MiE: Divided Path

On the dawn of the seventh day, God rested. Sadly, we cannot, since this is the day we're attacking Sunbutt in a move that will determine the rest of the war. Rather quickly, at that.

"The forces that Valkyrie Vythica Ravenwater have lended us are here." Dawn said early in the morning, waking me the fuck up.

"How many?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing the shit outta my eyes.

"A wing of gryphons, and four infantry divisions." He answered. "All in all, we're looking at 78 gryphons and roughly forty diamond dogs, forty camel spiders, and forty naga."

"They under my command?" I asked, standing and going over to the armory to kit up.

"More or less, unless Ravenwater appears." Dawn said, waving his hoof. "And Chrysalis also has problems of her own at the main hive, so she couldn't send as many troops as she wanted."

"How many of her changelings do we have, without counting the ones already here?" I asked, inserting a key and twisting it. I had to wait a moment for the door to unlock, listening to the many mechanisms twisting and turning on the inside.

"Fifty, but they're all SEALs changelings." He answered as the door slid open, allowing me to get at my gear.

"Fifty SEALs could take on all of Canterlot, if they were humans." I muttered, opening my locker. "...Think I should wear my newly ventelated suit?" My bomb suit had recently been upgraded with air conditioners (spells) so I wouldn't overheat, and made lighter while still fully protecting me from explosions.

"It's your choice." Dawn said, pulling on some armor of his own. "I'll be in the main charge into the castle, so I need to get suited up too." He commented as he armor'd up. Watching him, I could tell why he's not worn it until now; dude looked scary as fuck in it. Think of death putting on pitch black armor over his cloak, and a helmet that pretty much made me almost shit myself. After armoring up, he grabbed a wicked-looking scythe and looked at me.

"...Right." I said once I shook off the feeling of ohfuckimsodead and continued putting on my suit. Once I finished, I turned my M60 into an MG42 and slung a strap across my shoulders, making sure I didn't hit myself in the face with the extended bi-pod. I grabbed some potato mashers and pineapple grenades, put them on my body, and put my helmet on, activating the air conditioner spell.

"Let us go." Dawn said with a voice that sent tendrils of cold and foreboding down my spine. We left the barracks and Dawn promptly made Fluttershy have a heart attack and race out of my store.

"What was all that 'bout suga-" AJ started asking, but saw Dawn and promptly froze. Dawn sighed and simply walked past her, causing her to shudder and glance at me. "Who was that?"

"That was Dawn." I answered, causing her to look a little ashamed of herself for being scared of a friend. "A scary as fuck Dawn, at that." She looked a little relieved that she wasn't the only one who was scared shitless of him.

"Where'ya goin' all dressed up an' such?" AJ asked, shaking her head and looking at me.

"Ending this war." I sighed, cracking my back. "We're about to assault Canterlot. A-10s have been reassigned to soften up their defenses for the ground troops to get in easier."

"Are ya goin' to kill everypony?" AJ asked, narrowing her eyes a little.

"Only the ones who attack us first. Or high up nobles, on Luna's orders." I answered.

"Why the high up ones?" AJ asked as we walked outside and into the morning light.

"All of 'em are on Celestia's side, and will pretty much stage a coup while Dawn and Luna are rebuilding the country." I explained.

"Ya seem pretty confident that ya'll get rid of Celestia." AJ commented as I nodded to some nervous looking ponies. I wasn't surprised, since the Chinese spiders were near them. Ugly fuckers, but I loved my pet camel spider back home so I won't hate on them.

"Saying that we might get her isn't the Marine Corps way." I answered. "We will get her, no matter the cost." AJ frowned at my answer.

"Ah just hope ya'll ain't included in that cost o' yers." She said, indicating me to squat down. "Ah don't know how it'd do for the young'un."

"I just hope Applebloom won't take it too hard." I answered.

"Ah ain't talkin' 'bout my sis, but Ah know she'd take it hard, too." She answered, confusing me.

"Wait, what do you me-" And then it hit me like a precision brick. "T-that's impossible."

"Ah'm pregnant, Mark." AJ whispered. "An' Dawn told me that it was definitely yers." I couldn't find an answer, so I pushed up my visor and kissed her deeply instead.

She tasted of apples, of course.

"I'll make sure to do my best to get back." I told her once we broke off to breath. She nodded and stepped back as I looked over my officers.

Standing from left to right were Luna (looking a lot like Nightmare Moon), Dawn, a gryphon, a diamond dog, and Schmidt.

"Gentlemen and ladies." I said, stepping forward with my hands somewhat awkwardly clasped behind my back. "Today's the day we find out how the war will turn out in the long run. Whether we die or Celestia dies, let it be known that both sides will have a hell of a fight."

I looked at the gryphon. "Colonel Darkwing, I'm expecting you and your gryphons to be able to keep the skies clear and to help the A-10s should they get into a tight spot." She nodded. The diamond dog came next.

"Lieutenant Rover, I expect your infantry to be able to deal out as much damage as possible while having little casualties." I said.

"All of my troops are very good at what they do." He said in a voice that sounded like it should be on a naga or something.

"Luna, I'm asking for two-thirds of your ponies to stay back to watch our flanks and cover us as needed." I said. "And we'll need a place to fall back to, in case we're about to be overrun."

"You can count on my night guard, General Mark." She said with an air of absolute confidence.

"You don't even need me to say it, do you Dawn?" I asked once I looked to the ponified Death.

"My death guard's the best combat medics in the world." He said. "They'll take care of any wounded on either side."

"I hope you're able to lead while in battle, Schmidt." I told the German.

"Absolutely." He said. "I've done it time and time again. Just watch my back, and I'll watch yours."

"You got it, Schmidt." I said, lightly punching his shoulder before looking at the lesser officers and squad leaders. They all stood at attention, and I cracked my fingers.

"All pegasi that aren't assigned to vehicles will be working with the gryphons in the air." I told them. "Everyone, it's time to move out!" I shouted, causing everyone to yell various things. A jeep with a .50 HMG on the back skidded to a stop next to us.

"It'll be a honor to have some of you with us, sir." The driver, an Airborne, said. I climbed into the back and nodded at Rover.

"You know how to use one of these?" I asked, pointing at the weapon across my back.

"It's like an automatic crossbow, correct?" He asked as he sat in the passenger seat.

"With a lot more recoil and loud as hell." I answered, unslinging it and handing it over. "Put on some earmuffs or something, because I know it's going to make you go deaf otherwise."

Rover nodded and pulled earmuffs out of nowhere, while the jeep lurched forward and joined the column of vehicles that were heading out of Ponyville. We had one of the original Panthers with us, and it was at the back. All foot soldiers climbed into transport vehicles that were brought in over the week, and we barely had enough room for the lot of them.

"If Celestia doesn't see us coming, she deserves to get shot." Dawn's voice came in over a secure channel.

"Considering we have a cloud of pegasi and gryphons above us, I can see where you're going with that." I replied, before flicking down my visor and cocking the fiddy.

"We're about two hours out, everypony." Luna's voice cut in.

"Luna, you do know that you're being subtly racist by saying everypony?" I asked, raising an eyebrow even though she couldn't see it.

"Hell, I've stopped using everypony, Luna." Dawn said.

"I'll... Try to say everyone from now on." Luna said a moment later.

"Good." I muttered, before looking at a few of the trucks.

"ENEMY PEGASI INBOUND!" One of the A-10 pilots yelled before his radio exploded into static.

"Warthog 2, respond!" I yelled, watching the skies before a boom sounded out. "Goddammit! How in the hell did they get him?!"

"Arrows into the cockpit, sir!" Another pilot yelled. "Enchanted to pierce through the canopy!"

"Fucking..." I muttered. "How many do you see up there?"

"Too goddamn many!" A third pilot shouted.

"That's our cue, gryphons!" Darkwing yelled. "Let's show those bastards what Valkyrians can do!"

"That means you too, pegasi!" Dawn yelled. "Get in close and SHOW NO MERCY!"

The cloud that was above us suddenly kicked into overdrive and flew ahead as fast as their wings could propel them. Looking behind me, I saw Dawn climb out of a stopped Humvee and take off, scythe in his magical grip.

"Luna, you got the ground." Dawn said, racing ahead towards the front of the pack. "Don't worry about me; I cannot take my own soul as of yet."

"Be safe, ya crazy bastard." I muttered, before cracking my neck. Putting the radio transceiver back to my mouth, I gave out another order. "Gunners, if you got a chance to hit a day guard pegasus, take the fucker! That goes for those of you that can put a rifle out of the window too!"

"Roger that, sir!" A bunch of voices called out. The convoy kept rolling forwards, and everyone on the ground braced themselves when they saw two clouds of fliers collide, bodies already dropping out of the sky. Under them were a bunch of day guard infantry, more than likely the first of two or three groups.

"At least they don't have MG emplacements!" My driver yelled as Rover and I opened fire on their line.

"They're just here to slow us down!" I yelled back. "By doing this, the ones in the castle have more time to dig in!"

And then suddenly... "Bail the fuck out!" I shouted, letting go of the fiddy and jumping backwards. Rover and Smith (the Airborne) bailed out with weapons in grip, right before the jeep became a heap of scrap metal. I got to my feet with a groan, firing at a small group of guards running towards us. Smith did the same, while Rover crouched down and started setting up my MG42.

He had enough time to look up before an arrow struck him in the shoulder, sending him to the ground.

"Stay down!" I yelled running over to him and sliding to a stop. Smith rushed over and proceeded to press his hands against Rover's shoulder in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Just stay alive long enough for a corpsman to get to you." Smith said.

"I'm on the MG42." I said once I finished setting up, getting on my stomach and grabbing the pistol grip. A few seconds later, the distinctive sound of an MG42 firing came forth as I mowed down everything white and gold in my sight at the knees.

"There's a corpsman for ya." Smith called out after a moment, probably waving the Navy dude over.

"What happened?" A new voice asked.

"Arrow wound." I called out, getting up since I didn't see anymore day guards coming towards me. I knew that there was a lot of fighting going on because of all the gunshots sounding off, but I didn't see anymore guards in range to put a few bullets into.

"Shit, I've had to work on Marines missing legs." The corpsman grunted.

"Think he'll be fine with you, Smith?" I asked, slipping my weapon onto my back and waving at another vehicle.

"I'll keep him safe, sir." Smith nodded as I climbed into the back of a jeep, nodding up at the gunner.

"Get rolling!" I called out, and the jeep lurched forward.

We didn't have much difficulties in getting to Canterlot other than the first wave, but I wasn't going to let my guard down.

"It's qu-" The gunner said, before I punched his knee lightly.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." I told him. "That brings instant bad luck and we'll end up in an ambush."

"...Alright, spread out, but keep each other in eyesight!" I called out, lifting myself from the jeep and holding my MG42 tightly. All of the troop transports promptly halted and everyone filed out, with the gunners providing cover for some of them.

A camel spider came up with a diamond dog next to him(?), and chittered something at me.

"She wonders what we're going to do about the nobles, sir." The diamond dog translated, causing me to wince a little at wrongly guessing the gender.

"Extermination squads." Wow, I did not just suggest that. "Leave a few squads behind to seek out and assassinate whoever is on Luna's noble list. If a civilian isn't on the list, you're getting shot." I explained. The dog nodded and walked off, telling some of the troops to follow them.

"You seriously said that, didn't you?" Duffy asked, stepping up next to me.

"Yea..." I sighed, but looked around the terrain near the castle. "Go set up on a ridge over there; it doesn't matter as long as you have a clear shot through at least four windows."

"Roger that." He said, before sprinting off.

"How's that aerial battle doing?" I asked Dawn, who grunted in way of reply.

"Shit, but we're kicking their asses. Another one of the A-10s is down, but the pilot popped his chute." He answered.

"Alright, we're beginning the assault on the castle." I informed him. "A few squads are going to be combing the city for the nobles that Luna said were to be killed, so don't kill any friendlies by accident."

"Roger roger." Dawn muttered, shutting off the mike, but not before I could hear a scream and what sounded like something splattering against his armor.

"Time to go!" I yelled, getting cheers and moving vehicles as a response.