Author's Note

Sorry fore the delay XP But here it is the next chapter and I cannot take any more OC As All spot's are full!

The Day After

The Day After

Celestia listen as Ross explained what he had done and what everything was. While she did not understand most of it she got the gist of it .

Ross was in remote command of all the vehicles she had seen outside. This meant he could command entire armies by himself but this also meant that he was often compromised his safety if there were multiple assaults on his position, when he divide his attention between the fount's he could let something slip through his defenses and strike at him.

There was suddenly a great deal of shouting out side and Ross gently brushed pass Celestia, as he claimed up the ladder. Celestia could hear some shouting from Ross who then dropped down again. He roughly pressed Celestia against the wall as he opened the locker next to his command throne and pulled his webbing, helmet and shotgun out. He then turned back to the ladder. As she was pressed agents the wall she felt the gas mask's filter press into her. She did not even notice he had it on, the mask handing from his left epaulette again. She could feel the filter on Ross's chest, the metal outcrops under the heavy fabric, gently pressed into her as Ross slipped past her and she wondered how Ross could wear that on his chest day after day. She did not mind admitting she was impressed by his endurance or the tolerance he had.

"Forgive me princess, There is some activity on the Order line." and with that Ross pulled himself up and out of the hatch. Ross pulled the shot gun over his head and it sat across his back then, swung round and onto the rope ladder. He slid down it and slammed into the dirt, A thin trail of smoke from his gloves from the friction and he started running, as he did he pulled his webbing on and fumbled his gas mask on and pulled his helmet on and it snapped into the latches on the mask.

Ponies watched as Ross ran along his webbing clacking as he went. As Ross ran some of the Klink Hammer started firing volley's over the city walls.

As Ross passed under the gate way a bell started ringing calling the guards to arms. "Fuck!" Ross muttered as he continued running. Shell's started landing around the trench as Ross slid into a trench and into the officer of the watch. The Caption looked round angrily as Ross pulled his shotgun off his shoulder.

The Caption smiled his anger leaving him. "Nice to see you sir! The Order is sending a wave at us! Should we fall back!?"

A shell slammed into the lip of the trench sending Ross and the Captain relying into the opposite wall. Ross stood shaking his head as his ears started ringing. Ross grabbed the Captain and looked up and down the trench. There were at least thirty Pony's in the trench. All where cowering and where equipped with crossbow's.

"Up! Get up! We need to hold them back... what are we? Platoon strength?" Ross shouted.

"Ey we are!" The Captain shouted. Ross drew his sword and gave it to the Captain who had been separated from his own.

"Onto the step with you!" Ross stepped up onto the fire step and set his shotgun into his shoulder. The bombardment stopped and there was silence.

Ross looked round then drew his revolver as the sound of hoof's in water met is ear's, Ross pointed the revolver at the few of the ponies who were trying to escape . He twitched the barrel to the firing step then the pony's slowly moved back to the step. Ross slid the revolver back into the holster and looked round as a raw of shouting rose from the Order line and a mass of body's claimed up and started running through the mud and water as the bombardment from Ross's cannon's continued to attempt to blast the advancing infantrymen to past.

" Celestia.... there must be at least a company if not a regiment coming at us..." The Captain comment looking at Ross.

"We hold! But we must wait till they are closer. Then you will not hold back! You will fire fill your dry of arrow's then we will show no mercy or respite!"

The pony's gave a raw of anger as they stepped up onto the firing step, Crossbow's where drawn and bolt's slid home.

"HOLD!" Ross bellowed as the Order advanced closer and closer. "HOOOOLD!!!" The Order advanced closer and closer.

"THERE GETTING BUCKING CLOSE! ANY TIME SIR!" One Bat pony shouted.

"Come on...come on a little closer... come on you bastard's!" Ross muttered watching the troop's getting closer.

"FIRE!!!" Ross shouted pulling the trigger of his shotgun. The shot going wide as the firing step giving way from under Ross and he fell into the muddy water. Other's where more lucky. There was a rushing and twanging as the twenty or so ponies fired their cross bow's. Many hit there target's and bounced off the hard alloys of the armorer. Yet some found gap's in arm and neck joint's, one even passing through an eye lens of a helmet.

Ross stood up and saw a trooper looming over him. Ross slammed the barrel of his shotgun into the trooper's legs and the troop slipped and fell into the trench. Ross flipped his shot gun and started cubing the trooper to death with the stock. The Captain stepped in and brought Ross's borrowed sword down ending the fight. Ross turned to see a Bat pony about to be run through with a sword. With a billow on anger Ross swung the shotgun down with all his might. The wooden stock of the shotgun shatter into splinter's as the blow caved in the officer's head. Ross threw the now useless shotgun on to the ground behind the trench as the Bat bony nodded his thank's and Ross drew his entrenching tool and pointed at the trooper's yet to reach the trench.

"Up and Over! Not one inch shall be lost!" Ross ordered as he claimed up the ladder infront of him and into the cratered wasteland. With a billowed cry the pony's followed running into the wasteland to meet the charge head on.

A few ponies where hit by the Orders troopers who fire wildly from the waste as they ran but no pony fell. Ross responded firing with his revolver, from the six shot's Ross dropped three troop's and Ross holstered his pistol as he took the spade's handle in both hand's . Ross stoped running as he slid along in the mud and slammed his Entrenching tool into the trooper's face. There was a echoing clang and the trooper fell his neck broken.

The pony's and Order troops crashed together and start fighting among the thick mud and water filled crater's. The pony's dropped their cross bow's and started to trample and kick while the Order troop's thrust and swiped with their bayoneted rifle's.

Ross slammed in to an Order troop ruby tackling him into a crater and they struggled in the water. The green and white armorer of the troop truing a dull gray of the thick mud as Ross head butted him then drought the E-tool down point first into the chest of the troop. The sharp point dented the armorer and Ross drought it down again and again. The trooper tried to block a blow but the spade severed his hand and drove the spade into the dented armorer, blood stared pouring from the last strike and Ross brought his hand from the throat of the Order trooper and drove his spade home.

Ross stood from the crater and ran at his next target holding his spade up over his head and bellowing his challenge at what may be a Sargent. The Sargent responded bringing his rifle round only to get a back handed swing from the E-tool taking his throat out with it.

Ross was panting the heavy clay like mud clinging to his coat as well as his boots and trousers. But Ross kept fighting in the bloody melee, he did not know if they were wining or loosening, whether they had help coming or not but he kept fighting and helping pony's where he could.

Ross pulled a trouper of a pony he was intent on chocking and brought the E-tool down and beheaded him. Ross pulled pony up and shoved his E-tool into the pony's grip. Ross drew his bayonet as a decorated Order officer, obviously leading the attack, comes into sight. He swiftly fell, Ross's thrown bayonet sticking from his un-helmeted forehead.

Ross saw two trooper's raise their rifles and charge him. Obviously desperate to avenge the death of their Officer.

Ross reached for his sword but remembered he gave it to the Captain; he then raised his fists. The first one thrust at his chest with the bayonet and he side stepped it and swung his fist into the helmeted face. The first fell and Ross grabbed the barrel of the other troop's rifle and forced the rifle's barrel up. Ross lashed out with his right leg and with his steel-toed boots kicked the trooper in the groin. There was a fleshy popping and the trooper fell clutching his now ruptured testicles. Ross spun the rifle and brought it down, the bayonet passed through the armorer and the trooper laid still, blood pouring from where the blade had passed through his hart. Ross turned and was to slow. The punched trooper was back up and the bayonet was on a course for his face.

Ross knew this was going to hurt. Ross stepped back and brought his hand up. The bayonet passed through his outstretched hand. Ross bellowed in pain and anger. He pressed back on the rifle. The trooper slipped in the thick mud and fell onto his back. Ross pulled his hand off the bayonet then balled his hand and bought the fist down on the head of the white and green warrior. He felt pain shoot up his arm as he kept punching with his stabbed hand. There was a cracking and trooper started bleeding from under the mask as it shattered but Ross kept going. He stopped as blood poured from all the cuts and the stump that was left of the noise.

He looked up and saw another Guard Officer being throttled agents the lip of a crater the Order trooper had its rifle across the Officers throat. Ross scrambled to his feet and made his way over. Ross skidded over, pulling his helmet off as he went. Ross smashed his hermit into the side of the trooper's head. The Trooper's helmet flew off as the trooper fell to the mud Ross saw it was a women and jumped on her. The trooper raised her knife but Ross graded her wrist and raised his helmet.

"ORDER REST IN HELL!" Ross bellowed as brought his helmet down. Blood spattered his coat but he kept going the soft features being destroyed as Ross's tough helmet slammed down. There was a crack and her skill caved in. Ross stood mud and blood coating his trench coat's front as well as his mask.

There was a flash of fire and pony's where running around a light and screaming, behind the glowing, billowing flames where three heavily armored troop's with flame throwers.

"Fall back! Fall back!" Ross bellowed as he pulled the bloody helmet on and started hoping the fire proofing was still good on his uniform. He picked the knife up from the limp hand of the woman under him and tried slipped into a deep crater full of water.

The three troopers saw him and as one turned there weapon's on Ross having be promised a bounce for his burn corps from there masters. Ross stumbled back as the three jets of burning fuel struck him and the fire ball engulfed him. He slipped back and into another crater as the fire ball sent a black cloud up into the air.

The three emptied the tanks of fuel on their back into the aria, there weapons dribbling as the residual presser slowly stopped. The mud was black and baked rock hard the water in the creator's nearby was steaming slightly.

The water in the crater nearest the flame thrower's exploded and Ross launched himself the the group they fired there drained weapons only for them to dribble a bit. They dropped the flame throwers and reached for their pistols.

Ross tore into them the knife slipping between a first's on between the chest armorer and the mask, silting the throat open. The second was bringing his piston up as Ross turned and relived him of the pistol along with his hand that was swiftly followed by a slit throat.

Ross turned the last one and batter's the pistol down bringing the bloody knife up into the gut's the knife somehow slipping through the armored belly with ease. Ross ripped the knife free and the trooper clutching where his gut's where starting to force their way out. Yet he was still trying to attack Ross.

Ross quickly drew his revolver and loaded a single shot into it. "You got gut's skinny. I'll give you that...and there getting all over the place!" The warrior fell to his knees and Ross raised the revolver to lightly rest ageist the troop's forehead. "But I ant so easily kill'd" Ross fired the trooper's head exploding out violently.

As Ross was dealing with the flame throwers the ponies had kept fighting. Pony kicked or drowned the remains of the Order's troops.

Ross let the body of the last flame thrower's body fall and he turned as he heard a cough. He looked down to find a badly wounded Order troop claw at his ankle from where he lay in the crater. Ross shook the hand off his ankle and stood on the Trooper's head, forcing it under the water in the creator. There was some light thrashing then the hand clutching his leg lost its grip Ross held it down for a while longer then took his foot out.

"Captain! Report! And Get me some fucking support!" Ross bellowed the pain hi his hand making him angry.

The Captain blew the whistle that was round his neck and it war responded by a whistle from the gate house and a mass of pony's where half way to the trench.

“Three dead five wounded two can continue duty Sir!"

Ross walked over to the Order officer's body and pulled his bayonet from his forehead, the body twitched and its leg lifted off the ground a little. Ross wiped the knife clean on the Officer's uniform as looked at the Order lines and saw a periscope look over the top of the trench. "In! Into the trench!" As soon as Ross shouted artillery from the Order side started slamming into the mud.

In the safety of the trench Ross took his saber back and found his E-tool.

He lent ageist the muddy wall and looked round at the pony's there the wounded laying in the bottom of the trench.

"Sir... your hand." A Sargent commented. Ross looked down from where the bayonet passed through his hand luckily missing anything impotent but it was a bit disconcerting that he could see through the hole, it needing sown shut.

"Eww..." Ross lowered it and the Sargent started wrapping a bandage around the hand. Ross watched as a few squads of ponies finely made it to the trench.

“Your bloody late!" Ross bellowed as he picked his stock less shotgun and looked back at company that had helped him. "You lot are to go to the barrack's and double ration's for you all!" Ross picked up two of the injured pony's one on each shoulder and he started jogging of the pony's in tail as Ross weaved skillfully through the artillery as it rained down on the trench. And surrounding aria.

Ross sat in the medical room of the barrack's Ross watched as Pin Prick stitched his hand shut the local anesthetic making Ross's finger's flop limply as the stab wound was shut and disinfected.

"You are enjoying this aren't you?" Ross asked he was finished and raised his arm and everything past his wrist flopped loosely and Pin Prick smiled.