Root
>the Queen shrieks and tries to command her forces to take flight and escape
>the now-prepared anti-air Root weapons blaze across the sky
“FIIIIIIIIGHT, FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT” you yell, trying to egg them on
>the Queen is screaming in rage, horn ablaze, cutting swathes of Roots apart with her magic
>the changeling minions are trying to hold their own, flying just over the heads of the Roots, bucking their skulls in while AA fire singes their wingtips
“KILL THE WIZAAAAAAARD” she screeches
>both changeling and Root lunge at you
>with a cracking sound, you’re gone
>you shake off the VPT daze, hearing bits of changeling limbs and Root claws fall to the floor, burned cleanly off their owners by the bubble’s field
>you walk in the almost-desolate world for hours
>you hope you’re walking in the right direction
>you see small establishments in the distance
>oh good, you didn’t get lost
“Hey Trombley, what’s up?” you ask
>he’s on all fours, scraping moss off a rock
>he just looks up
>you start walking away
“Anon?  Anon?!” he calls
>he runs up to you
“Anon, what the fuck happened?  Where have you been?  You’re wanted by the police, man”
>you look at him
“Hey Trombley”
>he stops
“Enjoy your moss, asshole”
>you punch him right in the fucking jaw
>the egghead drops like a sack of potatoes
>you have a good laugh before turning your VPT bubble on again
>you appear right next to your apartment, just as you though, distances across realities were equivalents
>you walk into P0nyville, carrying your VPT bubble generator
>the whole place is nothing but sandbags, fortifications, weapon hardpoints and able-bodied p0nies, all armed to the teeth
>you’re exhausted
>you’ve been walking for almost 24 straight hours
>you slowly make your way back to Celestia’s temporary station of operations
>Twilight is up and about, apparently
>she requested to be moved in the station of operations
>she is better, but can’t do much magic yet
“How are you, Twilight?” you ask
“I’m having a horrible headache but it’s going away…  I’m glad to hear Fluttershy will recover.  I heard you left yesterday, what happened?”
>oh not much, you just killed off a chunk of forest and everything in it and probably drove the Changelings to extinction
“I just went for a long walk” you reply
>you still don’t know how you’ll tell them about all the “fun” you had
>she doesn’t seem convinced
>you just ignore it and attempt to have a meeting with the Princesses
>who are apparently both asleep
>you should probably sleep too
>you wake up a little disoriented, hearing someone clearing her throat
“Anon, you sleep in the craziest places at the craziest times” says Twi
>you don’t even remember how you got under an office desk
>she has no idea
>she hasn’t even heard of the party yet
>you are told that the Princesses will see you
>you tell them you went for a walk, and that the battle will go as planned
>the sum of Equestria’s resources is pooled to the battlefront
>you have all of your weapons loaded and ready to go
>the Princesses themselves transform into their battle armor
>everyp0ny, every Root and you are good to go
>war has come to Equestria
>you’ve been waiting for a moment like this
>a song starts to play in your ears, by itself
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7ll3ODaOH0
>the moment when the scouts announce that the Roots are coming
“Anon, I believe we are to greet our guests” she says
>you nod
“You may climb on my back”
>the moment when you hop on Celestia’s back, bristling with guns, just to go give them a personal “Hello”
>that moment is now
>you soar high above, looking at the moving green coat over the land
>you don’t know how many Roots are there, and how many you’ve killed exactly
>but you can see that there are a complete fuckton of them there
>the pegasi bombardment begins
>they do have a lot of explosives, but they can’t do this alone
>Celestia banks and her horn shines brightly
>it makes the sun look dim, you see it through your closed right eyelid
>she fires a flaming beam that rakes across the Roots, setting fire to some of them simply because they stood too close to the points of impact
>the AA fire blazes out, but Celestia flies with uncanny skill
>you empty mag after mag into the anti-air Root contraptions
>the pegasi fleet soar with you, like a school of herring swimming as one
>they concentrate their drops on masses of Roots and AA devices, as their bomblets are pretty much useless against the Root Tanks
>Celestia however
>Celestia seems to aim at them on purpose
>her powerful magic hits the Tanks like a cruise missile of flame throwers
“Anon, please cover me against the Root’s weapons” she states in a calm but loud voice
>okay?
“Yes ma’am” you reply
>you start firing with extreme prejudice at anything looking remotely bright blue
>Celestia halts in flight, and hovers without beating her wings
>you can almost feel her magic
>you feel like you’re underwater
>Celestia then accidently a whole Tank
>it just implodes, milky fluids pissing out of it
>you feel like you’re weightless
>you now seem to be falling
>a bright blue beam cuts across the sky where you were a second before
>Celestia begins beating her wings again, you can tell she’s tired
>it’s about time you headed back, you are just pissing ammo right now
>you approach the roof of the Town Hall where you set most of your gear up
>good visibility
>Celestia lands, quite winded
>Luna trots over
“Sister, art thou…  Are you okay?” she says
“Just out of breath.  The battle is off to a good start…” replies Celestia
>the Sun Princess looks wearily at the cloud of pegasi wreaking devastation below
>the land troops should be moving in now
>they press on the left flank
>the good Roots step out the Everfree forest to the right, charging in and attempting to press the main evil Root force into a long and thin formation
>the pegasi bomb down the middle, careful not to hit the friendly Roots or p0nies
>you man your .338, sending your remaining rounds into any enemy Root or Root AA unit
>through your scope, you see the enemy Roots beginning to overwhelm the p0ny forces
>this battle is much more mobile than the attack you led to the original Root base
>less trees in the way, the enemy Roots can sprint, jump and penetrate defenses
>the unicorns are beginning to really like their flamethrowers
>you start to notice this
>they appear to control the fire to a certain extent with their magic
>directing the flaming glue away from punt gunners and onto enemy Roots
>the earth p0nies are getting quite handy with the long shotguns
>placing shells where the shot pattern will wreak the most havoc
>the friendly Roots are having a hard time
>matched one on one, they are all fighting on pretty even ground
>their fighting is short lived, even between two Roots
>they seem to have no trouble driving their edged appendages through each other with ease
>each movement is a blur; one Root leaps in, swings with lightning speed, turning enemy Roots into torn, messy chunks and is in spontaneously disassembled
>the number difference is tipping the scale
>you see both p0ny and Root lose ground
>you spent the 338, so you move to your 300 Win Mag
>they are closer now, so it should have some effect
>Luna walks up behind you, grabbing an FN FAL and your Fort rife with magic
>she had seen you use your weapons
>you look over and she opens up, using her magic to pull the trigger
>she starts firing both of them at an impressive rate
>she’s trying to fire them with some degree of accuracy
>there are so many enemy Roots, missing your intended target will still probably result in a hit
>she grabs two more guns, firing four at once with her magic
“AHA!  The fun has been doubled!”
>the rifles bark out and promptly stop
“Reload!” you yell at her
>she takes a while with that one
>below, you gaze on the heated battle
>they are making their way towards P0nyville
>the Tanks are making steady way towards the small town
>the enemy Roots push your forces back, getting closer to the town
>the friendly Roots pull back and let the enemies rush P0nyville
>they flood the streets, getting utterly nailed by armed pegasi on the rooftops
>the enemy Roots hit tripwire after tripwire as explosions rock the town
>the tanks roll in
>you don’t expect them to care about buildings
>in fact, you counted on it
>they begin simply walking through and obliterating houses
>sharper, green tinged explosions ring out
>for every building crushed by a Root Tank, an EFP is detonated upwards, right into the Tank vitals
>this battle does appear to be practically without end
>the unicorns and earth p0nies are being chipped away
>it takes many enemy Roots to land a blow against one of the p0nies, but numbers is what they don’t lack
>and pretty much every blow is fatal
>you still have a hard time understanding how fucking strong these things are
>it’s like flesh and bones are jello and pudding
>you hear unnatural sounds coming from the Everfree forest
>growling
>Tank-like thumping in the ground
>friendly Tanks are beginning to emerge from the forest as the enemy tanks fall to the hidden EFPs
>something is odd about the first Tank
>is that?
>what the fuck
>Zecora is RIDING A FUCKING TANK, CURVED SWORD IN MOUTH
>she waves one of her hooves towards the enemy forces
>she…
>she wants to hit them with her sword
>the friendly Tanks just plow through the rear of the Roots, swinging their pincers
“Princess Luna, you good to go?” you ask
>it’s time to rally the troops
>she just bends down, letting you hop on
>Luna takes off like a bat out of hell
“PEGASI, FIRE EVERYTHING” says Luna, in her thundering voice
>you swing to the right
“LOYAL ROOTS, ATAAAAAAACK” she yells
>she flies to the left
“MAKE THEM REMEMBER YOUR FLAMES AND YOUR GUNS” she bellows
>her voice is rattling your goddamn impact plastic
>she does a fucking barrel roll and banks down the front of their forces
>the sky goes dark as her magic flows
>shadows stretch out of proportion
>Roots are swallowed whole
>lightning smites Roots to fissured, bubbling and burnt corpses
>golden light pours out from behind you both as Celestia swoops in
>you’re just firing your Fort at anything that moves below
>Roots jump and scurry away from Luna’s black, tar-like shadows only to be glassed by Celestia’s fire
>the tides are turning
>Luna and Celestia deliver magics the likes of which they themselves have not seen
>they are running out of gas quickly
>they swing towards P0nyville, just gliding in
>you feel Luna’s laborious breath
>they both set down near the temporary base of operations
>the town is in ruins
>explosions and Tanks have taken down most of the buildings
>the scent of burnt pine trees everywhere
>at least the Roots smell pretty good when you cook them
>both Princesses are exhausted
>one of the walls of the operation center was knocked down
>you spot your VPT bubble generator
>it seems to have survived, but it’s banged up
>if needs be, you could use it to evacuate some p0nies and return them later
>it seems to be damaged
“Anon, is understand that’s the device you used to get here, is it not?” says Celestia
>she’s standing, but barely
“Why don’t you use it to go to your home?  You have…  Fought our war.  You’ve done enough.  If you want to, you can escape safely”
>you do think about it
“I don’t have much to forward to back home.  After all this, I think my place is here” you answer
>you hold the VPT bubble
>the screen is cracked, the battery is low and its memory bank is fried
>it’s good for one, maybe two trips if you know the waveform
>you hear a rumbling
>you look around
>behind you
>behind you is a damaged Root Tank
>it’s getting up
>pincers out and swinging
>Celestia and Luna see it and try to use their magic
>Celestia manages one last beam, but it burns a line across the thick rock and dirt armor
>harmlessly
>Celestia collapses
>you just punch a few buttons on the VPT bubble and whip the fucker right at the tank’s head
BANG
>the familiar crack and flash ring out
>as if a huge melon baller had taken a scoop, a perfect half circle is carved out of the tank’s head and neck
>it crashes down, stopping just a few feet away
>you start laughing
“Anon, are you okay?  Wasn’t that still your only way back home?” asks Luna, tending to her passed out sister
“Yeah.  I think I’m okay.  I think everything is okay.”
>around you, the town is destroyed, there are flaming corpses everywhere
>and you are laughing
>you all slowly make your way to the town hall, one of the only structures left standing
>the battle is dying down
>despite your best efforts, it’s hard to tell who’s winning
>the fight is desperate on every front
>the pegasi are running out of munitions, the land forces are slowly being overrun
>the friendly Roots are taking losses
>even the friendly Root Tanks are being overrun by enemy Roots
>like a mouse being eaten alive by a thousand ants
>Zecora is still alive and kicking
>also swinging
>that zebra is handy with a saber
>you sling your 590A1, set your empty Fort down, grabbing an SR-15
>you’re about to step forwards out into the battlefield
“Anon!  We’ve been looking for you!”
>Twilight?
>’the fuck is she doing here
>’the fuck is AJ, PP, RD and RU doing here
“…  ‘the fuck are you all doing here” you reply
“Nice to see you too, darling” says a wounded-looking Rarity
>no seriously why are these fillies here
“We’ve been thinking about this, Anon” says Twilight
“Anon, we need ya to be our Element o’Kindness” says Applejack
>isn’t she supposed to be honesty?
>HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE KINDNESS
>you can’t even reply
“It’s all we got Anon, Celestia and Luna think we’re losing this battle…  From the looks of it, we don’t have another choice”
“This is a mistake” you reply
>it damn sure felt like one
>you could taste the violence here
>the air was sweet with the smell of burnt corpses and blood
>and all you felt was euphoria
“this is a mistake” say again
“Anon, just take the darn Element and shut up” yells Twilight
>you kneel down to the five p0nies
“Sparks, I can’t say how much I’m thankful that you’re here.  You have a good head on those shoulders and you know how to use it.  I have nothing but respect for you...  Pinks, you drive me crazy but you’ve made me laugh more than I thought possible.  Goddamn trotting smile machine, you are…  Jack, you make a fucking good brew.  I haven’t met another being with the heart you got – I haven’t met another one with an iota of your integrity.  Dash, the goddamn speed demon, you still owe me a Sonic Rainboom, bro.  You make us all look bad at down everything when you fly…  Rarity…  Stay classy, dollface.  I wish I could tell Fluttershy that she’s the nicest p0ny I’ll ever know” you say
>what’s is honesty without kindness?  Or laughter without kindness?
>you put on the butterfly necklace
>you look horrible with it on
“Everyp0ny, I got one last thing to say” you start
“I haven’t known you for long; I know you don’t know that much about me and that I don’t know much about you all...  But you’re the best goddamn friends I’ve ever had”
>you get in formation as the enemy Root pour in before you
>you just know this won't end well
“I’m so sorry.  I’m so very sorry” you finally say
>magic lifts you in the air
>your chest swells up with something you’ve never felt before
>you don’t understand it, you feel your hate, your love, your guilt, your joys
>everything goes black
>everything goes black, and screams