A blood-curdling scream echoed across a small town on the planet of Dyke, the first of many to break the early morning silence. Clan Draconequus soldiers had smashed their way into the stone brick homes and were gunning down any pony they came across, leaving only the young ones alive to foalnap and train as soldiers.

In a particularly old-fashioned house, a high pitched shriek was cut off as a soldier put a bullet through a mare’s head, splattering blood and brains against the wall behind her. The soldier looked around the room quickly before turning to find his companion in the small building.

He found the second soldier in one of the back rooms, holding a rifle level with a stallion’s head. A young yellow colt was cowering in fear behind the pony, who was presumably his father. “Come on, Ash. Don’t just stand there lookin’ at ‘em. Shoot ‘im!”

Ash glanced quickly over his shoulder at the first soldier before turning back to the stallion. The rifle creaked slightly as he tightened his hooves around it. “I’m sorry,” he whispered right before he fired the gun. The stallion slammed back into the stone wall as a loud BANG reverberated in the small room. A trail of red was left behind as his head slid down the bricks before flopping lifelessly to the floor. The colt screamed and leaped towards the dead pony, but the first soldier grabbed one of his hind legs before he could get there and dragged him toward the street outside.

“You need to learn what orders are, Ash. Do as you’re told and stuff. No hesitation,” the first soldier said. He threw the colt out of the front door and let him land painfully on the cobblestone street. Another soldier rushed over to grab the young pony and dragged him kicking and screaming to a hovercraft, where many other foals had been collected. The first soldier turned back to Ash and tilted his head. “You alright? You’ve been actin’ strange all mornin’.”

Ash let out a heavy sigh and lowered his head. “I… I don’t know, Hitch. What are we even doing here? Why are we murdering innocent ponies like this?”

Hitch tapped his friend’s helmet lightly. “‘Cause we’ve been ordered to. And goin’ against orders is a good way to get a knife in the back.”

“But why were we ordered to do this? I became a soldier to serve and protect our Clan, not… this,” Ash said, nodding towards the cacophony outside.

Hitch sighed and glanced through the open door to make sure nopony was eavesdropping before placing a hoof on Ash’s shoulder and leaning in close to him. “Listen. There ain’t nothin’ we can do but what we’re told. Take a look around and tell me they wouldn’t just as easily put a knife in your freeborn ass as one of those poor sods we just killed.”

Ash glanced at the blood that had begun to pool out of the back room and felt sick. Hitch was right; if the higher-ups were corrupt enough to order a mass execution like this, killing a few soldiers who went against orders would be easier than swatting a fly. As much as he wanted to do what was right and protect the citizens, he had never even considered the possibility of dying in the process. That wasn’t something he could do. He was here to protect his family, and he had to make it back to them. No matter what.

A light beep sounded in the speaker in Ash’s helmet. He frowned as the Commander’s voice cut in and silenced the noise of gunfire. “This is Commander Bolt. The transport hovercraft are full. We can not carry any more foals, so kill them, too. Do not leave any survivors.” There was a small click as he cut off, and Ash and Hitch glanced at each other.

Hitch shook his head. “Orders, Ash. If you wanna survive, follow ‘em.” He stepped out of the house and rolled his shoulders before scanning the buildings around him.

Ash hesitated. “He wants us to kill foals? Can I really do that?” he thought. He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood and glanced outside. “I… I have to. I can’t die here.” The armor plating strapped to his body rattled lightly as he followed his friend and sighed. He glanced at the gray sky as he stepped through the door frame, his expression sorrowful. “I’m sorry, mom. I know you’re probably disappointed in me, but I have to do this.”

He frowned as he felt tapping on one shoulder. He turned to find Hitch staring out into the town square with one hoof resting lightly on his shoulder. “See what happens when you don’t follow orders?”

Ash followed his friend’s gaze and saw the Commander towering over another soldier with a gun pressed up underneath his chin. Ash flinched as the Commander fired the gun and watched the soldier’s corpse crumple to the ground. If the thought of being killed for defecting wasn’t enough of an incentive to follow orders, watching it happen to another pony was more than sufficient.

“That’s why you do as you’re told. Now come on. We shouldn’t stand around for too long,” Hitch said subduedly. Ash nodded and followed his friend toward a building that hadn’t been breached yet. Before entering, he cast one glance back at the Commander. The unicorn had taken his helmet off and was walking towards the shadow of a building, but Ash couldn’t see towards what from his position. He shook his head, feeling sorry for whatever victim the cruel Commander had found, and trailed behind his friend through a now-open door.

“There you are,” Hitch said as he fired a few rounds from his rifle. They tore into the body of a young stallion as he tried to rush out from his hiding spot. “I was startin’ to think you’d run off.”

Ash glanced quickly at the body before turning to his friend. “Don’t worry about that. I’m here to stay. I have ponies back home who need me, so I can’t die now.”

Hitch’s shoulders relaxed. “Good. Most of the others here really piss me off. I wouldn’t want to have to find a new partner.”

Ash smiled slightly despite the situation. “Yeah,” he said quietly. He hefted his rifle and glanced at the two doors in the back of the main room. “Let’s do this, I guess.”

Hitch nodded and walked up to one of the doors. Ash stopped in front of the other, and at his signal, they burst their way into the rooms with their rifles held out in front of them.

A terrified pony was huddled in a ball in the far corner of the bedroom Ash had broken into and was staring straight back at him. He swung his rifle around and pointed it straight at the poor soul’s chest, but stopped upon realizing it was only a foal. A young colt no older than the one he had back home. The memory of the soldier’s body falling to the ground and the sound of the long gunshot reverberated in Ash’s head, the fear of such a thing causing him to tighten his hooves around his weapon in resolve.

“I’m so sorry,” Ash thought. He knew that even if he survived the war and was allowed rejoin his family, he’d never really be with them. Not after this. Killing this colt would haunt him for the rest of his life, and he would relive this memory every time he saw his own foal. “But orders are orders.”