The sun was setting just atop the horizon....this place could be considered beautiful if not everything here was trying to kill you. Josh looked out of the side door of the merlin helicopter flying high above the dusty arid plains of Afghanistan looking down a small gang of schools kids were playing and looking up at them waving at the RAF transport, Josh smiled and waved back giving them a small salute which made them smile even more. Looking back towards the sunset he let out a small sigh barley audible due to the rotor blades and the engines just inches from their heads, bringing his head back inside he was greeted with the smell of a open wound and looked down at the stretcher laid out in front of him, the lad was dead.Today was his first and his last jump into combat surprisingly his parachute had managed to catch in one of the few sparse tress dotted around this mountainous desert, and he was used for target practice by the Taliban to prove of their hatred of ISAF and NATO forces. Leaning down Josh closed the lads eyes again before looking back out at the scenery.
This place could be beautiful.....if not everything was trying to kill you.
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"Aww come on Marco just this one time please" Michaela pleaded with my giving me her best puppy eyes.....dam celestia they always work as i reach in my saddle bag and I pull out ten bits and place them in her hooves.
"Fine then" I sighed "Just don't spend them to quickly" I watched her bounce up and down with glee much like that pink mare in the elements of harmony....whats her name again oh yeah pinkie pie how could i ever forget that crazy pink party lover, I lean down to kiss Michaela before she runs off into a shop and im left alone waiting for her on the edge of town....the part closest to the Everfree. That place scares me more than anything in the world.
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I hold up my hand to get everyones attention before speaking into the mic
"Two minutes till secondary jump lads" I could feel the merlin begin to gain altitude and the rear door opened up revealing the Afghan mountains sitting below the sun. I turned to look into the pilot bay and could see they were hard at work trying to figure out where we were and when we needed to exit the chopper, turning my head back around I could see foul black smoke seeping out of the tail and away into the sky.
"David...we got a fire on the tail i sugge-" I didn't finish as the merlin was thrown sideways like a child casting away a toy i could see the flames more clearly now as the merlin began to spin around rapidly without the counter torque rear rotor.
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"Sweet celestia how much did you buy with ten bits!?" I exclaimed as Michaela walked back to me with more than a few bags attached to her sides. She smiled cutely and walked up to me and kissed me gently.
"Enough" she began to snuggle up next to me when i heard a loud booming sound, I look up instantly to see a grey bird like object spinning rapidly and heading straight for the ground. I look on in horror as its course suddenly changes and begins heading towards us, I freeze in my spot and stare at the grey object that was going to kill me.
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"Where the fuck are we! this shit's gone FUBAR no way back now!" I heard David Harding the pilot shout out.
"We'll worry about that latter just make a soft touch down without killing any of us!" I screamed back at him before sitting back down and bracing my self for the impact.
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"MARCO RUN!" I heard Michaela scream at me, I half dive half fly out of the way just as the bird connected with the space I had occupied just moments earlier. Instead of the crunch of a body hitting the ground all that could be heard was a metallic scraping sound as the object skidded along the floor eventually coming to a rest a few yards down the street.
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The Merlins hull slammed into the ground and jogged me up in my seat as we began to skid down the road I look out of the side window and catch a glimpse of something that I thought was a small black and red pony with wings.
"No that cant be right....hang on a second we were in Afghan with mud walls and dirt roads so why the hell is there concrete and normally paved roads here" I thought to myself as the Merlin skidded to a halt, disorientated I unbuckle my self and step out side with my rifle raised.
"ANYONE THERE!" I shout out and scan the surrounding area, bits of debris lay about the place, the tail lay smouldering just a few yards to the left of the crash site. We had carved a sizeable trench in the road. No reply from the call.
"ANYONE THERE" I shout out in Pashtun just incase this really was Afghanistan. Nothing again, I slowly edge backwards into the cargo bay again to check on the rest of the lads. As I walk in I am met by the sound of groans, I walk up to a green boy with his head slumped forward, I reach down and raise his head and look at his eyes, they stare back with a glazed lifeless expression. I close his eyes and reach down to grab his dog tag and rip one off, I continue through the cargo bay with no more casualties thankfully until I reach the pilot bay, the two pilots slumped forward one with a piece of metal speared through his abdomen and the other unconscious. I check his pulse....still alive,I haul him out of his seat and place him down out side with his helmet off, as I go back inside to get the rest of the Para's.
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"Oh my Celestia what was that" I heard hoof steps coming from behind me and I turn around to see Michaela just as she dives forward to hug me tightly.
"Oh praise Luna and Celestia your alright. I was so worried i didn't see if you were fine or if..." she stopped and choked back tears, I start to gently brush her mane and I lay my chin on her head gently
"There there...don't worry I'm fine." I look over to the thing laying on the floor "But he dosen't look good....we should go help him" by now half of Ponyville had woken up and where at the crash site. I pushed through the crowd holding Michaela's hoof behind me eventually we broke through and I walked over to where the being lay motionless on the ground.
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"Come on lads were para's. We'll bury the dead later but for now we need to secure the CLZ" I walk out of the tail gate with the rest of my squad behind me and my SA80 raised and pressed firmly into my shoulder. As I left the tail gate I stand shocked at my surroundings, surrounding us where bright multi-coloured ponies some with wings some with horns and some with nothing all just staring at us.
All that came to my mind was.
"What the fuck".
