The motors roared, the air smelled of vomit, and the smoke from the ships filled the sky, as the LCA's began to take off. As the vehicle moved, the waves from the ocean splashed within the LCA. Slowly, it began to catch speed, then it roared towards the shore. The ocean splashed against the heavy landing craft, as the ponies inside stood still, knowing it is time. They have trained hard for this moment, and are willing to do their job. But, that didn't lift the heavy smell of fear in the air, as the closer, they got to the shore, the closer they were to facing the enemy. Inside, one pony shook in absolute fear, and that was Private Fluttershy. Her hooves began to shake, her brain ran with awful thoughts of her death, and the awful sights she would see on the battlefield. She slowly held tight her M1 Garand rifle, wrapped in plastic to keep the sand out. She slowly looked around, as the LCA was filled with the platoon of ponies, with one piloting the LCA, and one Lewis Gun mounted in the front.
"30 seconds." shouted the driver, as he looked onwards to the shore.
"Alright everypony, listen up!" shouted Captain Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy turned her head as she looked at the purple pony, looking fearless as she gave her orders. "I need everypony to move fast, clear the mortars holes, upon the beach."
Fluttershy slowly began to think about her cottage at home, how could she be here? She locked herself inside, and the Princess did everything she could to avoid her from fighting, but it was still no use. She was drafted in 1943, and began training for the biggest operation in Equestrian history.
"Keep those actions clear, don't want any guns jamming with the sand. I'll see you all on the beach." finished Twilight. All of a sudden, the sound of the engines filled the air once again. Not even the sounds of waves crashing against the vehicle was heard around the group. The ponies slowly prayed for their lives, began whispering prays to their goddess, and looked onwards to the face of death. The whistle blew and the ramp began to drop, as the Lewis Gun began firing at the bunker. The ponies in front, started to charge, but were gunned down. The Changling defense was strong, snipers laid upon the hillside, mortar pits laid around the area, and worse of all, several machine guns guarded the beach. This wasn't any ordinary machine gun, this was the MG42. Chrysalis' Buzzsaw. It had a rate of fire of 1200 RPM, the fasted gun on the war zone. No Equestrian firearm could match the power the buzzsaw had to offer, the accuracy it had, the lethality of it's bullet, and it's devastating sound. It wasn't any ordinary sound, individual bullets couldn't be heard, it sounded like a cloth be ripped. Slowly, thread by thread, piece by piece. The ponies bodies when shot at by the MG42, smacked against their bodies, they acted like a sand bag, filled with lifeless materials as the bullets penetrated their skin, and out into the pony behind. Several rounds fired towards the LCA's. Mortars began targeting the landing crafts, some missed by inches, others, were not so lucky.
Fluttershy sprinted out of the LCA, and fell down into the ocean. She slowly looked around at the bodies laying down in the water. Bullets wizzed by, as some missed by inches, others struck other ponies as they frantically struggled from drowning. Not even the toughest pony could survive this onslaught. Fluttershy began to close her eyes, hoping this was all a bad dream. She wished to wake up in her cottage, with all her woodland friends, and Angel bunny. She hoped this was not reality, she hoped for a quick way out, but it didn't come. A hoof grabbed Fluttershy's collar and pulled her up from the ocean.
"Come on, dear!" shouted Rarity, the company sniper. "We have to get up this beach, move."
She pushed Fluttershy as she began to trot out of the ocean. She trotted closer, and closer to the shore, her M1 Garand weighing her down. The mortars exploded with impact stronger than anything Fluttershy ever saw. The sound of the MG42 was even heard hundreds of yards away. She took some cover behind a tank trap, as Rarity ducked down with her, as the two looked at the horrific sightings. Ponies, laying all around the shore. Body parts and organs laid scattered around the beach head. Fire from some of the LCA's caught on to others, as some tried to put it out, others looked onwards, hoping to still fight, but they were gunned down, as their lives came to an abrupt end. Explosions hit against the water, as a mixture of blood hit and water splashed against the faces of several.
Fluttershy looked in horror as Rarity held on to her tight. Her sniper by her side, as she looked for her Captain, Twilight Sparkle.
"What do we do now, Captain?" she shouted, as bullets ricocheted off the tank trap.
"Get up that beach head, stay here, your dead!" she shouted.
Fluttershy looked in horror towards the beach head shore. It looked like an eternity to get across that beach head, and get near the bunker to assault. Many ponies tried to run, but were either gunned down, or targeted by mortars. She grabbed her M1 Garand and ran to the next tank trap, until a mortar shell exploded 10 feet away from her. She felt the force of the explosion as she fell down and stayed down as the sand pebbles fell down from the sky and landed on top of Fluttershy. She put her hooves over her head, hoping for everything to stop. She began to cry as the guns sounded like they were getting closer to her. Everything began to slow down, as she looked in horror as ponies cried for the Princess, as they laid half dead, blood pouring from their mouths as frantic medics tried to heal the wounded, but it seemed hopeless. She ducked and stayed down, hoping the changlings wouldn't target her. But as she kept her face buried in the sand, another hoof pulled her collar, and she jerked forward. It was Sgt. Cheerilee, holding an M1 Carbine, and pushing the yellow pegasus forward.
"Let's go Fluttershy, Captain says we got get up this beach! Let's move!" she shouted, as she began to run with Fluttershy. She quickly got up on her hooves and sprinted towards the beach head, somehow managing to dodge every MG42 burst the changlings fired toward her area. As if it were instinct, she dived, head first, towards the sea wall, as she felt semi safe from the entire commotion.
"Who do we got here?" shouted Twilight.
"We're all mixed up sir. We got ponies from Apple company, Cherry company, and Diamond company." said a pony.
"Sergeant Cheerilee! See anyone from the company?"
"I got Fluttershy here. That's about it." she shouted back.
"Asked Fluttershy if she's seen anyone!"
"I saw Rarity back towards the tank traps." she said. She had no idea if Rarity in fact made it, or was still alive.
Just as seconds passed, more ponies dived towards the sea wall.
"Rainbow Dash here sir!" she shouted, and Applejack and Pinkie Pie sounded off as they loaded their guns.
"Rainbow. Where's the B.A.R.?" asked Cheerilee.
"Probably down on the ocean floor now Sarge, damn thing nearly drowned me."
"Find a replacement, and get back here." said Twilight.
Fluttershy looked around in confusment as the bullets flew over her head, as they struck more ponies running up the beach. Mortar fired continued to explode all around the beach. They exploded with force unimanginable as the sand pebbles flew down and smacked the heads of several ponies. Some, got lucky, others, got a body full of loose shrapnel, as they flew lifeless in the air. Blood pouring out of their mouths and body cavaties. Fluttershy looked in horror as the changlings gunned down several ponies. Fluttershy swung her head to the other side, where she saw a pony with a flamethrower. She ran as fast as she could towards the beach head, only to be shot by a sniper. That one round hit the feul tank, and the flamethrower exploded with substantial force. A ball of orange flame roared out of the tank, and engulfed the owner. The pony screamed for help, her hooves flailed up in the air, hoping to put the flame out, her body slowly turned blacker and blacker as the flame ate her skin and flesh away. Fluttershy's eyes looked in horror, as the moment felt surreal, all in slow motion as the pony struggled to live as she experienced a slow, torturous death. Fluttershy heard a faint voice, calling her name. Was she dreaming? Was this real life?
"Fluttershy." said the voice, as time began to move forward, and everything began to catch pace again.
"Fluttershy! Help us with the bangers!" shouted Rainbow Dash, with a new B.A.R. Fluttershy turned her head and began pushing the tubes of explosives near the barb wired sea wall. The tube was pushed into the sand, as ponies began to fight the enemy. As Fluttershy looked around, she noticed the pony on fire no longer flailed anymore. Her suffering ended. Caught off guard, she felt a pony collide into her side. Fluttershy's face hit the sand as she rolled over and collided again. When she looked up, she saw the pony who saved her life from drowning, Rarity.
"Miss me darling?" she asked Fluttershy. She didn't answer back, as she stood in shock, on how she made it up the beach.
"Rarity," shouted Twilight, "help us with the bangalore tubes, we need to get up this beach!"
"Yes sir." she shouted as she ran towards the stack of tubes. Fluttershy looked down again, as she helped place the torpedo in the sand.
"Applejack, plant the charge!" Twilight shouted.
"Yes sir!" she said in her southern accent. She ran over began to set the fuse up. The wire was inserted and she was ready to blow it.
"Fire in the hole!" she shouted. As she pulled the fuse and the explosive was ready to detonate.
"Fluttershy, put your head down!" shouted Dash, as she planted Fluttershy's head down with her hoof. Seconds later, the explosion detonated, and the barb wire flew off. The sand disappeared as it created a pathway up the hillside. Twilight took off the plastic from her Thompson, and loaded the submachine gun.
"We're in business, Bakery Company, move up over the sea wall!" she shouted as she lead the charge up past the beach of death. Fluttershy looked onwards as she sprinted towards the bunker and hid from the main MG's. She loaded her M1 Garand, the .30-06 bullets entered in the semi automatic rifle. She pushed the bolt forward as the round loaded into the bolt and was ready to fire. She looked up as bullets richoceted off the bunker, and Twilight swung her head back. Her hoof covered her face as the parts of cement chipped off as they were hit by the other machine gun.
"What are we up against sir?" asked Rarity.
"Changling 34, and a mortar team. Targeting the ponies on the beach, we need to take it out." she said.
"What do you suggest?" asked Cheerilee.
"We need to get this area open. Rainbow Dash, grab some cover put some fire on that crew." she said.
"On it!" shouted Rainbow. She then charged past the Captain and took cover in a small sections of rocks. She deployed her bipod and began to fire. The B.A.R. fired it's rounds off as they slowly drawed the attention of the machine gun nest. The gun's deep and steady volley of shots hit around the areas it was aimed at, it had a steady beat to it. It felt, reassuring, as Fluttershy began to feel, somewhat safer.
"Applejack, Lyra, Bon, and Fluttershy, get ready to move towards that ditch, put some fire on that crew!" shouted Twilight, as she held her Thompson in the air. Fluttershy nervously got up to begin running, she closed her eyes and began to take deep breathes. Her sweat poured down her face, as she was about to run, and face the enemy. She heard the faint sound of something along the lines of "covering fire." and a volley of fast paced shots coming out of a gun. When she heard one word, she charged out.
"Go!" shouted Twilight as she sprinted towards the small ditch by the MG34. She panted to death and looked around for her rifle, her Garand was gone. It was nowhere to be found, she began to panic, she frantically searched the ground for her rifle.
"Pvt. you dropped this." said Corporal Pinkie Pie, as she carried Fluttershy's rifle, along with her Grease Gun, whom she called "Gummy". The pink pony loaded her submachine gun and began to fire on the crew as well. The slow pace of the Grease Gun gave it what little range it had, but it still provided a good volume of fire. Fluttershy nervously held the rifle, not knowing what to do as other ponies fired their M1's towards the MG nest.
"Fluttershy! Fire your weapon!" shouted Twilight, looking at her anxiously. Fluttershy slowly turned her head around as she looked up towards the machine gun nest. Covered with sand bags, the MG34 fired a burst towards Fluttershy's head, she ducked down in time, but that just made Fluttershy more nervous. Her stomach churned with fear as the bullets wizzed by her head.
"C'mon Fluttershy, you can do it sugar cube!" said AJ as she reloaded her M1 Garand.
"Fluttershy, it's easy as one, two, three. Raise, aim, and fire." said Pinkie Pie cheerfully.
Fluttershy still felt nervous as she looked at the smiling pink pony.
"C'mon do it with me, raise." said Pinkie as she put her Grease Gun to her shoulder.
"Rrrr-rr--raise." Fluttershy said nervously.
"Aim."
"A--aa--aim."
"And fire."
Fluttershy pulled the trigger and the M1 Garand spat out a round, the bullet wizzed by the changlings head, and Fluttershy, not even knowing, fired one round from her gun. She felt this whole burst of confidence as she did it again. One round after another, the bullets spat out of the gun. Finally, by the eighth round, the clip from the Garand sprang out, like a jack in the box, and made a metallic ping noise. Fluttershy realized she expended an entire magazine of Garand ammo. She felt happy, she now felt she could fire her gun at a pony. She quickly loaded it in and aimed in through the sights. She looked through the small aperture and held the trigger. Slowly she fired her gun, this time, the bullet hit the changling in the shoulder. Fluttershy felt a sigh of relief, as she learned how to fire her gun.
"I did it!" she shouted to the Captain.
"Good job Fluttershy!" she said.
Fluttershy slowly began to move upwards.
"Wait get down!" shouted the Captain as the MG34 targeted Fluttershy, as she stood up. She fell back down into the dirt as the machine gun missed her by inches. As Fluttershy began to collect her thoughts again, she looked over to notice Rarity in the adjacent ditch. Rarity took her time as she slowly scoped in and fired her Springfield. The gun shot and the changling's head shot backwards and the body fell lifeless to the ground. Headshot. Rarity elegantly pulled the bright bolt backwards, the shell ejected and she pushed it forward again. It was all in an smooth process, it wasn't even a movement, it looked like a work of art. She scoped in again, and fired another round, the sand bags gave way, and the machine gun crew fell down. The ponies fired their guns at the falling changlings, as they slid down the hill and their bodies collect bullets.
"Let's move!" shouted Twilight as she loaded a new magazine into her Thomspon, as she began to run up the hill, and charged past the beach. Fluttershy followed close behind as she ran up the side of the bunker, and she was now beyond the beach. She ran up to the trench as, Twilight took cover behind the wall of it. Twilight jumped down, along with Cheerilee, noq holding her Winchester Shotgun. Twilight nodded and a frag was thrown into the entrance. Cheerilee waited as she aimed her shotgun towards the doorway. Two changlings came running out, Cheerilee pulled the trigger, as a hail of buckshot led balls flew into the changlings, their bodies flying backwards from the immense amount of force the shotgun provided. Cheerilee pumped the pump back and loaded in a new shell. She waited, patiently, as another ran out, ending up like the changling before her, dead. She motioned forward, as she prepared another grenade. Fluttershy stood in amazement of the events happening, to clear the bunker. Twilight motioned to a pony, and a pony with a gigantic tank of feul came up. A small little flame was at the nozzle of the gun, and Fluttershy realized what will happen next, the MG's would burn. The pony pulled the trigger and a gust of fire shot out of the gun. The fire spread through out the bunker, as it exploded the excess ammo left by the changlings in the bunker. Slowly the fire engulfed the bunker, and the MG's no longer threatened the ponies on the beach.
The day ended with the equipment being loaded up on the beach, and looking over the area littered with bodies, guns, and shrapnel. The blood from several ponies covered the ocean in a murky red color, as the waves crashed in and took the dead from the beach, cleaning it from the trash lying down around the beach. Taking in all of the evil that has happened, and locking it away to only be relived in history books.
Fluttershy sat on the cliffside, looking across the beach, watching the peaceful sea take in everything bad. She watched as bodies rocked back and forth from the waves crashing into them. She felt an emotional pain inside, one that she can't describe. It was eating at her, but, she didn't think it mattered. She shifted her eyes to the hill, where changlings laid there, lifeless. She thought about shooting her Garand again, the power of the rifle, it felt like a entire new experience. The long trigger pull, the sound of the gun shooting the round, and the ping at the end. She began to close her eyes, locking her head down, hoping to get the feelings out of her system. Moments pasted, when she felt a hoof on her shoulder, it was the Captain.
"How you doin' Private?" Twilight asked.
"I'm fine sir." she said in her quiet, but understandable tone.
"That's good, it's been a long day."
"Yes sir." There was an awkward moment of silence, until Twilight began to sit down next to Fluttershy.
"You know, this invasion, is a sign of the end." Twilight said.
Fluttershy nodded, not knowing how to reply.
"I mean, I can go back to my studies within a year or two. See Spike, the Princess, and even my brother."
Fluttershy nodded.
"You did well out there today, Private, hell, I think you've gotten yourself your first kill."
Fluttershy looked in disgust as she turned her face away from the Captain. Twilight noticed and put her hoof on her shoulder again.
"Listen here, Private. Don't be afraid to ask me anything, alright? I am your superior, you may ask me anything you want, whatever is on your mind."
"I got it sir, thank you." Fluttershy said, hoping she could be alone soon.
"C'mon Private, come get some chow, you deserve it."
Fluttershy got up, and took one more good look to the sunset, before setting off to go with her squad. The sun began to fall down and the sky began to turn dark. The moon began to come up, and with that, Fluttershy left. Her pink mane flowed with the wind as it caught speed and began to sound off with the calm, peaceful, sound it gave off when pushing against the grass and bushes of the cliffside. Fluttershy slowly trotted down to the hangout, where the other ponies laid there, laughing, reminiscing, and having a good time, as it might be their last.
"Hey! There she is!" shouted Rainbow Dash.
"Mare of the hour." said Pinkie Pie.
"Congrats on your job today, Fluttershy." said AJ.
"Ummm...thanks everypony." Fluttershy said quietly.
"Come sit down darling! Pinkie Pie is making some of her best coffee." said Rarity.
"Yes sir-rie! I make some of the best coffee in the whole Equestrian Army!" Pinkie rushed to get the next batch ready for Fluttershy. The smell had a relaxing scent to it, like a warm blanket wrapped around a ponies body, on a cold winter's day. The smoke felt warm against Fluttershy's coat, and her hairs raised on her coat, the warm smoke brushed her coat, and Fluttershy began to calm down, and join the others. Applejack pulled out a small package of sorts, it had a red design on it and red "Mareboro" on it, and when she opened it, 12 packs of orange and white sticks held proudly in the box.
"You wanna smoke?" asked Applejack to Fluttershy. She never smoked before in her life, but, knew that they give a pony cancer in the lungs. But, still, Fluttershy grabbed the cigarette and put it in her mouth. Applejack took out her lighter and she lit the cigarette. Fluttershy inhaled as the warm smoked filled her insides and flowed throughout her body. She exhaled with a calm, patient, and slow breathe. Fluttershy felt fully comfortable now, here sitting in the dirt, around a lantern with several other ponies she vaguely knew. She finally felt something that she hasn't felt in a long time, acceptance.
"So, where you from Fluttershy?" asked Sgt. Cheerilee, with one hoof on a rock.
"Oh," said Fluttershy, caught up in the moment of her first cigarette, "um... Cloudsdale."
"Get out of here, ME TOO!" shouted Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy looked in surprise at the blue pony with the multi colored mane.
"Oh really?" she asked.
"Yeah, but, I've never seen you in junior flight camp though."
"Oh, well, I never took it."
"Why is that?"
Fluttershy began to feel uncomfortable, she wasn't a great flier, but didn't want to admit it to the group. So, in turn, she fumbled for an answer, until Rainbow dash withdrew her question.
"Actually, never mind." she said. Fluttershy sighed in relief, she didn't want to spoil her moment on talking about her fillyhood. She took another inhale of her cigarette, she now felt completely calm, she began to sink down in her seat. Her back hit the ridges of the rock she leaned against, and she went into a new comfortable position. She sat down, the dirt feeling as soft as a pillow and she remained in that position. The 6 ponies laughed around the lantern, until the Captain appeared.
"How's everypony doing?" she asked.
"Good sir, coffee?" asked Cheerilee.
"No, I'm good. Listen up, we gotta get up early tomorrow, we're on a scouting mission, up near the changling village about 20 klicks from here. Alright?"
The ponies agreed with the Captain's orders, either nodding their heads, or simply saying "yep". Twilight looked down to Fluttershy, she smiled and nodded in approval of Fluttershy, acknowledging that she is on the way of becoming a soldier, and fighting this war. Fluttershy nodded back, and she turned her head to see what the other ponies were doing.
"Well, I outta be gettin' sum rest. This pony's gonna hit the hay." Applejack said in her heavy southern accent.
Rainbow Dash yawned and got up from her seat too, "Yep, I'm gonna sleep, night everypony."
The group disbanded and Fluttershy trotted to her sleeping spot, and laid down. She began to doze off, feeling satisfied of doing her job as an Equestrian Crusader. She fell asleep smiling, even after the death and destruction of day on the beach of the changling empire.