My Little Airman pt 39 Skies of Fire

Part 39 Skies of Fire

 

>You wake up, feeling a bit stronger

>The pain in your chest has lessened quite a bit

>A quick look reveals that the wound is still there, but your body is recovering

>Not too quickly, but at least a scab has formed, and it's no longer oozing

>Did any of those ponies help you while you were sleeping?

>Or is it just your body?

>Who knows, and who cares?

>This is your last day alive

>How are you going to spend it?

>A quiet reflection of meaning seems nice

>You carefully stand up, stretch for a few minutes, and pace around your cell

>Life certainly has dealt you some unusual cards

>A harsh childhood, one bitch of an adult life... and then somehow you're here

>Where is Equestria, in relation to Earth? A different planet? A different dimension?

>Or...could it be your own personal hell?

>Indeed, you've experienced some terrible things here, but you've also felt some of the better times of your life

>And the notion of Equestria being your hell would imply that you're already dead

>Being executed in your own hell? Not logically possible

>Hoof steps interrupt your train of thought

>Without words, a tray of a simple bread of toast, milk, and an egg is tossed into your cell

Thank you. I do appreciate this kindness.

>You truly do

>No response

>It's all good

>You start to eat, continuing to reflect

>Not having to deal with all this seems to be a good deal

>What may happen after death... doesn't concern you.

>You'll take it as it comes. If it's nothing, good. If there's something...again, you'll deal with it appropriately

>What concerns you is the process

>Being hanged doesn't seem to be a pleasant way to go, and definitely isn't what you would have, if you could choose your death

>No, dying in battle...next to your comrades...

>That would have been perfect

>But whatever, you can't always get what you want

>It will all be over soon enough...

>Glancing over at the window, you notice the sun still rising

>Timecheck: 0625

>Well, your last sunrise

>Much better than the sunrise you witnessed prior

>You feel at peace with what's happening

>It all really is for the best

>A sharp voice nearly startles you

>"Prisoner! I have been instructed to inform you that the execution will take place in one hour."

Understood, guard. Thank you

>You almost wish it could start sooner

>Being at peace isn't something you might be able to hold on for much longer

>Outside, you hear a small commotion going on

>It's probably about the imminent execution

>Kinda sounds like a bunch of pegasi flying in the air around the castle

>Well, security would probably be needed

>You are, after all, a killer

>Wounded, but possibly able enough to escape if you wanted

>It's quite understandable

>The noise slowly gets louder

>Lights fill the sky

>Eh. Probably unicorns casting spells to keep you from escaping

>That's fine with you. You don't really want to escape

>You hear plenty of shouting

>That's not normal for an execution, is it?

>The sound of a terrifying roar...

>Wait...that's not normal

>You look out the window and see a figure in the sky

>It's black, the body of a...

>Dragon

>Holy shit, a dragon !

>Well, here's that chance for your heroic death you wanted...

>A certain song starts blasting throughout the castle...

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw_rbZ5kJU8

>Thinking of the pleasure of slaying the dragon, you feel a surge of power

>That familiar black aura surrounds you, and before the guard at the entrance can react, you rip open the cell gate

>Immediately, he charges at you, but just one punch of yours sends him flying

>He should live, but he'll be out cold for a while

>Without a second thought, you start sprinting through the door, through the halls, towards your F-22

>You're still a little unfamiliar with the castle, but you can feel yourself being drawn towards a particular path you're certain will lead to your fighter

>None of the Royal Guards you encounter pay any attention to you

>They're busy running about trying to protect the citizens

>The ground shakes, and you see several large stones fall from the ceiling

>You see one headed for this bluish little colt

>You sprint towards him, picking him up, and throwing him aside

>The stone lands behind you

>He lands, giving you a wide-eyed stare

RUN FOR FUCK'S SAKE!

>That colt turns, and runs away

>Meanwhile, your wound acts up, forcing you to take a knee

>You grasp your chest, pressing against it, and feel a little magical patching happening

>Just took some life from tomorrow, you're burning out your today

>You jump through the corridor to the outside, and land outside your F-22

>Facing away from the castle and towards a straight path, it's almost like you were meant to pilot it today

>You look up, and see only the dragon, it's blood-red eyes fixed upon something on the ground

>A dark-blue magical bolt hits in the face

>It's not too pleased

>You carry on, climbing into your jet

>Weapon check: Guns full, 8 GBUs... Lock and loaded

>Run diagnostics?

>Fuck that. It should run fine enough. You need to get your baby airborne NOW

>You put on your helmet, start up the engine...

>A voice rings in your head

>"HALT! ANON!"

>You turn your head, and see Princess Celestia about 50 meters away from you

>Ignoring her, you start to taxi to the perfect spot

>"ANON, THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING!"

>Nope.jpg

>You blast your engines, and start taking off

>As you roll down that "runway," you instinctively surround yourself in a shield

>Not a moment too soon

>Magic bolts hit the shield almost as soon as it's up

>You pull up, and start flying at a 90 degree angle, straight up into the air...

 

>What in Equestria is he doing?

>Princess Celestia is pissed that public enemy no. 1 escaped

>And during a dragon crisis no less

>All attempts to communicate with it have well... failed. It's not talking

>What's worse, magic doesn't appear to be affecting it

>This is no ordinary dragon

>"Coward!" She says in his direction

>She'll have to deal with him some other time

>Right now, her city is under attack

>She uses her magic to communicate with her student, still in the castle

>"Twilight Sparkle, I need you to help Shining Armor protect Canterlot!"

>From within, a response is heard

>"Yes, Princess! I'll..."

>Twilight seems a bit distraught

>"...I'll help my brother. Leave it to me."

>Celestia is certainly glad to have such a remarkable student

>She sighs

>She had hoped she wouldn't have to fight again

>With no hesitation, she takes to the sky, and flies towards the dragon

 

>Quickly gaining altitude, you feel your chest aching

>Ignoring the pain, you gather your courage, and pull the jet out of the 90 degree flight

>This maneuver puts you upside-down for a few moments, and then into a slight, upside-down dive

>You correct yourself, rotating 180 degrees about your x-axis

>Altitude: 30k ft and dropping fast    

>Below you is the dragon

>You see it's fighting two Pegasi in the air

>Magic bolts fly from both of them

>Actually, they're alicorns

>As you get closer, you see that they're Celestia and Luna!

>So, they actually can do shit...

>The dragon still has the upper hand

>Let's see want ol' Anon can do...

>As soon as you're in range, you target the dragon, and fire your Vulcan cannon at it, careful not to hit the princesses

>The trace rounds seem to hit its neck

>It seems to cry in pain, though you cannot see any blood

>You can sense all the eyes that fall on you: bystanders, the dragon, and the princesses

>Good. They can see your glory

>Still flying towards the dragon, you're about to hit it

>Two seconds before contact, you pull up just enough to avoid the dragon

>Flying far away, you turn your head, and confirm that it is now actively pursuing you

>Perfect: you can take the fight away from Canterlot

>Speeding up, you can feel that the dragon is starting to catch up

>After a few moments, Canterlot is out of sight

>Deftly, you rotate your jet 90 degrees on the x-axis, and take a hard left

>The dragon clearly does not understand your mode of flight

>All it can see, you're guessing, is a little bugger that started some shit with it

>Preparing another attack run, time seems to slow down

>This dragon is the largest living thing you've ever see

>It's stomach could quite possibly hold your F-22 with some room to spare

>Too bad it's mouth is much smaller

>Still, it could probably catch you in its mouth with its sharp, yellow teeth

>Black scales provide this creature with a hide impervious to any Equestrian conventional weapon

>If there's any blood from your previous attack, you can't see it

>Quick approaching it, you strafe it

>A little concerning is that it's opening its mouth...

>At the last second, you dive, avoiding a fireball

>Well, shit

 

>She couldn't believe her eyes

>Anon is actually helping fight off the dragon

>But why?

>It has to be some sort of trick...he's trying to postpone his death sentence

>"Sister, what should we do?"

>Celestia makes her decision instantly

>"We help him, for now. Whatever his reasons are, we desperately need his help"

>"But that song! It sounds so...suicidal..."

>They both fly towards where Anon led the dragon

>"That's irrelevant right now. Getting rid of that dragon is our first priority!"

>"Agreed!"

 

>You pull up, barely missing the dragon's tail

>Reacting far quicker than any machine, the dragon turns and follows you on your ascent

>Quickly, you pull a right, turning to a clockwise ascending spiral

>A fireball flies past you, and the dragon is soon in your crosshairs

>Before you unleash your Vulcan cannon, two magic bolts hit the dragon's belly

>It's not stunned, but rather surprised

>"Anon!"

>Shit, what does she want now?

>You see the dragon dive towards the two alicorns

>Before it can get either, they split off and fly in opposite directions, Celestia flying towards you

>"We need a plan! How are we neutralizing this dragon?"

>....

>This is your dragon

>It starts to fly back to Canterlot, the direction Luna flew

>shitshitshit

>"Anon?"

>You've got nothing left to say

>The pain in your chest starts to act up

>Any words at this point would be likely your last

>Instead, you tell her the plan with your actions

>You dive, quickly outrunning her

>The dragon enters your crosshairs again...

>Fuck the 50-round burst controller

>You override the controller, and unleash a barrage of metal at the dragon

>The Vulcan screams at you, and the dragon roars unimaginably loudly

>Through the smoke, you can see its attention is now all on you

>Without that burst controller, you fire all the remaining 400 rounds you had

>And that dragon still appears unharmed!

>Well, time to take this fight far, far away

>Speeding up, you get close to the dragon...

>Avoiding the dragon's claws takes almost no effort

>Flying past it, you graze it with the edge of your wing

>Gotta go faster...

>You speed up...

>Faster...

>A loud BOOM is felt, but not heard

>All is now quiet except the music in your cockpit

>Mach 1 achieved, and you slightly climb

>You look, and see that the dragon is still keeping up

>Well...faster

>Canterlot flies swiftly under you

>Mach 1.2....1.4...1.8...

>Throw on the afterburners

>HOLY SHIT

>Mach 2

>That Mach 2 feel exceeds any expectations you had previously made for it

>It's almost...divine just how fast you're going       

>Below, the terrain doesn't even look recognizable anymore

>A kind of treeless, dry earth that you didn't know existed this close to Canterlot

>And the dragon is still behind you!

>Well, a little ways away at any rate

>You slow down...

>It starts to catch up

>40k feet in the air, and you're still slowing down...

>It's on your tail

>Right before it blows a fireball at you, you put on the air-brakes and pull up just a little

>The dragon speeds past you, and is clearly confused

>That's some Top Gun bullshit you just performed

>Without missing a beat, you lock on and...

>Wait...

>You have those small diameter bombs, not missiles

>Hmm...

>Locked on anyways...

>You focus entirely on sending a bomb to it

>Firing the bomb, it takes off like a missile, surrounded by a magical aura

>Yup. It sure is kickass to have magic pertaining to warfare

>It hits the dragon's back, exploding. However, it doesn't kill the dragon

>There's a little blood, but not much

>That still probably hurt like hell

>It turns, and sends a fireball your way

>Relatively easy to dodge, you lock on and fire two more bomb-missiles at it

>They hit their mark on the dragon's neck, but still don't seem to cause much damage

>Perhaps a concentrated attack, with all the bombs in one spot...

>You roll the jet onto its left side, barely missing the dragon

>You see that it anticipates you turning to the left

>You however, rotate 180 degrees and turn to the right

>This dragon now understands how your jet flies, but not how you fly

>Catching it by surprise, you're locked on from above

>Frantically, you release the remaining five bombs, sending them like magical projectiles

>They all hit the dragon's back, and release a smoke cloud that obscures your vision

>Did you get it?

>You can't see anything moving here

>A roar behind you startles the hell out of you

>How did it survive?

>How did it get there?

>The problem must be those scales. You can't get through that natural armor

>Well...perhaps you can, in a way...the insides must be rather soft and vulnerable...

>You put the F-22 in autopilot, flying it straight...

 

>"Princess, what's happening?"

>"I've almost caught up, Twilight. I'll show you, Luna, and Shining Armor what's going on."

>Celestia had some reservations about flying about 70 miles away from the castle

>This took her on the outskirts of Equestria

>Though she should be fine, Anon might have some trouble if the dragon takes out his war machine

>As she casts the spell to show the three what she sees, Anon passes her swiftly

>The dragon, in pursuit, passes her too

>Celestia isn't a priority for the dragon

>She turns, and attempts to follow at a distance, catching everything that happens

>"Why are they headed back towards Canterlot? Is this part of Anon's plan?"

 

>You focus on your task

>A knife, and an M9 materialize out of nowhere

>Well, if Boss Paw could do it, why can't you?

>Come on...just a little closer...

>You unbuckle your seat belt, and prepare

>Closer...closer...

>PERFECT

>You slam on the ejection button, launching you and the chair out of your beloved F-22 and towards the dragon

>There's a small scream you pay almost no attention to

>It sounds like...Twilight?

>Well, it's too late to do anything about it

>The dragon opens its mouth...

>And a fireball is sent straight at you!

>Using all your focus, you summon a shield, and protect yourself with it

>Upon inspection, you recognize it as the one that the Royal Guards gave you upon your swear-in ceremony

>The shield serves its purpose, protecting you from the intense heat of the fireball

>Diving through it, you see the dragon still has its mouth open, and you head towards it

>Landing on the tongue, you're immediately put in the fight of your life

>Avoiding being chewed, you take aim above and shoot at where the brain should be

>You empty a magazine, to no apparent effect

>Perhaps you misjudged this one...

>As you reload, the tongue pushes you to the side teeth

>Reacting quickly, you draw the shield up to the front of your body, leaving your backside vulnerable

>The bite hurts your back, but leave you mostly intact

>Your chest wound flares up though...

>You look down, and see that a tooth went through the shield!

>And right into your chest wound!

>You feel immediately weakened, and you cease movements

>You're tossed around, eventually ending up at the back of the mouth

>You're there only for a moment, before you're swallowed

>Is this your death?

>It's not the best, but...

>Sliding down the throat headfirst, you feel warmer and warmer

>Soon you're hotter than you've ever felt

>No, it can't end like this...You're not going easy...

>Defiantly, you build the strength, and fire where your gut tells you

>On your third shot, you hear a scream of pain from the dragon

>There's some blood coming down on you as well

>Hmmm...

>You empty the rest of the magazine on that one area

>Unimaginable screams come from slightly above you, and it feels...surreal to be eaten whole

>A sense of falling comes to you

>Did you manage to hit a vital area?

>Well, you're still in the dragon

>If you can help it, you're not dying in this dragon

>A moment goes by before you end up in the stomach, and you're definitely sure that the dragon is falling, backside first if physics is to be believed

>Into the stomach acid, you feel some burning, but mostly on the already open would you have

>That doesn't stop you from dropping your M9, and picking up your knife

>You're completely engulfed in acid, holding your breath

>Without light, you stab into the stomach lining, being sure to tear it open

>The acid flies into that hole, and you soon are breathing again

>A putrid odor exists in this environment, but no time to worry about that

>Crawling through the hole, you see a small ray of light

>The acid burned through the rest of the body, even the scales!

>With the last of your strength, you pull yourself through the remaining entrails, through the skin and scales, and are nearly sucked out of the dragon

>Though the falling feeling sucks, it's also liberating, at least for you

>You're about to die of the mode of your choosing

>You killed the dragon, falling ahead of you into a barren-looking ground

>Just one second of pain...and it'll be gone

>You close your eyes, letting yourself fall headfirst

>For whatever reason, that feels the most comfortable

>There's nothing you can do, and even if there was, you wouldn't do anything

>The chest wound bleeding profusely...

>If you weren't about to fall to your death, you'd probably bleed out

>A deep breath...

>You're...slowing?

>And you feel something on your back?

>You open your eyes, and notice that you're on Princess Celestia's back!

>"Anon..."

>Anger fills you

>You were ready!

>You're pretty sure the afterlife is ready to see you now!

Let me die!

>You swing off of her back, and resume your lethal descent

>Now though, you're headed towards an unfamiliar forest

>Closer, and closer...

>Closing your eyes...

>Before you hit the ground, you lose consciousness...

 

>Your eyes open, revealing the sun close to the high point in the day

>Are you...dead?

>A quick check reveals that you're still wounded, in agonizing pain, and breathing

>Nope, you're alive

>God. Fucking. Damnit.

>But how?

>You're too weak to get up, so you'll die of exposure... or maybe not, knowing your luck lately

God, what did I ever do to piss you off so much that you would deny me death, so many fucking times?

>"I know not which god you're talking to, but you can thank me for saving you with your service!"

>Who? What?

>That feminine voice is so familiar

>Soothing, yet unpleasant at the same time

>Unable to move your head, you try to move your eyes towards the voice

>You catch a glimpse of a dark, alicorn-like creature, with bug wings and holes in its body

>No...Not her. Please not her

Chrysalis?

>"Yes, the very same."

Why the hell would you save me?

>"I've seen the way you fight, and it impresses me to no end. I want you to be a general in my army. I think you owe at much that for saving your life."

>You cough up some blood

Not happening, Chrysalis

>She comes closer to you

>"Don't be absurd! I can heal your wounds, treat you well, keep you...company, if you desire it. It would be foolish to not accept my kindness."

As good as all that sounds, I still decline. I don't need any of that

>"Listen here! I am going to heal you, and you will be mine!"

>You cough up even more blood, spitting it to the side

I swear to whatever deity you worship that if you heal me, I will kill you. I will not live my life if it means I break my oath

>She stomps her hoof...er...yeah, hoof

>"Celestia nullified that oath! She doesn't deserve your loyalty. I would, at least, reward you every day for your service..."

>You give a small chuckle

Chrysalis, you don't understand me at all. Perhaps it's my Greek pride, but I will never betray Equestria

>"That's a lie! I know you murdered all those ponies!"

>How does she know this? Is there a spy ring in Canterlot?

>Regardless, that dampens your mood considerably

What happened back there...I can't explain it. I don't have any recollection of murdering anyone. I... I only saw a terrible memory...and before I knew anything else, I was thrown in a cell.

>She walks over, head right above you now, staring into your eyes

>"What memory is this?"

I...I can't...

>"I don't have time for this!"

>Her horn...er...thing starts to glow a golden-yellowish color

>Wait...wasn't it green?

>Before you can question your post-fall reality any further, you feel your head under extreme pressure

>Not only does it feel like it will explode any second, you can also remember every moment of that night

>The band MetalHooves, drinking Jack, heartbreak... Doctor Hooves trying to console you

>...the imminent blackout, and your terrible memory of your sister plays out

>Horror fills you, as you cannot stop this memory

>It's like a film that won't stop playing, in your mind

>It's like being restrained like Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange, forced to watch horrible acts

>When you reach to the part where...she... You scream

>The pain of loss fills you again

>But it continues

>Mercifully, your memory continues into waking up in the cell...

>You're suddenly back to the real world, the memory dying down

>You notice you're breathing pretty hard

>There's just a little blood running down your head

>Chrysalis stands there, stunned.

>She's absolutely speechless

Yeah. You didn't think I had a perfect life, did you?

>"No...but..."

>You feel compelled to tell her your life story

>Are you really going to tell an enemy your final thoughts?

>Well, she's as good as anyone, at this rate. Plus, it'll feel good to finally open up

>As long as she's not pulling any of that headache bullshit on you

I'm fucked up. With my amnesia clearing up, I keep finding dirt in my past. The one thing I lived for...protecting those innocent ponies...and now I can't even do that without fear that I might black-out, and do more harm. I'm seeing things, like Twilight Sparkle cheating on me. It's like I'm seeing things that aren't there, and I can't distinguish between my hallucinations and reality. That thing...For some reason, I think it had some cause for that... event. I don't know if it's psychosis, magic, or something else entirely, but death is the only option for me now... Princess Celestia has forsaken me, I fucked up my love life, and really, it's the only humane thing to do. Death will give me peace, and it'll keep those ponies safe from me.

>"Is there...anything...I can do?"

>Why is she being so damn nice right now?

>Whatever. An offer is an offer, and you really don't want to bleed out slowly

Kill me, please.

>"I...I can't..."

>Fucking A. You want something done right, you gotta do it yourself

>You look around, but find no evidence of your gun or knife

>You frantically try to materialize them, but it appears you're without magic right now

>Well, there still is one option...

Chrysalis, heal me.

>"What?"

Please heal me. I mean, enough that I can walk. I'm going to go back to my cell, and await my execution

>"But why? Why would you do that?"

Quite honestly, I lack the materials and the means to kill myself. I also think any improvised method I could come up with would fail. So please, as a favor to an old enemy, give me enough strength to go back...

>Tears fall from her eyes, as her horn glows a bright yellow

And I swear, if I have enough strength to kill you, I will

>Why is she helping you?

>And why is she so tear-eyed?

>Is your story really that moving to a hostile?

>You have a short laugh, thinking it silly that an enemy that you've threatened to be more sympathetic to your situation than the princess you swore loyalty to

>Surrounded by her aura, you feel almost no difference

>Almost

>Your wound heals ever so slightly, and the pain lessens a little

Thanks...

>You slowly roll to your stomach, rise onto your knees, and find a nice stick

>Grabbing it, you use it to help yourself up

Chrysalis, one more thing

>"Yes?"

Get out of Equestria

>With those last words, you look away, and see that you're maybe two miles away from the palace

>How you got so close, you have no way of knowing

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_swaxOidGU

>Crippled from pain, you slowly walk towards the castle

>Your eyesight is going slowly

>Soon, you're without peripheral vision, seeing only straight ahead

>You're at the front gate now, hearing going away

>You know there are some ponies around you, and probably some guards as well, but you can't see them

>Their muffled voices leave you curious as to what they're saying

>Slowly, you work your way up the stair, being led by who-knows-what

>You can't remember where your cell is, but you apparently know the way

>Those damn ponies, following you

>Why can't they just leave you alone?

>You can't see them, you can barely hear them

>Your eyesight at this point is the worst you've ever had. The tunnel vision is the worst you've ever had, even worse than the first time you piloted an aircraft

>You finally make it back to your cell

>Curiously, it appears unguarded, but it must be because you're losing your vision

>The cell gate is open, and you walk through

>Your strength fails, causing you to collapse face first into the floor

>It doesn't hurt hitting the floor, but that's probably because your chest wound just started to bleed out again

>Staring at the wall, you feel...at peace again

>Just kicked a dragon's ass...one more thing you saved Equestria from

>You don't know what happened to your F-22, but that's beyond your concern now

>Closing your eyes, you're certain that you won't wake up

>What a shame... you won't make it to your execution

>You wonder what they'll do with your body?

>Shining Armor knows you want your ashes scattered in the garden, but you don't think they'll desecrate such a beautiful place with your undeserving cremains

>Hell, they can toss your body in a ditch, and you wouldn't know the difference

>Your mind starts to fade, and you start feeling cold

>Slowly, your vision blackens

>This is it...