Chapter 2

I remember the day when my world turned upside down. Well my world turned upside down, so let me just say that it is one of the many days that my world turned upside down. But wouldn’t that bring it back right side up? You know what, never mind. Let’s just say that these were one of the days that my luck ran out and I had a bad and stressful time. Now, I’m not saying that my life was full of luxury back then, since sleeping on the stiff barracks bed and eating the slob they pass off as food would hardly be called a luxury. But compared to the life in combat, it was a hundred percent better.

I remember standing in front of a line of ponies, as they waited for their turn to sign their names into the system and provide a retinal scan for identification.

The Portable Identification System (P.I.S.) was basically a small compute used by the Equestrian Space Force so that it can keep track of new recruits. It is basically a computer that is connected to the main data base, in which personal records of everypony is stored.

It is used so that the recruiter can scan the history of the new recruit, learning if he or she had criminal offences or if they were of legal age to join. It also helps learn about their medical records and past achievements, so that it could sort out the potentially successful ones from the average pony.

When the system sees that the pony had achievements before, it marks them as potential leaders. The system them keeps a track of them during training and once they finish basic training and still show potential, they are then given a chance to go to officer school.

The Officer Academy only accepts soldiers who had already passed basic training, so that they can avoid the weak minded ponies that join the officer corps, just because they have a rich parent and could but their rank. This ensures that all officers start as a recruit and would have to work their way to the top.

Once they graduate the Academy, they would then be returned to their unit and would find themselves as the leader of the same ponies who he or she served with during basic training. Since the officer served with them during basic, they would have no trouble accepting them in their ranks and trusting their officers. Or that’s what it says on paper.

I watched the line move, as I stood nearby, wearing my suit, and being the perfect model. Celestia’s hot sun blazed upon us, as some of the ponies in the line wiped their sweat with their hooves. But from inside my suit, I felt as cool as I can be. Thanks to the suit’s cooling system, the air inside the metal armor was cool and refreshing. The suit would also be effective in hot weather, with its heating system providing warmth.

It reminded me of a prank a fellow PR pony conducted on another. He had great expertise in mechanics and on how the Mk. 10 system works, so he managed to rewire the thing and switch the system into thinking that the heating system was the cooling system.

It was funny when the pranked work, but it brought him in more trouble than he would want. Tampering with equipment, especially one such as the Mk. 10, was a grave offence that had considerably high punishment. Sad to say, I never heard from that pony again.

The suit that I was currently wearing was the unarmed version, seeing that it wasn’t a good idea to let an armed pony to walk through a crowd of civilians. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust us, but instead was more of a way to prevent an accident or a miss fire. To me, I didn’t care, as long as I get paid and go on to see the outer colonies once in a while, I was happy.

“Hey there, Silver…” I heard somepony call from behind me, but I didn’t turn my head. “…looks like you got a big haul over here.”

I then saw somepony stand beside me and I finally took note of him, it was Lt. Coin Toss. Coin Toss had lime green colored fur and was wearing a grey coat and a grey cap on top of his head. His horn protruded from the cap as his green mane kept it nice and fit. He was well known to be a gambler and risk taker and can be often found gambling his money every night. If you ask me, what he is doing is a bad investment of his paycheck, but you wouldn’t see me telling that to his face. For he was also known as my commanding officer and I should treat him as such.

“Sir!” I said, bringing my hoof on my fore head in salute.

“At ease.” He said, as I relaxed my body. But from inside the suit, it was hard to tell that I was, since it always gave the user a stiff look.

“Nice job you did back there…” He said, pointing his hoof towards the line. “…did you give them the usual?”

“Yes, sir.” I said, with a monotone voice. Coin Toss always did this conversation with me, in which he would complement me on my job and tell me how much my work contributed to the force. “Told them that if they join, they would be able to go to places beyond the star and if they manage to prove themselves special, then they might be able to be part of Alpha 1”

Alpha 1 was the most well trained unit in the entire E.S.F. Composed of three companies; they were the best of the best. The ponies in the unit were trained to kill, even in their sleep. Armed with special combat suits, the Mk. 12, they could land in any planet, devastate the enemy, and leave without a scratch. The ponies were usually hoof picked, taken from a thousand other ponies because of their talents and abilities.

But the main punching force of the unit was the ‘Elements of Harmony’. Composed of the ‘Element Bearer’, they were Equestria’s most powerful living weapon. The power that emits from the Elements of Harmony is enough to destroy space vessels and route armies, making them a force to be dealt with. The job of the other members of the unit was to support and protect the bearers, but the Elements of Harmony was Equestria’s weapon to turn the tide of battle

That is why they were used wisely and not willy-nilly. When an officer sees Alpha 1 listed as the engaging unit during the preliminary planning, it usually meant that a major battle was about to happen.

“Well we can’t blame them for being optimistic.” Coin Toss, said chuckling and shaking his head. “Who now, one of them is bound to be picked and become a member of Alpha
1”

“Well, sir, if you ask me, it doesn’t matter if they become a member of Alpha 1 or not. With the war going on, everypony who can fight is needed to protect Equestria and her colonies.”

Coin Toss’s face suddenly changes into a serious yet sad look. A frown formed on his face, but he tried to hide it, as his eyes looked droopy and sad. This told me that he was about to give me some bad news.

“Silver, speaking of the war, I need to talk to you about that.”

“Is it a new mission?” I asked, trying to ignore the look on his face. “Which sorry town would I have to deprive from its population so that we could feel our vacant ranks?

“It’s a mission alright…” He said. “…but not a PR mission.”

“Not a PR mission, but that’s the only thing the PR department does.” I said, emphasizing in the ‘PR’.

“I know, that’s why the E.S.F. is disbanding the PR department.” He said flatly. This caught me n utter surprise.

“Disbanding the PR department!” I exclaimed, failing to maintain my statue like position as shock went through my body. “But why?”

“There’s no need for it.” He explained. “Princess Celestia and Luna just passed the Conscription Act, requiring every able bodied pony, from Equestria Prime to the outer colonies, to join the E.S.F and fight. The war, like you said, needs everypony who can fight. So there you go. With everypony being required to conduct military service, there would be no need for us to convince them to join.”

This left me with my jaw open as I heard what he said. Was the war really that bad, that we would need to conduct conscription? Was the enemy breaking through our front and conquering out planets? Would Alpha 1 be able to stop this or have they finally met their match? These questions revolved in my head, but the most important question came out of my mouth.

“What would happen to us then?” I asked, not knowing what lay ahead for me.

“We’re being sent into the front.” He stated. “So that we can help fight off the enemy. In fact, I’ll be leaving two days from now, to take command of a platoon, who lost their leader, somewhere at Sector 42. You do, have order to go to Canterlot and await further order.”

The thought of me going to war was unimaginable. I already loved my job here in the PR department; being safe and protected, while also having the chance to see the colonies during our PR missions there. But now, now I would be brought to the front were the killing was done. Not only that, but I was most likely going to be sent as a replacement, meaning I was going to join a bunch of veterans who would give me weary looks. Sure, I would be able to explore different galaxies and see the stars, but it also meant an early death.

“T…they can’t.” I said. “They can’t send me there. I didn’t even pass basic training, how do they expect me to fight?”

Coin Toss just shrugged. “I don’t know…” He said. “…but knowing the E.S.F. they would find a way, they always do. Now I suggest you go change and remove that suit, you’ll be wearing a real one soon, which won’t be any different, except for the guns on it.” With that, he trotted away, leaving me to ponder my current situation.

I was going to war and most likely going to die! The thought of it scared me and sent shivers through my bones.

I can imagine it now, explosions everywhere as plasma shots flew through the sky. Streaks of laser fire would go over my head as I desperately tried to find cover. Next to me, a pony in a Mk. 10 armored suit would explode, sending metal and flesh everywhere and coating my suit with his or her blood.

If I was lucky, I would be eradicated instantly, without pain. But if I wasn’t, I would but hit by a beam of laser fire, slowly bleeding to death as my suit’s healing system failed to repair the damage. I would try to scream for help, in the intercom and with my voice, but nopony would come. I would be left there in a painful agony as I slowly await my death.

I couldn’t go to war, I’ll never survive! Maybe I can run away, go AWOL, and try to hide. But that wouldn’t work, I would get caught easily. Thanks to the iris scans, which were required for almost everything, from grocery shopping to watching a movie, I would be caught and punished in less than a week. The death penalty being the punishment, which would also lead to my untimely death. Besides, the last pony that went AWOL from the E.S.F. and lived was never. So there goes the chance of that plan.

I was cornered to a wall with no escape route. Like it or not, I was going to war.

Author's Note

I have to admit that the story is somewhat inspired from Edge of Tomorrow. But its only the part in which the protagonist is a member of the PR department and is suddenly thrown into combat. Other stories and books that inspire the story are Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein and Old Man's War by John Scalzi.