BLITZ

by The Commandant

Rating: teen
Tags: Scootaloo, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Human, Other, Drama, Original Character
Length: 47381

Two opposing soldiers on two different fronts must fight for their survival in a war they did not wish to be in.

Anything stated here is no longer valid to the overall lore. However, I will leave this story up as a monument to my first attempt at writing.

A human military government, known as the DAF, wages war against the infamous nation of Equestria. The DAF uses advanced technology to gain the upper hand in the historic struggle, while Equestria can only muster a fraction of what humanity has.

Mathew, a squad leader of twenty men in the DAF, has the ultimate responsibility of keeping every one of his men alive, while trying to complete the ultimate task of helping the DAF win the war.

While Scootaloo, a member of an eight-pony squad in the Equestrian Royal Army, must do everything she can to stay alive, keep her friends close, and defend her homeland from the human invasion.

How will both soldiers do what they can to survive, while fighting for what they believe in? How will they handle the gruesome and horrifying scenes of war, and maintain their sanity?

How will they affect the outcome of the "BLITZ"?

"No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his."

George S. Patton

Feel free to comment!
This has the Alternate Universe tag for land and other various reasons.

(Cover art done by me, and only me. If it sucks, blame it on my poor experience with ArtStudio.)

Published 2015-10-10 03:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-12-08 13:17:35 UTC

Chapter 1 - We Few Brothers

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"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,"

This applies to me and the men I lead very much.  Brothers in arms, fighting practically for survival while trying to complete the mission at hand.  We overcame mostly every mission that was assigned to us by the DAF, we followed orders to the letter, with some exceptions here and there, and yet we managed to stay alive through it all.  Me and my men have seen the worst of the worst, the best of the best, and the ugliest of the ugly.

Some of my men have been killed in battle, under my command.  I don't think the men blame me for their deaths, but I do.  I can't stand watching men, my men, die in front of me.  I try to learn from my mistakes, but the results are still the same; my men still die.  No matter the hundred thousand times I've tried to keep everyone alive for at least a single campaign, someone still dies.

As for the thousand enemies I've killed, I don't even blink when I pull the trigger.  I've probably orphaned thousands of children by killing their parents in the many campaigns I've fought in.   I can't imagine how many enemies everyone in the DAF has killed, it's probably in the millions.  All those bombs, bullets, and artillery flying everywhere probably kills more civilians than enemy soldiers.

I don't really feel bad about it at first, but thinking about it too deep will prevent you from defending yourself if necessary.  I just say they aren't humans, so don't treat them like us, kill them if they want to kill you.  It's cruel, but it gets the job done, and that's what matters most in war, aside from survival.

I haven't mentioned my name yet, have I?  The name's Mathew, spelled with only one T.  I'm a sergeant in the DAF, and I have the responsibility of leading a squad of twenty men, including me, and it's a hell of a job.  I'm not much different from everyone else, since we're all practically the same person, but with slightly different personalities.  Not that we're one person, we're essentially clones, or duplicates as the DAF calls them.

We've been fighting everything we've met, but in our defense, everything on this damn planet tries to attack us.  First it was the Equestrians, then the zebras, then some other country attacked us.  It may not seem like much, but it's enough to make a logical assumption that everything here hates us and will do anything to kill us.

We aren't a bunch of wimps, we kicked the ZC's ass in Operation Stripes!  We destroyed the Griffon Empire, even when they had help from Equestria.  Now we're kicking Equestria in the flank hard, thanks to our amazing technology.

We're making progress in Equestria, we've taken Neigh Orleans, the first city captured in the Equestrian campaign, followed by Les Manes, Reins, Neigh'les, Las Pegasus, and Roan.  In just a few days we'll be headed to San Fransicolt to take the city and complete Operation Bronco.  We will finally be getting a break after the operation is complete, and I've earned enough points to head back to Antonia afterwards for a week and enjoy the relaxing view.

I can't wait to get away from this war.

Anyway, you probably want to know what happens next, don't you?

Well, I'll tell you.

Somewhere in the Caballeria district of Equestria

I looked to the left, then I looked swiftly to the right.

No enemies.  We're all clear.

"Place the MG over there." I said, pointing to a wall a few yards from my current position.

Immediately after I give the command, five men rushed forward from behind me and crouch behind the wall I pointed towards.

"Assault team, check the area over there for enemies." I said, pointing towards the courtyard in front of the wall the MG was being set up at.  Six men then rushed forward and cautiously enter the courtyard.

"The rest of you, follow me." I said, and with that, I got up and sprinted for the house to the side of the courtyard.

The eight remaining soldiers sprinted to where I was, and I slowly entered the house, my SAR in both my hands, and my eyes looking down the sights.

I saw a flight of stairs to the right of me, and I headed towards it, but a table blocked the first few stairs.

"Help me move this table." I whispered, grabbing the leg of the overturned table.

Another man came to my aid and grabbed the other leg, and together we picked it up and gently set it down to my left.

The obstacle now moved, I went quietly up the stairs, clinging to the bullet-riddled wall.

I immediately stopped in my tracks when I heard hoof steps on the wood floor.  I readied my SAR, and slowly made my way up the last few stairs onto the second floor. Light temporarily blinded me, as the sun was shining right through a large hole in the house.  I continued to cling to the wall on my left, the hoof steps getting louder as I approached the end of the hall.  Realizing that my SAR would be no good in close combat, I pulled out my HHP-3 pistol and slung the rifle around my back.

I approached the doorway, and peered inside through the ajar door, and saw the familiar silver armor of the Equestrian Royal Army.  Then another pony appeared, wearing the same set of armor.  I couldn't take on two ERA soldiers quickly enough with just one pistol, so I looked to my grenade pouch, and pulled out the pineapple of death.

Swiftly, I pulled the pin, flipped the igniter on, and lobbed the chunk of metal onto the unsuspecting ponies.  I immediately walked away from the door as quietly and quickly as possible.

3...

2...

BOOM!

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A large cloud of dust and wood flew out the door, as well as the leg of a pony, with blood spilling out of it.  Some of the shingles on the roof were shaken off by the shockwave of the explosion, and fell through the hole onto the floor.  I can never seem to get the fuse time to land on one.

After the dust settled, I moved towards the door frame and tried not to step in the pool of blood from the decapitated leg.  I had gotten used to the gruesome scenes of war, but I never touched a dead body, even if they had something I wanted.  When I entered the room, there was wood, dust, blood, guts all over the floor, and two mangled corpses with damaged silver armor on them.

After confirming that both targets were deceased, I walked out of the room and headed toward the flight of stairs and descended downward to the first floor.  The men were waiting for me as I stepped off the final step.

"This house is clear guys, move out." I said in my normal voice, and walked out through the door.

I heard shots ring out all through the small village, realizing the MG team had encountered the enemy in the courtyard.  Me and the eight men behind me rushed to the wall where the MG team was located.

"What's the situation, Corporal?" I yelled as bullets and magic flew over my head.

"The ponies were hiding in the house at the end of the courtyard!" The corporal yelled back, quickly pointing toward a house, and in front of it was a squad of eight ponies hiding behind some rubble. "They came out when that window blew out of its hinges!"

"Where did the Assault team go?" I yelled to the corporal.

"They ran into that house for cover when the window blew open, and they've been stuck there since!" The corporal yelled back to me, pointing to the house he said they went in to.

I had to figure out how to get the assault team out of that house, otherwise I would lose all those men.  It took a second, but I thought of a plan, and I crawled over to the machine gunner.

"Private Jones!  Use the MG to suppress those ponies over there so me and some guys can get over to that house and get the assault team out of there!"  I yelled to Jones.

"Yes, sir!" Jones yelled back, and began to open up on the ponies position.

When the ponies were suppressed, I took four men with me, and we sprinted out of cover towards the house.  When we reached the house, I found the Assault team huddled behind the wall of the house.  I joined the huddle and told the guys they need to get out of here.  I peered out of the house and watched to see if the ponies were still suppressed, and they were, so I moved everyone out.  However, one of the ponies got lucky, and one of the men was hit in the leg by a rouge bullet while he was running back to cover.  We managed to get him out of the open, but he was bleeding bad.

I could tell the ponies were no longer suppressed, and they began to fire at us again.  I pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin, took careful aim, activated the igniter, and tossed the grenade as far as I could at the ponies, but it only got halfway across the courtyard.  It detonated and snapped the little tree in the middle of the courtyard into pieces, as it sent dirt and loose stone flying everywhere.

It must've scared the crap out of the ponies, because they stopped firing at us for a while.  This gave me valuable time to position my men better, so I moved the MG team back into the house I had secured.  I positioned them on the second floor of the house so that we could hit the ponies from above.  Though, the MG team found the mess I left in the only room with a window facing the courtyard, and some got sick on sight.

The MG team set up in the house and began to fire short controlled bursts, and already killed three ponies.  The ponies realized that they were being shot at from two different directions, which made them panic and try to reposition, but that was their fatal mistake.  They all exposed themselves and were mowed down by the combined fire of the Assault and the MG team.  The skirmish was over after that, so our squad managed to escape alive, and with only one casualty.

Our mission was to secure the village so that the DAF can go through with impunity, that's why we were there in the first place.  After the battle, we got in our squad truck, I always call shotgun, and we drove back to camp, where we could get some rest for the day.  Days like today are pretty much normal for a soldier in the DAF, except being squad leader doesn't make it any easier.  It's has never been easy, and probably never will be.

The man who was hit later recovered, but had to be sent back to base for a full recovery, so we wouldn't have him back for a while.

After about an hour drive, we got back to our platoon and I gave my Field Officers the after-action report.  After that, I took my nap I take everyday in the squadron tent, and for some reason dreamed about peanuts.  I awoke for dinner time, and ate some food before I went to bed, I didn't want to read this evening because I needed a lot of sleep.

Because tomorrow, we're going to San Fransicolt, and its going be one hell of a day.

Chapter 2 - San Fransiscolt Part 1

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I think this was the bumpiest truck ride I have ever been on in my entire career as a soldier.  The road we were on had been devastated by numerous battles that had taken place on it.  But Where did this road end?

It ended in San Fransiscolt.

This was the last major city that needed to be taken in order to finally complete Operation Bronco.  The end goal of Operation Bronco was to make and support a major offensive line that could crawl its way up to Canterlot if needed.

This city is a special one, since it's the only city left to complete the operation.  We are expecting more resistance from the Equestrian Royal Army, but not too much.  In any case, we have come prepared; and with a lot of Armored columns, followed by four ST-1x Super tanks in case we need them, but it's highly unlikely we will.

I'm just bragging, but the armor the DAF has is vastly superior to Equestrian tanks, which were solely based off an inferior Zebrican design.  Now, our tanks have their problems too, but they are less common with us than they are with ERA tanks.  I'm not even sure how the ponies even move four meters before the engine jams or something.  It helps that they use magic to run most of the components, but it requires a unicorn to run it, and several other basic crew members.  Without magic, the ERA Mk 1 can't do jack.

Of course, this is tanker talk, and I'm not a tanker, I'm with the infantry.  Personally, I prefer being outside of a tank than inside one, especially since the risk of fires has risen in DAF tanks.  Besides, toasted Mathew wouldn't taste good either.

Mmm, toast...

Sorry, lost my train of thought for a sec, I forgot to eat breakfast this morning.  Which was regrettably the worst choice I've made today, cause I'm starving right now.

"Mat, look alive."

"What?" I replied hazily, my head still in the clouds.

"I thought you froze up on me for a sec, Mat."  It was the driver I was sitting next to.

"I was just thinking."  I said.

"About what, Mat?  Is it the war?" The driver asked me.

"No, but my stomach feels like a war zone.  You got any MREs?" I asked him.

"Hold on, take the wheel for a sec." The driver replied, gesturing me to take control of the truck.

"Uh, alright." I reply questionably, bending sideways to grip the steering wheel.  The driver pulled out his munitions pack and began to search around.  Finding what he was looking for, he pulled out the MRE and handed it to me.

"You got lucky, it was my last one, Mat."  He said, taking control of the truck again.

"Thanks, but why keep it in your munitions pack?" I ask him.

"Food is ammunition for the body of a soldier, and water is the fuel." He replies. "That's why the water container is right next to the gasoline container on the back of the truck."

"I see." I reply, preparing the MRE.

I look back out the window and immediately see billows of smoke pouring out of nearby villages, tanks lined up for the assault on San Fransiscolt, poor infantry marching all the way there, and recon aircraft zipping above our heads, keeping constant watch.

I look back to the driver.  "How long until we get to the edge of San Fransiscolt?" I asked him.

"Oh, I'd say an hour from now.  You getting car sick or something?"  He replies back to me.

"No, I just need to get myself some leg room." I say.

"Well, we can stop now if you want." He says.

"No, it's not that important." I reply.

"Okay, if you say so, Mat." He replied.

"Do you remember those drives we used to take from Oklahoma to New Mexico?" I asked out of the blue.

"Yeah, I remember playing on that iPad Mini all the time." He replied.

"Remember that one match on WoT, where the TOG we were in got stuck rolling over a steep hill?" I said.

"Yeah, those were the good ol' days." He replied.

"To think that the TOG can get stuck on a-"

WHOOSH!

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The truck jerked as the driver tried to see what was happening.  I saw the silhouette of a biplane flying low and fast over the convoy.  It was an ERA fighter!

When I realized this, the AA trucks began to open fire with their quad guns.  Tracers were flying towards the biplane, which was trying to dodge the barrage of lead.

The ERA biplane turned around and faced the convoy, which was a dumb move, because three seconds later it caught on fire and the pilot bailed.  The plane spiraled downward towards the earth, just missing the convoy.

Some of the infantry walking outside tracked and captured the ERA pilot as soon as he touched the ground.  I scanned the skies for any enemy aircraft, when there wasn't any, I settled down.  The infantry were still alert, as well as the machine gunners on the tanks.

I remembered the MRE in my hand, and began to eat it again.

"Some crazy stuff, right?" The driver said.

"Yeah, and we're going to be in the middle of it." I replied.

"I pray to god we live." He said.

"We'll live.  I'll make sure of it." I said.  I continued to stare out the window, hoping to get there sooner and get this over with.  Besides, what could go wrong?

Shit, I probably just jinxed myself.

Oh well, I won't find out for at least another hour or so.

We weren't even four miles away and we already began to hear the battle rage on in the city.  God, that place was big!

"We'll stop in a few minutes, Mat.  You should get the men and yourself ready." The driver suggested.

"Thanks Anthony." I replied, as I got out of the seat and opened a small hatch.  Inside revealed the rear of the truck, with my whole squad sitting in the back.

"Guys, in a few minutes we'll be in San Fransiscolt, so get yourselves ready." I said, getting back into my seat up front.

I pulled off my backpack and checked how much ammo I had.  Nineteen SAR clips, making it 380 SAR rounds.  Seven grenades, ten HHP magazines, making 70 HHP rounds, and a single battery mine.

I was satisfied with my numbers, so I moved on to check my SAR, pulling the gun apart, then putting it back together.  I moved on to my HHP pistol, repeating the same process of pulling it apart and putting it back in one piece.

I pulled out my gas mask and checked the filter for wear or tear.  I don't want to suffocate or anything, and better safe than sorry.

I was satisfied with my inspection, and I put my backpack on again.

We were much closer now, the sounds of battle were louder, the infantry outside began to find cover, while the tanks guarded the convoy, engaging enemy tanks that got too close.  I knew that somehow, this was going to be chaotic, and I got that feeling of fearing for your life again.

"Mat, this is going to get way too hot for me in a sec, I'm gonna have to let you guys off over there." Anthony said, pointing to a nearby ditch.

"Alright, do what you have to, just get us as close as possible." I replied.

"Yes, sir." Anthony replied.

The truck then turned towards the ditch, and then stopped next to it.  The rest of the squad trucks halted as well, getting ready to deploy their infantry.

Let the show begin.

I open the door and jump out of the truck, equipping the SAR that was slung across my back.  I headed towards the rear of the truck to open the tailgate and let the men out.  I opened the gate, and the men poured out.

"Alright guys, we're going in on foot.  I'll take point." I said, and I gave the order to move out.

We left the truck behind and double-timed down the road towards San Fransiscolt, followed by the rest of our platoon.  Not long after, we made it to the city, luckily, the ERA forces that were defending the rim of San Fransiscolt were pushed back fast.  Bad thing was, they were pushed back so fast that some ERA troops were left behind on accident, meaning scattered resistance was everywhere.

So when we got in the city, we immediately took fire from elevated positions, but the tanks behind us took them out quickly with HE rounds.  We were making good progress, with thankfully no casualties from my squad yet, then HQ radioed our platoon and assigned us a new objective, which was to secure a park in the eastern side of the city, and we all headed over there.

When we got there, there was an excessive amount of ERA troops present.  About twenty.

"Hey Jonathan, get over here." I whispered to the other squad leader.

"Yeah, coming." He replied.

"Okay, their forces are over here, and we're here, and we want to get over there." I told Jonathan when he got over me. "Take your squad and distract the enemy, while I take my squad and flank them."

"Sounds like a plan." Jonathan replied, as he got up and went back to his squad.

"Alright, here's the plan, Jonathan will take his squad and distract the ponies down there, while our squad will flank them." I said. "Move out and follow me."

I got up and walked carefully around the edge of the park, to where we were positioned beside the enemy.  I waited until Jonathan's squad finally attacked.  One ERA mare was unlucky enough to get hit twice, one hit her torso, sending small sparks flying from the armor, the other went clean through her throat.  She fell to the ground and desperately began to grab at her throat, covering her hooves in her own blood.  Two other ERA soldiers managed to pull her to cover, but she died soon after.

"Now!" I said, running out from cover behind a building.

I found a place to take cover, a brick wall roughly five yards wide, and four feet tall.  I crouched behind it and aimed at a pony with my SAR, took careful aim, then I squeezed the trigger.  The rifle flew back into my shoulder as a loud CRACK came from the tip of the barrel.

The bullet hit the stallion straight through the forehead, forcing blood, bone, grey matter, and brains to fly everywhere.  Sparks flew from the bullet hitting the silver helmet at around 3500 fps.  The stallion's head forcefully jerks backwards and his entire body slammed into the ground.  The other ponies looked towards me as I got down behind cover, then there were more rifle bursts from behind me.  I looked behind me, and my squad was crouched there, firing at the ponies.  We hit three more, making that a total of 5 Equestrian casualties.

The ponies panicked and tried to retreat, but one of our tanks appeared from around the corner behind the equestrians, and the machine gunner opened up on them, mowing down fourteen of the retreating ponies.  Only a single pony was left, and she seemed to suffer a leg wound.

I leapt from cover and approached her, she noticed me while she was trying to crawl away.

"Stay back, you monster!  Stay away from me!" She yelled, holding only a knife.

"Drop your weapon!  Do it now!" I yelled back, threatening her with my SAR aimed directly at the mare.  Everyone else was aiming at her too, though the tank was long gone. "I SAID DROP IT!" I yelled much louder.

"You aren't killing me!" She yelled back, trying to get away.

I had to do something, I didn't want to have to kill her.  So, I had to subdue her.  I ran up to her and kicked the knife out of her hoof, she screamed in pain as I gripped her throat and pulled out my HHP and put it to her head.

"Please, please don't!" She cried, tears streaming from her eyes.  I bluntly ignored her plea for mercy, because I wasn't going to kill her any way.

"Jones!  Help me restrain her!" I said, pointing to Private Jones.

When he came over to me, the rest of the men settled down.  Though it was hard to restrain her when she was flailing her legs, crying and screaming things like 'Please don't kill me' and 'Let me go'.  Eventually, I got sick of it, so I grabbed her head and bashed it against the ground, knocking her out cold.

Later, a Ranger scout car came by, and we gave them the prisoner, telling them she may flip out again when she wakes up.

Our objective complete, the rest of our platoon moved forward, and we got the reports that the other forces were fighting at the bridge in the middle of San Fransiscolt, meaning that we controlled half the city.

At one point, we entered a building, and I saw something I thought I would never see in my life; a container of Root Beer.  I immediately ran to it, pouring my water bottle out on the floor, and filled it with the Root Beer.  I took a sip of it, and it was the best Root Beer I have ever tasted.

I couldn't take the container though, but I had a bottle full of Root Beer.  That was enough to make me happy.

We left the building and continued our march forward to the front lines, but halfway in, Equestrian bombers began to pound the south side of San Fransiscolt.

"You hear that?" A soldier from the other squad says.

"Yeah, sounds like-"

BOOM!

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I looked up, and to my horror, there were Equestrian bombers coming this way.

"BOMBERS!" I yell.

We had to get as far away from here as possible, so I began to run away, and everyone else followed.

We ran as fast as our legs could carry us, and I looked behind us, and what I saw brought some relief.  Some DAF fighter planes were engaging the bombers, and two bombers were already going down.

I slowed down some, but realized that there were still bombers incoming, so I picked up the pace.  I could hear the whistle of bombs dropping, and the bombers flew over our heads.  A bomb flew directly over my head, it hit the ground, and skidded on the road with a dull thud.

It was a dud.

Holy crap, that was literally too close.

Other bombs hit the buildings next to us, brick, wood, concrete, and stone was flying everywhere.  I thought I heard a guy get hit in the head by a brick, thank god we're wearing helmets.

We found what looked like a subway, so we went in to avoid the bombs.  Eventually we were all in the subway, but an explosion collapsed the entrance.  There was no way of getting out through that door, so we went down deeper into the dark subway.  It got so dark that we had to attach flashlights to our weapons so that we could see through the darkness.

I could still hear the bombardment continue above us, and it was scary.

"It's creepy down here..." One of the guys said.

"No kidding." Said another man.

Suddenly, we heard hoof steps, and we scanned the area with our flashlights.

"Found something!" A man whispered.

He walked over to it, and yelled in surprise as something jumped out from the darkness.

"I got it!" He said, holding something.

"Let go of me!" Said a voice that came from his arms.

"It's just a kid, guys." He says.

"I want to see my mommy!" The filly said.

"Let the kid go, she won't bother us, will you?" I said to the Soldier and to the filly.

"I-I won't." Said the filly.

"Alright, get outa here!" The soldier said, and with that, the filly scurried away into the darkness.

"I'll say this, they are cute." The soldier said.

We continued our trek until we spotted a stairwell, and with it, an exit.  When we crawled out of there, we ended up in the middle of a tank battle.

"Hey! Over here!" A tank commander called out.

I went to talk with him, but an ERA tank shell nearly hit me when it ricocheted off the armor of the tank.  In response, the T-4's main gun fired its large 75mm round at the ERA Mk 1.  The Mk 1 was hit by the round, and exploded, blowing the turret off the tank.

"What did you need, sir?" I asked the commander.

"I need your squad to find some nasty ERA antitank squad that's killed off two of our tanks already.  Can you kill those bastards so we can advance?" The commander asked, pointing at two knocked out T-4 tanks.

"Yes sir, we can." I replied, giving a quick salute.

The commander closed his hatch, and I walked back to my squad.

"Alright, we need to take out an antitank position, possibly behind that building," I said, pointing at a building nearby, "so we are going to have to be careful."

I walked back to the tank and knocked on the hatch.

"Yes?" The commander said, opening the hatch.

"If you can, could you give us some backup if we need it?" I asked him.

"Well, I'll be here waiting for you to take out that antitank team, so I think we could help." He replied.

"Thanks." I said, hopping off the tank.

I gathered my men, and we moved out again.  We passed the T-4s and saw the burnt corpses of the crew that were trying to get out.  It was a sight, a horrifying sight.

We were going around the corner, and there was our suspected antitank team.  They must have relocated, judging from where the tanks were destroyed. There were few ponies, but they had a howitzer with them.

The howitzer fired a massive 102mm round at us, and it hit the ground in front of me, and exploded.  Next thing I knew I was flying backwards, and was on the ground.  I was trying to process what had just transpired, so I tried to get up, but there was a sharp pain in my arm.  I looked at my arm and saw that a piece of shrapnel was lodged in my upper arm.  It stung like shit.

I wasn't worried about being careful, so I somewhat yanked the piece of metal out.  And boy were tears shed.  It hurt so bad I didn't want to get up.  But I had to ignore the pain if I want to live, so I got back up, and was Immediately shot at.

I ran for cover and grabbed for my SAR, but it wasn't there.

Oh crap.

It was in the middle of the road.

The only ranged weapon I had on me was my HHP, a low-accuracy pistol.  Not a great last resort weapon.

"You alright, sir?" The man next to me asks.

"Yeah, it's just a scratch." I replied.

I peer from my cover and see the howitzer crew, still pinned down, but able to deal heavy damage.

"Jones!  Use a pineapple!" I yell.

He silently acknowledges the command, and prepared a grenade, but it all went wrong when he dropped the grenade, which switched the igniter on.  Jones, not knowing what else to do, jumped away from the grenade, just as it detonated.  He scrambled to his feet, and somehow made his way back to cover without getting hit by enemy fire.

That was clo-

BOOM!

The howitzer had opened fire on one of the men, and completely destroyed their cover, killing the man.

"NO!" I yelled. "You bastards!"

In a mad fury, I took a grenade, pulled the pin, activated the igniter, and threw the grenade as far as I could at the ponies.  It must have landed on the ammo, because the howitzer was engulfed in a good sized fireball.  It seemed to have killed three ponies, as their bodies laid still and burned.

The other two ponies put up a fierce fight, but it was useless, as they were both gunned down.  I ran over to the ponies and began to bash their faces with my spade.  I was so pissed, I didn't realize that one of them was still alive during the beating.  Their faces made unrecognizable, I walked away, but one of them caught my eye.

It was a mare, she had a blonde mane, and an orange coat.  I don't know why she got my attention, but I walked over to the body of the mare, and found a letter tucked away in her armor, just barely sticking out.  I picked it up, and read its contents.

It's been a long time since I've sent ya'll a letter, but them humans have been trying to take southern Equestria, so we've moved out to defend one of them big cities, San Fransiscolt, if I remember correctly.  We got them humans a surprise, though, it should really throw em off, I can't say much more, but I'll say we could save the city, and all those ponies.  I can't wait to see ya'll again after this battle, it's been so long.

I love ya'll,

Applejack.

I closed the letter, and stuffed it In my pocket.  What does the ERA have planned?  Is it more forces?  A secret weapon?  A nuke?

Scratch that, couldn't be a nuke.

I had to get this letter relayed to HQ for analysis, so I left the body alone, then I realized I just broke my own rule about touching a dead body.  Oh well.

"Guys, I got some vital information I have to relay to HQ.  Gather the wounded, we're done here." I said, walking past the howitzer.  But I heard a noise behind me.

Wait.

Crap! It's a Mk 1!

No, two Mk 1s!

Wait...

Shit, there's four Mk 1s...

And their guns are pointed straight at me.

Chapter 3 - San Fransiscolt Part 2

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As soon as I saw those tanks aim at me, I knew I was screwed if I stayed here, so I did the sensible thing.

I ran.  Really fast.

I managed to get to the nearest piece of cover, a wall, and held onto it as if my life depended on it.

My life did depend on it.

That's when the Mk 1s began to open fire, and it was scary, what with the 50mm rounds impacting the buildings and road around me.  Then I could hear them advancing forwards.

"We have to pull back!" I yelled to Corporal Hodge. "Get that T-4 over here!"

"Yes sir!" Hodge replied.  With that, we all began to pull back, and headed straight towards the friendly armor.

"What in the name of God is going on over there?!" The tank commander yelled to me. "Did you take care of that antitank team, Sergeant?"

"Yes sir, we did, but we've got company!" I replied.

"What kind of company are you talking about sergeant?" The tank commander asked.

"The kind that only your crew can handle!" I replied.

"Shit!  How many?!" The tank commander asked.

"Four of them!" I replied.

"Aw fu-" The tank commander said, closing his hatch.  The tank engine came to life, and the T-4 monster began to move forwards past the retreating infantry.  The first Mk 1 to appear, was instantly destroyed by the T-4's 75mm gun.

The T-4 moved onward, shoving the ruined Mk 1 out of the way.  A 50mm round bounced off the T-4's hull, hitting the building behind the tank.  Another hit and bounced off the turret, sending the bullet upward.  The T-4's turret turned to meet the opposition, and fired at the Equestrians.

An explosion was heard shortly after, meaning that the 75mm round found its mark.  The Mk 1 is extremely prone to fire or combustion upon having its armor penetrated.  However, they were slightly faster than the T-4, and could out maneuver it.

This was made apparent when a fifth Mk 1 crept behind the T-4 and shot the rear of it, hitting the engine block.  The T-4's engine sputtered before dying soon after, then a fire erupted from the rear.  It must've damaged the fuel compartment.

The other two Mk 1s saw their chance, and opened fire on the T-4, the first round bouncing off the hull once more, but the second was a direct hit.  The ammo rack detonated inside and blew up the tank, which sent the turret into the air, and hard onto the ground.  No one seemed to have survived.

Aw shit.

The Mk 1s continued their advance, and we were being zeroed in.  I knew we couldn't stay here any longer, otherwise ERA forces would overwhelm us.

"Men, we're getting our asses out of Dodge!" I yelled, running backwards.

Everyone else followed me, a 50mm round bounced off the road beside of me.  I just ran faster, hoping that I would survive, as well as everyone else.

I looked up and saw several ERA planes in the air, combating the DAF air power.  I thought I even saw the rumored Wonderbolt squad, they're supposedly made up of Equestria's best aces.

I tripped over something when I was looking up, and I fell down hard.  I managed to get back up, but a 50mm HE must've detonated behind me, because I was in the air again.

When I made contact with the ground, a sharp pain erupted from everywhere, then everything went black.

"Guys!  He's waking up!"

"Thank god!"

I slowly opened my eyes, and saw a ceiling above me.

Oh crap, did everyone make it?

"Did... is everyone alright?" I asked weakly. "Sound... Sound off.  I want names, not numbers"

Silence.

"I said 'Sound off'." I said louder.

"Ryan."

"Jones."

"Hodge."

"Uh... Daniel."

"Wade."

"Cole."

"Michael, sir."

"Anthony."

"Fredrick."

"Gordon."

"James."

"Steven."

"Ethan."

"Taylor, sir."

"Bill."

"Welder."

"George."

"Dylan."

I counted eighteen men, including myself, but there was supposed to be twenty-

Oh...

"Anthony... where's Jacob?" I asked, praying the answer isn't what I think it is.

"Mat, Jake is... well, he... didn't make it, remember?" He replied reluctantly.

Shit.

"..."

"I'm so sorry, Mat.  I-"

"No." I said.  "No, not this time.  Please God, not today..."  I felt the reoccurring liquid of pain and sorrow come from my eyes.  It made its way over my cheeks, and onto the floor.  I hate crying in front of people, it makes me look weak and useless, but what can you do?  Other than mourn for those we've lost?

I need some time... alone.

I attempted to get up, but several fierce pains pinned my body to the ground.  I tried to look, and found bandages wrapped on my limbs, with crimson stains.

Damn it all.  I can't move.

At least without pain.

"What's the damages, Doc?" I asked our medic, Taylor.

"Well, from what I can tell, you've got several lacerations from shrapnel and rocks.  Nothing major, I've been able to remove pieces from the deep wounds, I wouldn't worry about the smaller wounds now." Taylor replied.

"Can I walk?" I asked. "Because it hurts like hell when I try to move."

"It's might be the alcohol, it's probably been sitting there ever since I applied it twenty minutes ago.  The rest of it should evaporate when you start to move, but it will sting a lot."  He replied.

"Great." I said. "Here goes nothing."

I got up.

That... was the second worst choice I've made today.

I had to put my sleeve in my mouth and bite hard to prevent myself from what I thought would result in me spazzing on the wooden floor.  I was biting so hard that my teeth began to ache after the ordeal.

I recovered, but everything still hurt.

"What happened when I was out?" I later asked.

"Well, when we saw you, you were pretty beat up.  We managed to get you out of there, but we didn't know if you had died, or what." Fredrick said. "HQ radioed everyone saying that an Equestrian Armored Division stormed through our lines, and killed a lot of our guys.  They're saying that air support is on its way now to stop the ERA advance."

"What kind of aircraft are on the way?" I asked.

"Mainly dive bombers, attackers, and fighters." He replied.

"The skies looked crowded earlier.  How will they get through in one piece?" I said.

"They probably won't.  The skies are still crowded." George said.

"So much for the flyboys." I said.

I looked around for my SAR, but to my misfortune, it was no where to be seen.  I then remembered that it was blown off of me during the skirmish with the ERA antitank team.

I should have grabbed it on my way out.

"Uh... do any of you have a spare gun?"

Youtube Video

I was later informed that the DAF was losing ground fast, and were losing a lot of troops and vehicles.  HQ wanted everyone to stay in one spot before air support arrived, which the last time I checked was in ten minutes.

Anything can go wrong in ten minutes.

My squad met up with a retreating tank squad, and we hitched a ride aboard the tanks to get to the rally point HQ had set up.  It wasn't a very eventful ride, until we got to the rally point, it was in complete discord.

It was so badly packed that they couldn't correctly organize a defense to hold the position.  Luckily, we managed to get reorganized and dig in right before the first wave of ERA tanks was encountered.

It was ear rape, to say the least, because big guns and little guns were going off everywhere from both sides, with the occasional blood curdling scream.  Tracers and magic bolts were flying through the air, as pegasi and biplanes attempted to strafe our troops.  The battle was escalating fast, and it got to the point where troops engaged the ponies in close combat.

My squad was close to the front, so we saw some nasty things.  Mangled Human and Equestrian corpses lay every where.  Some traumatized men continued to stab the corpses of fallen foes with their bayonets and trench knives, while some just sat and watched everything unfold before them.

I had walked away from my squad to report to another squad, when a pegasus flew in and tackled me to the ground.  I lost my grip on the replacement SAR and it flew out of my hands.  The stallion had his beady eyes staring at me in fear and rage, as he tried to stab me with his knife.

We were rolling in the dirt, I was throwing punches and trying to keep him from stabbing me.

"I'm going to kill you!" He said angrily, and continued his attempt to impale me.

I managed to turn the fight in my favor, as I gripped the knife, and slowly forced my way to his throat.

"Wait.  No.  No, no!" He said panicking.

The knife got closer to his throat.

"Please, no!  No!  NO!" He began to yell. "PLEASE!  NO!"

The knife was a millimeter away from his neck.

"NOOOO-" His cries for mercy became gurgles as the knife penetrated the artery and through the throat.

"You would've done the same." I said coldly, before ending his misery.  I retracted the knife from his neck, and thrusted it into his unprotected head.  The gurgles stopped, as well as the jerky movements.  I immediately let go of the knife, and got up off my haunches.

I stared at the motionless body, he had a brown mane and tail with a blue coat.

"NOO!  MUSTANG!" A voice yelled above me.  It was a mare pegasus.

She went over to "Mustang's" corpse and began to sob on him.  I pulled out my pistol in case she got any funny ideas- no, when she gets any funny ideas.  I had her in my irons and waited for any hostility from her.

She turned to stare at me.

"You... you... YOU BAS-" She yelled before a bullet pierced her forehead and sent blood and gore all over the ground behind her.  The mare's head jerked forcefully backwards, and her limp body fell onto the stallion's corpse, which was still bleeding.

It was horrible, but it had to be done.

I left the scene and realized I was still in a war.  It was a miracle I could hear the ponies voices at all, what with all of the gunfire and explosions.  I had forgotten about the mission, and I remembered what I was headed out for.

There was a problem that presented itself greatly, it was the fact that the air support was being engaged by ERA fighters, and it was going to delay the support by a lot.  We were fighting hard, but the DAF wasn't designed to dig in and stay alive for as long as possible, especially when the enemy had the advantage.

When the defensive line was breached, ERA forces flooded in, and it was a flipping massacre for both sides.  In order to avoid more casualties, we had to either withdraw our forces from San Fransiscolt, or risk everyone alive being captured and sent to "Equestrian Death Camps", which is a fate worse than death.

The DAF made its choice to abandon all hope in capturing the city in the current state its in.  Our forces began to retreat, and the Equestrians took the ground we just lost.  The dive bombers could've changed the tide of the battle if they had showed up in time.  They did show up and did bomb their targets, but by then it made no difference.

We had suffered the painful first defeat in the Equestrian campaign.

My squad made it back to the trucks, and I sat in the back this time, to fill the empty space where one man used to sit.  I knew everyone in the truck was staring at me, while I gazed at the floorboards of the truck in awe and disbelief.  We were bound to lose one battle eventually, but it always hurts when you do.

"Sir?" Gordon said.  "What now?"

...

I don't really know.

So I cried my problems away, sobbing in my folded arms.

I mourned for Jacob.

I mourned for the DAF.

I mourned for all the Equestrians I've killed.

I mourned for being put into this terrible existence.

...

I mourned for my family on Earth.

I remembered their faces, their voices.

I sobbed more.

I looked out of the truck, to see the burning city, the DAF forces in full retreat, and the Equestrians raising their flag high over one of the buildings.

I closed my eyes and rested.

At least I had my brothers here with me.

Three days later

The bombers were flying high over San Fransiscolt, dropping their deadly ordinance onto the ERA.  I'll tell you, those four engine bombers can fly pretty far.  Since we have few airfields here, those bombers had to come in from Antonia.  I think that's far enough.

First, there was artillery bombardment of the city, then came the aerial bombardment.  It was one hell of a light show, to say the least.  You could see magic bolts flying upwards towards the DAF bombers, and 700 lb. bombs detonating in the city.

I saw an explosion in the sky, and saw a bomber, smoke and fire spewing from its engine, plummet to its doom.  That was about ten men lost in that plane.  It fell into the devastated city, and was swallowed up by a huge fireball.

I looked away, and went back to what I was going to do.  I walked passed a "POW pen" and saw the mare I had taken prisoner, who turned out to be an officer.  We got some juicy information regarding the loss at San Fransiscolt from her.  She looked at me, and must have recognized the markings on my helmet, because she cowered away from me, realizing who I was.  I just looked away.

"You... You're the one who-"

"Who took you prisoner.  Yes, it was me." I replied.

"Why didn't you kill me?" She asked.

"It wasn't an option." I replied, walking away from the cage.

I approached the field officer's tent, and went in.

"Sergeant Mathew reporting as ordered, sir." I said, giving a salute.

One of my platoon officers, F.O. 'Johnny', returned the salute.

"Mathew, we've got a lot to talk about."

Chapter 4 - Why we Fight

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"So, I am getting my request for a replacement accepted?" I asked.

"Yes sergeant, you are, and he'll be here in the evening, fresh from basic." Johnny replied.

"Thanks." I said.

"No problem." Johnny replied.  "Well, I have to attend a Company meeting.  Take care, Sergeant."

"You as well." I replied, giving a quick salute.

I left the command tent and walked over to my tent, which was a quarter mile away.  The Officer pony stared at me as I walked by the "POW Pen", and looked away when I turned towards her.  It was kind of odd.

After an uneventful six minutes, I finally arrived at my tent.  I walked in and found all my things where they were left, which was good.  I went to my cot, and found the bottle of root beer next to my pack.

"I wonder if it still tastes good?" I asked myself, as I picked up the bottle.  "Only one way to find out."

I put the edge of the bottle to my lips and poured it into my mouth.  I let the soda sit in my mouth for a bit, then I swallowed it.  Not half bad.

I put the bottle down and picked up my book, titled Citizen Soldiers by Stephen E. Ambrose.  It is a great book to read, especially in the middle of a war.

I read the book for what seemed like hours, until I heard the call for dinner.  I marked my spot with a piece of tape, closed my book, and got up out of the tent.

I walked into the mess hall, which was next to the command tent, and sat next to my squad, located fairly close to the door.  I left the table to grab my meal, thankfully the line wasn't too long this time.  I sat down next to Anthony, my backup sergeant, and had a interesting conversation about ponies and how technologically inferior they are to us.

It was getting darker now, and the weather patterns seemed to suggest some rain later on.  Maybe a storm.  I wanted to get back to my book, so I finished my meal and headed out.  The ERA Officer looked miserably bored when I walked past her, as she was laying on the ground and sticking her hoof in the dirt.

I made it back to my tent, but I found a note on my cot, titled 'urgent'.  I opened it up, and I was a little less than pleased from what it said.

Urgent.

For Sergeant Mathew, 6.5.9.4.1.2.10

Upon receiving this letter, you have been ordered to report to your platoon officer, effective immediately.

Company Command

This is a sack of bullshit, since they could've come to me during dinner and told me to report to Johnny, instead of making me walk half a mile to and from.  Then again, maybe the note was put here a few moments ago, before I got back.  I don't know.

I walked back to the command tent, and found nine other Squad leaders.  Next to them were trucks full of infantry.  I guessed that these infantry were probably the replacements, and I guess they do come by the truck loads.

We were told to form a line and wait to take our replacements back to our squads.  I waited in line for what felt like an hour, and it was already beginning to rain, but finally I was in the front of the line.

"Grade and Name." An officer asked.

"Sergeant Mathew, sir." I replied.

"Alright... Mathew, your replacement is here, I just need you to sign this paper so we can keep a record of how many squad leaders received their replacements." The Officer said.

"Yes sir." I replied, taking a pencil and writing on the sheet of paper.  I handed the sheet to the officer.

"Thank you.  Your replacement is in the last truck to the left."  He said, taking the paper.

I gave a salute and headed to the truck, and there the newbie sat, looking as lonely as ever.  I walked over to him.

"Private, get over here!" I said

"Yes sir!" The Private replied, jumping out of the truck and stood at attention in front of me.

"Sir!" He said, giving a salute.

"At ease." I said, returning the salute.  "Walk with me, no formalities."

"Yes sir."  He replied.

"I just said 'no formalities' Private." I said.

"Uh... Alright." He responded, and began to walk with me.

"So Private, what's your name?" I asked.

"Zachary." He replied.

"I'm Mathew, obviously your new squad leader." I said.

"Alright." Zachary replied, buttoning up his jacket. "I'm just glad I'm out of basic."

"I would rather stay in basic than be here." I replied.

"What?  Why?" He asked.

"Basic is ten times better than this hell." I replied.

"Hell?" He asked.

"Hell." I replied.

"Now I don't want to be here." He said.

"You and me both." I replied.

We continued walking to the squad tent, when Zachary brought up an interesting question.

"Sir?" Zachary said.

"Yeah, Private?" I said.

"Well... How did the war start?" He asked.

"They didn't tell you in basic?" I replied.

"No, they only yelled at us.  I guess they told you?" He asked.

"That was the first thing they did.  They must've changed it up." I replied.  "Well, if I can remember what they spoon fed me, we can start."

"Alright," He said.

"I think I got it." I said, trying to recall what history I could.  "It was around 2016, four years before I was around, when humanity ended up here.  Over the course of two years, we found clever ways to survive this world, and even defend ourselves from it.  But we weren't ready for something of an entirely new level; another sentient species, called the Equestrians, was discovered in 2018."

"You mean the Equestrians we're fighting now?" Zachary asked.

"Yes.  As I was saying, when we found the Equestrians, we were anxious to form relations with them as soon as possible, so we sent out an ambassador of sorts to meet up with the Equestrians.  But, when the ambassador ended up dead, along with the rest of the convoy, we didn't know what to make of it.  We didn't assume the worst of the Equestrians, so we sent another ambassador out there." I said. "Only a few men came back alive, and said that the Equestrians had attacked them!  We were upset with this discovery, but we tried again a third time, this time the convoy was heavily armed.  When they all came back, they said the Equestrians tried to kill them, but they held them off.  That threw us over the line."

"What did we do?" Zachary asked.

"Well, we retaliated in force using "Protecters" as soldiers to attack the nearest Equestrian settlement.  We managed to take the town and hold it, but the attack plan was poorly executed, and the Protectors weren't really soldiers, so we were never ready for a counter attack by the Equestrians.  We were pushed back to our home base, which was surrounded by all sides.  We had realized that we were in the Equestrian main land, called Equestria.  We ultimately had to give up the fight, and surrendered.  When they talked to our leader, they only told us to leave Equestria and never return.  So we did."

"Wait, so we left just like that?" Zachary asked, looking confused.

"No, that's the more simpler way of explaining what happened." I replied. "When we left to find another land to settle, we were still very bitter.  The bitterness against Equestria has remained, and has obviously worsened, this war being a sign of that.  But when the Zebras attacked Antonia, that was enough for us to declare war against everything sentient on this planet.  Basically we're saying that every sentient species we meet is a threat to our existence.  That's why we're fighting against the Equestrians."

"I see, thanks sir." Zachary said.

"Anytime." I replied, smiling and patting Zachary on the back.

"So, how did the DAF form?" Zachary asked, looking at me.

"That's a story for another time, Private.  We're here." I replied, walking towards the squad tent.  "This, Private, is where you'll be sleeping tonight.  You should settle in before getting to know everyone."

"Alright, thanks again sir." He said.

"Don't mention it." I replied  "Now, go get settled in."

"Yes sir!" He said, giving a quick salute and walked into the tent.

"Whoa, a replacement?" I heard Dylan call out from the tent.

I chuckled a bit at the thought of the poor kid being put on the spot like that, especially at the hands of Corporal Dylan.

I walk into my tent and landed on my cot, pulling the book out of my backpack, which lay next to me. I found where I left off before, and continued to read.  After a while, I began to feel drowsy, my eyes trying to close by themselves.  I gave in and closed my eyes, and eventually fell asleep.

Chapter 5 - Antonia

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My men gathered around the squad truck, getting in it one man at a time.  I, of course, called shotgun and sat in the front of the truck.  Anthony got in the driver's seat a little while after I got in the passenger seat.

"You ready to go to war again?"  I asked Anthony.

"As long as I'm with you, I'll go anywhere."  He replied.

With that, Anthony turned the engine on, and it roared to life.  The truck eventually began to move forward, and followed the convoy headed towards San Fransiscolt.

Recon had told us that only the smoldering remains of San Fransiscolt were awaiting us, thanks to constant aerial and ground bombardments.  Bombardments were usually a last resort, because we want to keep most of the buildings intact.  It would, and I quote, give us less of a mess to clean up.

The truck ride, though relatively uneventful, was still bumpy as hell.  It eventually became so bumpy that things began flying out of my hands.  At one point, I was trying to get my pencil out of my bag, we hit a bump and the pencil flew out the window.

It only got a little interesting about thirty minutes later, because the whistle of artillery shells could be heard flying over us.  They were probably doing a second bombardment of San Fransiscolt, just to clear it out.  Somehow, this made me remember the letter I got off a pony, and I pulled it out of my jacket pocket.

It's been a long time since I've sent ya'll a letter, but them humans have been trying to take southern Equestria, so we've moved out to defend one of them big cities, San Fransiscolt, if I remember correctly.  We got them humans a surprise, though, it should really throw em off, I can't say much more, but I'll say we could save the city, and all those ponies.  I can't wait to see ya'll again after this battle, it's been so long.

I love ya'll,

Applejack.

I read it again and again, looking at every word, trying to figure out something, anything.  I don't know why I was studying the letter so hard, it was just a piece of paper from a pony I killed.

A pony I killed...

...

I knew I was thinking way too deep, so I tried to keep my mind distracted with other things.  I did need to check my SAR anyways.

I pulled out my semi-automatic rifle, and began to take it apart.  I worked on it for what seemed like hours.  The SAR rifle needs to be cleaned constantly, otherwise it will jam and never work without tampering with the components.

When I finished my rifle cleaning routine, I realized that we were only a few miles out from San Fransiscolt.

"Uh, Anthony?"  I asked. "Why haven't we stopped?"

"I don't know.  Every one else is still going."  Anthony replied.  "HQ hasn't said anything either."

"Are we literally going to drive through San Fransiscolt this exposed?"  I asked.

"I think we are."  Anthony replied. "I would go ahead and get the men ready."

"Alright." I said, as I open the hatch behind me.

"Okay guys, get your stuff ready in case we stop.  We're approaching enemy territory."  I said.

"Yes sir."  Zachary said.

I turned to look out the window, and saw the city in all of its... previous glory.

When the DAF bombards a target, they blow it to hell, and they sure blew San Fransiscolt to hell and back.  There was virtually nothing but ash, smoke, and debris.  When we got into the city, scorched corpses of ponies were laying on the crater-riddled streets.

The convoy had to stop because there was so much undetonated ordinance laying on the streets, and you can guess what could happen when a five ton truck runs over a 500 pound bomb.

I opened the door when we made a complete stop and hopped out of the truck.  All the burning Equestrian bodies and sulfur made an unbearable smell, I even considered putting my gas mask on.

Almost every building was decimated, you couldn't really tell it had been a city.  And what of all the inhabitants that lived in those buildings?  What happened to them?

I guess the answer was all around me; either they didn't make it, or they used some crazy magic to get everyone out of town.  It's a sad thought either way, just imagine having to watch your home being bombed and strafed.

We roamed around the ruins of San Fransiscolt, looking for any sign of enemies.

"God, it would suck to be an Equestrian right now."  Dylan said.

"Yeah it would." Corporal Wade replied.

"Do you think- whoa!" Dylan said before being tackled by a dog.

Everyone pointed their rifles and machine guns towards the dog, but then I noticed the dog wasn't mauling Dylan, instead it was licking his face.  We eased up, and slowly made our way to the dog, which I guess was a German Shepard.

The dog perked its head up, and turned to look at us with its curious eyes.  As I moved closer it, it got off of Dylan and ran towards me.

The dog stopped to lick me as I crouched to its level, and I began to pet it.

"Hello... Boy, you're a, uh, good boy, aren't you?" I said, checking the dog's underside.

The dog barked in response, which surprised me.

"So, who's your owner, huh boy?" I asked rhetorically.

I looked for a collar of some sort, but there was none to be found.  How can a stray dog be this tame?

"What's his name?" Zachary asked.

"He doesn't have one." I replied. "We can give him one."

"Pork!" Ethan suggested.

"Pork?  What kind of dog name is that?" Wade said.

"How about, uh... Richard!" Zachary suggested.

"Eh, I don't think that fits well."  Hodge said.

"Yeah."

"Well, how about Frankfurt?"  Dylan suggested.

"I like it."  I said.

"That definitely fits." Ethan said. "It's a lot better than pork."

"What even made you think that pork was a good dog name?"  Wade asked.

"I dunno, it just felt right at the time."  Ethan replied.

"So, it's decided?"  I asked.

"Wait, are we keeping him?"  Anthony asked.

"Sure, why not?"  I replied.

"I don't know, what if something happens to him?"  Anthony asked.

"Hey, it's not like we're taking him into battle."  I said.

"Yeah, but still..."  Anthony said.

"Frankfurt!  Come here, boy!" I said to Frankfurt, but the dog just stared at me confused.  "I guess we need to train him commands, don't we?"

"Yes sir." Hodge replied.  "I'll help with that, sir."

"Sir!  We have orders to pull out!"  Fredrick said to me. "HQ says we have control of San Fransiscolt."

"We do?"  I asked.

"Yes sir!"  He replied.

"Can you confirm this?"  I asked.

"Yes sir, I can."  He replied. "Would you like me to, sir?"

"Yes, please do.  I want to know if this operation is finally over."

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Two days later.

"Get aboard, grunts!  The Navy wants to go home now, and we aren't waiting on any slow-ass person!"

Well, that's the DAF Navy for you.

"Calm your Naval ass!  We've been through hell like you've never seen!"  One army sergeant yelled back.

"Oh yeah?  You wouldn't have gotten off the beaches of Neigh Orleans if it weren't for us!" The sailor replied.

The two continued arguing on and on, while the rest of the men began to board the giant transport ship, which was docked at the tip of the Cavaliia peninsula.  I guess a lot of guys earned the points to go to Antonia for a week.

"Hey, Mathew!"  Someone yelled to me from behind, I turned around and saw Jonathan.

"Jonathan?  Is that you?"  I asked.

"Yeah, it's me!"  He replied.

"Oh, wow!  You got enough points to go, too?"  I asked.

"Yep!  I also have enough points to buy myself an Obsidian pistol, so I'll run by the Obsidian Gun Co. store while I'm there."  He replied.

"I still have some points leftover from the Griffon Campaign.  I could stop by as well and see what they have." I said.

"The Griffon Campaign?!  Geez, man!  My points didn't even last that long!"  He said.  "Can I have some?"

"Nope.  They ain't for free."  I replied jokingly.

"Damn, I was really hoping for extra."  He said.

We walked onto the ship and I found myself a seat next to the window facing the harbor, Jonathan sat a few seats away from me.

"Attention passengers, we are departing in three minutes.  Secure loose gear and supplies and be ready to depart as soon as possible." A voice over the onboard intercom said.

"I'm Finally going home!"  Someone near me said

"If the Equestrians don't try to bomb us."  Someone else said.

"Way to jinx the whole damn ship, man."  Someone said.

"What?  I'm not saying they will, I'm saying if they don't try to bomb us, we're going home safely."  The other person said.

"That's still jinxing us!" The same person from earlier said.

This went on for two minutes, and stopped when the horn on the ship bellowed.  The ship began to shake, then it began to move forward.  The giant metal behemoth found its way out of the harbor, and onto the ocean beyond, headed towards Antonia.

I looked out the small window to my left and saw Equestria getting smaller and smaller the farther away we got.  After a while, Equestria was just a small island over the horizon.

Finally, I'm away from this war.

Finally... I'm going home.

I must've fallen asleep halfway through the trip, because it was night when I woke up.  I could also tell we were almost there just from the mood.  I got up to check if my things were right where I left them.

"Attention passengers, we are approaching Eagle Harbor, and will dock in two minutes.  Please do not leave anything on the ship, check yourselves to see that you have everything on you.  That is all." The Captain said via intercom.

"I can't wait to check everything out!" One man said.

"Don't spend all your money in one place, kid."  Another said.

"I won't!" The other man said.

I looked out the window and caught a glimpse of the town's lights in Antonia, which excited me.

After what seemed like forever, we finally docked into the harbor.  We all got out of our seats to grab our stuff and exit the ship.  When we left the transport, it was extremely hard to see because it was so dark outside.  Thank god for street lights.

"Alright, we are assigning all of you your own rooms.  After that, you guys can do what you want, though most of the buildings are closed at night."  An officer told all of us.  "Everyone, form a line on me."

Everyone moved to form a line, and I managed to get fairly close to the front of it.  It moved slowly, but I eventually got to the front.

"Grade, name, and number please."  The officer sitting at a small table said to me.

"Sergeant Mathew, 6.5.9.4.1.2.10."  I responded.

"Alright, Corporal Banks right here will show you to your hotel room."  The officer said. "Next!"

"Alrighty, sir.  If you'll just follow me, we'll get you settled in for the week."  Banks said.

We walked around the town with a bunch of other sergeants, including Jonathan, when we finally came across the hotel we would be staying in for now.  We walked in the building, and surprisingly there weren't that many people trying to check into rooms.

"Alright, here are your room numbers and keys.  Remember that we are leaving next Tuesday at 4:00 pm."  Banks said.

"Thanks, corporal."  One of the sergeants said.

I grabbed my key and room number and headed into hallway A, looking for room A15.

A13...

A14...

Here we are!  A15.

I put the key into the lock and turned it to the left.

Click!

The door opened, and when I walked in, I dropped everything I was holding.  In front of me... was an actual bed.

I walked towards the bed and just fell on it, letting all my muscles relax.  I took a deep breath, feeling my chest expanding on the fabric.

I got up after ten minutes and began to unpack my stuff.  When I finished unpacking, I was extremely tired and weary, so I decided to get some shut eye.

I lay down on the bed, turned off the lamp, pulled the sheets over me, and closed my eyes.

I couldn't wait for tomorrow.

I woke up with the sun directly in my eyes through the hotel window.  I looked away so that my eyes wouldn't burn out of socket or something.  On top of that, I had what I called "Morning Drowsiness", and it sucks.

"Ugh..." I moaned, putting my hands over my face.

I shut my eyelids tight and reopened them.  I looked to the hotel door, and saw what looked like a newspaper in front of it.  I stretched my limbs out before standing up off the bed and walking over to the paper.

I bent over and picked it up, unfolding it as I stood upright again.

The Antonian Post

It was a newspaper, and it's headline blurted out:

WAR TURNING TO OUR FAVOR!  POSSIBILITY OF IT ENDING NEXT YEAR!

The article continued on in the front page:

The troops on the front have done it again!  We have now successfully completed two major operations in the Equestrian campaign!  With Operation Bronco completed, the higher ups are now deciding their next move!

It continued on and on, but I was too lazy to read the whole thing right now, so I threw the newspaper onto my bed.  I began to hear faint voices coming from the door, so I went to investigate it.

As I got closer to the door, the voices grew louder, I opened the door, and the voices began to come from the lobby.  As soon as I saw the lobby, I realized that it was breakfast, and the voices were from the sergeants chatting with each other.

I went back to my room and began to get my things ready for the day.  I was prepping my things, when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey Mathew!  It's me, Jonathan!" Jonathan said.

I went to the door and opened it, and sure enough, there stood Jonathan.

"How did you know where I was staying?" I asked.

"I saw you leave this room, so I assumed that was where you were staying." He replied.  "Anyway, I was wondering if you would like to come with us to Antonia City?"

"Us?" I asked.

"Me and a few other guys are going." He replied.

"Sure, I'll go with you guys." I said.

"Awesome!  I'll let you get ready." He said.

"Alright, where should I meet you guys?" I asked.

"We'll be in the lobby." He replied.

"Ok, thanks." I said before closing the door.

I went over to my pack and looked around for my point bag.  After some time, I found it, laying in the bottom of my pack.  Geez, I haven't pulled this out in a while.

I stuffed the pouch into my pocket, grabbed my keys, and made my way to the hotel room door.  I opened the door and headed down the hallway towards the lobby.  I realized I forgot to shut the door to my room, so I ran back and closed it.

About three guys were waiting  for me in the hotel lobby, including Jonathan.

"Hi, name's Joe." Sergeant Joe said, holding his hand out for me.

"Mathew." I responded, shaking Joe's hand.

"I'm Thomas, sergeant Thomas.  Nice to meet you Mathew" Thomas said.

"Likewise." I responded. "So Jonathan, what are we going to do today?"

"Well, I was thinking we could first go to the Obsidian Gun Co. store."  Jonathan suggested. "And then we could go see some professional airsoft matches, I heard the next game has the Hunters vs. the Arrowheads."

"What time is the match?" I asked.

"I think it was around 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.  We would still have time to go to the gun store before that." Jonathan replied.

"Sounds like a plan." I said. "Let's go!"

"Alright! Let's go buy us some guns!" Joe said as we were walking out of the hotel.

You know, I might actually enjoy my stay.

If we could get some food first.

Chapter 6 - Loss

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Somewhere in the middle of Palomino, Equestria

San Fransiscolt.

When I hear that name, I recognize it as the first battle we've won against the humans, but lost in the end.  Countless ponies were killed in the battle, and even more were killed when the bombings occurred.

And what happened to Applejack...

Oh sweet Celestia, I can't imagine what Applebloom has been going through.

Losing an older sister you've known and spent your whole life with... Its just...

"Scootaloo!  Come over here!" Onyx Justice, my squad leader, said to me.

Onyx is a very stern, but friendly stallion with a dark grey coat and yellow mane.  He's a good leader for the most part.

"Uh... Yeah, sure.  I'll be there." I replied, still deep in thought. "Whatcha need, sergeant?"

"I was just told earlier that the company is moving out again, the humans seem to be preparing for an assault on Palomino.  I'm going to need your help to move some equipment."  He replied.

"Alright, sergeant." I responded.

Onyx nodded and trotted out of the room I was in, leaving me alone to my thoughts.  I eventually left the room and found myself In a narrow hallway, which lead to the exit.  I trotted down the hall and went out the door to my left, seeing all seven of the familiar faces of my squad mates, especially Applebloom.

"Hey, Scootaloo!  You feeling alright?" Emerald Dream, one of my squad mates, asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  What about you?" I asked.

"Same as ever." She replied.

Emerald was a unicorn with a light green coat and sky blue mane.  She always reminded me of Lyra Heartstrings, an old childhood friend who was also a unicorn.

I saw Applebloom sitting on a park bench, which was right next to our autochariot.  I went over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Applebloom?" I said.

She didn't seem to register I was even there, which worried me.

"Applebloom, come on, it's me, Scootaloo." I said.

"Why... Why her?" She asked.

"I... don't know, Applebloom.  I don't know..." I replied.

I decided it would be best to leave Applebloom alone, even though it hurt me to leave her like this.  I trotted over to Onyx, who was loading some boxes onto our Autochariot.

"Just in time." Onyx said. "I'm halfway through the load, with your help this will get done a lot faster."

"Why me?  I mean, there are other ponies who could help you.  Why not Astral?  He's a pegasus too-"

"I chose you because everypony else is busy doing things, and you were the only pony not doing anything." Onyx interrupted. "Now, if you don't mind, I could use your help lifting these boxes onto the Autochariot."

"Yes, sergeant." I sighed.

I flew over to one of the boxes Onyx was trying to lift and gripped the sides of it with my hoofs.  The box began to lift off the ground and we were able to load it onto the bed of the Autochariot.

After a short time, we managed to get all the boxes aboard the chariot.

"Thanks Scootaloo, I'm glad to have you on my squad." Onyx said.

"No problem, sergeant." I replied.

"Now, let's round up everypony and get them ready to leave for the front." Onyx said.

"Yes, sergeant." I said, before leaving to get the others.

I trotted over to Applebloom, who was still sitting on the bench.

"Hey Applebloom, it's time to go." I said to her.

"Uh... Alright." She replied hesitantly before getting up.

I turned around and saw that everypony was here, except Applebloom and me.  I trotted over to the group to get ready to leave.

"Hey sergeant, I thought we were staying here." Swift Hoof, our squad's medic, asked.

"Our company is being called over to the front lines." Onyx replied.

"So the humans are advancing?" Yellow Rock asked, who was the squad's newest member.

Swift Hoof is just a regular earth pony with a white coat and grey mane with a red streak running through it.  He's also very impatient.  Yellow Rock is another earth pony with a yellow coat and orange mane, and always seems to be nervous about something.

"Not yet, they appear to be preparing for an assault on Palomino, but it could be massive troop replacement." Onyx replied.

"So, how strong is their for-"

"Staff sergeant! We have a situation!" A soldier said, running towards us.

"What is it, lance-corporal?" Onyx asked.

"The humans are advancing!  They've caught our defenses by surprise!" The soldier replied.

"What?  How far out are they?" Onyx asked.

"Only about half a mile!  I gotta go warn the other squads!" The soldier said, running off.

"Wait! Don't go just-" Onyx said before a loud crack was heard, and the soldier fell over.

The pony began to scream in agony.

"Shit!  I got you!" Swift Hoof said before running to the wounded pony.

Swift Hoof reached the pony and began to drag him from out of the open, and set him down near the Autochariot.

"AAAHHH!" The soldier continued screaming.

"Please try to stop screaming, or we're all dead!" Swift said.

"It hurts so much!" The soldier yelled.

"Don't make me shut you up..." Swift said coldly.

That seemed to quiet the pony down somewhat.  I went over to Swift Hoof to see if he needed any help.  When I saw the pony, I could see the extent of his wounds; his leg artery seemed to be severed, and he was bleeding to death.

"You need any help, Swift?" I asked.

"Yeah, can you calm him down?" He asked, before getting closer to me. "He isn't going to make it."

"Alright... I'll see if I make his last moments... easier." I replied.

I got closer to the pony, and could see he had tears streaming down from his eyes.  He looked at me, which gave me the chills.

"What's... What's your name?" I asked softly.

"Golden Eye... Golden Eye..." He replied weakly.

"Golden, you're... going to be okay, alright?" I said, putting my hoof on his shoulder.

"I... I am?" He asked.

"Yes, you are.  Swift here will make sure of that." I replied.

"I... I... I always wondered... what it... would... be..." He said weakly before he began screaming at the top of his lungs... and then died.

I bowed my head, and turned away from the fallen pony, who couldn't have been any older than me.

"I'm sorry you couldn't-" I said before loud cracks began coming out from every direction.

"We have to get to a better position before this one is over run!" Onyx said.

"What about the equipment?" Yellow Rock asked.

"Forget the equipment!  We have bigger priorities now!" Ivory Charm, another one of my squad mates, replied.

"Let's go!" Onyx said, running past the autochariot.

We all followed him and soon enough found ourselves hiding behind various pieces of cover in a street.  Applebloom and I were hiding behind a pile of brick and wood, while everypony else was hiding elsewhere.  I quickly popped my head out from cover, and saw some ponies further away from us.  One of them saw me and began to wave her hoof at me before a loud noise came from out of nowhere.  It was followed by an explosion that seemed to come from out of nowhere and incinerated all of them.

I instinctively ducked my head and then looked over the rubble to see only a single piece of armor.  I looked beyond that and saw a human with a long smoking tube on his shoulder running for cover.  I ducked back behind cover and looked to my left to check on Applebloom, and was surprised to see that she wasn't there.  I looked to my right and was horrified to see Applebloom standing in the middle of the road with a blank expression on her face.

"APPLEBLOOM!" I yelled to her.

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She continued to look forwards and seemed to not give any mind as to what was happening around her.  It was such a sight that I couldn't really process it, other than just watch in complete horror.

Then... she seemed to have lost it.  She just... snapped.  She pulled out a pistol and began to open fire on the humans.

"YA'LL TOOK MY SIS!" She began to yell, continuing to fire the pistol until it ran out of ammo.

"YA'LL TAKEN EVERYTHING!  EVERYTHING!" She yelled.

I realized way too late that she had been traumatized to the point of insanity.  I also knew... that... that...

"YA'LL WANT ME?!  BUCKING TAKE ME!" She yelled as loud as she could "TAKE MEEEE-"

Oh... sweet Celestia have mercy... please...

A fountain of crimson fluid erupted from the back of her neck, as her entire body was thrusted backwards.  She was still alive when her entire body landed on the ground, but was bleeding to death, a pool of blood surrounding her upper body.

She... she looked towards me, tears filling in her eyes with a look of helplessness, and tried to reach for me.

"Sco... Scootaloo!  SCOOTALOO!" She cried. "HELP!  HELP ME!"

Time seemed to stop when I weakly attempted to stretch my hoof back towards her.

"SIS!  HELP ME!" She cried again, this time towards the heavens. "AH'M... Ah'm not... ah'm not ready!"

"Apple... APPLEBLOOM!  NOO!" I yelled, tears flowing out of my eyes.

She turned towards me and just looked at me with mixed emotions of fear, confusion, pain, anger, and loneliness.  It was... it was too much for me.

My friend... my only true friend out here... was going to leave me to die.

Alone.

...

You... you sick bastard...

How could you?!

How could you leave me like this?!

You can't leave me like this!

I trusted you with everything!

Doesn't that mean anything to you?!

How could you just lay there and...

And...

"Scoot- Scootaloo?"

I looked up at Applebloom, who was looking at me.

"Tell... tell them... ah found my sis..." She said.

I wanted to say something, but I couldn't think of what to say, because my friend... my lifelong friend... was no longer with me...

No...

"SCOOTALOO!"

That's when I came back to my senses, and realized that I was very close to dying myself, which is a situation I have to get out of.

"SCOOTALOO, GET OUT OF THERE!" Onyx yelled to me.

"I'm... I'm trying!" I yelled back.

I wasn't thinking, so I sprinted towards Onyx and the others, ignoring the bullets flying over me.  A sharp pain pierced my left hind leg, causing me to trip and fall over.

I soon found myself on the ground in immense pain, being dragged to cover by my squad.  It hurt so much that I was crying and almost started to scream before Swift managed to shut me up.

"It's okay, Scootaloo.  You're going to be fine." Swift told me. "It's just a bullet."

"Just a bullet?!" I yelled. "You mean I got shot?!"

"If a bullet happens to be lodged in a hole anywhere in your body, generally it means you were shot." Swift replied.

"Why does it have to hurt so much?!" I rhetorically asked.

"Because it's a bucking bullet wound!" Swift yelled. "Why can't you just... Ugh!"

"Swift, just get this over with, we can't stay here." Onyx said.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm trying." Swift replied.

After a minute or two, Swift got me patched up and on my hoofs again.

"There you go, Scoots, somewhat good as new." Swift said.

"Can you keep up with us?" Onyx asked me.

"Yeah, I think so." I replied.

"Alright, everypony!  We're pulling out!" Onyx said. "Just follow me!"

We began to move away from the humans when I looked back at...

"Sergeant, what about Applebloom?" I asked.

"I'm sorry Scootaloo, but we can't go back.  I know how much it hurts you, but I can't lose more ponies trying to retrieve something that's already lost." Onyx said.

"Wh... What?" I said. "Bu-"

"No, Scootaloo.  We can't." He said. "Come on, let's go before they can reach us!"

I was about to say something, but I knew it would be pointless.  I just galloped away with my squad mates, leaving a pony I knew best.

Leaving behind a promise I gave to her.

It killed me to do so.

"Come on, everypony!  Hurry!  The humans are getting closer by the second!" An Lt1C called out from atop a Mk 1.

"Lieutenant!  Where's C company?" Onyx asked.

"They're just over there, sergeant." The Lt1C replied.

"Thanks, Lieutenant." Onyx said.

We went over to where our company had set up and found our platoon.

"Staff Sergeant Onyx!  Front and center!" Steel Sprit, our platoon sergeant, said.

"Staff Sergeant Onyx Justice reporting as ordered, Sergeant!" Onyx said, giving a salute.

"At ease.  Walk with me." Steel said.

Onyx and Steel walked off, leaving the rest of the squad alone.

"Hey, Scootaloo?  I'm really, really, sorry about Applebloom." Emerald said. "I know you two were close friends, so if there's anything I can do to help, please tell me."

"Alright... Thanks, Emerald." I said, trying desperately not to think about it.  The last thing I needed was to make a scene.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about Applebloom, too.  I mean, I didn't know her very well, but... sorry." Yellow Rock said to me.

"It's okay, I think." I replied. "I just... I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

"Oh, okay.  Sorry." Yellow replied. "I'll just-"

"EVERYPONY!  GET IN POSITION!" An officer yelled. "THEY ARE COMING!"

Everypony around us began to panic and scramble to the makeshift trenches we dug ourselves, getting ready for the human onslaught.  Our tanks moved into position in front of the trenches, attempting to protect as much infantry as possible, while air support would help lower our casualties.

Theoretically.

"This is it!  The moment every single one of us has trained for!  No backing out!" Another one of the officers yelled.

I could see them, just over the... horizon.

Oh... shit, that's a lot of armor.  And aircraft.

"RIFLES, AT THE READY!" An officer called.

I pulled my rifle out and ran towards the closest trench, trying to find an open spot to dig in.  It's wasn't a minute after I found myself in a trench that bullets began to fly over our heads, striking one of the officers.

"For Equestria!" One of the tankers called out before all the Mk 1s began to move towards our foe.

Pegasi were flying in the skies above us, preparing to engage enemy air targets.  I'd rather be up there than down here, personally.

I could now see the human tanks approaching us clear as day, with their infantry taking cover behind them.  I found myself a human to fire at and put him in my irons.

This is for Applebloom.

Chapter 7 - The Assault of Palomino

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BOOM!

The tank in front of me exploded, killing everypony inside of it.  I ducked down behind the trench wall, getting mud and dirt all over me.

After a little while, I stood back up and aimed my rifle at the incoming human soldiers.  I pulled the trigger, which was followed by a loud crack.  The rifle flew back into my shoulder and sent a smoking bullet shell flying out of it.  I looked to see if I hit the human, but was disappointed to see him still standing.

The human in question raised his machine gun and fired at a stallion I could see running towards him.  The pony's chest seemed to burst open as bullets began to pierce his body, and fell soon after.

Dammit!

I reloaded the rifle and attempted another shot at the human, this time taking careful aim.  As soon as I pulled the trigger, the human fell to the ground.  Satisfied, I took aim at another before I heard the sound of an engine getting closer.  I looked to my left and saw a human tank headed towards me.

"Oh, shit!" I exclaimed, before ducking.

The tank rolled over the trench, barely hitting me in the head.   That was a little close.

I stood up again peering over the trench, and saw several human aircraft flying towards the trenches.  Unicorns began to cast air burst spells at the aircraft, while pegasi tried to engage them.

The human fighters dived and began to strafe the trenches.  I ducked once again, as bullets began pounding the earth around me.

"Hey! Over here!" A mare near me called out.

"Huh?" I said.

"I need your-" She said before a bullet pierced her head, spraying gore all over the ground.  And me.

The suddenness of it all shocked and surprised me, so it took me a few seconds to process what had just happened.  I came back to reality and launched myself backwards at the gory display in front of me.  I lowered my head towards the ground, gagging and dry heaving.  I was never used to gore.

VROOOM!

I looked up and caught a glimpse of a human fighter flying overhead.  I realized that the stray bullet that killed the pony in front of me was from their strafing runs.  I knew I wouldn't stay alive in the trenches for much longer if I stayed, I needed to regroup with somepony from my squad.

I figured that they had to be close by, since we were together before the battle.  I ran through the trenches, passing by other ponies, looking for any sign of Fifth Squad.

"Onyx?!  ONYX!" I called out.

I continued to call out his name through the carnage going on around me, even though there was no possible way he would hear me through all the gunfire and explosions.

"Scootaloo?!" I heard a faint, familiar voice call out.

It wasn't Onyx, but I knew it was somepony from my squad.

"SCOOTALOO!" The voice called out again.

I tried to pinpoint the voice, getting louder as I trotted closer.

"Scootaloo!  Get over here!"

I turned my head towards the voice and saw Onyx standing in the middle of a crowded trench intersection.  Standing next to him was Emerald, who I guessed heard me yelling.

"I'm glad I found you!" I exclaimed, running over to them.

"Come on!  Everypony else is over there!"  Emerald said.

We all ran through the trenches and past more ponies to get to the rest of the squad.  When we found the others, I could see Astral being annoyed by Yellow, and Swift was with Ivory, who was... laying on the ground?

Oh no...

"Ivory!  Are you okay?!"  I asked.

"Urgh... Yeah, I'm fine."  She replied. "Just a scratch."

Swift Scoffed. "Yeah, a 'scratch'."

"Swift, how's Ivory been doing?"  Onyx asked.

"Well, she's been pretty stubborn about not letting me check the wounds, since they're in a... certain area."  Swift stated.

"Ivory, you could die if Swift doesn't... check you out."  Onyx said awkwardly.

"I... f-fine, but Swift don't you dare put your hooves where they shouldn't be!"  Ivory said, starting to blush.

"You know I have a wife, she would murder me if she heard I touched another mare like that." Swift replied.

Onyx then turned to me.

"Scootaloo, what exactly were you doing way over there?"  Onyx asked, pointing to the spot where they found me.

"Well, I panicked when everypony started yelling before the battle."  I replied earnestly. "I ran for cover and found myself pinned to the wall of the trench, watching a pony get her brains blown out."

"I'm... I'm sorry."  Onyx said. "I'm also very sorry for... what happened to Applebloom." He replied.

"Oh..." I said, not really sure of what to say.

"SWIFT!  YOU BASTARD!"  Ivory yelled.

"I slipped!  I swear, I slipped!"  Swift replied hastily. "I honestly- Oof!"

I almost laughed.

"Well, I think we should get back out there.  Swift!  You almost done?!"  Onyx asked.

"Ugh... Yeah, almost."  Swift replied awkwardly. "If the patient would stop trying to buck me in the gut!"

"That'll be the least of our worries if we don't get up there soon!" Onyx said.

BOOM!

There was an explosion that was a little too close for comfort.

"Okay... done!  Let's go!"  Swift said, packing his medical equipment.

Ivory got off her backside and got up, occasionally giving Swift dirty looks.

Ivory Charm was a mare unicorn with a teal mane and light yellow coat, and was usually quiet unless somepony began a conversation with her.  Then all she does is talk.

"Fall back!  Fall back!" Somepony yelled.  "They've breached our anti-tank defenses!  Fall back!"

"What?!"  Yellow Rock exclaimed.

"You heard him, fall back!"  Onyx said, running backwards.

We all followed him, running for our very lives while the humans closed in.  My hind leg began to scream in pain with every step.  I had to push through the pain, because if I slowed down once, it could be over for me.

As soon as we left the trenches, ponies all around us began to drop like flies, whether they were airborne or on the ground.  At one point a bullet barely grazed my head.

I looked back to see several pony corpses and destroyed Mk 1s laying dormant on the ground.  I looked forwards and saw that we were running past the tents we had set up.

"Uh... are we in full retreat?"  I asked.

"Definitely!"  Onyx replied. "Up ahead is an Autochariot convoy we need to get to!"

And sure enough, there was a line of Autochariots ready to drive away at a moments notice.  A human plane flew over and dropped a cylinder of some sort, which exploded when it hit the ground.  More planes began to fly over us and began to drop their payloads.

We managed to reach an Autochariot before it could be destroyed.  Emerald hopped into the driver's seat, while Onyx got into the passenger seat up front.

"Hey!  Wait for me!"  A mare called out, running towards us.

"We don't have enough time!"  Onyx said. "We can't stay!"

"We can't just leave her!"  I said. "We can wait, just for a little bit!"

"I... Ugh, fine!"  Onyx replied.

"Hurry!"  Swift yelled, waving his hoof.

The pony got to us just in time and climbed onto the bed of the Autochariot.

"Hit it!"  Onyx said. "Hit it now, Emerald!"

With that, the Autochariot began to move forwards and followed the other fleeing Autochariots at top speed.

"Thanks for waitin on me, I appreciate it."  She said.

"Well, we couldn't just abandon you."  I said.

Wait, I recognize her voice.

"Do... I know you from somewhere?"  I asked the mare.

"Dunno." She replied. "You sound familiar too."

Wait... Oh sweet Celestia, is that...

"B-Babs?"  I said.

She just stared at me, wide eyed with the realization of who I was.

"Scootaloo?  That really you?!" Babs replied, still in awe.

"Oh, Babs!" I said excitedly, embracing her with my fore hooves. "How is this even possible?!"

"Geez, Scootaloo, I dunno!"  She replied, still awestruck. "Small world, I guess!"

I just held the embrace, and then I began to sob on her shoulder.

"Oh... Babs... I'm so sorry..."  I sobbed.

"Scootaloo?"  She said, confused.

I have to tell her...

"Uh... W-well... Applebloom... is..."  I stammered. "She... She, isn't here anymore.  She didn't make it."

"Wh... What?"  Babs said, stunned.

"I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry... I couldn't do anything... I could only watch her... die... in front of me..."  I sobbed.

"What?!" She yelled. "Wh... Why?!"

"She... She lost it!  She was right next to me... then she was in the street... and then she was bleeding from her neck... on the ground... st... staring at me!"  I sobbed.

"You... You let her die?!"  She yelled, shoving me off of her.

"No... No!  I-I couldn't save her in time!" I replied, sobbing.

"You couldn't save her?!  That's... What a load of buckin bullshit!"  She yelled, starting to cry herself.

Then she got up and punched me in the face.  I fell over onto the floor of the Autochariot, stunned.  I came back to my senses a few seconds after.

Damn, it stung.

"Whoa!  Hey!  That's enough!"  Swift said, grabbing hold of Babs.

"You sick bitch!  Applebloom trusted you!  It's your fault she's dead!"  Babs yelled, trying to break free of Swift's grip.

"It wasn't my fault..." I said.

"You couldn't even try to save her?!"  Babs sobbed.

"Shut... Shut up!" I sobbed. "Just... Shut up!"

"Why?!  Why should I do anythin you say?!"  She replied.

"Stop it!  I know Scootaloo!  She would never leave a friend to die!  We could've left YOU to die!"  Swift yelled, letting go of Babs. "But we didn't!  Scootaloo chose to save you!  Doesn't that say something?  Anything?!"

Babs didn't say anything, but looked down at the bed of the autochariot, tears falling from her eyes.  I couldn't believe Babs would act like this.

I leaned onto Ivory and began to sob on her shoulder, mourning for everything I regret. Ivory began to comfort me, which helped some, but I still felt awful.

"It's not my fault..." I repeated quietly.

"Does... Does Big Mac know?"  Babs asked.

"No... No, he doesn't... she just died... about an hour ago."  I replied.

She sat down and didn't say anything, she just sat there... blank face and everything.

This is why I hate war, why I hate humanity for starting it.

Why did they have to start this war?  Why?

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Alone.

I was sitting alone in a small house.

Applebloom wasn't here to sit with me, it was just myself.

We barely escaped, the humans were about to encircle the southern half of Palomino, which would've trapped us had we left any later.  I can't say if everypony else from our company made it out.

Babs had left to find her platoon, which was in the same company I was in, when we stopped near Konikticut.  It was extremely hard to believe that she was here the whole time, and I never knew it.  We never knew it.

She never got to see Applebloom... here...

Maybe that's why she... lashed out.

She apologized, I assure you (it wasn't easy, though), but I couldn't help but feel bad for her.  For the rest of the Apple family.

Big Mac would be the only one running Sweet Apple Acres.  He would be alone, working day and night.

Just like me.

Alone.

...

I know I have the others, but...

They don't fill the hole in my heart...

I don't think they can fill it...

I...

I'm going to see if I can talk to Onyx about getting Babs transferred into our squad.

I want somepony I at least know well to be with me...

Just until this whole thing blows over... when we win...

...

Oh, who am I kidding?  We're going to lose the war in a few short months, I guarantee it.  I mean, they have numbers nopony else has, technology that surpassed even the Zebras, and knowledge in advanced military tactics that we couldn't possibly coordinate!

This war... our resistance against humanity is just prolonging the inevitable.

Which... which means Applejack... Applebloom...

They've died in vein...

Along with everypony else who lost their lives...

Oh sweet Celestia...

What will they do with us?

Will they torture us?

Murder our families?

Destroy countless cities?

Rape?

No... That's too far... they wouldn't...

They wouldn't dare-

"Scootaloo?"

I looked up and saw somepony I didn't expect to see; Yellow Rock.

"Yellow?"  I said.

"Mind... uh... Mind if I sit with... um... you?"  He asked nervously.

"I, uh... No, no, not at all."  I replied.

He trotted slowly over to where I sat, sitting down next to me.

"So... I, uh... I kinda wanted to ask about... What was Applebloom like?  Before the war?"  He asked.

I didn't expect that at all.

"Well, uh... She was really nice to me and Sweetie Bell, and other ponies.  She always wanted to help others, and wasn't afraid to stand up for them."  I replied. "But it all changed after we were drafted, after training.  Sweetie Bell was put into another Division, and Applebloom and I were put into the same squad.  Then when her older sister Applejack... died in San Fransiscolt... She was broken..."

"Who was... Bads?  And Sweetie Bell?"  Yellow asked.

"You mean Babs?  She was Applebloom's cousin, I met her when she came from Manehattan to Ponyville one day.  She had a strong bond with Applebloom... So... so..." I replied, tears forming in my eyes. "I'm... sorry.  I'm sorry.  I... I want to be alone.  For now."

"Oh... I'm sorry... I..."  He stammered. "I'll leave you... alone."

I heard him trot off, and realized I didn't want to be alone.

I needed to be around somepony.

I can't be left alone.

"Yellow... wait!"  I called out.

I heard him trot back over to me, peering over the side of the wall in front of him.

"Y-yes, Scootaloo?" He said, nervousness in his voice.

"I've changed my mind.  Can you... stay?  Just for a bit?"  I asked.

"Uh... s-sure?"  He replied hesitantly.

"Thank you."  I said.

He sat down next to me once again, and I leaned onto him.  I was probably making his face all shades of red.

I was a little more calm, almost at peace.  But I knew it would all end.

Everything has to end.

...

Just like Applebloom.

...

I started to cry again.

...

It was my fault.

Chapter 8 - Pastime

Somewhere near Antonia City, Antonia

"That'll be fifty seven points, sir."

I reached down into my point pouch and pulled out 5 silver coins and 7 smaller coins, handing them to the cashier behind the counter.

"Here you go, fifty seven points."  I said.

"Alrighty..."  The cashier said, signing a paper. "Please sign your number here."

He handed me the paper and pointed towards the empty line on the bottom of the page. I took the pen after reading the form, and signed my number onto the bottom line.

"Done."  I said, giving the paper to the cashier.

"Here is your new OHG-6.  Good luck out there, sergeant."  The cashier said, giving an amateur salute.

"Thanks."  I replied, returning the salute.

Jonathan, Thomas, and Joe were waiting for me outside the store, all of them carrying their new guns.

"You got the pistol?  I would've gone with the new Attack Rifle they had on display."  Joe said. "Though, I assume the AR wasn't within your price range, was it?"

"It was, I just didn't want to lug it around all day.  So I went for the pistol.  I mean, .50 cal rounds?  In a pistol!"  I said. "I'll take power any day."

"Hey, if you wanted power, why didn't you join one of the armored divisions?  Or the Navy at that?"  Jonathan asked.

"I didn't really have a say."  I said jokingly. "Besides, my place is with my men."

"I only run messages down to other officers, nothing fun like what you squad leaders do."  Thomas said.

"If you consider hell fun, you can take my spot any day."  Joe said.

"Eh... on second thought, I think I'll stick with messenger."  Thomas replied.

"Ha!  Just kidding!  It's fun kicking ERA ass!"  Joe laughed. "It only sucks when your ass gets kicked."

"So, you on the Eastern or Western front?"  I asked.

"Eastern.  The action up there is pretty light.  Oh!  I heard the seventh army was going to attack a trench system up in the Palomino district today!"  Joe said.  "Though I'm in the fourth army.  What's your army, Mathew?"

"Tenth.  Jonathan is also in the tenth."  I replied.

"Oh, shit!  You guys were in San Fransiscolt, weren't you?  Damn, I'm sorry about that."  Joe said.

"Yeah, we took a beating."  Jonathan replied.

"I lost a guy there named Jacob."  I said sadly.

"You mean Jake?!  Oh god, Mat, I... I didn't realize-"

"It's fine, Jonathan... I'm over it."  I said, interrupting Jonathan.

"I've lost guys before.  It isn't easy."  Joe said.

We just stood there for a moment, not saying anything, until Thomas broke the silence.

"Hey!  We better get going if we want to get to the airsoft match!"  Thomas said.

"Yeah, let's go!"  I said. "Shotgun!"

"Damn!"  Joe exclaimed.

"You sure swear a lot, don't you Joe?"  I said.

"Yeah, sure."  Joe replied, annoyed.

We all walked towards our rental car and got inside.  Jonathan got into the driver's seat, I got into the passenger seat, and everyone else got into the back.  Jonathan started the engine and we started to move forwards as he shifted the gear into drive.

After a while, I could see the tall buildings of Antonia City, otherwise known as the holy grail of the Danielson Armed Forces.

The city was just full of people, walking around and going about their daily lives.  It was just incredible to really look at what we're fighting for.

We arrived at the airsoft stadium, which was already packed with people.  The giant words that were displayed on the stadium read 'Don't miss the Hunters versus Arrowheads game on November 2nd!'.

I looked back to the crowded door, and I started to regret not getting here earlier.

"Oh... It's going to take forever to get inside."  I said to myself.

It must've been an hour before we actually got inside the stadium, what with the horrendous line back outside.  We managed to get our tickets and seats before the game started, so we got ourselves some snacks in the meantime.

The airsoft arena had two large buildings on both sides, and was littered with obstacles to use as cover.

"I'm betting that the Hunters will win."  Joe said. "What about you?"

"Me?  I dunno.  It's my first time watching a game."  I replied. "I guess Arrowheads."

"They won't stand a chance against the Hunters."  Thomas said.

"No shit, Sherlock!"  Joe said.

"Oh, hey look!  They're getting on the field!"  Jonathan exclaimed, pointing to one of the arena bases.

I saw twenty men gather around one base in the arena, and another twenty men at the other base.  Each team was the same size as an army Infantry squad

"Who's who?"  I asked Joe.

"Well, you see those guys over at red base?" Joe asked.  I nodded. "They're the Hunters."

"Okay, so the other team-"

"Is the Arrowheads."  Joe answered, interrupting me.

"Alrighty, thanks." I replied.

Then all of the sudden, a song began to play that reminded me of the Battlefield theme- No, it was the Battlefield theme!

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"Good afternoon, Antonia!" A voice boomed throughout the stadium. "Who wants to play some airsoft?!"

A huge roar erupted from the audience, even Joe stood up and screamed passionately, as if it was his last time watching a game...

...which could be very possible.

"Yeah!"  The voice roared. "Our game mode for today is eight, fifteen minute rounds of dominion!  If you don't know what dominion is, I suggest getting a pamphlet from the info center."

I didn't know what dominion was, so I got up and went towards the info center, which was just a small stand.  There were pamphlets laying on the flat surface of the stand, so I took one and opened it while walking back to my seat.

Dominion... Dominion...

Here it is!

It read, "Dominion is a game mode for airsoft.  The basic rules of the game is that two teams defend their base from capture by the opposing team.  To capture said base, the enemy team must have three members present inside the opposing team's base, and must lower the opposing team's flag and raise their own flag over the opposing team's base.  If an opposing team player hits an enemy player raising their flag over the capture point, the said player must return to base following the respawn rules (see page 2).  If the enemy base is successfully captured by the opposing team, they will automatically win the round, or game.  Respawning is allowed, and players have infinite lives.  Armored vehicles can be allowed (see page 4)."

Seemed simple enough.  I stuffed the pamphlet into my pocket and continued walking towards my seat.

"Players!  On your mark!  Get set!  BATTLE!"  The voice boomed as I sat back down.

The two teams seemed to rush towards each other, while some of the other players stayed at their bases.  I could hear the mechanical noise of the battery powered airsoft guns firing their pellets.

This could get interesting.

A lone soldier was running to the flag, his enemies high on his tail.  He was running and jumping over obstacles in his path, trying to dodge the barrage of pellets headed his way.  He made it to the flag and found that two of his teammates were there.  He just needed to lower the enemy flag and raise his own, and then they would win the game.  He took hold of the ropes attached to the flag pole and began to pull them downward, lowering the flag.  His teammates were firing at the incoming enemies that were trying to reach him, and stop him from capturing the base.  The soldier grabbed for the enemy flag and detached it from the rope.  He attached his flag and began to raise it up.  He looked to his left and saw that the enemy was right on top of them!  He began to raise the flag faster, as the Arrowheads tried to stop him.  The flag was almost there, almost to the top of the pole, he just needed a few more seconds...

...and he made those few seconds count, as the flag reached the top of the pole.  A huge roar erupted from the spectators as the flag flew proudly in the wind.  The Hunters had won the game!

"The Hunters win the game!  It's over at 6-8!  The Arrowheads were so close!" The announcer said excitedly.  "The Hunters will be going onto the Final match of the year!"

All the players on the field met up and shook each other's hand as a sign of good sportsmanship.  The Hunters, obviously, shook with more enthusiasm and pride than the Arrowheads.

"Jesus!"  Joe said, letting go of a breath he was holding.  "That was pretty intense, wasn't it?"

"For a sec, I didn't think he was going to make it!  Oh, man!"  Thomas said, grunting while he got up out of his seat.

"Come back next month for the final match, as the Hunters go up against the Eagles, in the fight for the title of the Best Airsoft Team of 2023!  See you airsofters then!  This is John, signing off."  He said, killing the mic soon after.

Everyone around us got up from their seats and began to walk towards the nearest exits.  We all got up from our seats and started to head over to the main entrance we came in from.  I raised my wrist up to close proximity with my face and read the time on my watch; '6:41pm'.  Jeez, time flies when you're having fun, I guess.

"So guys, what last-minute plans do we have for this evening, if any?" I asked the group.

"Well... I don't know.  Joe?  You got anything we could do to pass the time?" Jonathan Asked.

"Huh?  Oh, uh..."  Joe replied, deep in thought. "Well... we could go to the shooting range.  They're open twenty four, seven."

"I'm starving.  I'd kill for some fast food, like Chick Fil A, if we had one..." Thomas said, grabbing for his stomach.

"Well, I can give you an MRE- wait... No, I can't." I said, realizing I was reaching for a pouch that wasn't on me. "I forgot I'm not in uniform!  Ha!  I'm not even used to being in civvies!"

"You can say that again.  All I've ever known is the military." Joe said. "You just get so used to the fact that your damn uniform is the only pair of clothes the army allows you to wear out there, that if you put anything else on, it feels so wrong!  It's Crazy!"

"Now that you say that... Yeah!  It does, even for me!" Thomas exclaimed, tugging on the bottom of his t-shirt.

"Heh, heh!  Yeah..." Jonathan laughed. "Well, I'm getting hungry.  How about we hit the diner I saw a while ago, it's just across the street from the stadium."

"Sure, let's go." Joe said, walking past a vendor just outside the main entrance of the stadium.

I could see the diner clear as day, or evening.  Whatever works.

"Boyd's Burger Time Diner?" Joe said skeptically upon seeing the sign.

"We literally just got outside the stadium and you're already skeptical?  About a diner?  Joe, frankly... you're a weird guy." I stated.

"Not as weird as the guy who decided to name his diner 'Burger Time'." Joe replied.

"That's not even a weird name!  It actually kinda fits." I said.

"Burger Time?!  Does that not even sound like a shit name to you?!"  Joe exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

"Dude, I really don't care about the name of the diner, as long as I get to eat something there." Thomas said.

"Come on guys, let's try to enjoy everything we're getting to do, rather than criticize it." Jonathan said.

"Fine." Joe said, walking towards the diner.

We all followed him to the street and stopped to wait on passing vehicles.

"Make sure you look both ways!" Thomas said.

"Hilarious, Tom." Joe responded sarcastically. "Almost as funny as watching paint dry."

After crossing the street, we got to the front of the diner and peered through the window, only seeing a few people inside.  I walked in first, opening the front door and taking the first seat that caught my eye.

"Hey, Welcome to the diner!" The person, who I guessed was Boyd, said to us from behind the counter. "What can I get you fine men to drink?"

"Root Beer." Was the first thing that came out of my mouth.

"Same" Joe said.

"I'll have a water." Jonathan said.

"I'll take a Root Beer." Thomas said.

"Ah, should've known.  I'll give you guys a discount for your service to our nation." Boyd said.

"Wait, how'd you know we were in the military?" I asked, very surprised.

"Your haircut is up to regs.  I should know, I was in the Marines." Boyd said, folding his arms.

"Marines... Dang." Joe said, impressed.

"What branch you guys in?  Army?  Navy?  Marines?  Don't leave me guessing." Boyd asked.

"Army.  All four of us." Jonathan replied, beating me to it.

"Army, eh?  I heard you guys took a beating after San Fransiscolt.  It ain't fun, isn't it?" Boyd said.

"Jonathan and I were in San Fransiscolt, with the Tenth army." I said.

It was as if everyone in the room stopped what they were doing when I said those last words.  Good God, I hate having everyone's attention.

"You were there?!" Boyd asked in shock.

"Yeah... We were." I replied awkwardly.

"Well... What was it like?" Boyd asked, resting his arms on the counter top.

"Like Hell." I said bluntly. "I was leading my squad up a street when an Equestrian 102mm opened up on us.  We went for cover in the debris, while the Howitzer emplacement was raining down on us.  I lost a guy trying to take the emplacement out, so I chucked a pineapple from where I was and it must've detonated the ammo.  The Howizter was destroyed and a tank behind us was able to dish out a few hits on the incoming armored division before it was blown up by a Mk 1... God..."

"Oh... Atleast you made it." Boyd said somberly. "I not only lost my men, but my leg in the Etalonia assault."

"You were a squad leader?" I asked.

"Yes, I was.  Our platoon had set up a camp near Canternia, when a whole slew of ponies came in and ambushed us.  I was hit by a magic burst almost a minute after we were ambushed.  Only 78 of us from the platoon got out alive, and only seven guys from my squad came out of that mess in one piece." Boyd said, moving out from behind the counter in a wheel chair. "I can't remember a day I haven't thought about my leg.  Or that battle."

"Seven?!  How were you able to handle losing all those men?!" I asked, dying for an answer.

"Well... It isn't easy, that's for sure, but... you just have to know when to let go.  It isn't easy by any means, but it'll make your life less hellish.  Plus, I got over it, like anyone should." Boyd replied. "Never hold onto dead men... it'll not only kill yourself, but everyone under your command."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you could become afraid of completing the task at hand.  Say you had to send four guys to their deaths in order to save a thousand others from theirs.  Would you do it?" Boyd asked.

A clash between moral and duty occurred in my heart, as I tried my best to answer his question.

...

I couldn't answer him.

"Can we... have those drinks we asked for?" I asked reluctantly.

"Uh... Of course." He replied, rolling himself back into the kitchen.

He knew I was dodging his question, but I just... couldn't answer it.  It was weirder because the question came from a guy I didn't even know, and it still caused a moral dilemma in my heart.

"Mat?  You okay?" Jonathan asked.

"Uh... Yeah... yeah." I said tiredly.

"You could really use that root beer, I can tell." Joe said. "But what Boyd said... He's got a point."

"That's what I'm afraid of." I said, putting my arm on the counter and laying my head on it.

I looked outside the window and noticed it had started to rain a little.  It made me chuckle a bit, seeing the people scramble for something to cover their heads from the light shower.  If we were in Equestria, no one in the army would really pay much mind to the light rain.  It kept me entertained for the moment.

"Okay, men.  Here are your drinks you wanted, three Root Beers, and one water.  You want any food to go with that?" Boyd asked.

"Please, yes." Thomas replied immediately.

"Okay... what would you like?" Boyd asked.

"I'll have the... Morty burger?" Thomas said.

"Old Fashioned Cheeseburger." Joe said.

"Fried Chicken Sandwich for me." Jonathan said, pointing to the menu above the counter.

"And for you?" Boyd asked me.

"I'm not sure... Uh... You know what?  Surprise me." I said, content with my decision.

"Ah... the old 'I can't decide, so I'll just have him/her surprise me' trick.  If that's what you wish." Boyd said. "And... I'm sorry if I made you upset or distressed earlier, I'm just really interested in what's going on overseas."

"It's okay." I replied.

"I'll go make your food now." Boyd said, heading back into the kitchen.

"I don't know what the Morty Burger is, but I'm having it." Thomas said.

"Okay, so what I'm wondering is who's going to pay for the food?" Joe asked.

Uh...

Three Hours Later

I haven't had a shower in at least a month, so when I took one earlier, it was the best thing about this entire trip.

After we ate at the diner, we went on to the shooting range, which was a few miles from the diner.  There, I got to try out my new pistol, and it fired beautifully.  Joe forced me to make up a name for my gun, so thanks to a ton of peer pressure, I named her Lucy.  It's so cliché, I know.  After two hours of buying and wasting a ton of ammo, we came back to the hotel and packed our new guns away.  We didn't know what to do afterwards, so we just hung out in the lobby, telling stories about our men.  I probably set Dylan's ears on fire more times than I could count.  We laughed, we sometimes cried, and at some point decided to go to bed, ending the day for good.

That's about when I took my long, awesome shower.  I can't completely describe how good it was to have warm water running down my body, but it was awesome.

You know what?

I'm gonna take another one.

Chapter 9 - Back to Hell

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Five Days Later

I took a good, long look at Lucy, my pistol, inspecting every millimeter of her steel frame.  After taking the magazine out of the pistol, I packed it neatly away in my backpack.  I then took out my olive-green uniform, and set it neatly on the hotel bed, along with the black leather gloves and boots.

I took off my jeans and t-shirt, throwing them to the side, and picked up my SAU Bottoms, or Standard Army Uniform.  After a slow and tedious process of putting on the Army pants, I put on a black undershirt made of a special, stretchy fiber.

The hardest and slowest part of putting on the entire outfit was putting the boots on correctly.  First, you had to get the blousers on, then you slowly put on each boot, and then you carefully tie the laces.  So I did just that.

Then came the SAU Jacket, which was a jacket only worn during Autumn, Winter, and sometimes in Spring.  On the right sleeve of my jacket were my Sergeant chevrons, while the DAF flag, which was a Rectangle with a yellow background and blue diagonal stripe in the foreground, was shown proudly on the left sleeve.  I slipped the jacket on and buttoned the buttons into place.  The jacket made me look a bit thicker without the SAU belt, thanks to the insulation inside of it.

I decided against wearing the heavy helmet, just because it could be really uncomfortable at times.  The helmet design was either based on the American M1 helmet, or it was the M1.  I honestly don't know for sure, but it's one of both, I know that much.

I picked up my civvies and packed them neatly inside my backpack.  I stuck my left arm through the left strap and swung the heavy backpack onto my back, right where it should be.

I walked over to the mirror in the bathroom and inspected my SAU, top to bottom.  When I finished the inspection, I almost stepped out the bathroom door, but I turned around and looked at myself through the mirror one last time.

"I already miss Antonia." I sighed.

I left the bathroom soon after and looked around the clean hotel room around me, making sure I didn't leave anything unpacked.  I checked under the bed, in the closet, the bathroom, and the desk next to my bed.  When I was satisfied with my search, I grabbed my key and headed to the room door.

I raised my wrist and looked at my watch.

3:24.

Okay, the ship leaves at four, so that leaves me with plenty of time.

I grabbed the door knob and turned it slightly, opening the door.  I walked out through the ajar door and closed it behind me, then I began to walk down the hallway towards the lobby.

When I arrived, the lobby was just full of people, most of which were soldiers.  Jonathan told me he would either be waiting in the lobby or just outside of it, so I began to wander through the crowded lobby in search of him. I looked everywhere, occasionally asking someone I thought was Jonathan, but turned out to be someone else.

After about two or three minutes of searching, I gave up on the lobby and headed towards the front door.  Then I remembered I was holding the room keys I needed to return, so I turned around and headed towards the front desk.  I went up to the desk and dropped the keys in the bin that read 'return keys here', then I walked back to the front door.

I walk through the front door and see the somewhat large buildings on the other side of the street.  I start to walk around the front of the hotel and immediately notice Jonathan leaning on the wall next to the front door, and leaning on the wall next to him is Joe and Thomas.  I walk over to them, Jonathan being the first one to notice me approach.

"Hey Mat." He said casually.

"Took you long enough.  You got everything?" Joe asked.

"Yep, got it all here." I replied, patting the backpack.

"Well, who isn't ready to leave?" Thomas asked.

"Me." Me, Jonathan, and Joe said in unison.

"... Besides not wanting to leave." Thomas added.

We stood there in silence for a moment.

"Alright, I'll take that as a 'we are ready to leave'." Thomas said, pushing himself off the wall.

"Well, I think we better get a seat before the boat takes off without us." Joe said.

"Sounds good." I replied, starting to walk down the sidewalk towards Eagle Harbor.

Everyone else followed behind me, eventually walking together side-by-side, chatting happily away.

Because it may be our last chance to ever talk to each other again.

"Well Mat, it was nice knowing you." Joe said, gripping my hand firmly.

"And you." I said, gripping his hand as well, while giving a small smile.

"And Thomas, it was nice knowing you too." I said, turning to face him and extending my hand towards him.

"Thanks Mat.  You think we could meet up some time?  After the war?" Thomas asked, grabbing my hand.

"Maybe.  Joe?" I asked, seeing if Joe had anything to say.

"When this war's done, I'm going to have a few meals at Boyd's." Joe replied. "His burgers... Oh my God, they were good."

"It helped explain the pricing some." I said.

"Yeah." Thomas said. "Well... Back to hell, right?"

"Man... You couldn't be more correct." I said.

"Hey!  Come on!  Get aboard!" One of the officers on the ramp leading to the boat called out to us.

"Yes Sir!" I responded.

"Well... Hope I see you guys soon." I said.

"Don't hope, you will see us again, I promise that." Joe replied.

I smiled and proceeded to walk up the ramp, grabbing onto the railing.  Jonathan soon followed me.

"Come along, sergeant.  We have some seats in the bow." The officer on the ramp said to me.

"Alright.  Thank you, sir." I responded, walking through the small hatch on the side of the ship's hull.

When I got on board, I could instantly smell the stench of the sweaty crew working on and in the ship.  After being gone from such a smell for almost six days, it would unfortunately take some getting used to.  I saw some of the crew maintaining the boiler room as I walked through the long corridor leading to the bow.

I found my seat right before the captain announced we were leaving the harbor.  I looked out the window and sighed as Antonia got farther away.

At least I'll see the dog again, that'll help me some.  I think it's name was Frankfurt.

...

I guess I'll take a nap for the long journey.

"Hey man, wake up."

I slowly opened my eyes and saw one of the crew standing over me.

"Ugh... What... Are we there yet?" I drowsily asked.

"Yeah, man.  Everyone else just left." He replied.

"What..." I said before realizing what he was saying.

Oh crap.

A surge of adrenaline and panic went through my body as I shot up out of my seat and hastily gathered my items.  Did no one really bother to wake me up until now?!  I almost ran down the corridor to the ramp, trying to get off the ship before it departed.  If it was going to depart.

I found the door and slung my backpack onto my back and quickly walked down the ramp, temporarily being blinded by the immediate light coming from the sun.  Thank god there was a ramp to walk on.

After my eyes adjusted, I could see various military vehicles driving around the harbor base, while several soldiers and workers walked around the main buildings.

"Mathew?  Sergeant Mathew?" An officer called out from his post.

"Yes sir?" I called back.

"Come over here!  I need your number!" He called.

"Okay sir!" I yelled back.

I stepped off the ramp connected to the ship and walked over to the officer.

"Wait, no, I don't need your number.  Nevermind sergeant, you're covered." The officer said. "The truck is just over there."

"Where's it headed, sir?" I asked.

"The Mild West, sergeant." The officer replied.

"The Mild West?  Where the hell is that?" I asked.

"It's west of San Franciscolt.  Just outside Equestria." The officer replied.

"Its out of the country?" I asked in partial disbelief.

"Yep.  I think they want us to defend an airbase they're constructing up there." He replied. "If I remember correctly.  I'll go check soon."

"Alright then... I guess I'll go now." I said.

"Sounds like a plan." The officer responded.

I gave a salute and waited for him to return it.  When he did, I turned to walk over to the infantry truck waiting on me.  When I arrived at the truck, I climbed up into the back of it and found my seat right next to the door.

"Hey, you know what we're doing after this?" The guy to my left asked me. "All I know is that we're headed to an Air base in the Mild West, where ever that is." He replied.

"I was told it was west of San Fransiscolt.  Outside of Equestrian borders." I said.

"San Fransiscolt?  Huh." He said rhetorically.

I looked out the door of the truck (since the truck tarp blocked most of my view) and saw the officer walk over to the truck.  He walked past the back and disappeared from my sight.  I heard the driver's door open and close, followed by the sound of the engine turning on.  I guess the officer was the driver.

I saw rocks and pebbles zoom under the truck as we drove faster and faster.  The harbor got smaller the farther out we drove, and eventually disappeared.  The terrain around us changed into rolling hills and beautiful mountain ranges, and even a vast Forrest.  But after an hour of gorgeous scenery, it changed into a seemingly endless desert.

We knew we had left Equestria and entered a strange yet familiar land, mainly because there was a sign before that, which had said we were leaving Equestria.

"Damn, it feels like the Zebrican desert." One sergeant said aloud.

"Yeah, it does." I responded.

"You were there?" The Sergeant asked.

"For half of it." I replied.

"What rank did you start out with?" The sergeant asked.

"Corporal. You?" I asked.

"Same." He replied. "You in the same squad now?"

"No, I transferred to lead another squad at the beginning of the Griffin Campaign." I replied.

"I transferred near the middle of the Saddle Arabian Campaign." He said.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Arthur.  What's yours?" He asked.

"Mathew." I replied.

"What platoon are you in?"

"Fifth." I replied.

"I'm in the Third." He said. "Hey... Wasn't part of Fifth platoon trapped in a subway in San Fransiscolt?"

"Yeah, my squad was in that mess." I replied.

"Damn... How'd you get out?" He asked.

"We found another stairwell leading to the surface." I replied. "It was a heck of a walk, though."

"Well, that explains-"

"Alright everyone, we're coming up on the gate, so take out any weapons you have on you." The officer in the compartment up front told us.

I picked up my backpack that I had set down before, and looked around for Lucy.  I pulled her out when I found her, and waited patiently for the gate guards.

"Afternoon, gentlemen." One of the guards said. "You got all your gear?"

"Yes, sir." We all replied in unison.

"Alright then." The guard said, hopping onto the truck. "Let's have a look.

The guards went around and began to inspect everyone's luggage, mine being the last one inspected.

"Okay, your all good to go." One of the guards said. "Welcome to the Langston Air Base."

The guards leapt out of the truck and headed back to the front of the truck.  A few moments later, the truck started up and began to move forward again.  We passed the gate and entered onto the base, going under a sign that read 'To the Skies Above'.

I stuffed Lucy back into my backpack and took a glance at Arthur, then looked out the back once again.  At first, there was only road, then buildings began to appear everywhere, then they began to cluster closer together the farther we drove.  Most of the buildings I saw were being constructed, or were already complete.  What was shocking is that it has probably been only a week or two when they started construction.  I don't know for sure when they started building, but we weren't informed of any base construction before.

Then I saw the airstrip, it was probably half a mile long or longer, and it seemed to span across most of the base.  It was huge!

We turned left and soon stopped at a huge complex, which I assumed to be the Command Center.  Moments later, the officer appeared from the front when he came to the back of the truck and pulled the tailgate off, signaling us it was okay to get out.  I was the first to hop out of the truck, grabbing my backpack along the way.

"Barracks is just over there." The officer said to us, pointing to one of the barracks, which was just a few buildings away from the Command Center.

"Thank you, sir." I replied, giving another salute.

He returned it and I headed out to find the correct barracks, which hopefully housed my squad.  I walked along the gravel road, looking at the long line of buildings, trying to determine who's was who's.  Then I finally found Fifth Platoon's Barracks, and I walked up to it, grabbing the handle of door.

I opened the door and walked up a hallway towards the Sixth room, which was the farthest room from the door.  That's where my squad was.

I walked up and took a small peek through the door window, making sure it was my squad.  When I was absolutely sure it was my squad, I grabbed the knob and opened the door.

"Hey boys, Daddy's home!" I said loudly.

Everyone in the room turned to look at the door, and what stood in between it.  Anthony was the first to register my arrival, as well as Frankfurt, who ran up to lick me.

"Hey there, boy." I said to Frankfurt, crouching to his level and petting him softly.

"Mat!" Anthony exclaimed as he walked up to greet me. "Man, most of us were missing you!"

"Nah, Antonia can keep you." Dylan said jokingly.

Nearly everyone in the room got up to greet me, it almost felt like a celebration for coming back alive.  A crazy celebration, might I add.

"How was your trip?"

"What's Antonia like?"

"You get anything from there?"

"Did you get me a sandwich?"

"Hey, easy on the questions!" I said, trying to take back some lost control. "I'll tell you all that and more if you'll let me get settled in.  Sound good?"

"Yes sir." Most of them said in unison.

"Alright." I said, walking over to the only empty bunk in the room.

I took off my backpack and set it down next to my bunk bed.  I unzipped my backpack and pulled out Lucy, laying her on the bed.

"Whoa!  Is that an OHG?" Private Bill asked in astonishment.

"Yeah, I bought it in Danesville." I replied, picking up the pistol.

"Sweet!" Bill said. "Can I hold it?"

"Sure, but don't steal it." I replied, half joking.

I handed the pistol to Bill, and he took it eagerly, inspecting it.  Bill was the kind of guy who just loved guns, be it little, or ridiculously large.

"It's a 50. Caliber, right?" Bill asked.

"Yep.  Helluva gun, isn't it?" I said.

"Yeah!  I wish it had one." Bill said

"Don't worry, you'll get one in due time." I said, giving a small grin.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." I said.

The door opened wide and revealed a lonesome corporal standing in the doorway.

"Uh... Is there a Mathew here?  Sergeant Mathew?" The corporal asked, looking around the room.

"That's me.  What do you need?" I asked.

"The platoon leader is wanting to see you outside the Command Center." He replied.

"What for?" I asked.

"He never told me, sir." He replied. "He just said he needed to see you, and told me where to find you."

"Alright, tell him I'll be there in a few minutes, I have to unpack a few things." I responded, gesturing towards my backpack.

"Yes sir." He said before walking back to the main entrance.

I pulled mostly everything out of my backpack and laid it onto the bed.  It took just a few minutes for me to sort my things and put them in their respective places, whether it was in the locker next to my bunk, or the large wooden trunk in front of my bed.

Soon, I was out the door and headed towards the main entrance on the barracks.  I pushed on the door, which forced it open and allowed me to walk through to the grand outdoors.  Though, the first thing I noticed wasn't nature, rather it was a group of seemingly misplaced scientists gathered around a truck, talking to a bunch of people who were wearing uniforms I didn't recognize.  I had absolutely no idea why guys from the science division were here, or what they're here for.

I soon convinced myself that I probably wasn't going to figure it out then and there, so I dismissed the odd group and continued my trek towards the Command Center, but I occasionally glanced back at them, still curious.

"Mathew."

I looked over and saw Johnny standing no more than a few meters from me.  I must've been so enthralled in the scientist mystery that I didn't notice him, even when I was inadvertently walking towards him.

"Oh, Good evening, sir.  I didn't see you there." I said quickly.

"What had your attention, Mathew?" He asked.

"Do you see those guys over by that truck over there?" I asked, pointing towards the science group.

"Yeah.  What about them?" Johnny asked.

"Well, they just seem... out of place." I said, giving a confused look.

"Well, they've been there for a while.  I don't really know what they're doing, but we've been given strict orders not to interfere with them at all." Johnny responded. "That's all I know."

"Okay." I said, still looking over at them.

"So, how was your trip?" Johnny asked, shifting the subject.

"It was great overall.  It wasn't Disneyland, but it's was as close as I could get to it." I said.

"That's good to hear.  It's good to get a break once in a while, isn't it?" He said.

"Damn right, sir." I said. "Now... what did you need me for?"

"Well, I may need your guys, specifically you and your guys, to do something for me." Johnny said. "It won't be easy."

"What is it, sir?" I asked curiously.

"I need you..." He said, adding some drama. "To do some patrol duties for the next week or two."

Well, that was a little anticlimactic.

"Okay." I said. "When are the shifts?"

"From around eight to twelve." He replied. "It's just your squad and two others."

"Okay." I said. "Anything else, sir?"

"Nope.  That's all I got." Johnny replied.

"So, should I go back to the barracks now?" I asked.

"Yes, definitely." He replied. "It was nice getting to talk to you again, Mathew."

"Yeah, you too!" I said. "You know... we should have a kind of NCO and Officer meet up.  It could help us get to know each other better!"

"Well, it's certainly an idea.  We might be able to do-" He said before being interrupted by a deafening siren.

"What the hell?!" I yelled over the blaring sirens.

"Red Alert!  Repeat, Red Alert! ERA forces are headed this way in Attack formation!  Everyone get to your designated positions and prepare for combat!  This is not a drill!"  A loud voice roared over the entire base.

"We're under attack?!  Here?!" I yelled to Johnny.

"Mathew, get your men to the armory and load up now!" Johnny yelled to me.

"Where the hell is the armory?!" I yelled.

"It's next to the last barracks!  Hurry!" Johnny yelled.

"Alright!" I yelled before running towards my barracks.

Geez, what a way to start off the first day back.

Chapter 10 - Surprise Attack

Youtube Video

I peered into a crate that had 'AR-1-.36 Munitions' written on the side of it.  I took the lid off the crate, and inside rested rifles that looked like AK-47s.  I picked one up and inspected it carefully, figuring out the new weapon.

"Sir!  What are you doing?!  We need to get out there now!" Someone said behind me.

"Everyone, grab a gun!  Hurry!" I yelled to my men.

I left the armory, armed with the AR-1, Lucy, and a few pineapples.  I tried to figure out where to go next before I heard a large explosion, followed shortly by cannon fire and gunfire.  I looked behind me and saw pillars of smoke rise high into the sky.

Oh, that's where we're headed.

One by one, all of my guys gathered around me, holding the various weapons available to the soldiers in the DAF, even an RPGL-1 held by Bill.

"Alright everyone, we need to get over there," I said, pointing over to the pillars of smoke. "And kick Equestria's ass.  Let's go!"

I ran at a pace that would allow me to get to the battle quickly, yet wouldn't exhaust me before I even got there.  Basically, a fast jog.  Everyone else followed behind me as we passed buildings all around us.

When we arrived at the Tarmac, they were scrambling all available planes, so crossing the runway would be tricky, if not illegal.

"Mat, are we going to try and outrun an airplane?!  You're crazy!" Dylan said.

"We're Army, remember?  We're all crazy!" I said before sprinting onto the runway.

I looked to my right when I was approaching the halfway point and barely saw an A-5 getting bigger and louder the closer it got.

"Oh shit, what am I doing?!" I said to myself, seriously questioning my intelligence at that moment.

I looked behind me and saw everyone running behind me, with faces that said 'Holy shit, I'm actually doing this'.

I looked back at my right and saw the A-5 was only meters away, so I fell to the ground right as the left wing flew right over my head.

God, I'm too lucky.

I got up as quickly as I could, still a little dazed by the fact that a plane probably traveling at 120 Miles per hour almost decapitated me.

"Mat!  Holy flipping shit!  Are you alright?!" Anthony asked me in a panicked tone.

"Well- I'm alive, I guess." I responded, still a little on edge.

"Come on, Mat.  We're almost there!" He said.

We all made it across the runway and proceeded to the war zone, which wasn't that far from where we were.  After a moment of running, we made it to the hill that somewhat concealed the base.  We all began to climb up the steep hill one at a time, helping each other up and over.

When I got to the top, I saw the ensuing battle below; and it wasn't what I expected it to be.

I saw a huge line of Mk 1 tanks rolling towards the base, leaving a cloud of dust in their midst.  Running next to the tanks were the infantry, making a valiant charge besides their armored brethren.  T-4 tanks were the only thing keeping the ERA assault at bay, while howitzers began their deadly barrage of lead towards the enemy.

It was just as chaotic in the skies above the battle, as A-5s attempted to engage pegasi who were also trying to reach the base.

*BOOM!*

I looked down and saw an explosion erupt from a trench at the bottom of the hill.  I swore I saw either a piece of wood, or someone's arm fly out from the explosion.

"Sergeant!  Come over here!" An officer yelled to me from the trench, near the explosion.

I ran carefully down the hill and jumped into the trench, as did all of my men.

"What do you need, sir?" I asked.

"What?" The officer yelled. "I can't hear you!  What did you say?"

"I said, what do you need, sir?" I asked much louder.

"I need your squad to man a howitzer just over there!" He yelled back, pointing to a howitzer position not far from here.

He turned his head to look at the howitzer, and I saw blood coming out of his ears.

"Sir!  You're hit!" I yelled.

"I'm what?" He asked.

"Hit! H, I, T, Hit!" I yelled louder.

"What?  No I'm not!  I'm not in any pain!  Besides, how can you even hear me over this ringing noise?!" He asked loudly.

"What ringing noi-" I said before realizing what he meant.

"Sir, you're going to be fine!" I yelled. "Your eardrums have burst!"

"What?!" He yelled.

I looked at his legs and saw huge lacerations, with a lot of blood pouring out of the wounds.  He must have been in some sort of shock.

"Taylor!  Get over here!" I yelled.

"Alright, I'm coming!" Taylor said, running towards me. "What do you need, sir?"

"This man needs medical attention." I said. "You take care of him, while the rest of us take the howitzer."

"Yes sir!" Taylor responded and immediately went to work.

We began to walk towards the howitzer through the trenches, trying to avoid stepping on the mangled corpses of three men killed in the explosion.

"Oh god..." Zachary said as we walked by.

When we got to the howitzer, I tried to remember how to operate a gun this large, which wasn't easy.

"Okay... I think this switch activates the firing pin." I said to myself. "Jones!  Bill!  Get a round ready to fire!"

"Yes sir!" They both said in unison.

"Everyone else, set up an MG over there and open up on any enemy that tries to take us out!" I ordered.

"Alright!"

"Yes sir!"

"Okay.  Bill, is that round ready?!" I asked.

"Almost there, sir..." He replied. "Done!"

He picked up the heavy shell and shoved it into the loading barrel, locking the shell into place.  I looked through the small scope and had my hands on both the knobs that maneuvered the gun. I soon found a target to fire at, a lone Mk 1, by the looks of it, making its way to the base.  I began to spin the knobs, adjusting the gun so that the sights would line up with the enemy tank.

"Cover your ears!" I yelled, covering mine and holding the switch, ready to fire. "Firing!"

I pulled the switch.

...

"Uh... Sir?  You gonna fire, or what?" Bill asked.

I soon realized I had activated the wrong switch, so I looked around frantically for anything that looked like a trigger mechanism.  I saw a button close to where my foot was resting, so I assumed that was the firing button.  I looked back through the scope and saw the Mk 1 still coming closer.

"Firing!" I yelled, pressing the button on the floor.

*BAM*

The round was sent flying towards the Mk 1, and penetrated its frontal armor, causing a shower of sparks to erupt from the hull.  The tank soon caught on fire, forcing the crew to jump out of it, some of them burning on the way out.

"Clean hit!" I yelled. "That's one down-"

*ZOIP!*

Youtube Video

A sudden force threw me out of the howitzer seat, and hard onto the ground.

"Ugh!" I groaned loudly, attempting to get up. "What the hell happened?"

"Jones is hit!" Someone called out.

Oh shit...

I got up and looked around for Jones, who I immediately found laying on the trench wall.

"Jesus, Mat.  You're lucky you... you weren't killed sitting right next to that... that thing, heh." Jones said weakly, occasionally groaning.

"Oh god, Jones!  You alright?!" I asked frantically.

"Just... God, I don't know what hit me..." He replied weakly.

"Okay, uh... look at me, Jones.  Are you alright?" I said, crouching to his eye level.

"I think... I think I'm okay... just... just had the wind knocked out of me... I guess." He replied, taking a deep breath.

"MEDIC!" I yelled.

"Mat, I think he's okay." Bill said. "I felt something fly pretty close to my head, I don't know what it was."

"Then what happened to the... gun." I asked before seeing... what used to be the barrel of the howitzer. "Jesus Christ!  What hit the cannon?!"

"I think that might explain it." Bill said, pointing to an Mk 1 that wasn't more than a few hundred yards away. "Where did the RPG go?!"

"Fred!  Call for some support!" I yelled to Fredrick.

"I can't!  All the frequencies are busy!" He replied. "We're on our own for now!"

"Shit!" I exclaimed. "Bill, where do you remember leaving the RPG last?!"

"I... uh... Oh!" Bill replied, running over to the wrecked howitzer. "Here it is!"

"Hurry!  That tank is almost on top of us!" I said.

"Hey, new guy!  Give me a hand!" Bill said to Zachary.

"The name's Zachary!" He replied.

"I don't give two shits about your name right now!  Get over here!" Bill yelled.

Zachary ran to Bill, who was growing more impatient by the second.  When Zachary got to him, Bill told Zachary to hold the RPG upright so that he could load the AT Grenade into the launcher.

"That tank is right on top of us!  Take it out, now!" I yelled.

"I'm trying, sir!" He yelled back. "Got it!  Clear the area!"

Bill picked up the RPG and aimed it at the Mk 1 that was just now coming within range.  There was a loud roar as the grenade's propellant fired and activated the rocket, leaving the barrel at about 600 miles per hour.

The grenade hit the front hull of the tank and penetrated the armor, killing anyone inside the area of effect.  A small fire bursted out of the drivers hatch, as the other hatches opened up to let the crew out.

"Mow em' down!" I yelled.

As the ponies climbed out of the immobile tank, our machine gun began to open fire, ripping them to shreds.  Their screams of anguish were drowned out by the machine gun fire of our 30 Cal.

"Jesus Christ!  Why'd you do that?!" Zachary exclaimed, obviously distressed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Dylan replied. "They try to kill you, you kill them."

"But they were running away!  You could've spared them!" Zachary said.

"You don't understand-"

"I want to understand!  Why did you kill unarmed soldiers-"

"That's enough!" I said loudly. "We have more important things to worry about right now.  Stay focused!"

"Is everything okay here?!  I heard someone call out for me!" Taylor said, running towards us.

"We- I thought Jones was injured, so I called out for you.  He got hit by something when the Howitzer was destroyed." I said. "He's over there."

"Alright, I'll check him out." Taylor replied before walking towards Jones.

"Hey!  One of them is still moving!" Dylan exclaimed.

"What?" I said.

"Yeah, one of the crew is still alive!  He's gotta be in- Sir!  What the hell are you doing?!" Dylan asked as I ran over to the pony.

Little did Dylan know, that I had an idea running through my head.  A stupid idea, at that.

"Dammit, Mat!  Get back over here!  You'll die out there!" Anthony yelled to me.

But I didn't listen, I kept running towards the injured crew member.

I knew what I was doing, I knew I was risking it all to get that pony out of here, but I had to get that pony.

When got to the Mk 1 wreckage, I went over to the pony, who turned out to be a mare, and grabbed her by the shoulders, dragging her with me.  Then I noticed something;  She was missing a leg.

"What are you doing?!  Let me go!  Let me die!  Please!" She pleaded.

I didn't listen, I kept walking back to the trench, with her in tow.  I could feel shells detonating all around me, it was like a constant beating all over my body as the shock waves kept hitting me.

When I got into the trench with the pony, I dragged her over to where Taylor and Jones were and set her down.

"Mat!  That was the stupidest thing you've ever done!  You could've been killed, for God's sake!" Anthony exclaimed.

"I knew what I was doing." I replied, a little out of breath from running. "I was retrieving info."

"You- wait, info?  What info?" Anthony asked, more confused than angry.

"Info that could turn the tide of this battle." I said, turning around and walking towards the pony.

When I got to her, she was already crying and I hadn't done anything yet.  It was pitiful.

"Where'd you guys come from?" I asked her.

"My sister..." She sobbed, obviously traumatized.

"I asked you a question, miss.  Where did this force come from?" I asked in a more authoritative tone.

"No!" She screamed. "I won't kill my sister!"

I probably wasn't going to win this by putting a gun to her head, but it was worth a try.

"I'll only ask this once." I said, pulling out Lucy and aimed it at the mare. "Where.  Did.  You.  Come from?"

"I-I won't kill m-my sister." She stammered.

I fired a shot right next to her head.

"Agh!  Appleoosa!  Appleoosa!  Please, no!" She cried, raising her forelegs to cover her face, one of them being just a stump with flesh and bone sticking out.

"Thank you." I said to her, holstering my pistol. "Taylor!  How's Jones doing?"

"He's okay!  He just had the wind knocked out of him." Taylor replied.

"Great!  When you're done, patch up this pony over here, she needs serious medical attention." I said, pointing to the mare. "Fred!  Are the lines clear?"

"Yes sir, I have a connection to the CC!" Fredrick replied. "They're trying to open up a main frequency for everyone to connect onto."

"What's the enemy's status?" I asked.

"I'll check, sir." Fred replied.

"Mat, you should've told us you were gonna just run out there, we could've covered you." Anthony said.

"I know that." I said.

"So you're just gonna leave it at that?" Anthony asked, crossing his arms.

"I didn't die, and we got important intel.  I see it as a win." I replied.

"Well, this battle isn't won yet." Anthony said.

"Sir, I'm getting reports that the enemy offense if failing.  Heavy casualties on their side." Fredrick said. "We should push them back within a ten minute period."

"Ten minutes?" I said. "Taylor, how is she?"

"Stable, for now.  Glad I had a chance to talk to a doctor back in Les Manes, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to even work on her." Taylor replied. "You realize she's missing a leg, right?"

"Yeah, I noticed." I replied.

I walked over to Jones and sat down next to him, taking off my backpack and set it next to me.

"I'm tired." I sighed. "What about you?"

"Scared shitless.  Man, I could've died then and there!" Jones replied shakily. "I guess my luck is holding out."

"Or God just doesn't want you to die yet." I said.

"Oh right, I forgot you were religious." Jones said.

"Nah, it's just a precaution." I said.

"I don't think that's how it works, but whatever." Jones said.

I looked up to the sky and saw multiple DAF Fighters, and occasionally saw a heavy fighter, the dreaded A-8.

"Heh, I wonder which one of those planes almost hit me." I said, pointing up to the sky.

"Dunno." Jones said. "Probably all of them if you weren't as fast as you already are."

"Maybe." I said.

"Have you ever wanted to be a pilot?" Jones asked.

"Plenty of times.  I'd rather be up there than down here." I said.

"Sir!  You need to hear this!" Fred said.

"Okay, I'll be there." I replied, getting up and grabbing my backpack.

I walked over to Fredrick, who had set up a small radio CP near the wrecked howitzer, and I crouched down close to the radio.

"Here you are, sir." Fred said, handing me the "phone".

"Alright." I said, taking the phone and putting it next to my head.

"-epeat, follow the enemy and capture them!  I say again, follow the enemy and capture them!  Waste no time!" The officer on the radio said urgently.

I gave the phone back to Fred and walked over to the prisoner.  I guess we didn't really need her.

"What was your commander thinking?" I said rhetorically.

"Rose..." She kept saying to herself.

"What's next Mat?" Anthony asked, walking up to me.

I looked out beyond the trench and saw a whole slew of DAF tanks chasing a retreating ERA force.  The field of sand that lay before me was covered in Equestrian bodies and blood, as their failed charge left few survivors.

"I think we're going to Appleoosa."

Chapter 11 - Appleoosa

"All around me are familiar faces,

Worn out places,

Worn out faces.

Bright and early for the daily races,

Going nowhere,

Going nowhere.

Their tears are filling up their glasses,

No expression,

No expression.

Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow,

No tomorrow,

No tomorrow.

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad,

The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had-"

"Ryan, what the hell are you singing?" Cole asked, interrupting Ryan's mumbling.

"Mad world.  Don't you know it?" Ryan replied.

"I know it!" Dylan said. "And I bet anyone who remembers Earth will know it, too!"

"Thanks, smart ass." Ryan replied.

"Don't mention it." Dylan said.

"God, you're still annoying as ever, Dylan." Hodge said.

"Hodge is right." Anthony called out from the driver's cabin.

"What?  No way!"  Dylan said sarcastically.

"I can also agree." I said. "You're the loud one."

"Oh, come on, sir!" Dylan exclaimed.

"What?  It's true!" I stated.

"No!  I'm the quietist there is!" He stated sarcastically.

"Nah, I don't think that's true." Bill said. "You're just a loud and annoying son of a-"

"Wouldn't that make you a son of a bitch as well?  Since we're related and all." Dylan said.

"I guess I forgot to mention 'smart ass'." Bill said.

"How about we change topics?  Let's talk about how the newbie flipped out when we did our job!" Dylan said, specifically targeting Zachary.

"What?!" Zachary exclaimed. "I-You guys shot at unarmed soldiers!"

"Yeah we did.  It's our job." Dylan said. "It's also yours."

"I know!  But we could've taken them prisoner-"

"I am not taking prisoners."  Dylan said coldly.

"But they could have families!  Children to take care of!  A wife, a husband, a-"

"They.  Aren't.  Human." Dylan said. "They want all of us dead, so we're returning the favor."

"So we just-"

"Enough!" I yelled, finally losing my tolerance. "Dylan, Zachary, shut up!  I don't want to hear anymore about this ag-"

*BOOM*

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The truck jerked harshly to the right, as shrapnel and dirt flew through the open-top of the truck, some pieces bouncing off the side.

"Jesus Christ!  What the hell... Oh god." Ryan said, shifting from a terrified state to a shocked state.

And I soon realized why he was shocked.

...

Sitting next to him was Dylan, who had a massive hole in his face.

...

Shit.

"DYLAN!  NO!  NOOO!"  Hodge yelled in anger.

"Oh shit... Oh shit... Oh shit!  SHIT!" Zachary yelled in terror. "OH GOD!"

"Dammit..." I said in shock.

"What the hell happened back there?!" Anthony called out.

"Dylan... Dylan's dead." Fred said, trying to stay calm by taking large breaths.

"Wha... Oh my god..."

"We're gonna die just like Dylan!  I don't want to die!" Zachary cried. "I DON'T WANT TO-"

"PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!" I yelled, grabbing his shoulders, succumbing to frustration and shock.

"I... I can't!  Screw this war!" Zachary cried.

*BOOM*

"Holy shit!  M-Mat!  You need to come up here!" Anthony called.

"Wh-what is it?" I stammered.

"It's the flipping ERA line!  It's massive!" Anthony called back.

I made my way up to the cabin and saw a huge line of howitzers and tanks lined up to stop our advance.

"Jesus..." I said.

"Do we even have enough tanks and infantry to breach that line?" Anthony asked.

"I don't know." I replied.

"Whoa, everyone else is stopping... What the hell?" Anthony said, stepping on the brakes. "What are they... holy crap!  It's a super tank!"

"What?!" I said, trying to find what Anthony was looking at, managing to almost forget about Dylan.

"Just over there, by the other column!" Anthony said, pointing to the alleged super tank.

Then I saw the hulking metal behemoth, slowly crawling closer towards the town called "Appleoosa".  Equestrian tanks were firing everything they had at the super tank, which had little to no effect on the beast's advance.  It's basically a naval cannon welded onto a mobile gun platform that is extremely well armored.  I won't go into specifications, so let's just say it is a metal super monster.

It's massive turret turned towards one of the Mk 1s and fired a round that could be heard for miles.  I couldn't tell which one it hit, so maybe it missed the shot entirely.

Then, as if a hornets nest had been poked, seemingly massive amounts of pegasi began to fly out the little town of Appleoosa.

"Oh my god..." Anthony said.

Then the hordes dived towards us.

"Shit." I said, knowing what would happen next would not end well.

I climbed back into the rear of the truck and grabbed my AR, pointing it skyward at the hordes.  Everyone else saw me and did the same.

Gunshots rang out across the desert as infantry and Anti-air truck fired at the pegasi.  I fired in short, controlled bursts to keep my aim steady and true, while saving ammunition at the same time.  I saw three pegasi fall from the sky, which I thought was the result of me killing them.

"Look out!" George yelled, pointing to a group of pegasi that were closing in on us fast.

"Prepare for close quarters!" I yelled, equipping Lucy.

The first pegasus that landed on the truck instantly had a hole put in its head from a .50 Caliber round.  Then more began to land on the truck, one trying to pry Anthony out of the drivers seat.

"Gah!  Get off me you son of a bitch!" Anthony grunted, struggling to stay inside the truck.

"I'm coming, Anth-" I said before being grabbed by a mare pegasus. "Agh!"

The mare was trying to pick me up off the truck, so I flailed my arms, trying to grab at something.  My hand met the mare's mane and I pulled down as hard as I could.  I managed to chuck the light-weight pony onto the floor of the truck, and I put Lucy to the mare's head, pulling the trigger.  Blood splattered onto the floor as the mare's lifeless body shook for an instant, her face that of utter shock.

I looked up and saw the pegasus that was after Anthony fly towards me.  I instinctively ducked as the pegasus flew over me and rolled onto the floor, and soon out the door screaming.

"Mat!  You alright?!" Anthony asked, peering through the rear cabin window.

"Fine.  You?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine- Mat!  Behind you!" He called.

I rolled onto my back and saw another pegasus zooming towards me.

Why are they after me?!

Luckily, Lucy had already gotten to the pegasus before me, and I instinctively pulled the trigger.  The pegasus fell with several holes in her body, thanks to the guys all around me shooting her.

"They're pulling back!" Bill yelled.

And sure enough, they were in retreat.  Most of the pegasi that went in to attack us never made it out alive, and some were still being shot down.

"Guys, we're going in!" Anthony called back to us. "Take a seat!"

The truck moved forwards with the rest of the assault formation, advancing closer to the town.  Our tanks rushed towards the enemy line, which would hopefully distract the enemy from firing at the infantry trucks behind them.  ERA howitzers threw heavy shells our way, attempting to hit and destroy the T-4 tanks.

From what I could see, the ERA defense was being obliterated by the sudden charge made by our tanks.  Shells were flying everywhere, tanks were ramming one another, and some of our aircraft were flying overhead.  Some of our forces went around the town and surrounded it, trapping the nearly powerless Equestrians.

By the time we broke through their lines, the Equestrians were more than willing to give up the fight.  However, when I saw one standing by a howitzer, I wasn't ready for it to end yet.  I became so angry, so full of rage, that it scared me.

I just let my emotions take over.

I jumped off the truck and ran full sprint towards the unsuspecting stallion.  If anyone had said anything to me at this point, I didn't hear it.  I leapt into the air and landed on top of the earth pony, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He yelled in surprise as I tackled him to the ground, almost smashing his head against the hard steel of the howitzer.  He had hardly any time to react before I started beating his face with my bare fists, delivering a stronger blow with every punch.  Each time my fist came in contact with his face, Dylan's and Jacob's faces appeared in my vision, filling me with more and more hatred.

When the stallion realized he was being attacked, he tried to buck me off, but his legs couldn't reach me since I was sitting on top of his chest.  It wasn't long before my fists began to scream in pain, forcing me to stop punching him, so I switched to my bayonet and began to stab at his chest.  He soon stopped screaming and started choking as his lungs filled with blood.

Around that time a mare pegasus flew up to me and bucked me off of the dying stallion, who had covered me in his blood.  Even though I was stunned for a bit, I got up off the ground as soon as I could and ran towards the mare, who wasn't expecting me to recover so quickly.  I grabbed her neck and threw her against the howitzer's steel frame.  I held her by the throat, which kept her pinned against the gun.  She wildly flailed her legs and wings, trying to somehow free herself of the deadly grip I had on her.

"Pl-please... Do-don't kill me..." She choked, her eyes wide open, filled with fear and tears.

I ignored her, raising the blade of the bayonet to her neck and slowly drove it through her throat.  She tried to scream, but only gurgles escaped her mouth.  I let go of her neck, retracting the bayonet from her throat, and walked back towards the truck.

I could still hear her drowning in her own blood.

"Jesus Christ, Mat!" Anthony exclaimed, running towards me. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing." I said coldly.

"BUCK YOU, YOU MONSTER!" A pony yelled behind me.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face the pony who dared to even confront me.  When she saw my face, her eyes changed from anger to fear in a matter of seconds.  Then I pulled out Lucy and started to run towards the pony, who was laying next to the stallion's corpse.

"Shit, Mat!"

Anthony grabbed me before I could get anywhere closer to the pony, and held me back with all his might.  I struggled to break free of Anthony's grip, but it was to no avail.

"SCREW YOU!  SCREW YOU ALL!" I furiously screamed at the pony, who seemed scared out of her mind.

"Mat!  Calm the hell down!" Anthony said forcefully.

"NO!" I yelled, trying with every ounce of strength I had to break out.

I was able to force my right arm free, and I started firing Lucy at the pony.  One bullet hit her in the left leg, tearing a huge chunk of flesh from it.  She screamed at the sight of her leg being held by small strings of meat and muscle, which bled severely.

"Goddammit Mat!" Anthony yelled in exhaustion. "Taylor!  Get out here now!"

"Yes sir!" He called out, running towards us.

"Taylor, bring that pony over by the truck, have Welder help you, and patch her up!  Now!" Anthony ordered.

"Yes sir!" Taylor said, and ran off towards the pony, giving me an occasional glance.

"Mat, you need to calm down now." Anthony said, a lot more calm this time.

I didn't say anything because I was sobbing.  Not because I shot the mare, but because I was beginning to register Dylan's death.

"It's not fair!" I cried. "It should've been me!"

"Mat, listen to me," Anthony said, looking me straight in the eyes. "the men need you.  Crying over one man doesn't bring him back!  It also won't save everyone else!"

I just stared at him with my watery eyes, not saying a word.  I could hear the mare whimpering as Taylor dragged her across the dirt.

I looked towards the ground, hoping that God or some entity was there.

But I only saw Anthony's boots.

"Mat?"

"I don't know, Anthony.  Some people just aren't really ready for war, I guess." I said.

"Yeah..." Anthony said, looking at the fire we had set up.

There was a long silence that went on for a while, with us just staring at the burning pile of wood, sitting down close to it on the sandy dirt.

"I... I remember the first time I shot a pony." I said. "Saddle Arabia, 2021.  It was... weird."

"They're almost like us, that's what's so scary." Anthony responded. "They just seem so innocent... but then they aren't.  You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know..." I replied.

"I know... why you went and killed two ponies, but at the same time, I just... Mat?  Is something going on that I need to know about?  Anything at all?" Anthony asked, looking directly at me with a concerned look. "You didn't do anything like this until... until San Fransiscolt."

"Like what, bash a pony in the face with a spade?  They deserved it." I replied. "They all deserve it."

"Mat, what I'm trying to say is something's going on with you, but I don't know what cause you won't tell me!" Anthony exclaimed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't.  Why would you even come to that conclusion?  You're my closest friend!" I replied, a bit distressed.

"Mat..." He said, getting up off the ground and standing. "Is it the war?"

"No."

"Then what the hell is it?!"

"I don't know what your talking about..."

"Please tell me!"

"IT'S THEM!" I yelled, pointing to my men. "I just... I feel responsible for their lives, and when I lose one... I just feel like I lose a part of me.  I don't know..."

"Mat..." Anthony sighed, sitting back down.

"I mean, Dylan was a huge part of our squad..." I said, starting to cry. "I've already lost two men within a month!  I... I don't know what that would mean for us..."

"It's not your fault... You do the best you can to keep them alive, and that's what matters, Mat." Anthony said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be."

"You guys are like the brothers I never had..." I said, putting my hand through my hair.

Anthony didn't say anything, he just leaned in and wrapped his arms around me, embracing me.  I returned the embrace, beginning to cry on his shoulder.

"Thanks Anthony." I sobbed, patting him hard on the back.

"I'm always here for you, man." He replied.

And with that, we went to our separate sleeping bags and laid on top of them, gazing at the star-filled heavens above us... Which always brought up a burning question in my mind.

"Anthony?" I said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Which one of these stars do you think is our sun?"

Chapter 12 - Operation Mercury

"I just can't believe the bastards got him."

"Yeah... God."

We were standing outside one of the saloons in Appleoosa, waiting for the other guys to finish up their drinks.  The only reason we were at a saloon was because this one served Root Beer, which was everyone's favorite drink.

"Hey sir, what happened yesterday when you... you know." Hodge asked carefully.

"I don't want to talk about it." I replied.

"Okay sir, I don't mean to pry, just curious." Hodge said.

"It's fine." I said.

After a minute or two, the saloon doors swung open, and out stepped almost all of the guys.

"Hey Anthony, is everyone done?" I asked.

"Zachary isn't, he's still inside." Anthony replied. "I don't think he's doing well."

"Alright... I'll go check on him." I sighed.

I walked in through the saloon doors and took a good look around the room.  I could see many DAF soldiers sitting at small round tables, mixed in with a few pony civilians.  I looked all around for Zachary, who almost blended in perfectly with everyone around him.

Luckily, he wasn't blending in perfectly, because I could see him sitting a few tables from the door, laying his head on his arms.  I walked towards him, avoiding tables and people who were walking about, and sat in the chair across from him.

"Mind if I sit with you?" I asked.

"S-sir?" He said, looking up at me.

"I'll take that as a yes." I said. "So..."

"What?" He said.

"How does the root beer taste?" I asked, resting my hands on the table.

"Fine." He replied, putting his head back on his arms.

"Listen, I know how your feeling. I hate seeing my men lose their lives, or any man." I said. "But I- everyone needs you to be strong if you don't want to end up... like Dylan."

"How can I?  How can you just forget something like that?  How... how do you get over that kind of thing?" He asked.

"I... the best thing I can say is that it's in the past... and you really can't do much about it... except move on." I replied, trying to choose my words carefully. "You just gotta keep going, even when it's hard."

"But..."

"I need you.  We all need you, especially since we're one man down." I said, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"I... Okay, okay." He sighed.

"You're a good kid, you know that?" I said. "I just need you to be tough when you can."

"Alright... I'll try." He said reluctantly.

I smiled a bit and patted his shoulder, getting up out of the chair I was sitting in.

"Now, you just come outside when you're done drinking." I said, walking out of the saloon.

I stepped out into the wide outdoors and walked towards my squad, still standing next to the saloon.

"Agh, damn Mosquitos!" Hodge grunted, attempting to slap small dots flying around him.

"Hey, I got some repellant if you want some." Wade said, rummaging through his backpack.

"Thanks." Hodge replied, happily taking the bug repellant.

"Hey, you talk to him, Mat?" Anthony asked.

"Yeah, I think he'll be fine." I sighed, putting my hand on my forehead. "Hell of a talk, though."

"Really?" Anthony asked.

"No." I replied, chuckling a bit.

"Oh, okay." Anthony said, just as a truck drove by.

The truck stopped a few buildings away from us and dropped off some soldiers, one running towards me with a paper in his hand.

"Sir? All squad leaders from I Company are being called back to Langston for a briefing." He said, running up to me. "You can ride back with us."

"What about the rest of my guys?" I asked.

"If you want to take them back to your barracks yourself, thats fine.  Just make sure you leave as soon as possible and head over to CC." He said.

"Alright.  Uh... I think I'll... I think I'll just ride with you and have my Co-sergeant take them back." I said.

"Okay, we'll be waiting over there for five minutes before we head out.  See you then!" He said, running back to his truck.

"Alright!" I yelled to him, before turning to face Anthony. "Okay-"

"I know.  I'll get everyone rounded up." He said. "I'll see you back at the barracks."

"See you then." I said, walking towards the truck.

I climbed into the bed of the truck and sat down next to a few other NCOs.  A few minutes later, the driver got into his seat and turned the engine over.

As we were driving away from Appleoosa, I could see a few ponies being lined up against a wall, with soldiers aiming rifles at them.  Then multiple shots rang out, and all the ponies that were lined up fell to the ground, pools of blood forming under them.

Whoever they were, they probably deserved it.

"-so the others went in and shot her!  Can you believe it?" Jonathan said.

"No, I can't." I replied.

"Mat?  Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No, everything's fine-"

"DIVISION, TEN HUT!" An officer yelled.

We all shot up out of our seats and stood at attention, not moving a muscle or saying anything.  A little while later, I noticed a figure walk onto a small stage that had been set up in the large hanger we were currently in.  The said figure was the Commanding General of our division, as well as the Deputy General.

"Seats!" The General called out. "At ease."

There was a low rumble as everyone sat back into their seats at an uneven pace.

"Men, I want to tell all of you how much of a fine job you've been doing, and if you keep this up, we'll be in Canterlot in no time at all." He said, beginning to slowly walk around the stage. "Which brings me to the subject of this briefing; Operation Mercury.  This operation is a big one, and it requires all the manpower we can muster."

He walked over to a large board and pulled a sheet of paper off of it, revealing a large map with a red dot on a small town, though it's name was too small for me to read from where I was sitting.

"The main plan is to merge both the Eastern front and the Western front together at this town, known as Ponyville." He said, pointing to the red dot I noticed earlier. "If we manage to get here, and we will, we'll have a straight shot at Canterlot.  So, in order to get to Ponyville, our forces here have to take the Broncordia district, and the Eastern forces must take the Konikticut district.  The Northern districts will be taken over by our forces waiting in the Griffin Empire, as well as a force waiting to attack from Jama."

He pointed to a small country that separated The Mild West and Northern Equestria, then he dragged his finger along the border of Equestria and the Griffin Empire, which was huge.

"The invasion of Northern Equestria will be massive, with a total of twenty armies participating.  They are all headed in the same direction we are." He said, taking a red marker out and drawing four arrows pointing towards Canterlot. "Thanks to the great defense done by our very own army, Langston Airfield is the closest air base to our area of operation, which is what we desperately needed for this.  Fighters and bombers will carry out strafing missions against enemy positions lined up by the front, then after they do their job, we come in and do ours.  Now, the first town we'll be assaulting is Brismane, which isn't that far from San Fransiscolt.  Right after that come Sydneigh, then we fight our way through Hoofington, and then to Ponyville.  That clears up the large or important towns, but whatever happens in the smaller ones is up to you.  Aerial reconnaissance suggests that the Equestrians have their forces scattered throughout their lands, so it might prove difficult to figure out where an attack might be coming from.  Though at the same time, this will allow us to take them out easier since their defense will be thin and spread out."

He walked back over to the small podium standing on the makeshift stage.

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"Men, I know it's been tough since San Fransiscolt, but we must push onward if we want to all get out of here alive; and that means ending this war by winning it." He said, grabbing the sides of the podium. "We've come to the conclusion that the only way this war will end is if both the princesses are dead, otherwise they will never surrender.  We must kill Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and since they won't come to us, we're going to them.  We are going to need all the manpower we can get for this operation, and I am trusting all of you to do your job to the best of your ability.  We will leave Langston within the week, when exactly we will leave this week is unclear, so I suggest packing as soon as you can and be ready to deploy any minute.  Now, get some rest, you may not have much these next few months.  Good luck to you all, and may God be with you.  Dismissed."

Everyone around us stood straight up and walked away from their seats, headed to the hanger door.  Me and Jonathan followed behind the large crowd of soldiers, passing by the other divisions that had been briefed in the other hangers.

"Urgh... shit." Jonathan grunted, stretching his arms and legs.

"Yeah..." I said. "I just wish it would end already."

"Well, at least we know what we need to do to end it.  Just walk up to both the princesses and put a couple rounds through them, and that'll be the end of it." Jonathan replied.

"If only it were that simple..." I said, looking towards the horizon.

If only...

So they fought, and won, and we all of us, living and yet to be born, must be forever profoundly grateful.

I marked my spot and closed the book, feeling satisfied with its conclusion.  Though there was only the afterword left, I left it alone for now because I had to check up on all of the weapons I currently had, even the AR-1 I had picked up yesterday.  Firstly, I took apart Lucy and carefully pulled her apart, reading the cleaning instructions provided when I bought her.  When I finished cleaning and reassembling Lucy, I moved onto the AR, but found it difficult to figure out what to move and what not to move.

"Hey Zachary, come here a sec." I said.

"Yes sir, what do you need?" He asked, walking up to my bunk.

"Do you know how to disassemble an AR-1?  Cause if you do, I would like some help." I asked, pointing to the Attack Rifle.

"Uh... sorry sir.  I don't know how.  Sorry." He replied.

"Well... alright then." I said. "You can go back to whatever you were doing."

"Alright sir." He said, walking back to his bunk.

I looked back at the relentless AR, it's complex design extremely intimidating to the untrained person.  Its so difficult because this thing is a new weapon that I have never had, nor trained with before yesterday, November 8th, 2023.

I have to do something, otherwise I won't have a working weapon on me.

Around that time, Frankfurt decided it would be a good idea to hop onto my bed and lay right next to me.  The bunk creaked as the large dog settled atop my dangling legs, pinning me to the mattress.

"Heh, I think Frankfurt prefers you over everyone else, Mat." Anthony said.

"Probably." I replied.

Then Frankfurt began to whine.  A lot.

"What's the matter boy?  You feeling alright?" I asked, petting his soft fur.

He raised his head and stared at one of the empty bunks for a good long while...

Wait...

The empty bunk Frankfurt was looking at...

Was Dylan's...

...

"What's he looking at, Mat?" Anthony asked.

I just pointed to Dylan's empty bunk, remaining silent as I realized something terrible.

"Oh god... that's awful..." Anthony said, realizing why he was looking at the bunk.

I looked down at the dog, and just thought about how innocent he was, how he couldn't ever truly know what had happened to Dylan, he would only know that he was gone...

Which got me thinking about ponies...

...

No!  I have to stop thinking like that!

There is no resemblance between a dog's innocence and a pony's innocence!

The ponies aren't innocent...

They've made this hell themselves...

...

God...

...

Why did the ponies start this war?

Chapter 13 - Brismane

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Four Days Later

"Stay behind the tanks!  Don't wander!  Stay behind them, and stay close!  Your lives depend on it!"

All at once, tank engines began to turn over, while many of the infantry began to take cover behind their metal friends, including my squad.  Soon after, the armored column began to advance, leaving the cover of the Forrest surrounding Brismane.

Our aircraft began their attack on the small city, their guns blazing down on enemy positions, while attackers dropped their bombs.  The T-4 tanks began to fire away, their rounds pounding the enemy's positions like a hammer on wood.

The Equestrians however, responded in kind.

Their guns were firing as much as ours, trying to knock out as many of our tanks as they could.  Some of our infantry were unfortunate enough to have been hit by the arced artillery shells, which blew some of those men to pieces.  Literally.

Magic spells and bullets were bouncing off the armor of the T-4 we were following, a few barely missing me.  We were crouched low, so it was hard to stay behind the fast-moving T-4, which was getting closer to the city by the minute.

"How much longer do we have to walk like this, sir?" Zachary yelled.

"Maybe three more minutes!  I don't know!" I yelled back through the carnage all around us.

Then the T-4's main machine gun began to fire at something I couldn't see, it was probably at some enemy infantry.

BOOM!

The tank to the right of us exploded, derailing its turret and sending a huge flame out of the turret ring. The infantry behind it were knocked over, exposing some of them to enemy fire.  Most of them managed to recover quickly enough to get back behind the tank, while others weren't so lucky.  We couldn't help them, even if we wanted to, it was just too dangerous.

We kept moving forward, trying to push past the Equestrian lines and get into Brismane.  Thankfully, we had the element of surprise on our side, so breaking their lines would be easier.

I could see the buildings getting closer as we approached Brismane's perimeter defenses, which were small and spread thin, as the recon photographs had suggested before.  When our tank managed to cross one of the trenches in its path, we jumped in it and began our attack.  Several ponies fled us, attempting to get out of there alive, but I wasn't about to let that happen.  I raised my AR at a small group of fleeing ponies, and began to "spray and pray".  Two out of three ponies fell as the .36 rounds went straight through their armor, killing them almost instantly.

One pony was brave enough to try and attack me in close quarters, so as soon as I saw her coming, I spun around and attempted to bash her with the butt of the Attack Rifle.  The melee attack barely dented her helmet, but it phased her long enough for me to put the AR to her head and fire a short burst, which ran the magazine dry.  I threw the empty magazine away and pulled out a full one from one of my magazine pouches.

"Guys!  Follow me!" I yelled to my squad.

Once everyone was gathered around me, we advanced further into the trench system, killing anyone in our path.  We eventually came upon an Equestrian howitzer that was giving some of our tanks a migraine.

"Anthony, take the left flank with nine guys, while I take the right flank with the rest of the guys.  Go!" I said, moving stealthily around the howitzer.

"Get the next round loaded.  Hurry!" One of the ponies yelled.

"Yes Sergeant!" The other ponies responded, picking up a 102mm round and loading it into the breech.

I took out a pineapple, pulled the pin, and waited for the opportune moment to lob the explosive.  When the ponies were facing away from me, I stood up and threw the grenade, then immediately crouched back down.

Okay, let's get the countdown right this time...

1...

BOOM!

...

Dammit.

The grenade exploded, ripping one of the pony's legs to pieces, sending gore all over the howitzer.  Pieces of shrapnel seemed to have severely injured the other two ponies, the sergeant taking most of the damage.

"Okay, let's take out this thing!" I yelled, climbing out of the trench and running up to the howitzer. "Who has the explosives?"

"I do, sir!" Bill replied, climbing out of the trench as well.

"Bring them here!" I yelled.

Bill handed me the explosives required to knock out one of these howitzers, and I began to place them on the howitzer.

BAM!

"Gah!  Shit!" Bill yelled, falling to the ground. "I'm hit!"

"BILL!" I yelled, looking around for the shooter.

I noticed that the equine Sergeant who was injured by the pineapple was weakly holding a pistol, and had shot at Bill.

"B-buck you..." The pony grunted.

The pony then aimed the pistol at me, only to have it jam at the worst moment.  His eyes shot open in fear as I quickly pointed my AR towards him, and fired a short burst, two rounds hitting him square in the forehead.  I turned to face Bill and ran over to him, looking for the entry wound.

"Bill, where were you hit?" I asked in a panicked tone.

"Here." He grunted, pointing to his waist.

Luckily, the bullet had only hit the very edge of his waist, leaving a large, but not serious laceration.

I sighed.

"Bill, you'll be fine.  The bullet just grazed your waist." I said, giving another sigh of relief. "You'll live."

"Yeah, still hurts like shit..." He grunted, clutching his waist.

"It looks like it does.  TAYLOR!" I yelled.

"Wait," He grunted. "we still gotta blow up that howitzer."

"Yeah... we do." I said. "Did you set any timers for the detonation?"

"There in my bag." He replied, slowly taking off his backpack. "Here."

"You need me, sir?" Taylor said, running up to me.

"Yeah, drag Bill back into the trench and patch him up, I'll take care of this howitzer." I said. "Go, hurry!"

"Alright sir!" He replied, getting Bill back up on his feet and walking him back to the trench.

I hastily connected all the explosives to the timer, while trying to remember as much of the EEH (Explosive Equipment Handling) course I took during basic.  I set the timer to thirty seconds, enough time for me to get out of there and into the trench.

Okay...

Set!

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, jumping into the trench and hitting the wall of it, getting dirt all over the left side of my jacket.

I covered my ears, waiting for a huge explosion to happen, like the ones in the Michael Bay films.

BOOOM!

A large flash popped out from under the howitzer, followed by massive amounts of dirt being cast into the air.  Pieces of the howitzer flew into the air, and then towards the ground. What ever was left of the ponies by the howitzer was surely vaporized, because all that was left was a good-sized crater with some pieces of metal scattered everywhere inside of it.

"Not the Michael Bay explosion I was hoping for, but it'll do." I said to myself. "Okay, let's move out!"

"How many were in there?"

"About sixteen, sir."

"Alright, thanks.  We'll take care of them."

I carefully walked inside of a large building, it's interior resembling that of a museum, both in size and decoration.  It had a stairwell in the middle of the room, which led up to a balcony that connected to the second floor.  I scanned the room, looking for any signs of enemies within the immediate vicinity.

I saw some overturned tables scattered around that could provide some light protection, if any.  After studying the room carefully, I decided it was time to engage my improvised plan.

"Come on, guys!" I said, gesturing my squad over to me.

One by one, my men got into the positions I assigned them, preparing for an Equestrian attack at any moment.  I took George, Welder, Steven, and Ethan with me to check out the second story to see if the Equestrians were hiding up there.  If they were up there, we would lure them out into the lobby.

My detail began walking up the steps of the stairs, our weapons raised and ready to engage any enemy we come across.  When we got to the second floor, I looked at the walls of the hallway we were walking through, seeing all kinds of paintings and pictures hung up there.

Some of the paintings were a little... suggestive.

"They hang art like that up in museums?" Ethan asked. "I feel bad for the kids that have to go on field trips."

"I don't know much about a pony's anatomy, but I'm pretty sure that's not what a-"

"Quiet!  I hear something!" I whispered, hushing Welder.

We were silent for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for something, or someone, to pop out of nowhere and fire off a few rounds.

Suddenly, a mare unicorn, levitating a rifle in front of her, trotted out into the hallway, leaving the safety of the pillar she had been hiding behind.  She seemed terrified, and for good reason.

"P-put your weapons away!  You're surrounded!" She said in a tone that wasn't even intimidating.

"No, you're surrounded!  The entire building is surrounded by our forces!" I said, stepping a little closer to the unicorn. "If you'll surrender, nobody will have to get hurt!"

If this was different, I would've shot her the first time I saw her.

"P-Please!  Put them down now!" She said in a more panicked tone. "I... I won't ask again!  Please!"

She didn't seem to be afraid of us, rather she seemed to be afraid of something else.  She kept glancing over to her left, as if something was going to kill her if we didn't do what she wanted us to do.

"You don't have to fight us!  Just lower your weapons, and you don't have to die!" I said, taking another step towards her.

I felt the pressure all around me, and if I made one wrong move, all my men could die.

"I..."

"Just put down the rifle, and come with us." I said, taking yet another step closer to her.

"I... I... Okay!" She said, dropping the rifle and running towards us.

"Coward!" A voice called out from behind her, followed by a loud bang.

The mare running towards us fell to the floor, falling right next to my foot.  She began to scream.

They just shot their own squad mate...

"Go!  GO!" I yelled, instinctively grabbing the unicorn and moving as fast as I could towards the stair case.

The four guys that went with me all made great haste towards the stairs that lead back into the lobby on the first floor.  I had Ethan cover our escape, as ponies began to flood out from behind cover and fire at us.

"They shot me!  They bucking shot me!" The mare cried, trying to stop some of the bleeding.

We got to the stairs and went down them as fast as we could.  I was still carrying the wounded pony, who was making a pitiful display.

"Open fire on anything that comes out that doorway!" I ordered, still making my way down the stairs.

When I finally reached the bottom floor, I went over to Taylor and set the mare down next to him.

"What in God's name did you bring her down here for?!" Taylor asked in an annoyed tone.

"Her own sergeant shot at her when she was surrendering to us." I said. "The bastard..."

"You're screwing with me, aren't you?" Taylor said.

"No."

"BUUUCK!" The unicorn screamed to the world.

"Can you patch her up?  I don't know where she's hit." I said.

"You know, the DAF is gonna run out of medical supplies if you keep saving ponies." Taylor said sarcastically.

"Nah, we can just make more." I replied.

"I'll- I'll try and fight- fight with you..." The mare said, trying to hold back more screams of agony.

"Wh... What?  Fight with us?" I asked quizzically. "Are you saying you'll kill the other ponies?  Your own squad mates?"

"Ugh... the bastard tried to kill me... I- I want to avenge myself." She said hesitantly.

"You aren't dead yet." I said.

"God, Mat.  You aren't actually gonna let her fight with us, are you?" Taylor asked in a very concerned tone.

"I don't know." I replied.

Even though Taylor was a corporal, being a medic granted him a lot of power, which meant he could override my orders if he deemed them unsafe for wounded personnel.  "Unsafe" would be throwing a guy who had his legs blown off back into battle, or putting a guy who was blinded by shrapnel into the drivers seat of a Ranger, and etc.

"I'll let her fight, but only because I know what's at stake here." I said, taking Taylor's SAR.

"Wha- Hey!  What are you doing?!" Taylor asked.

"Relax, she'll cover you while you work on her." I said.

I gave the unicorn the SAR I took from Taylor, but I only gave it to her because I knew that if everyone in my squad is killed, then those Equestrians would probably kill her too.  I also knew that she knew it as well, even though she never admitted it.

So this means I'm probably the only person in the DAF to accept help from the enemy, who would fight the enemy with us...

Cool.

BAM!

Magic and bullets were flying towards us at nearly every angle.  The ponies were in more compromising places, as the railing on the balcony didn't help protect them at all.

"Take them down!" I yelled, raising my AR one of the ponies.

I pulled the trigger, letting the Attack Rifle do its work.  The injured unicorn levitated the SAR and reluctantly began to fire at her own squad mates, taking them down with precision accuracy that rivaled our best snipers.  Though, she was crying the whole time, either from the pain, or the fact that she was betraying her own nation, and was now beginning to realize it.

One by one, the ponies fell, and it eventually came down to a few ponies versus our entire squad, plus one unicorn.

"The battle is over!  Surrender now, and no one else has to die!" I yelled. "This is your last chance!"

"Never!  I'll never surrender to you bastards!" One pony yelled back.

"I give up!" Another pony yelled. "Pl-please, don't kill me!"

"NO!" The pony before yelled, raising his rifle towards the surrendering stallion. "NO SURRENDER!"

"No!  D-Don't do it!" The unicorn beside me cried.

But it was too late, the crazed sergeant had already fired his rifle, which sent the bullet flying through the stallion's skull.

"You son of a bitch!" A pony behind the sergeant yelled.

The mare tackled the sergeant, throwing both of them through the flimsy railing and off the balcony.  Both ponies let go of each other just before hitting the ground with full force.  Both of them landed in awkward positions.

"Oh sweet Celestia!" One of the four remaining ponies exclaimed. "Jade, are you alright?!"

I walked over to the two ponies on the floor, seeing the full extent of the damage dealt.  The sergeant had landed on his neck just right, which killed him instantly.  The mare landed on her back, and was shaking uncontrollably.

"Is she..."

"Hold on, let me see." Taylor said, walking through the small crowd that had formed around the two ponies.

Taylor leaned over the mare, examining what he could without rolling her onto her stomach.

"I... Who knows this mare best?" Taylor asked.

"I do." One pony said, walking over to Taylor.

That's when I noticed the mare stop shaking... and breathing.

"She's dead." Taylor said, standing up.

There was a small moment of silence, with a few sniffles here and there.

"Alright..." I said, breaking the silence. "if you'll all come with us, we can get you out of the war.  Sound good?"

That's when the unicorn that sided with us fell down hard.  One of the ponies ran over to check on her, but she wasn't moving or saying anything.

She was dead, too.

...

I sighed.

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Two days later

I was sitting on top of one of the buildings in Brismane, looking down at the small city below.  I saw soldiers walking around in the streets below, while trucks full of supplies ran to and from the CP, which was two blocks North of here.

...

It's hard to believe that we are fighting talking, technicolor ponies, who want nothing more than to see all of us dead.

It feels ridiculous... And it was.

Speaking of which, the four ponies we had caught two days ago were sent to POW camps out in Etalonia, doing God knows what.  The battle for Brismane had already ended by the time we went in to capture those ponies, but they refused to surrender, thanks to that nutty sergeant.

Good thing I'm nothing like him, otherwise I would've died years ago.

"Whoa!  Is that what I think it is?!" One of the guys exclaimed.

I looked over to my squad, which was behind me, and tried to find out what they were looking at.

"Sir!  Do you see it?!" Wade asked excitedly.

"See what?" I asked.

"The flag flying over town hall!  Do you see it?!" Wade replied, pointing towards the building with a large dome on it, with a flag pole sticking out the top.

"It's just the DAF flag.  What's so..."  I said before realizing mid sentence what he was talking about. "Oh..."

Right below the DAF flag was the American flag, which flew proudly in the wind, showing its fifty white stars and thirteen red and white stripes...

Thirteen...

...

Thirteen isn't a lucky number... is it?

Chapter 14 - The Beasts of Sydneigh

Three days later

"-and that's how I survived Stone Ridge."

"So, you got to the .50 and took out six squads of Zebras?  Yeah, right."

"Colby'll tell you the same thing!  He saw me do it with his own eyes!"

"It's true.  I swear, those Zebras went straight for the hills after that."

"I... want a third opinion on that."

"Hmph!  Third opinion my ass..."

I rolled my eyes as the gunner walked away to talk to someone else about his experiences.  I doubt he was lying, but one can never be too sure.  I should probably try to not piss off the gunner though, otherwise he'll kick me off the .50 Cal on top of the "Little Ann", which is the T-4 I'll be riding on during the attack on Sydneigh.  It should be fun.

"Hey Mathew, come over here for a sec." Someone said to me.

I looked around the motor pool and saw Johnny standing patiently by the tank, waiting on me.

"Oh, sorry sir." I said quickly, sliding off of the tank's sloped armor and landing on the dirt floor.

"It's fine.  I just need to talk to you about something in private." He responded, walking slowly over to me.

"What is it?" I asked quizzically.

Johnny did not respond, he just walked towards the exit of the massive garage.  I just followed him out, not really sure of what he was going to discuss with me.  We walked past most of the armored forces gathered to attack Sydneigh, which was obviously outside of the garage.

Later, I noticed we were walking towards the command tent for our platoon, which usually meant I wasn't going to like what I'm about to hear.

"I... Am I in trouble?" I asked cautiously.

"Well... Not yet." Johnny replied, continuing to walk towards the tent.

This can't be good.  At all.

"-looks like a howitzer.  Could be a rocket launcher." One officer said as we walked inside of the tent.

"No, it can't be a rocket.  The Equestrians only have Zebrican weapons donated from various countries.  I'm not sure if they even know how to make any of the tech they use." Another officer replied.

"No, they're mass producing those weapons, but I'm pretty sure resources are going to become a problem for them real soon." The officer from before said.

"I guess the question is how soon." The other officer said. "Oh, Johnny.  You just love to sneak up on people, don't you?"

"Well, I just come in at the worst times, I guess." Johnny replied, walking towards the table where the other officers were at. "What are you two going on about?"

"Well Johnny, I wouldn't tell anyone yet, because we aren't sure if it's true, but we think the ERA has deployed some kind of new tank.  It looks like the Mk 1s they have, but the turret is more smooth-looking, and the cannon... well... we don't know if it really is a cannon.  This is all based on this one photograph that was recently given to us." The officer replied, his name was still unknown to me. "We were going to send it up to High Command for evaluation, but we wanted to look over it first, just to see if it's valid."

"So how long have you been 'looking over it', Pat?" Johnny asked.

"Uh... about an hour or so." Pat replied.

"Really?  It took the both of you an hour to do something I could do in ten minutes?" Johnny asked, unimpressed.

"Well, why don't you go on ahead and do it in ten minutes, instead of running your big mouth?" Pat asked.

He paused for a little while before responding.  "I would love to, but I just remembered I needed to be somewhere." Johnny said. "Come on, Mathew."

I left with Johnny, who didn't seem to wait on me at all.  After a minute of walking, he finally slowed down to my pace.

"Mathew, I need to talk to you about what happened a few days ago..." He said, walking next to me. "Listen, I know you meant well, but if anyone above me doesn't know you, and sees that after-action report... Mat... you could be put on death row for treason."

I sighed. "They would give me a trial before they began pressing charges, right?" I asked, not too sure if it would go down like that. "Man... hopefully it never comes to that."

"Don't worry about it Mathew, I've already got you covered.  Just as long as... they... keep their snouts shut, you should be okay." Johnny said semi-confidently. "Besides, I know how excited you are to finally man the .50 cal on a T-4, so I don't wanna ruin it for you."

I was nearly speechless.

"You... I... Thank you... Thank you, sir!" I said happily, my face beaming while I bounced up and down like an excited child. "I... This means so much to me!  Thank you, sir!"

"Now, all I want from you is that German Shepard you got in San Fransiscolt." Johnny said.

I froze for a few seconds, my face becoming void of any emotion... Until Johnny began to break into a small laugh.

"Oh, you're sick." I said, punching him lightly in the arm with my fist.

"Ah... You're dismissed, Mathew." Johnny said, chuckling a bit. "You tell that German friend of yours I said hello, alright?"

"Yes sir." I said, walking back to my squad's tent, with a small smile on my face.

Two days later

ZOIP!

I pulled the trigger on the .50 caliber machine gun, aiming at a small trench, suppressing the ponies that were hiding inside.  It was awesome just listening to the RATATATATA of the high caliber machine gun, which made me smile, even if there was obviously a high risk of severe injury or death.  The .50 caliber rounds tore through Equine flesh like a knife cutting butter, with the added ability of tearing limbs off if you hit them right.

Our tank column was massive, and if the Equestrians didn't pull some serious shit out of their asses, we would roll right over their defenses in little time.  I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was damn close to 700.  Though, compared to how many rolled in to storm the beaches of Neigh Orleans, it was minuscule.

PING!

I instinctively ducked behind the massive turret, hopefully evading enemy bullets that would've had my name on them.  I looked up from behind the cover of the turret, and saw massive amounts of aircraft and Pegasi fighting one another in the skies above me.  Tracers were flying across the skies, making the air battle above look like a dogfight from Star Wars.

When the bullets stopped landing near my head, I stood back up and began to fire at a pony who was foolishly running towards one of our tanks.  The recoil from the gun made it hard to hit the pony, but I eventually made my mark.  I don't know why that pony was so stupid... it's common sense not to run towards the enemy, right?

"Sergeant Mathew!  We've got more tanks coming out of the city!" The tank commander said to me through the intercom onboard the T-4.  "Take cover behind the turret, I don't wanna lose our machine gun support!"

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And sure enough, three more tanks approached our column, but they didn't look like the usual Mk 1s that we had constantly encountered before.  The shape of the gun was nothing like I had ever seen before, and the body of the vehicle looked like a Tiger I's chassis, which was a German heavy tank from WWII.  The gun looked like a tesla coil had been strapped onto the turret and had a hole drilled through the middle of it.

"What are those things?!" I asked the commander.

"They must be those new tanks the brass told us about... they're really braving it with only three of them, aren't they?" The commander asked rhetorically.

Then, a bright blue light shone from the lead tank's gun, followed by a low pitch noise that got louder and louder.

"Gah, Jesus!" I yelled, clutching my ears due to the painfully loud noise.

Then a large flash erupted from the lead tank, sending a beam of light towards one of our tanks, instantly destroying it.  I... couldn't believe it.

"Holy shit..." I said, stunned by everything that just transpired.

Almost all at once, all of our tanks began to fire at the enemy tanks, but each round bounced off an invisible wall surrounding the entirety of the tank, like a force field.  Then, another light show happened, this time coming from the other force field tanks.  More beams of blue light ran towards more of our tanks, burning through their frontal armor and igniting the ammunition.

It had to be some kind of magic!  That was the only explanation for all of this!

"What the hell?!" The commander exclaimed.  "Those... things just tore through three tanks like they were nothing!  It... It's not possible!"

The tanks all around us began to fire at the magic tanks, but round after round was being deflected by their magic force fields.

Equestrian magic was never this powerful before!  How did they do it?!

"Everyone!  They're aiming right at us!  Bail out!" The commander ordered, trying to open his hatch and escape the T-4.

I looked towards the lead magic tank, and saw its "gun" staring straight at us.  A small blue light emitted from the barrel, then it got brighter and more intense as each second passed by.  In a desperate attempt, I aimed my .50 cal at the tank, which was extremely hard thanks to the blinding light coming from it.  I pushed the firing button and let loose, hoping that by some miracle this would save me.

As the light got brighter, and the noise becoming more unbearable by the second, my machine gun kept firing at the tank... until it all stopped.

It was so sudden I couldn't process it all at once, it had just... stopped.

Then I realized I wasn't dead, and I was still on top of the T-4, still clutching the grips of the .50 cal.  I looked around, and saw that the commander's hatch was wide open.  Then I saw the magic tank in front of us, which had a decently sized hole in the left side of the turret.  There wasn't any smoke coming out from anywhere, it just lay there, dormant.  Had one of our other tanks hit it?  How?!  The shield was still up, wasn't it?

"Mat!  What the hell is happening!?"

I look behind me and see Anthony and the other guys standing behind our tank, all looking at me.

"Uh..." I said, still shaken by the sudden turn of events.

"Mat!  What's going on?!" Anthony asked, struggling to climb on top of the engine block behind me.

"I... I don't know..." I stammered, trying to sit down behind the turret. "I think I almost died..."

"What?" Anthony said, confused.

"Just look for yourself!" I said, pointing behind me.

"What...?  You mean... THAT tank almost killed us?!" Anthony asked, slightly stunned after taking a peep.

"Yeah." I said, which brought up a question in my mind. "Hey... where did the tank commander go?"

"Uh... I think he ran away.  I... think they all ran away..." Anthony replied. "Why do you ask?"

I climbed onto the turret and peered through the open hatch of the tank, and I saw no one inside.  Not even the other crew members were inside, but as far as I knew the tank was still operational, which brought a stupid idea to my attention.  It excited me.

Heh, I've always wondered how a T-4 works from the inside...

"Anthony, choose three responsible guys and bring them up here, ASAP." I ordered.

"Uh, okay.  What for?" Anthony asked with a curious expression on his face.

"Heh, you'll see soon." I said, laughing to myself.  This was crazy and awesome.

"Okay..." Anthony said uneasily, climbing off the tank and walking towards the squad.

After a few moments of observing the battlefield, the line of T-4's still advancing, Anthony tapped me on the shoulder, which told me he was ready.  I turned to Anthony and saw that he had chosen Bill, Zachary, and Ethan to come with us.

"Alright Anthony, I want you to climb inside the tank and get into the drivers seat." I said, bringing a look of disbelief to Anthony's face. "Bill, get in the gunners seat, and everyone else will decide the rest."

I got strange looks from everyone, but eventually everyone I needed was stuffed inside the tank, and I took the place of the commander.

"Okay, the rest of you guys will follow us in." I said, closing the commanders hatch.  It got me even more excited. "Anthony, get her rolling."

"Gotcha." He replied via intercom.

With that, the tank began to move forward towards Sydneigh, the tracks rolling over the grassy plain and making the infamously creaky noise of greased treads.

"How's everybody doing?" I asked via intercom.

"Uh... I have almost no clue as to what I'm doing." Anthony replied. "Luckily, there's a manual next to me, but I obviously don't have the time to read it right now."

"That's pretty convenient." I said, looking around the commanders cupola.

"Uh, sir?  The other T-4's have spotted us, and are trying to talk to us." Ethan said. "I don't know how to use a radio, sir."

"Don't worry about it for now, we still got a ways to go before we worry about communication." I replied, checking on the the guys who were following us outside of the tank.  Thankfully, they were still behind us. "How's everyone else?"

"Fine." Bill replied.

"How do I load the shell?  I forgot." Zachary said.

"Jesus, you're helpless!" Bill exclaimed.

"That doesn't help me get better, you dick!" Zachary retorted.

"Oh, just can it.  I'll be down there to show you how to load a round, not a shell, in a few seconds."  Bill said.

"Anthony, get us moving faster, we're falling behind!" I said, looking out one of the commanders optics.

"This is as fast as we're going without leaving the rest of the squad behind!" Anthony replied.

"Ugh..." I sighed, opening the commanders hatch and standing on the chair I was sitting in.

Then I saw that all of the magic tanks had been destroyed, much to my disbelief, but at the cost of several more T-4's that had ridden in with us.  God, all those men...

We were driving by the tank that almost killed us, and saw some of the dead crew who had tried to escape.  I don't know why they tried to leave if their tank wasn't burning, but I guess that secret died with them.

PING!

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I ducked down instinctively into the turret, adrenaline filling my veins.

"The hell just hit us?!" Anthony asked via intercom.

"I... I don't know!  I'm looking!" I said frantically.  "There!  To our right!"

A Mk 1 had opened fire on us, but one of the rounds had bounced off our armor, while the others missed us.  It must've slipped past the initial wave of T-4s, and probably saw us as easy prey.

"It's an Mk 1!  Bill, get the gun pointed straight at it!" I ordered.

"It's to our right?" Bill asked.

"Yes!" I replied.

"Alright!" He said. "Holy shit!  This takes a lot of muscle!"

The huge turret of the T-4 began to turn slowly towards the Mk 1, aligning the gun with the enemy tank.

"Zachary, load the round or we're all dead!" I said frantically.

"Uh... Okay, okay!" Zachary replied.

The Mk 1 had its gun pointed straight at us, ready to blow us to pieces at any given moment.  That is, if it could penetrate our armor with one lucky shot.

"Bill, is the gun ready to fire?!" I asked, still sticking out of the commanders hatch.

"Yep!  I'm aiming right now!" Bill replied, shifting the turret slightly.  "Okay... He's in my sights!  I'm aiming for the turret!"

"Fire when ready!" I said.

"Firing... Now!"

As soon as he said that, we drove over a good sized rock, which threw the tank into the air for a split second.

BOOM!

The round had missed the Mk 1 by a mile, landing somewhere beyond the horizon.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, hitting the armor plating with my fist.

"Would it be a good time to worry about communication now?!" Ethan asked.

ZOIP!

The Mk lobbed a round towards us, but it misjudged our range and fired the round just over the top of my head.  I ducked like I had before, and decided to stay inside the turret this time.

"They... they just missed us!  Zachary, get another round loaded!" I ordered, still a bit phased by the close call.

"Roger!" He replied.

"Noob, never say that again." Bill said.

"SHUT UP!!" Zachary screamed, causing me to clutch the headphones on my ears.

"Jesus, now you're a twelve year old?!" Bill exclaimed.

"I swear, if you both get us all killed, I'm going to burn you alive in hell!" Anthony yelled. "Get the god damn ordinance ready!  That's a flippin' order!"

"Sir..." Zachary replied, calming down a bit.

ZOIP!

"Jesus, please hurry up!" Ethan exclaimed, firing the .30 cal at the relentless Mk 1 from the radioman's seat, which was next to the driver.

"It's ready!  I'm firing!" Bill said.

BOOM!

The Mk 1's turret exploded in a shower of sparks and fire, sending shrapnel flying in all directions, some pieces bouncing off our armor.  The tank began to burn almost instantaneously, giving no time for the crew inside to react before they were being cooked alive.

"That hit em' good!" I exclaimed happily.

"Oh, thank God..." Anthony sighed.

"I knew we'd make it." Bill said.

"SHUT UP BILL!!" Anthony yelled. "I've had enough of your shit!"

"What the crap did I do?!" Bill asked, confused and angry.

"Firstly, you almost got ALL of us killed with your little shit show, and now you're telling us that YOU saved our asses?!  No, I'm not having it!" Anthony replied angrily. "Friggin hypocrite!"

"Yeah?  What did you do?!" Bill asked angrily.

"Oh, we aren't going there, Corporal.  I'll kick your ass back to Antonia!" Anthony said angrily.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!  BOTH OF YOU!" I screamed, losing my tolerance completely. "Anthony, you know better than this!  But Bill, if you ever disrespect your authorities again, I'll have your ass court martialed!  Do both of you understand?!"

"Yeah... Sorry, Mathew..." Anthony said quietly.

"It's fine." I said. "Bill?"

Bill did not say anything, instead he began to pout like a child in third grade.  It was disgraceful to watch.

"Alright then, be that way." I said, giving up on him. "We've gotta focus on what's important right now, alright?"

"Yeah..." Ethan said. "How far away are we from Sydneigh?"

"Uh..." I replied, opening the commanders hatch and climbed through it. "Not that much further, we've got about half a mile left..."

Then I saw another Mk 1 to our left charge us, it's commander staring straight at me.  Is there a gap in our... lines?

Oh yeah, the magic tanks.

"Shit!  Another Mk 1 coming right towards us!  To the left!" I said, closing the commander's hatch.

Our turret began to turn left towards the brave little Equine tank.

"Why hasn't anyone helped us fight off the Mk 1s at all yet?" Zachary asked.

"Because those... damn magic tanks killed a lot of the tanks around us!  We're practically on our own!" I replied.

"The gun's loaded!"  Bill said hesitantly.

"Fire when ready!" I said.

"Firing!"

BOOM!

The round shaved the side of the Mk 1's turret, but I could tell the commander was scared shitless.

"That one bounced!  Load another round now!" I ordered, reminding me of an annoying voice.

"Come on noob!  Hurry it up!" Bill said.

"Jesus, I'm trying!" Zachary retorted.

"Stay focused!" I said. "Our enemy is that Mk 1 out there, not ourselves!"

"..."

"AP's loaded!  I'm firing!" Bill said.

BOOM!

That round went straight through the center of the turret, and right through the commanders mid-section.  I could see the commander's face change from "I'm going to kill you bastards" to "oh shit, I just lost my lower half", then proceeded to go limp and fall back into the tank.  While interesting to see, it wasn't funny.  None of this was funny.

"That hit them hard!  We've knocked out their commander!" I exclaimed.  "Load another round and finish them off!"

"Alright!" Bill said with a little more enthusiasm this time.

After a few moments, the Mk 1 stopped moving altogether, so ironically they were now easy prey.

"HE loaded!  Firing!"

BOOOM!

The moment we fired at their right side, the Mk 1 went up in flames as sparks erupted from the hull.

"Good hit!  Good hit!" I said.  "We're all clear for now!"

"Ugh... Thank god it's over... I thought my arms were going to fall off." Bill sighed.

We continued the drive forward, slowly making our way towards the city, which looked like Godzilla went to town on every single building.  It was actually kind of sad to see all this work that could've taken years to build be destroyed in under a few hours.

I can't admire this destruction forever, we have more important things to worry about now, like catching up with the rest of the T-4 wave.

One day later

"NO! NOO-"

BAM!

...

Shit, I got her blood all over me.

"Jesus, Mat!  Take it easy with the shotgun!"

"I can't help it.  The shotgun decides how much damage is dealt."

I looked that the bloody corpse of a mare in a ERA Battle uniform.  Damn, the shotgun blew her head to bits!

"That's not really an excuse for killing her like that." Anthony said, crossing his arms.

"Well, I think it is, since... you know, she was trying to kill us." I said, pointing the shotgun towards the dead mare.

"Yeah... Whatever." Anthony sighed, walking past me into the next room.

I looked back at the corpse, then walked in the opposite direction, heading into a larger room, which is where my squad was located for now.

"Anthony!  I'm going back!" I called out, walking into the other room.

"Alright, I'll continue scouting around!" He called back. "I'll tell you if I find anymore ponies around!"

I walked into the large room, with one of its walls containing a large hole, while furniture was littered all over the floor.  Our squad was scattered all over the room, Taylor was in one corner, while Bill was in the other, and so on.  We had set up some barricades in front of the hole and placed our MG there, which had a great view of the crossroads three stories below us.  Enemy resistance was scattered, so we had to be extra careful not to stumble upon a rouge enemy squad.

We decided it was best to have an elevated position so we could fire down at any ERA troops passing by.  Unfortunately, the building we chose was occupied, so we had to clear it out for our use.

"Man... I sure wish Dylan was here." George sighed, sitting down by the doorway. "He'd probably do something stupid just to cheer us up right now."

"Yeah." Ethan sighed sitting next to George. "Hey George, how's he doing?"

"Who?  Zachary?" George asked.

"Yeah.  He and Bill were at each others throats yesterday, and I thought they were going to get us killed."  Ethan laughed. "Man, the poor kid's got a lot of people hating on him."

"Yeah, I don't know him well."  George replied. "But what I don't understand is why he's got such a bad reputation.  I mean, he just got here, and he's already been hated on by Dylan, and now it's Bill!"

"Right?" Ethan said, sitting up straight.

"Holy shit!  Guys, come over here and look at this!" Jones exclaimed, standing up behind the MG.

"What is it?" I asked, walking over to Jones.

"You just gotta see it." Jones replied.

I peered through the hole, looking for anything out of the ordinary, but could find nothing.

"Uh... what is it?" I asked, not sure if Jones was joking or not.

"Look up." Jones replied.

I looked a little higher, and then I saw it; hundreds of Mk 1 Biplanes were zooming towards Sydneigh!

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed. "Where are our planes?!"

"They're... Uh... They're only about three squads in the air right now." Fredrick said, who had also seen the spectacular numbers of the Mk 1 biplanes. "That's only sixty planes."

Usually I never worry about what goes on in the skies above me, but now I'm starting to freak out.

"But, we do have a lot of AAA trucks scattered around Sydneigh, so I guess that's a plus." Fredrick said, reassuring me.

"You should warn everyone about this." I said, calming down some.

"Right, right." Fredrick said, turning on the radio and contacting other squads. "Skull six to Skull eight, be advised, we have several enemy aircraft in the air, over."

"Mathew!  We got a few more ponies hiding in the other rooms!" Anthony said, walking through the doorway. "Care to join me?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there." I replied, grabbing the shotgun and walking towards Anthony. "Where are they?"

"Three of them are in a room two floors above us.  I'd go get them, but I can't do it without help." Anthony said, walking into the hallway. "And this time, I'd rather come back without using any ammo."

"Fine." I said, knowing the job would just be harder. "But we should bring more guys... just in case."

"Sounds good." Anthony responded, walking back to our SCP, or Squadron Command Post, to grab a few more troops.

I turn to walk into one of the empty rooms, when I accidentally stepped on the dead body of the mare I killed.

"Aww... Shit."

Chapter 15 - Hoofington Part 1

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Twenty three days later

I think I speak for everyone when I say I hate snow.

It's wet, it's freezing cold, and it forces all of us to change to the winter variant of the SAU.  You have to sew on all the patches, and it takes hours.  It sucks.  Though, the fact that the winter jacket is more insulated than the summer one is a plus, except when you're doing all kinds of physical labor, then it still sucks.

Though, a few weeks ago the higher ups decided it would be a good idea for everyone to take mandatory classes about the AR-1, which is what I desperately needed.  I finally know how to take the damn thing apart without getting extremely confused, or without jacking up halfway through.  The classes themselves only took a few days to complete, and they were usually a few hours long.  The great thing about the AR-1 is how surprisingly accurate it is for an Assault Rifle, but it obviously isn't a sniper.  I guess the reason they had these classes available is because the AR-1 is slowly replacing the SAR-2 as the standard infantry weapon, and the SAR-2 lacks a fast rate-of-fire.

On the subject of infantry, the campaign in Northern Equestria has kicked off without a hitch, and things have been running smoothly for them, which means we are definitely getting to Canterlot.  However, because of a few setbacks, like the Mk 2 Starswirl, we won't get there until next year.

The Mk 2 Starswirl is the magic tank we encountered in Sydneigh, and luckily, we've already figured most of it out.  The Mk 2, from what I understand, uses magic amplifiers to heavily increase the output of the magic being cast by a unicorn sitting in the middle of the tank.  The Mk 2 also has what most of us call a "Spell Caster", which was the weird thing strapped onto the front of the turret.  There really isn't an engine, so to speak, it's all run by magic, which can be really cheap to manufacture if the material they use to make the amplifiers wasn't so rare.  It would explain why the tank didn't explode or catch fire when it was hit.  Even though our tanks aren't that resource efficient, we don't really have to worry about it that much since all our resources are free and practically infinite.

The major weakness of the Mk 2 is it's most powerful feature; the spell caster.  The reason can be explained through the law of conservation, stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.  Because the weapon requires massive amounts of magic to cast just one spell, the unicorn has to divert all power to the Spell caster, leaving the Mk 2 as a sitting duck. The armor of the Mk 2 has to be light enough for the "engine" to operate properly, so it leaves the crew severely exposed, but it only remains like this for a few seconds before the spell is cast, and the shield is once again raised.  In those few seconds, you could fire off a single round and kill everyone inside pretty easily.

Though, I guess no matter what Equestria throws at us, we'll still brush it to the side as if it doesn't really matter.

"Hey, Mat?  You got a sec?"

I turned to look behind me, and saw Anthony in the doorway, though his expression was telling me he wasn't really happy to discuss whatever he had on his mind.

"Yeah, I got a few." I replied, standing up from the desk I was sitting at. "Whatcha need?"

"I gotta tell you something, and I think it would be best to tell you outside."  He replied, walking outside.

I got up and followed him out into the frozen forest, the snow crunching beneath my boots.  I knew wasn't going to like what I'm about to hear, but I'd rather discuss it inside of the warm shack I was in.

"Mat," Anthony said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I, uh... got some news from Jonathan.  He, uh... he said that Johnny's been arrested."

...

"...what?" I said, stunned. "What for?!"

"I... I don't think I should say-"

"What the hell did he do wrong?!" I yelled, throwing Anthony's hand off my shoulder.

"He... he raped some of the female POWs we captured a few days ago..." Anthony said quietly. "The MPs had caught him with two other guys... and they had at least seven mares...  two were civilians."

My gaze fell towards the ground, the moonlit snow glistening in the night, and I began to fall towards the earth.  Anthony caught me before my head hit the ground, and he rested me in his arms.

"Why...?" I sobbed, laying my head on his shoulder. "Of a-all the officers in the DAF, w-why Johnny?!"

"I... I don't know, Mathew..." Anthony said, starting to cry himself. "I don't know why he would do that..."

"This isn't fair... why can't we just go home?  Back to Earth?" I asked.  I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear something different.

"I don't know..." Anthony said, trying to comfort me, and himself.

Then, something began to build up inside me, a weird sense that I could only describe as a mad rage, a hatred against the world I'm in.  Eventually, it was too much.  I shot straight up and ran as fast as I could towards one of the POW pens, Lucy was in my right hand.

"Mat!" Anthony yelled, trying to catch up with me.

By the time Anthony had caught up with me, I was already holding one of the POWs at gunpoint.  The mare had absolutely no idea what was going on, so she began to scream for her life, which only made me more upset.

"Mat!  Put the pistol down!" Anthony yelled.

I didn't respond.

"Mat, this doesn't make anything better!  Killing her won't fix this!" Anthony yelled. "She hasn't done anything to affect the outcome of Johnny's fate!  He, and he alone decided to do those things!"

I loosened my grip, but I still wanted vengeance for Johnny, so I still didn't respond.

"Mat... Just think!"

...

Dammit... he's right...

...

I put the mare back into the POW pen and walked off without saying anything.  I could feel the mare's eyes stabbing me in the back of the head, as well as Anthony's.

...

I hate my life.

Two days later

"I wish the brass would get us some dry socks soon, or I think I'm gonna get trench foot or something."

"Y-yeah... I th-hink my balls are fr-rozen."

"Uh, socks won't keep your nuts warm, unless you're weird and... You know what?  I'm not even going to finish that statement."

"D-damn... what I w-would do for a f-fire right now..."

"Hey, you could walk over to the Equestrians and ask them if we can borrow some clothing from them.  I think they'll oblige."

"Real funny, sir."

I stood up from my sitting position inside of a terribly muddy and frozen trench, and walked past a few of the guys I was talking to.  Our situation here reminded me of the Battle of the Bulge, especially since there were going to be paratroopers dropping into Hoofington pretty soon.  The lack of good winter wear, rations, ammunition, and most of all, experienced men, makes it very reminiscent of the Ardennes.  Though, there weren't any German Panzer units surrounding us, and we aren't technically American troops, even though that's where we, or he, originated from.

The DAF is apparently field testing the paratrooper idea by putting men into CT-4d Cargo planes and making them jump out at around 500 feet in altitude with parachutes, while carrying almost a hundred pounds of gear.  The infantry (which is what I am) and Armor will be waiting for the planes to fly over and drop the paratroopers into the city, only then will we begin our offense.  For now, we have to wait in a stupid trench, with no fire, no lights, and no randomly running out of the forest close to Hoofington without the proper clearance.  I would only expect a newbie to run out into the battlefield, completely exposed.  That reminds me...

"Hey, Zachary." I said.

"Yes, sir?" He replied, getting up from his cozy spot inside the trench.

"I have to tell you something.  Come over here." I said.

"Yes, sir."  Zachary replied, walking over to me. "What do you need, sir?"

"First off, how are you not freezing?" I asked, noticing that he wasn't wearing much.

"I don't know."  He replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess I'm warm blooded."

"...we all are warm blooded." I stated.

"Uh... Right, right." Zachary said, nodding excessively.

"Uh... oh, right," I said to myself, trying to remember what I had Zachary over here for, "I wanted to talk about what you did a while back."

"Oh?  What about it?" He asked, shooting me a curious glance.

"Well... I want to congratulate you." I said. "You're getting a promotion, and I think you've earned this one."

Zachary stared at me with a face that said 'Whaaaat?' on it.  Then he leaned forwards and hugged me tightly.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Zachary said quickly and excitedly.

"Urgh... you're welcome, C-Corporal." I grunted.

"Oh, sorry sir.  I didn't mean to crush you."  Zachary said sheepishly.

"It's fine." I said.

"I can't believe I actually got a promotion!" Zachary exclaimed, jumping around like an excited child.

"Shhh!" I whispered, hushing Zachary. "Be a little quieter in your rejoicing. You don't want to give us away yet."

"Oh... sorry sir." Zachary replied.

"...it's fine.  You just need to go and grab your new ranks, and then you'll officially be a Corporal."

"Alrigh- I mean, yes sir.  Thank you, sir." Zachary said hurriedly, and walked off towards one of the few supply depots.

I rolled my eyes and went back into my spot in the trench, hoping that the planes would get here sooner.

"Hey!  I see them!  Just over the trees!"  One man called out.

Every one turned to look behind us at the supposed fleet of incoming planes.  At first, I couldn't see or hear anything other than the chatter from the guys all around me, but then I saw some barely noticeable dots in the night sky.  Eventually, the distant roar of a thousand engines could be heard fast approaching us, and I could see most of the cargo planes' silhouettes.

"About time..." I said to myself.

The planes roared overhead and continued flying towards Hoofington.  We still had to wait for the guys inside the planes to actually jump out and land in the city.

"I see a chute!" One guy called out. "Look, another one!"

Soon enough, the sky over Hoofington was filled with paratroopers ready to land and take on their designated targets.  It was something to see all those men fall slowly towards the earth.  That's about when the Equestrians finally woke up and began to fire at the planes above, flak shells exploding only a few hundred feet in the air.

"It's time!  Go, go, go, go!" Someone yelled, causing everyone to launch themselves out of the trench and towards Hoofington.

The armor, having noticed the infantry running towards the city, began to drive forwards and follow the infantrymen.  Some of the men weren't expecting the tanks to move forwards yet, so they were almost run over in their stupor.

Our squad ran full sprint towards Hoofington in the hopes of finding a place to dig in for a bit before we advanced further into the city.  Above me, more planes were flying overhead, but some of them were dive bombers and attackers instead of cargo planes.  The bombers began doing the job they were made for, and started unloading onto the city.  With every bomb that was dropped, the cityscape became more hellish, as the orange glow that came from the fires burning in some of the wooden buildings made everything look like it was in hell.  It was starting to scare me, so I could only imagine what the others were feeling.

"Come on guys!  Not that much further!" I said, somewhat out of breath.

"My feet are killing me!  Argh!" Zachary exclaimed, slowing down some. "I don't think I can go on..."

"Zachary, you haven't quit on me before, so don't quit on me now!  Not when we're so close!" I said, trying to encourage him in some way.

"I... Ugh... It's so hard!" Zachary grunted.

"Just a few more yards!" I said, trying to get him going again. "If not for me, then do it for the possibility of getting home!"

That little phrase seemed to do it for him, right until we came up to some of the houses.  When we walked inside the house, Zachary had collapsed onto the wooden boards, his fatigue finally subduing him.

"Hey, someone try to get him up, we don't have time to lay around." I said, walking towards a broken window.

"Yes sir." Someone replied.

As I looked through the broken window, I saw several planes still bombing Hoofington, even though our guys were now inside the city.  Then I saw a few ponies that were not that far from where we were.

"Contacts!  Four of them!" I said, gesturing everyone to the windows.

I unslung my AR and aimed as best I could at the unsuspecting ponies, who seemed terrified to leave their comfy spot.

"Fire on my command." I said, putting one of the ponies in my iron sights.  "Fire!"

Everyone began to open fire, making me want to cover my ears just because of how loud it all was.  I had barely hit my target, hitting her in the neck, just a few inches below an instant kill shot.  The ponies had no time to react, and we managed to kill or fatally wound them within a few seconds.

"Sir, are there any more bogies?"  Steven asked, scanning the snowy landscape in front of us.

"Uh... none that I see.  You guys see anything?"  I asked, getting only a few shrugs from the guys. "Alright, let's move out then."

I bashed a good sized hole in the window frame using the butt of my Attack Rifle, allowing me to climb through, though I don't know why I didn't use the door.  The others followed me through, and landed on the crunchy snow that continued to fall from the sky.

We raced through a few houses, but found all of them completely abandoned, as if the civilians just got up and left without taking anything with them.  As we approached the more densely populated part of Hoofington, close quarters combat became more common because of the heavy fighting going on here.  We were traveling cautiously through the open streets between bombed out and burning buildings, spotting a few smoldering corpses of the ponies that were trapped in the burning structures.

"Jesus... this is terrifying."  George said.

"No shit." Bill said.

BOOM!

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The building in front of us explodes as it was hit by an artillery shell.  Another artillery shell landed on another building close to us, making the house collapse.

"ARTILLERY!  GET TO COVER!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

Everyone scrambled to get out of the streets, hiding behind buildings to avoid the arced artillery barrage.  My veins were pumping with adrenaline as I ran for cover, fearing for my life and everyone else's.   As the barrage carried on, more houses and buildings began to explode all around us, making this truly terrifying.

"What's the status?!" I asked Anthony, trying to yell over the carnage.

"I have no idea!" Anthony yelled back to me, displaying the face of a man who was as terrified as me.  "Is this friendly arty?!"

BOOM!

"Fred!  Contact HQ to see if our artillery is barraging our coordinates!" I yelled, trying to figure this out.

"Alright sir!  I'm on it!" Fredrick replied, setting up his radio.

"I don't think it's gonna let up anytime soon!  You sure this is the best place to hide, sir?" George asked, yelling over the explosions.

"No!  This isn't the best place to hide!" I admitted. "But so far it's pretty much the only place we can hide!"

"Alright!  I trust you, sir!" George replied, and tried to look confident.

I turned to look towards Anthony, who was also trying to figure out how to get out of this situation.

BOOM!

"AAHH!"  Someone yelled.

I immediately turned back around to look for the person that screamed, only to see George lying on the ground with a plank of wood sticking in his abdomen.  It took only moments for me to form a response.

"TAYLOR!  GET OVER HERE, NOW!"  I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Alright! I'm coming!" Taylor yelled back, running full sprint towards us.

"Shit, shit, shit..." I said quickly to myself, unsure of what else to do. "Uh... SHIT!"

"Oh, God damn... Uh..." Taylor exclaimed when he reached us. "Let me get to work..."

"AAGH!  IT'S AGONIZING!!" George screamed while kicking his legs and flailing his arms.  "GET IT OUT!!"

BOOM!

"No... No!  I ain't dealing with this anymore!"

I turned to look behind me, and saw Zachary running away from our position.

"Z... ZACHARY!  GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"  I yelled, standing to my feet.  "THAT'S AN ORDER!"

However, Zachary didn't turn around, but kept running forwards and eventually disappeared behind a building.

"Shit..." I said, trying to process everything that was now unfolding.

A few moments later, I realized that I had pretty much two options with a very little amount of time to execute any of them.  I could go after Zachary, but then I would have to leave George with only a few guys keeping him company, or I could stay here and worry about the rest of the squad.

"... Anthony!  I'm going after him!" I yelled, starting to walk over to where I saw Zachary last.

"Mat!  What about the rest of the squad?!" Anthony asked, extremely distressed by my choice.

"You take care of them, I'll worry about Zachary!  Got it?" I asked.

"At least take a few more men!" Anthony said.

"Alright, Bill, Gordon, Jones, Wade, Steven, and Ethan, come with me!" I said, running towards the alleyway Zachary went down.

Just as I went down the alley, I saw Zachary make a right turn and disappear behind another building.  I ran as fast as I could down the narrow space between the buildings and turned right to see another alley that lead to another road.

"Zachary!  Stop, now!" I yelled, but to no avail.

Zachary ran down the road and deeper into Equestrian territory.  I realized this when there were ponies everywhere on the road ahead, and they were probably going to try to kill us.

"Hey sir, we could run through those bombed out buildings and avoid the road!"  Ethan said, pointing to the row of destroyed buildings.

"Good idea." I replied, getting ready to run toward the fallen structures. "Let's go, men!"

We ran out from the alley and towards the burning rubble of destroyed homes and businesses.  Carefully, we navigated through and over debris that could trip or burn us.  We had passed several bodies of dead ponies, who had died in the initial bombing, and the bodies of DAF paratroopers were also present, as they must've landed in the fires that burned when the bombs fell.

"The poor bastards..." Bill said, walking along with a LSMG-4-.45 Submachine gun in his hands. "Didn't even have a chance to fight..."

"No, they didn't." I said, trying to focus on the task at hand.

Zachary had somehow survived his run down the road, and had made a left turn on a T junction ahead.  Amidst the rubble, we found an alleyway that hopefully would lead to the road Zachary was on, but when we went into the alley, we encountered a few ERA infantry, alive and ready to cause some serious hurt to us.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, pulling out Lucy and aiming her at the nearest ERA soldier.

I pulled the trigger, but found that I had no ammo in the magazine of the .50 cal pistol.  The soldier, who was an earth pony, tackled me to the ground and had overpowered me.  I tried kicking him off, but he wouldn't budge.  The other guys were engaged in close quarters combat, so I knew I was alone in this fight.  Eventually, I realized that the stallion had left my right arm free, so I grabbed for my bayonet and threw it into his side.  The stallion screamed in agony as I pulled down on the bayonet and partially cut open his gut.

The stallion let go of me and I pulled the bayonet out of his stomach.  After I got up off of him, I bent over to grab the stallion's head, lifting it in the air, and then I continued to slit his throat.  I dropped the choking pony and went over to help the other guys deal with the ponies they were engaged with.  Eventually, we managed to eliminate all of the ponies in the alley and continue onwards in the wild chase for Zachary.

We managed to find our way out of the alley and onto the road we wanted to be on, but Zachary was nowhere to be seen.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, trying to figure out my next move.

"Uh... Sir?" Jones said. "Is that what I think it is?"

"What are you talking about, Jones?" I replied.

Then I saw what he was looking at; a Mk 2 Starswirl, just sitting there in the middle of the road.  The Starswirl was facing away from us, but I wasn't going to take any chances with it, not after what I've seen it do.

"Uhh... We should try to avoid it, if possible." I said, walking cautiously along the sidewalk.

"I can agree." Bill said, following me down the edge of the road.

I was scanning the surrounding area all around us while walking alongside the buildings, and saw a bunch of houses that had just started to burn.  I also looked around for any signs of ponies that might be lurking about, as the last thing I needed was another firefight out in the open.

BOOM!

"Sir, look out!" Someone yelled to me.

I turned around just in time to notice a tall building had been knocked over by the explosion, and was about to crush me to a bloody pulp.  I jumped to the side away from my squad and barely avoided the falling tower, which spilled pieces of small debris all over me.  My helmet made a loud CLANG when it hit the ground, and may have given me some head trauma in the process, because my head hurt like crazy.

"Ugh... H-hey!  Guys!" I yelled, trying to communicate with the others. "You guys okay?!"

But all that I received was silence, and it worried me greatly.  I looked around the tower to see if there was any obvious way past it, but the damn thing blocked the entire road, and even collapsed some of the buildings on my side of the road.

"Damn!" I exclaimed, wanting to punch the tower that had separated me from my men.

"Hey, you!" Someone yelled, "Infy, get over here!"

I turned to look around, expecting a pony to have a gun aimed at my face, but I only saw what I thought were two paratroopers standing on the other side of the road.

"Who... are you two paratroopers?" I asked from afar.

"No shit, Infy!  Get over here, you're completely exposed!" One of the paratroopers said.  "The ERA is gonna be crawling all over the place real soon, and they won't wait on you to show up!"

"Alright, I'm coming over!" I replied, running towards the airborne infantry.

When I reached the paratroopers, they dragged me inside the building they were hiding in.

"Firstly, what the hell are you doing here?!" One of the paratroopers asked me.

"Uh, I was looking for one of my men who ran off." I replied, confident in my answer.

"Just a single man?"  The paratrooper asked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"You're a squad leader, yes?" The paratrooper asked.

"Yep, that's me." I replied, getting a little annoyed by their questions.

"Then you should know the life of one man isn't as important as the rest.  You need to leave." The paratrooper responded coldly.

"Uh... What gives you any authority to tell me what to do?" I asked, unamused.

"My authority matches yours, as I'm a squad leader as well." The paratrooper responded, pointing to his Sergeant chevrons. "It's also a suggestion, Sergeant.  You need to leave now and worry about the rest of your squad.  Thinking about one man will get everyone else killed!  And you look like the kind of man who doesn't want that much blood on your hands."

"My men will be fine for now, I just need to find this one man!" I replied stubbornly, getting frustrated.

"Sergeant, I'm telling you not to do this!" The paratrooper exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. "For the sake of your men, go back and leave him alone!  It's better this way!"

I stood there in deep thought, contemplating everything that has been said to me.  Should I go after Zachary, or should I try to find a way back?  All my men are important to me, but if what the sergeant said is totally true, then I should worry more about the majority than the minority.  Though, I can't just leave Zachary to die, it would plague me forever if I left him for dead...

"Well?  What's it gonna be, sergeant?  You gonna listen to reason, or are you still hell bent on finding the bastard?" The paratrooper asked, impatiently waiting for a response.

"I... Uh..."

Chapter 16 - Fillydelphia

Chapter 16 - Fillydelphia

A few hours ago, Somewhere in the middle of Fillydelphia, Equestria

War...

Even the slightest, audible mention of it, it sends chills down my back when I hear that word... because this word alone has destroyed my life in more ways than I can count... and not only mine, but my friends' and allies' as well.

Damn, I hate this war... and to think that this war would be over a lot sooner, and in our favor, if the Princesses would just use their magic to stop the humans, and send them back to wherever they came from.  It would win the war for us, and nopony else would have to die!

However, they haven't done anything like that... and probably won't... It's as if they want us to lose...

Why would they want us to lose?  Why would they let the ponies they rule over suffer? Why won't they give up?  Surely there's a reason for this, right?  There's always a reason...

"I hate this war..." I said to myself as I looked towards the gravel below.

"You ain't alone."

I looked up from the road and saw Babs Seed trotting next to me, looking the same as ever.

"I can't stand this war, either." Babs said in her Manehatten accent.

"I mean, I've lost so much from it... Applebloom... Most of my country..." I said in a somber tone, returning my gaze towards the road beneath my hooves. "I just want things to be normal... I want to be back in Ponyville..."

"Yeah... I know the feelin'..."  Babs said, maintaining the same pace I was going. "I think all of us do."

"Too true." Ivory said, following behind the rest of the squad. "I'd rather do the same job I did back in Hoofington... the stallions there treated me better than the ERA does."

"Hoofington?" Yellow Rock said, perking up at the mention of the name. "I heard that was where the humans on the Eastern front are going to attack."

"Really?  Where'd you hear that?" Ivory asked in a concerned tone.

"I heard some officer mention it when I was going to get lunch the other day."  Yellow replied, walking next to Ivory.

"I hope it isn't true... My mom still lives there..." Ivory sighed.  "I'm already starting to understand what you're going through, Onyx."

Onyx sighed. "Yeah... It isn't easy seeing your hometown just... burnt to the ground..."

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"I heard this from somepony earlier as well; The war is gonna end soon, but before it does, a lot more ponies are going to die." Astral Strikes said. "I... thought it had some relevance."

"Uh... did Astral just talk?"  Ivory asked. "I... Wow.  I have never heard your voice before, like, ever!"

"Uh... really?" Astral asked, becoming uneasy by all the attention that had been directed towards him. "I thought I... I thought I've spoken before..."

"Uh, you doing okay there, Astral?" Ivory asked. "You're getting a little... fidgety."

"I... I'm fine..." Astral said, becoming extremely uncomfortable.

"Well... whatever." Ivory said, quickly losing interest in him, and continuing to do whatever she was doing before.

"Hey Scootaloo, you see the refugee camp?" Babs asked.

I took a good look around the surrounding area, but I only saw a bunch of Mk 1s and Mk 2s sitting around, waiting for an attack at any moment.  We were in a platoon sized patrol trying to see if we could find any human activity in the given areas we were assigned to.  I continued to look around until my gaze fell onto several groups of tents, which had possibly thousands of ponies sitting around and waiting to be taken care of.  The fillies and colts ran around the tents in a vein attempt to keep themselves entertained while they waited for whatever happened next.

"Whoa, are those all of the civilians that escaped?" I asked Babs, quizzically eyeing the refugees.

"I think they are, but I really dunno."  Babs replied, about as curious as me.

"Huh." I said.

"Hey Scootaloo," Emerald Dream said, turning to look at me, "you doing alrigh-" BOOM!

Suddenly, the road in front of me exploded into a ball of fire and dirt, throwing my body a few feet into the air like a sack of potatoes, and back onto the hard gravel road.  I felt like all the air in my lungs had just been squeezed out when I hit the ground, which caused a kind of natural reflex to kick in, making me unnecessarily choke for air.  My hoofs went for my throat as I desperately tried to get air back into my system.  The adrenaline surge that came with all of this helped me get back onto a steady breathing pattern, which helped me calm down a lot.  Though, there was the highly irritating ringing noise in my ears, and I couldn't stop blinking because of some of the dirt that got into my eyes from the explosion.

I lay on the ground for a bit, trying to process what just happened.  Only a moment later did I decide to get up off my side and try to investigate the scene in front of me.  I uneasily got onto my hooves, and started to rub my eyes with my right fore hoof.  Eventually I was able to see much more clearly, but what I saw in front of me sent the nastiest chill down my entire back, which made me wish I hadn't rubbed my eyes at all.  The ponies that were in front of me had been utterly mauled by the explosion, and there was an excessive amount of gore lying around, but that wasn't the only reason it was horrifying.

Emerald Dream... was one of the ponies in front of me, and the explosion had... torn her into two bloody and mangled pieces.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it, and I didn't want to.  My gut felt like it weighed three tons, which made me feel like I was gonna throw up the hay rations I had for diner.

Then, as if the scene wasn't terrible enough, she began to shift around, and managed to turn her head towards me.  She stared directly at me with the look of utter shock in her eyes, making my entire body feel like it was being shocked and frozen by the most evil being you could think of.  The feelings of shock, surprise, and utter horror, lasted for what felt like forever; and all I could really do was stay silent and let my emotions do their thing.

Suddenly, it was as if the life had been torn straight out of her, and left only a broken corpse.  She lay motionless as blood continued to drain out of her abdomen, and I was unable to look away, too enthralled in the thrilling sights.  I started to take rapid and heavy breaths as I tried to find some kind of way to comprehend everything unfolding before me.  I slowly began to curl into a fetal position on the ground, and tried to let my tears take my emotions away, filled with hate, sadness, grief, shock, horror, and shame.

I could hear somepony calling out my name, but I couldn't care about them right now.

"SCOOTALOO!  GET MOVING!" Onyx yelled in my face, shaking my entire body in an effort to knock me out of my stupor.

I was scared to death as I began to frantically look around for no particular reason, other than just trying to find out where I was.  I realized sooner or later that the adrenaline was causing me to shake like an earthquake.

"Come on, Scootaloo!  Get moving, now!"

"But... what about Emerald...?" I asked wearily.

"She's dead!  We can't do anything for her!" Onyx replied, grabbing my right fore leg and dragging me away from the display of gore.

"N-no!  Don't leave her!" I asked in a desperate tone, my eyes beginning to burn as tears formed in them. "She... She can't be dead!"

"Scootaloo... I'm sorry... there's nothin' we can do..." Babs said, trying to comfort me while Onyx continued to drag me.

Then all of the sudden, I lost almost all feeling in all of my legs, with the pins and needles feeling that followed shortly after.  I had fallen onto the ground like a lifeless puppet, and I was terrified.  Onyx immediately noticed the added weight, and turned around to check if I had been killed.  Though, when Onyx saw me in pristine condition, his face told me he wasn't happy at all.

"Corporal... help her up... I can't constantly take care of her... not now."  He said to Babs, who only nodded in response.

"Scootaloo, come on!  Don't give up just yet!  We need you here!" Babs pleaded, trying to get me to stand up. "Please!"

"I can't stand up... my legs... What's happening?!" I asked, scared out of my wits.

"W-what?!" Babs asked, becoming extremely concerned. "Are you sayin' your legs ain't workin'?!"

"Please help me!  I'm scared!" I cried.

"I... I don't know what to do..." Babs said, starting to panic.  "I... Uh..."

I tried to focus on something else while I waited for her to figure something out, so I looked towards the motor pool that was on the side of the road we were on, but I saw that almost all of the tanks had already gone out to fight.  Then I turned my attention towards the refugee camp... which sent another chill through my body, making me I wish I hadn't seen it.

Some of the human artillery had hit the camp, and all I saw was dust and debris floating aimlessly in the air.

"Oh... Sweet Celestia..." I stammered, unable to comprehend the sight before me. "Babs... the refugees... oh, Celestia have mercy..."

"Scootaloo... Scootaloo, listen to me!" Babs said. "I need you to climb onto my back... Wait, no..."

"W...What?  Climb onto your..."

"Okay, when I put you on my back, just try to hold on for dear life!" Babs interrupted, pulling me onto her back.

I tried to get myself into a much more comfortable position, but the strange and terrifying inability for me to use my legs prevented me from doing so.

"You good, Scoots?" She asked, but only revived a small whimper from me.  "Uh... we need to catch up with the rest of the platoon!  Hang on!"

As soon as she said that, she ran as fast as she could to get us both back to the squad.  I tried to hold on with every fiber of my body, even using my wings to grip around Babs's torso.  I looked above us, and saw that the evening sky had been filled with human aircraft, which had even blocked out the sun at one point.  Then, several planes began racing towards Fillydelphia, bombs and rockets strapped to the wings.

"Corporal!  Hurry it up!  We can't wait on you two any longer!" Onyx yelled to us once we got close enough.

When Babs got us close to the rest of the squad, she set me down near a pile of rubble, and trotted over to talk with the rest of the squad.  Onyx had finished talking to the other Squad leaders, and walked over to the rest of the squad.

"Okay, everypony on me!" Onyx yelled, gesturing everypony but me over. "Okay, uh... listen, I know we just lost Corporal Emerald Dream... she was a great pony and a great friend... but we have little time to mourn for her.  We have to focus on the now, otherwise we are all going to die like Emerald.  I'm trying everything that I can possibly do, but I can't do it all by myself, alright?"

At that moment, I noticed Ivory was crying hysterically, with Babs trying to comfort her.  I felt ashamed of myself for being upset.  I knew I should have been stronger than this, but I wasn't, and now everypony hated me for it.

I know they hate me for it.

"Another thing, those refugees back at the camp absolutely need all the help they can get, and while it may not be our current mission, I feel like it's the right thing to do.  You ponies understand?"  Onyx asked, receiving several nods. "Scootaloo... if you can walk, please get up and help us.  That's all I'm asking of you."

"I'll... I'll try..." I replied, trying with all of my strength to get up on at least one hoof. "C'mon!"

It was in vein, however, as none of my legs would respond, which angered me greatly.

"Fine... we'll be over there." Onyx sighed, walking towards the refugees. "Come on, we gotta hurry!"

"No... please, I can walk!" I pleaded, starting to sob. "Please don't leave me!"

I lay there helpless on the ground for what felt like days, feeling guilty and ashamed of myself for not being able to do anything right.  I wasn't able to walk, I wasn't there for everypony, and I wasn't able to save Apple Bloom or Emerald Dream.

"Scootaloo?  Hey, you okay?"

I looked up and saw the one pony I would have never guessed to come check on me; Swift Hoof.

"Wha... what?"  I stammered, failing to hold back tears of shame.

"Uh, Onyx sent me to keep an eye on you, but I don't know why he sent me instead of somepony else."  Swift said, probably scanning me for injuries. "You think you could tell me why your legs "don't work"?"

"I don't... they just stopped..." I said in a unconfident tone, shivering at the slightest thought of my paralysis.

"Like... they just gave up?  That doesn't make any sense."  Swift said. "You aren't even injured from what I can see... er, terribly injured, I should say."

"What do you mean?" I asked, getting even more scared.

"You have shrapnel all along your front side.  You're lucky a small piece didn't penetrate your jugular arteries."  Swift said, trying to reassure me. "Can you feel any of it, because it hurts to just look at it all."

"Nothing really hurts... it's just... I don't know..." I said, beginning to cry over my uncertain fate.

Swift was silent for a few moments before he spoke up.

"Emerald?" Swift said, as if something inside of him clicked.  "It's all about her, isn't it?"

"Huh?" I said in a severely confused tone.

"I'm just guessing here... but I think you just need to understand one thing..." Swift said, taking in a good-sized breath. "Ponies are going to die, whether you like it or not.  I know it's really tough to lose somepony you care for, but if you can't keep it together afterwards, you are going to end up like the same pony you care for... which is Emerald in this case."

"You think I don't know that...?" I asked, getting emotionally hurt by his words. "I... I can't forget their faces... they always... look at me before they die...  as if my stare alone triggers their death..."

"Hey, don't say that.  They didn't die because of you, it was either their own mistake, or something they couldn't control."  Swift said somberly, putting his hoof on my shoulder. "Me?  It can be my fault, because I have to save lives.  If I screw up during a procedure, then the pony I'm attempting to heal could die in a few quick seconds... I still think about the ponies I couldn't save..."

I realized that Swift has never been this nice and open to me ever, and it caused something... something I can't really describe...

"Scootaloo... You are a good pony, and a great, caring friend.  The fact that you worry about everypony in our squad, and mourn for them if they get hurt shows me that you have empathy like I've never really seen before..."  Swift said, looking me directly in the eyes. "I'm glad to have somepony like you in our squad, even if you don't think so."

I suddenly forgot about the war happening around us, and I felt... different.  I had no real way of describing what had happened, other than just saying I changed, or I felt like I did.

"So... are you my counselor, now?" I asked, chuckling a bit.

"Eh... You could say I learned a thing or two from Emerald,"  Swift replied, giving me a slight smile "You know, being a counselor herself and whatnot."

I noticed several flashes in my peripheral vision, and turned to see the massive battle raging on outside of Fillydelphia.  Several of our newest Mk 2 tanks were engaging the human "T-4a1" medium tanks, and were destroying the human vehicles easily.  Many human tanks rushed in and attempted to kill the Mk 2 tanks, but to no avail.

For the briefest moment... I respected my enemy's bravery...

Then I lost it after I remembered what they had done to my friends, and my comrades in arms.  There's no way I will feel that kind of respect for them ever again, even if my life depended on it.

"They just keeping coming..." Swift stated, having already noticed what I was staring at. "It's like nothing I've ever seen before... wait, what is that... tank?"

I tried to find what he was looking at, but I failed to notice any awkward tanks that were coming right at us... until I saw the rear of the current wave.

"What... are those tanks?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.

"I... I don't even know..." Swift stammered, unsure if he should be afraid or not.  "We gotta warn Onyx... they're probably in the middle of the refugee camp..."

"I still can't move... Why won't my legs work?!" I asked rhetorically.  "Please Swift... don't leave me here..."

"I never leave a pony behind." Swift said as he grabbed my uniform with his mouth and dragged me towards the others.

I looked back at the battle, and managed to look up I time to see one of those new tanks get hit by a Mk 2 beam... but I was utterly shocked to see the human vehicle still charging the Mk 2 like an angry bull, except for the fact that said bull was invincible.  The tank fired one shot at the Mk 2, which seemed to have phased through the shield, and penetrated the light armor of the magic tank.

"Oh shit... did... did you see that?!" I yelled in astonishment. "Those tanks... they just wiped out a Mk 2 with one shot!  And..."

"What?!  You'r shihhin me!  Dat's impohible!"  Swift exclaimed while dragging me with his mouth.

"It can't be true..." I said.  "They can't be beating us at everything... can they?"

Swift set me down before responding with "...I'm afraid the war is already lost... I think we're just fighting in the hopes that we can pull through in this conflict..."

"No... not this soon..." I cried, trying to maintain a decent composure while my eyes began burning again.

Swift picked me up and continued to drag me towards the refugee camp, which in no way was comfortable.  When we arrived, I saw the Mk 2s already pulling back into the city with only a few tanks left.  Several ponies that were on the defensive line ran past us in the hopes of defending the middle of the city, but I knew it was all a vein attempt to prevent the inevitable.

BOOM!

"Ah, shit!  I don't know where they are!"  Swift yelled, having let go of me before speaking. "Scootaloo, tell me if you see them!"

"I'll try!" I yelled back, looking through the crowds of retreating ponies.

Then, bullets began ripping through the ERA infantry all around me, as the human tanks began firing at them with their machine guns.  Ponies limbs were being torn off as the large caliber round tore right through them, while others were decapitated from the neck up.  The sight made me want to look away, but I couldn't stop watching the massacre happening all around me, as I just couldn't do anything else.

"Scootaloo!  Stay with me!" Swift yelled over the ensuing carnage, noticing that I was spacing out again. "I need you here!"

I looked at him for a brief moment before turning around to see a human tank rolling right at me me once again.

"Shit!  Shit!  Shiiiit!!" I exclaimed, getting up and unintentionally leaving Swift behind.

I ran for the refugee camp and hid in one of the tents and waited until the adrenaline surge ended, but Swift found me before that happened.

"Scootaloo... how... how did you...?  I thought your... Uhhh..." Swift said, nearly out of breath. "I thought your legs... weren't... uhhhh... working..."

When he said this, a sudden chill of excitement ran down my spine, as I looked to my legs and began to move them around with great success.  I stopped shaking and began to suddenly laugh, and I didn't really know why.

"You doing okay there Scootaloo?" Swift asked, having caught his breath. "Don't go nuts on me, will ya?"

"Heh... Don't worry, I'm fine.  I guess I'm just... grateful to walk again... even if it took a tank to fix it."  I said, trying to hold my composure for the time being.

"Well... come on then.  I still can't find-"

"Swift!  Scootaloo!  There you are!"

I looked at the pony who was standing in the doorway of the tent, and I recognized her as Babs.

"Y'all need to come quick!"  Babs said before stopping halfway through. "I almost forgot about you, Scootaloo.  I can carry her if you need me to, Swift."

"No, she's fine now." Swift said. "Though, it took a tank to do it."

"Well I- wait, what?!" Babs exclaimed in a confused voice. "You mean she's fine?!"

"Yeah, she's fine.  Let's go, come on!" Swift said, running out of the tent, with me in tow.

We didn't run very far until we stopped at a house, which had been remarkably unscathed by the attack.  All three of us walked in through the door and waited until Onyx met us in the living room.

"Oh, thank Celestia we found you, Swift.  Listen, Ivory's been hit bad by shrapnel, and we've only been able to slow the bleeding for now, and the rag is starting to lose its effectiveness." Onyx said hurriedly. "My guess is that she's only got a few minutes left.  Come on, she's just upstairs!"

A knife went through my heart and gut when I heard Ivory's name, and all I could do was hope for the best.  Onyx and Swift headed for the stair case in the corner of the living room without saying another word, while I followed closely behind them so I could see where Ivory was... and help out with anything if they needed me too.  When I followed the two stallions upstairs, they went in through a door and into another room, which I assumed was Ivory's room.

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"Oh, Ivory..." Swift said somberly after seeing a bloodied Ivory laying down on a crimson-stained bed. "This isn't one of your usual injuries, is it...?"

Ivory, however, could barely speak "N-no... it's not..."  She smiled, trying to enjoy Swift's humor for the time being. "Hey... if... if I die..."

"Don't say that, Ivory...  You're gonna be fine as long as I'm here, alright?" Swift said in a reassuring tone. "You're gonna be just fine..."

"I hope... you're right..." Ivory choked, reaching out a single hoof towards Swift. "Just... don't make it hurt too much... Okay?"

"I promise it'll be quick and relatively painless..." Swift said, holding Ivory's hoof in an attempt to make her comfortable.  "You just gotta promise not to fall asleep, okay?"

"Okay..." Ivory said, starting to cry.

Swift went to work immediately, not stopping for a break, nor did he ever get distracted, even as the battle closed in on us.  Swift did a lot of procedures that I could never dream of one day practicing myself.  He pulled bits of rock and shrapnel out of her chest and patched it in an attempt to prevent intense bleeding from her chest cavity.

"AAAHHHHH!!  STOP!  STOP!!" Ivory screeched when Swift messed up on something. "Please... you said it would be nearly painless..."

"I... I'm sorry.  I'll try to be more careful, it's... it's just scary..." Swift said before continuing.  He worked for a few more minutes before he drooped his head low, then got up and trotted slowly towards me. "Hey, Scootaloo, come over here..."

Oh no...

"...yes?"  I asked, terrified of what was next.

"I'm sorry I'm gonna put you through this... we... damn, we just didn't get here in time..."  Swift whispered, having walked over to me. "I'm sorry... Ivory is going to die...  there's just nothing I can do..."

Another cold chill ran down my spine, as I just couldn't believe the words coming out of Swift's mouth.

"Uhh..." I muttered, unable to form words.

"I'm sorry you have to do this..." Swift said, his eyes getting a little watery. "But it's the only way... You... you were her closest friend..."

I was?  Why... why hasn't she ever told me that?

I hesitated severely, but my legs appeared to have a mind of their own, and I began to walk over to Ivory to deliver the tragic news.

"Sc... Scootaloo?  Is tha... that you?" Ivory asked in a weary and scratchy voice.  "I'm... I'm sorry about everything..."

"Don't be sorry... it wasn't your fault..." I responded, trying to hold back the burning tears. "I'm... I'm sorry to say this... but we didn't make it in time..."

"Huh... what... what are you saying...?" Ivory asked, looking me in the eyes. "It's not bad... is it...?"

"You're about to die..." I said with regret. "There's nothing Swift can do... it's just... we're too late..."

I slowly sat down by the bed and embraced Ivory, who wasn't expecting me to do that.  I didn't mind that I was getting her blood all over me, I just wanted to hold her.

"I'm so... so... sorry..." I said, letting all of my emotions spill onto Ivory. "Ivory... you're one of my best friends... I will never forget you... ever..."

"Scootaloo... Oh... Damn... I'm gonna... miss all of you..." Ivory said while holding me in her embrace and crying on my shoulder. "No... I... don't want to die... please... just one more minute... I'd do anything..."

I held her tighter while I sobbed on her shoulder, never wanting to let go... ever...

"Mom... where's my mom...?  I want her... I want my mom... please... somepony..." Ivory pleaded, having a coughing fit afterwards. "I don't wanna die... please... Celestia... I... don't... want... this..."

Ivory held me as tight as she could, then... with one last breath, she let go of me and looked skyward...

I couldn't let her go...

"No... please, Celestia no..." I sobbed, holding onto Ivory's body tightly while crying hysterically on the bloodied unicorn.  "Not like this... please... not now... not her..."

"Scootaloo... I'm sorry..." Swift said. "She's gone..."

I wanted to find whoever was responsible for Ivory's death, and I wanted to make them suffer endless agony in the pits of Tartarus.

"Everypony... We have a problem." Onyx said, rushing into the room. "I want... oh no..."

Onyx was silent, having probably seen me holding Ivory's corpse in my embrace.  I didn't move for the longest time, I was just sitting there, holding Ivory's dead body while I looked at the wall to my right.  I just... could not comprehend it at all.

"I'm sorry..." Onyx said, just standing there in the doorway.  "I truly am."

"Are you?" Swift asked in an uneasy tone. "I mean, you were the one who pretty much killed her, if you think about it."

"What?" Onyx said, having never seen Swift act like this. "Swift, this isn't the best time..."

"You didn't have somepony else keep an eye on Scootaloo!  I could've been there to save Ivory, but I couldn't!  It's your fault!" Swift yelled, getting visibly angry.

"How was I supposed to know that Scootaloo was alright?  She couldn't walk, so I had you, the medic, check up on her!  I can't see the bucking future!" Onyx yelled, trying to hold his ground. "And besides, if Scootaloo hadn't had a mental break down, we wouldn't be here in this damn mess!"

I stood up from where I was and faced Onyx, giving him the best "you son of a bitch" face I could think of.  I couldn't believe that Onyx was that insensitive.

"I... I didn't mean it like that, Scootaloo..." Onyx said, trying to repair the damage he had unwillingly dealt. "I-"

"Get the Buck down!" Yellow Rock yelled, standing by the window. "There are humans everywhe-" ZIP!

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Yellow's head jerked violently to the side as his body slammed into the floor, forming a pool of blood underneath his head.  I stood there utterly shocked at what just happened, then I heard several more cracks coming from all around us.  I dove for cover, as several bullets ripped through the flimsy wall that protected us from the outside world, with only one bullet hitting Swift in the leg.

"Agh!  Shit, I'm hit!" Swift yelped, curling into a ball on the floor and started rocking back and forth. "Urgh... Buck!  It hurts!"

I went for my rifle, which I was surprised and relived to find it was still slung on my back, and I tried to get to the nearest window to shoot from.  I got up to the window and saw countless human soldiers standing outside of the house we were in.

"BABS!  WHERE ARE YOU?!" I yelled, trying to get everpony I know accounted for.

"I'm right here!" Babs replied from behind me.  "I'm with you!"

"Okay... uh, Astral?!  Onyx?!" I yelled, trying to figure out who else was left. "Where are you?!"

"I'm right here, Scootaloo!  Swift's behind me!  He's been hit!" Onyx yelled back. "I'm gonna check on Astral!  He's downstairs!"

"Okay!" I responded, turning to look out the window again, but what I saw froze me dead in my tracks, as the feeling of utter horror loomed over my body.

"BABS!  THERE'S A HUMAN TANK AIMED RIGHT AT US!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

Babs looked over at one of the windows and saw the human tank I was looking at.  I saw Swift perk up from his fetal position and look at my window as well.

"What?! Did you say a tank-" BOOOM!

The window to the very right of me blew up in a spectacular explosion of bright light, causing my vision to go completely white.

Then... everything went black... and I couldn't feel anything.

To be continued...

Cancel notice

Dear fellow readers,

            It is with regret that I have to inform everyone that progress on the story BLITZ has been cancelled.  In the words of the Supreme Commandant himself, he "cancelled the story because I felt it was not written as well in the beginning , which would be too much of a hassle to fix, and it wasn't thoroughly thought through at first.  The only reason, which is a dumb reason, I decided to write in the one of many unexplored subjects of mine; Infantry warfare, was because I had played a video game called Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway many months before I wrote chapter one.  You can tell I did this by just looking at the game's protagonist's name, which is Staff Sergeant Matthew Baker, and then comparing him to my character, who is also Mathew, except with one T.  I hadn't done any research before to help me better understand infantry tactics, which is one reason this story flopped in my opinion.  Another reason is the characters, and how nearly unrelateable they were.  I am glad that I was able to get a story written that everyone seemed to enjoy, and I am grateful for all of your support for this story, even if it isn't that much to you.  I am going to write a much more thought out, and hopefully a more well written story than this one, I can promise that much.  Mathew may or may not show up in this one, but this story will definitely explain a lot of background years before and after the Equestrian Campaign, because it will be told by the Big guy himself, in the form of an autobiography.

            Now, if none of this made sense to you, the long and short of it all is I'm Canceling BLITZ, and making another story that's set in the same universe, which will hopefully be a lot more thought out and well written."

            In conclusion, BLITZ will no longer continue to update, except for the unlikely chance that the Commandant will write a summary of what happens after Chapter Sixteen, which he knows some of you will want.  On behalf of the Commandant, I apologize for this unfortunate turn of events.

Sincerely,

            High Commandant Donald Heartland

But seriously, I really hate to do this to you all, because I really wanted this story to end up differently, rather than being cancelled, and I know I promised you guys that I wouldn't do this.  I also know that I could have fixed it up, but writing the story from a different perspective just seems right to me.  The good thing about this is that I'm getting a fresh start on an idea I've had in my head for almost two years now, and since I'm learning from the mistakes on this story, I'll be able to write this new one a little better.  While an editor would be really beneficial to the story, it just seems I can't get anyone to help me out, and I feel so isolated that I can't ask anyone in my local area for help either.  I appreciate everyone who followed my story, or even just liked it, because I really took every rating to heart.  I want to continue writing this universe I've made, and I want to do it for all of you guys.

Thank you all very much for supporting and helping me along the way.  I really do appreciate you all.

Thank you, and I'll hopefully see you all when "Course of Action" comes out!

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PS:  The events that happen in chapters nine through eleven are highly important for the entire storyline of the BLITZ universe.  Just saying.

New story is out!

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.