Let Freedom Ringby Heat SignatureChaptersAmbush and MeetingsAlliences and Letters.Last Back-flashHer Majesty, the Bug QueenAmbush and Meetings{Nobody's POV} Driving along a cleared route in Pakistan is a small convoy of a M1025 Humvee and a M35 2½ ton cargo truck. There are only 10 Marines to travel in the two vehicles and protect it's content of captured weapons and ammo, but these roads have been cleared and are patrolled constantly so there is really no need for any of them other then the drivers. The Humvee is occupied by the driver Capt. Dennis Maore, 50 cal. gunner Sgt. Emily Jennings, left front seat gunman LCpL. Devin Ebert, back seat left gunman PFC. Nick Norten, Right back seat gunman PFC. Bree Corbin, and center backseat is Pvt. Michael Cormick. The Truck is driven by Sgt. Brittney "Britt" Ozzemin, passenger is 1stLt. Marcelino "Viper" Luciano, and in the back with the cargo is Pvt. George Alvarez and PFC. Christian Alvarado. That was the only information shared between these 10 soldiers as this was their first mission together an none thought it was need to start sharing personal information. For the last two hours of their drive, not a single one had tried sparking a conversation. With the tension getting thicker, the Captain decided to get the ball rolling on conversation, being that they had another five hours of driving ahead of them "So where is it that you call home? I'm born and raised in Austin Texas," Said the Captain, with a bit of pride toward his place of origin. "The most conservative state of them all I see. I'm Michigan, Crystall Falls," Said Sgt. Jennings, hoping that that would be the only question so she can continue watching the area. "San Diego California," Said LCpL. Ebert. "Seattle Washington," Said PFC.Norten. "New York City," Said Pvt. Cormick. "Same," Said PFC. Corbin, fist-bumping Pvt. Cormick. "Got any Family? Kids? Husband? Wife? I'm single, but I'm curious about the rest of you," Said the Captain as his men started to open up to him. There was a long flow of "No" from the men in the Humvee, all but one. "I actually got a girl back home who I'm going to marry when I get back," said LCpL. Ebert with a smile. "I actual asked her before I was shipped out here. We were walking along the beach, the sun was setting, and we sat down to look at the ocean. I turned to her and said 'I promise to come home, but when I do, will you stay with me?', and that when I pulled out the ring." A few seconds of Silence went by until Pvt. Cormick hollered"GAAAAAYYY!", causing the Humvee to erupt with laughter, all but LCpL. Ebert, who only narrowed his eyes to Cormick and grunted at his actions. The laughter died down as all the Marines focused their hearing on a distant whistle. "Mortars!" The ground shook as an explosion went off near the Humvee, throwing up dirt into the air. The explosion forced the vehicles to move out of the way as the soldiers inside grabbed their weapons and ducked from the windows. The truck flipped over when a mortar went off infront of the the larger vehicle, ejecting the two soldiers from the back of the truck. The vehicles came to a stop and the men burst out the doors to take defensive positions from the Lidish soldiers advancing from their right flank. Cpt. Maore would have advised someone to go out and drag Pvt. George Alvarez and PFC. Christian Alvarado to cover, but both men were already dead. Worrying about the situation at hand, Cpt. Maore quickly got his head straight and started to bark out orders to the remaining men. The men took cover on the left side of the Humvee and the now flipped truck. Sgt. Ozzemin was the next soldier to go, taking a bullet to the head by a Lidish sniper, who was soon after killed by 1stLt. Luciano. The next soldier to be killed was Sgt. Jennings, who was at the time working the 50 cal. mounted on the Humvee. The 50 cal., being their only advantage, was vital to their survival. It was crucial that someone operates the gun, the only man left that was willing to take it was 1stLt. Luciano. Climbing in to the Humvee from the left side door, he immediately removed Sgt. Jennings's body from the canopy, and proceeded to fire the gun at on coming enemies. With the 50 cal. still in use, they were able to hold back the advancing troops, until another mortar was fired. before anyone could react, the Humvee was hit. The explosion took the lives of PFC. Norten and PFC. Corbin, who were giving cover fire for 1stLt. Luciano, who was also killed in the blast. With only two men left, Maore knew they would not survive. He had one last plan. He ordered LCpL. Ebert and Pvt. Cormick to through throw all grenades in the direction of the advancing troops. Knowing it wouldn't stop many, it was the only thing they could do. If they tried to aim their rifle around the sides of the truck, they would either have to duck for cover from a barrage of gun fire, or be taken out by a sniper. When their Grenades ran out, and the ammo having been used up in the firefight, the only thing they could do now was wait for the men to come around for them and fight hand-to-hand, or wait to die. The three men agreed to not go down without fighting like hell first. When the first few men came around the side of the truck, LCpC. Ebert Swung at the first one, grabbed his weapon, and spun him around to be used as a human shield while he emptied the man's AK into the bodies of his allies that accompanied him. The same situation occurred on the other end of the truck with Pvt. Cormick, but he took a bullet in the leg before it was over. They waited for more troops to come around the truck, but were instead meet with an enemy grenade thrown over the truck landing at their feet. The blast, killed Pvt. Cormick and severely wounded Cpt. Maore. The blast only stunned LCpC. Ebert, but when he regained his composure, he was greeted by three armed Lidish solders, who opened fire on him when he tried lifting his rifle. Watching his soldier fall dead was not the last thing he was going to see. No, the last thing he saw was an enemy officer waltz around the side of the truck and stop in front of the bleeding out Captain. His shaved head, dark aviators, and black leather coat. He knew this man, but could not put a name on him. In that moment it didn't matter anyway, whoever he was, he had won. The officer withdrew his pistol and aimed it at the head of the Marine. The Captain closed his eyes, and breathed through his nose and out his mouth a few times waiting for death to take him. Only to have his ears shredded by a loud, unearthly shriek and a blast of white everywhere. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but black void surrounding him. He felt as if he was floating in the void, gravity not existing in this dark world he found himself trapped in. His gear was gone and he felt weightless. Though no light was present, his body was illuminated. He turned his head about, hoping something would happen. A flicker of light, a glimpse of something moving. Though he could see nothing, he got a strange feeling that he was not alone in the void. "Your time is not yet over, my child... You still have much to do... A voice brook the silence that had surrounded Maore, but it did not stem from one location in particular, the voice seem to be coming from everywhere at once, and an echo following made it more difficult to determine a source. It was not clear the gender or age of the speaker, as it appeared to be a mix of Young and old, male and female. Though it was oddly soothing... "What are You talking about? Who are you? Where am I? Where are my Men?!" "When you enter this world... Do not show fear... Show your courage as a soldier... I will see you again Captain... 1 day later {Ink Quills POV} It's no use, they've caught us. After three straight hours of running, The Lost Colt Retrievers are nearly on us. Heat Signature and I started our escape early this morning at about 4am, and the alarms started going off about two hours later. I can't go back though, for 4 straight years of that life, I can't return to it. Heat Grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me to face him. "You need to calm down, I have a plan. You keep running South, I'll try and lead them East." He said, with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "You'll never make it. They'll catch you. Maybe even kill you!" I said, hoping he wouldn't leave me to run by myself. "Don't worry, they'll never catch me. I'll meet you at the border of the Badlands by Sundown." With that said, he got up and ran through the brush, rustling the leaves to ensure they heard him. I got up too and kept running in the direction we were headed, The Badlands. Four years ago, after the "Preservation Act" was established by the newest Alicorn-Princess, Twilight Sparkle, the Changeling Queen issued a proclamation stating "All Colts and Stallions within our lands, are granted freedom and citizenship, which makes them exempt from Equestrian laws". However, the Equestrian response was to strength military along boarder towns. This made crossing the boarder very difficult, with escape being near impossible. Every slave was listed and accounted for everyday at 6am and 6pm. If any slaves were missing, then the town of which they escaped from goes under 'Lock Down' and the guards patrol each town between there and the boarder much more frequently, until the escapee/s is found. Many have tried, but none have made it close to their destination. If you were escaping from Appleloosa, then you had a chance if you make it to the Macintosh Mountains, which boarder the badlands, but if your from Dodge City like us, then you have a clear shot straight to the entrance of the Badlands. It was prohibited to station guards along the boarder, as the Changeling Queen said it would be taken as an act of hostility. Yet, guard outposts are still up between Appleloosa and the Mountains, as well as between us and the Boarder. "There he is! Over there! HorseApples! They must have heard me running. But I can't stop now. Heat told me to meet him at the Boarder, and by Celestia I will. Just keep running... Don't look back... Don't even worry about the cliff wall straight ahead...Wait What!!! Since when was there a cliff wall here? There shouldn't be any high ground between Dodge City and the Badlands, not until the boarder anyway. Wait a second... Did the wall just move? I picked up a rock, through it at the wall...and it phased right through! Its a illusion, but their is only one member of The Lost Colt Retrievers that can do illusion spells... Princess Twilight Sparkle... As if on cue, she dropped the shield and stepped toward me. I then turned to see that I was surrounded by some of the other members of The Lost Colt Retrievers, Fluttershy and Rarity, along with four female guards. That means that Heat was chased down by the rest; Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. "Ok, you had your fun, now its time to go back home." The Princess tried saying as if she didn't know what happens to us in slavery. "Your owner is probably worried sick, Hoping your not hurt." said Fluttershy, who actually might not know what happens in the slave world. As she has no slaves and doesn't talk to anyone about the subject. "Agreed Darling, you must return home. You might damage your wonderful attire in these woods." said Rarity, worried about the well being of the clothe I'm wearing, since most slaves' clothe are made by her boutiques across the land. Making clothes for Stallions and Colts turned her one shop business into a chain across Equestria. She wasn't the only one to have profited from this Law. "N-no way! I ain't Goin back!" I said picking up a rock, and holding it ready to throw at whoever tries steping closer. "Oh come on, do you really think that will hit somepony before we catch it?" Mocked a guard, elbowing the guard next to her, who then chuckled. Twilight turned to them and frowned. This quieted both guards. She then turned back to me and took a step forward. She was calling my bluff. "There isn't anyway out of this. As we speak, my friends are chasing that other stallion and will be here shortly with him." She was right. A few short seconds later, the remainder of the Retrievers came through the bushes to my right. First was the four guards that I guess split off to join them. Then came the cheerful, bouncy, notorious Pinkie Pie, who was waving a multi-colored flag with "Victory!" on it. Finally, was Applejack and Rainbow Dash, dragging a bruised and bloody Heat Signature. "Rainbow! AJ! What is the meaning of this?!" Yelled the Princess, obviously not to happy to see what they did to Heat. Rainbow was the first to speak "He wouldn't stop running, so we cut him off, and when we were in front of him, he started swinging his fist at us. We were only defending ourselves." "Is that true AJ?" the Princess said, cocking an eye brow at the farm mare. "Uhh...Sumtin like that..." she said while sweeting. Obviously she was lying. I dropped the rock and my arms fell to my side. I closed my eyes and fought back tears, not wanting to cry in front of them. So close...we were so close to freedom. Click-click "Drop your weapons and back away." That voice, is that a Stallion? Its obviously male. Opening my eyes, I see a creature standing half way between the Princess and myself. It seems to have Pony-like features, but looks more like a furless Ape. It was also holding two black objects in its hands, one was pointed in the Princess's direction, as the other was changing between Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's. Looking around I spotted 6 more of the creatures, all seemed relatively the same, but they all held much larger black objects, pointing them at the guard like some sort of weapons. After receiving a nod from the Princess, Applejack and Rainbow Dash let go of Heat's arms, causing him to fall to the ground, and they backed away. Immediately after, two of the Ape-like creatures rushed over to him and lifted him up off the ground, hoisted him up on the larger ones back, and moved back behind the ones still watching the guards. The creature standing in front of me backed away from the Princess and up next to me. It turned and nodded to the one carrying Heat on it's back, who then carried him off into the woods with two others fallowing. It then motioned for me to move back toward the spot they ran off in. The remainder of its group backed away into the woods keeping their weapons pointed at the guards. It then placed a hand on my shoulder and started leading me in the same direction It's group left in. "hold on a second. What do you think you are doing?" the Princess said stepping closer to the creature. "What are you?" The ape-thing then turned around and stared directly at her. It said only three words... "We are Marines." Author's Note I've been on here about a year now, I think its time I give back to the Community. My first story. I want criticism, but not hate. If you don't like it, then don't read it, but help me become a better writer. Please help me see the flaws of my work. This chapter went through very little change in the last few paragraphs, nothing big, but keep an eye open for errors so I may fix them. (1/7/16) I tweaked the story a little, some re-wording, changing of lines, nothing major. (3/29/16) I cleaned up the battle scene a little. A comment made by someone got me thinking that some dislikes could have been due to political stances toward the group I originally had ambush the convoy. So I renamed them and have now thought up a way the nameless enemy man could be a major character later on. I also decided that this story will have no editor or prof reader. I want this story to be something I look back on and get better as I go. If anyone picks up on something that they want changed or edited, comment and I will try to fix it. Here is the map I used to help you better visualize the situation the two Stallions where in... Alliences and Letters.Previously... "Hold on a second. What do you think you are doing?" the princess said stepping closer to the creature. "What are you?" It then turned around and stared directly at her. It said only three words... "We are Marines." One day prior... In the Everfree Forrest... {Cpt. Maore's POV} Waking up on the ground isn't that uncommon in this line of work. Waking up in the middle of a forest? That isn't something that normally happens when you're based out in Pakistan. Sitting up, I'm slowly regaining my vision with the Sun over head, shinning its blinding light in my face. looking to my left, I paused, rapping my mind around what was in front of me. My Team. All of them were sleeping. Not one drop of blood on their uniform. Not a single scratch on them that I could see. However none of us had our gear on or weapons in reach. Turning to my to the left, I see the truck and Humvee parked side-by-side at the base of a tall tree. Our gear was placed against the side of the vehicles neatly, with our weapons and ammo resting on top. I got up and went over to secure my weapons incase this was a trap of sorts. Not having any idea where I am, is a problem. Not knowing who could be out there, Bigger problem. Holstering my Glock M9, shouldering my FN Scar, but leaving my gear safe by the truck with my M1014 shotgun; I was prepared to get a patrol formed and to scout out the area for hostiles. A shot in the air would be a quick and effective way of getting them all on their feet, but the noise might attract unwanted attention. Cold water could work, but would take to much time finding a water source, carrying it, and dumping it on each soldier. I guess I don't need them all at the moment, I only need the team's sniper Sgt. Jennings, and the teams navigator 1stLt. Luciano. I can wake them up, have them get their primary and sidearm loaded, and then scout out the area to see if we can find out where we are. This clearing is too open for us to stay for long. Luciano was awaken by a single touch to the shoulder, causing him to reach over suddenly, gripping my throat with both hands. Realizing it was me, he let go immediately, helped me to my feet, and awkwardly apologies. "Sorry, Sir. I thought you were a Towel Head." He said, placing a hand on my back. "Its...alright...soldier," I managed between gasps. "I...Hope...You're ready...for a scouting...mission." "Of course, sir. When should I head out?" He questioned, seeming a little eager to get out into the woods around us. It doesn't seem to bother him that we aren't in a desert anymore. "You're going to be traveling with Sgt. Jennings and I after you wake her up. I'm going to go write a note and place it on the Humvee windshield." I said, hinting that it was an order and not a request. Few minutes later, the three of us meet up at the Humvee to move out. Jennings equipped with her Scoped M14A1 and Beretta M9, Luciano equipped with his M16A4 with red dot sight and Beretta M9, And myself using an FN Scar with fore grip and ACOG scope along with Glock M9. We were in fact traveling light, but with enough support to get us back to the others safe if we run into hostiles. About an hour later, we found lightly used dirt road. Not knowing which way to go, we flipped a coin; Heads left, Tails right. Toss, Flip, Catch, and...Tails. That settles it I guess. I don't really think we'll find anything either way we travel. However, something in compelling us to travel down the path to the right, because a coin told us so. Luciano Cut an 'X' into a tree so we know were to turn off the path and get back to the others. Not far down the road, we could start seeing further off into the woods, spotting a small clearing that cause us to slow to a stop, and watch in awe. A pack of wolfs made entirely of wood were growling and snarling at a creature with a snake's head, a tiger's head, and a ram's head. Their fight was interrupted by a chicken like creature that turned two of the wolves to stone with a single glance, which caused the rest to flee. We stayed on the side of the path, just staring at the open area that the events were happening in. A creature I could identify from mythology, Manticore, stalk out of the shadows casted by the treetops, stop next to the statues of wolves, and in swung its tail around to shatter the stones. Seconds later, the two wolves regenerated and backed off into the shadows. That was all I needed to see. I patted the two Marines with me on the shoulders and started a light jog down the path, with the guns safeties off. We stopped to take a quick break. Jennings was the first to speak up. "Anyone like to share with me what the hell I just saw?" I didn't respond. I too was trying to make sense of what we saw. "Well, we just watched a pack of 'Timber' Wolves try to fight a Chimera, a Cockatrice comes in and turns two wolves to stone, they get smashed by a Manticore, only to regenerate and creep away. What was so hard to understand there?" Luciano said with enough sarcasm in his tone to make you want to punch him. If you were dumb enough to try and fight him that is. "You know, the kinda thing you see to get your ass thrown in a mental institute." He added. "Well, I think whatever those creepy bastards were, these woods are filled with them and worse. We need to keep moving and find a better place to set up temporary camp." I said, getting to my feet. "What about the others? What if one of those things stalks into camp and attacks?" Jennings asked. "They're US Marines. They aren't allowed to die unless ordered to." I answered with a grin. The forest finally ended a half hour later, and there were open fields for miles. Looking down along the boarder of the forest, I spied a small cottage. To the North of us, there was a large barn, with rows and rows of trees that had fresh fruit growing. Just further passed that, I spotted what looked like a town. Finally, civilization has been found. It wasn't even that far, maybe 20 minute walk if we took our time. I toke my first step...only to be stopped by Jennings who put up the "Hold" gesture. She shouldered her rifle, took aim, and seconds later lowered it. "I knew it looked too good to be true." she said bluntly, which made Luciano and I very confused. He using her rifle and I using my binoculars, saw what she was referring to. It would have been easy if there was a town of people at the end of the road to help us. Hell, I wouldn't care if they were a village of Towel Heads. But life just likes ta kick ya in the nuts sometimes. The first thing we saw was a school house at the edge of town, letting the children go home to do whatever. Only they weren't kids. Kids aren't purple or blue, with horns or wings. Looking at whatever market stands were located on the outer part of the town, we saw the same looking creatures, but in greens and yellows and reds as well, no two looking exactly the same, or having the same color tones. They looked like the children of a Human-Horse Hybrid. That was it, we turned around and hustled back to the others. We need to get our things and head as far south as we can. Heading south, the Marines stop to make camp in the middle of a new wooded area. What would the morning bring them... Now... On route to Badlands... {Nobody's POV} The ten soldiers, along with the two stallions, went to where the two vehicles were parked. Luciano shouldered his rifle and helped the teenage stallion and the other stallion to enter before the soldiers went into the armored vehicle. The Six remaining went to the truck as they started to drive away. Ink Quill and Heat Signature looked at the furless apes. "What are you?" Heat Signature asked them, now fully conscious after the beating he received not too long ago. Maore removed his helmet, and the others fallowed suit. He turned back to the two stallions and said "We are a special group of highly trained soldiers, bent on the protection, equality, and fair treatment of all. To your species we are Humans. However, to us, we're brothers and sisters in arms." The two were taken aback that a mythical creature was in front of them. Ink Quill groaned, as he remembered something that annoyed him. "Great, I owe Lyra twenty bits now." Ink Quill said as he banged his head on the door. "What do you mean, kid?" Luciano asked him. "A couple of years ago, a Unicorn named Lyra said that you guys existed, but a lot of ponies said that she was crazy. She made many bets on your existance and she's right." Heat Signature said as they saw the entrance to the Badlands. "Why are you heading towards the Badlands?" Ink Quill asked them. "We read on a poster left in the woods that the Badlands are where male slaves head to be free and we want to have enough distance between us and them." Alvarado said as he drove the Humvee to their destination. Meanwhile... In Twilight's Castle... Twilight was not in the happiest of moods and for a good reason. She and her friends were so close at capturing the two runaway stallions, when, out of nowhere, six furless apes told them to release them, in which they complied out of confusion and then ran off. She was pacing back and forth, mumbling about how she could have stopped them or why they didn't go after them. "Uh, Twilight. I think that you should calm down." Rainbow Dash said as Twilight stopped and turned to the rainbow mane Pegasus. "You're asking to me calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down when those things stopped us in the woods and robbed us!" Twilight yelled. "Well, they're probly in the Badlands by now and there ain't nothin we can do without them there Changelings declaring another war. Maybe we should get Princess Celestia ta help us." Applejack said as she lazily sat back in her crystal chair. "You're right, AJ!" Twilight said, with a new optimistic tone replacing her bitter one, "Maybe we should get Princess Celestia to help us with this situation. Spike!" Twilight yelled, as the young drake ran into the room. "Yes, Twilight? What is it?" Spike asked her. "I need you to send a letter to the Princess." Twilight said as spoke what she wanted him to write down and before he sent it to Canterlot. Twilight and the others now wait for Celestia's response. Back with the soldiers... In the Badlands... The Humvee and transport truck were able to get to the Badlands and the place looked like the deserts in the southwest states. As Alvarado and Ebert drove the two vehicles, Luciano went to the 50 cal. machine gun, just in case something goes down they don't plan on. The soldiers heard what sounded like a buzzing noise slowly getting louder. PFC. Norten looked around and saw a bunch of black dots coming towards them. "Sir, unknown contact coming at three o' clock." Norten radioed to the Captain. "Can we get away from the threat?" Maore asked. "Negative. At the rate they're moving, they'll be on us in in minutes." Norten said. "All right then. Men, get ready, we got hostiles inbound." Maore said, as the Marines readied their weapons. They then left the vehicles, Corbin ordered the two stallions to stay inside the vehicle. As the enemy surrounded the transport truck and Humvee, Luciano loading the first round into the chamber. The beings touched down and the Marines had to do a double take at what they saw. They looked like the Stallions they had in the Humvee, but had a black chitin skin instead of fur and had holes in their legs and wings and each had a horn. The Marines shoulder their rifles, until one of the creatures spoke up. "What are you doing in the great Changeling Queen Chrysalis's territory?" The creature in ebony armor, commanding the Bug Things demanded. "We're here to drop these slaves off in your land and then speak with whomever is ruler around here." Maore said, gesturing to Norten and Alvarez to get Ink Quill and Heat Signature. As they did, the Bug sent in some of its own soldiers to collect the two. It then approached the Captain. "You may follow myself to the Queen, but you must keep your forces here. Choose only two of your warriors to come with us, and leave your weapons and armor with the rest." "Uh Sir, these are creatures we know nothing about. How can we trust them? They might be leading us into a trap." Luciano said. "Look, we're in unknown land and we are going to need allies. This could be our opportunity." Maore reasoned. Eventually, Luciano agreed to go with him and Ebert. Luciano, Maore, and Ebert left their primary weapons and removed most of their gear. They then drove the Humvee, with 50 Cal. removed, and its new occupance of three marines and three Bugs. Author's Note I want to thank my Co-author, thomas29, who helped on this chapter. This is the name list in case anyone forgot, or are confused... Marines of Let Freedom Ring. Cpt. Dennis Maore Sgt. Emily Jennings LCpL. Devin Ebert PFC. Nick Norten PFC. Bree Corbin Pvt. Michael Cormick Sgt. Brittney "Britt" Ozzemin 1stLt. Marcelino "Viper" Luciano Pvt. George Alvarez PFC. Christian Alvarado Last Back-flash6 hours prior to the species meeting... On route to Dodge City... {Nobody's POV} Along the dirt path, with trees on the sides arching inward, a pair of armored, military vehicles head south to find somewhere more secure to try and get their bearings in order. The driver of the Humvee tried informing the Captain that this road look as if it was used often. What puzzled them was the tire marks in the road were thin like wagon wheels. The Captain assured the men that they would be fine and to just keep watching their flanks. This did little to ease their concerns, but as soon as they found a turn off that went further into the forest, they took it. They drove for an estimate 30 minutes before reaching a small clearing. The clearing had a path leading to it, so it would not be a safe to camp here, so they would only be taking a rest to let the engines cool. The Soldiers exited the vehicles and started scanning the tree line for movement. The perimeter was secured, and they could rest for a short time. "What time is it?" Captain Maore asked, not to anyone in particular. "0130, Sir", replied 1st Lt. Luciano, as he lifted the hood of the Truck. "Lets send a team out to try and find out where we are." advised LCpL. Ebert, making his way over to the Captain. "Great idea. And since you proposed the idea, you will lead the team. Pick two men and get out of here." The Captain said, not wanting to lead or conduct anymore scouting missions for awhile. LCpL. Ebert, along with PFC. Norten and PFC. Alvarado, set off eastward. Given orders to travel no further then 1 mile and report back as soon as possible. After they left, the remaining troops waited anxiously for them to return with any kind of news. Sgt. Jennings and Pvt. Cormick gathered all the weapons in camp to distribute the remaining ammo evenly among the men. Pvt. Alvarez and PFC. Corbin both lie sleeping beside the Humvee. Sgt. Ozzemin has climbed into the Humvee and is scanning the treeline with the 50.cal. Captain Maore and Lt. Luciano went to the back of the truck to see what exactly they were meant to transporting that would be worth their lives. The bed of the truck was filled with old Soviet crates, military storage cases, and some spare parts for the truck, such as tires, a door, lights, ect. The Soviet Crates were filled with captured weaponry, uniforms, medical supplies, ammunition, ect. The Storage cases were pad-locked. The two picked up some of the captured gear and checked to see if it was useful. The weapons were in working order and ammo box seemed to have never been open. The uniforms were well stitched and look as if they were never worn. They could be useful for warmth and fire. The lieutenant put his hand on the Captain's shoulder. "Sir, we need to move soon. This place is too weird and dangerous." "I know that. I saw the same shit you did." the Captain said with a seemingly distant tone, dropping the ammo box he was inspecting back into a crate. "But where do you expect us to go. This terrain is not supposed to be in the Middle East and creatures like the ones we saw should not exist." "Well sitting around isn't gonna help. They may not have been human what we saw, but they seemed to be civilized enough. I don't think we are in Kansas Toto, so lets try and get help from the Munchkins." "As far as I can tell you are right. We are no longer in the Middle East, hell not even on Earth anymore. If that is the case, how well do you think the locals will react to a group of armed aliens coming in on loud metal wagons?" "Well, would you rather we just sit here?! Or hide in the woods for the rest of our lives?!" "Lieutenant! You will not raise your voice when addressing the CO again. As for what we do next, we will think of something after the scouts get back." As if on cue, Norten came jogging out of the treeline into the clearing, spooking Ozzemin, who had the 50.cal on him until it registered who she was aiming at. Norten continued jogging until he reached the Captain. Norten informed the captain of how they went for about half a mile until they found a hill overlooking a small town of the horse creatures they saw the other day. The Captain and half the camp took their weapons and 3 mags each before following Norten to the location of this town. They walked up a light incline before grouping up with LCpL. Ebert's scout party. The Men took cover in the foliage, using whatever they had on them, from scopes to old Soviet binoculars, the men watched over the town. After getting a more clear look, they noticed the town was surrounded by a large fence, with barbed wire that sloped inward. The town resembled a prison, and when the men spotted what appeared to be armored figures roaming around the town with spears, they marked of the town as such. They traveled back to base about an hour later. The Marines were divided up. PFC Corbin, Sgt. Jennings, Sgt. Ozzemin stayed back to keep the engines running and the 50 maned. The rest of the Marines made there way back to the vantage point. Upon reaching the hill top, the Captain debriefed the Marines on the plan. "Stay in pairs. Move down the right and left sides, but stay in the foliage. Do not be seen. Take note of whatever you see of importance and report back here in thirty minutes. Its 0330 hours, so we will head back at 0400. If you are spotted, retreat back into the forest." Thirty minutes later, they regrouped and went over the information they were able to gather. Guard locations, patrol routes, CO's office, compromises in defenses and darkest routes around the nearly dark prison. The men confirmed each others information and decided to try and get into the prison the next night. As they were getting ready to leave, they spotted movement at the fence. A tall and thin figure was squeezing through the fence with a shorter, thinner figure already through. The first conclusion they reached was prison convicts on the run, and an opportunity to pickup a source of information. The marines trailed them in silence for nearly 2 hours before they heard alarms go off. The escapees quickened their pace, so the Marines did as well. Before they knew it, they were 5 miles south of the prison, and still going. Had it not been for LCpL. Ebert deciding to head back to the Vehicles, they would have to travel 5 miles with 2 natives after they captured them. The marines stopped when they saw the two not far ahead of them. They seemed to be talking in a hushed tone, but from the actions that followed, they came to the realization that the creature was gonna lead the pursuing law enforcement away from the smaller one. The soldiers opted to trail the smaller of the two, but had to match the smaller one's pace, rather then move slower to keep distance. Not long after the two split, the smaller one stopped in a small clearing and seemed distressed, that distressed quickly turned to horror as he was stopped by a cliff wall. Only...it was not that. The cliff wall seemed to vanish with a wavy effect, revealing another creature of the species. This one was larger, bigger build, but not a masculine one. It had what could only be described as a boarding school uniform. It's hair and body are different shades of purple, with the latter being lighter toned, and a strip of pink hair (I didn't go to art school, don't judge my description, I ain't filing a report to anyone). A few words were spoken, but from our distance we cannot make out what it is saying. Two more appeared from the sides of the small one, a white one with purple well kept hair, mini skirt and dress with a similar build to the purple one, along with a yellow one with pink hair and green dress and a larger bust. Two more appeared from behind the small one, they appeared to be in armored, obviously they are law enforcement of some kind, though they wield spears and what looks like short swords at their waists. They are boxing him (the physical differences of the new comers make it obvious they are female, so the small one must be male) in and are slowly advancing on him. To my surprise, he picked up a stone and is holding it ready to throw. A few words were uttered by the guards and that earned them a displeasing look from the purple one, she must be an officer or hold some authority over the locals. The male then turned to his right, a group of soldiers and more civilians came out of the treeline to the clearing, dragging to other male from before. No point waiting to jump them, they were gonna take them for sure, so we need to make a move on them now. The men seemed to have the same idea as myself and advance through onto the potential hostels position. I strolled into the clearing with my sidearm trained on the purple one. Click-click "Drop your weapons and back away." Author's Note Ok. This is not a very long chapter, it was meant to wrap up the flash backs. I want to let you know how sorry I am for not continuing for so long. I made promises that I never kept. But I will say this... don't ever get the idea that I'm giving up on this story. Her Majesty, the Bug Queen{Nobody's POV} The ride was Quiet. 3 Marines, each with varying degrees of thoughts on their situation, sat in silence as they drove 3 bizarre, human-sized bug creatures with them as a passengers to a destination that will be swarming with more of their kind. Luciano feels nothing but distrust and caution toward these creatures, Maore feels optimism that they may just find allies here that can offer them asylum from an entire nation. Ebert, he is just shaking at the idea of giant bugs sitting right next to him......breathing on his neck. Captain Maore was the first to break the silence. "How much further?" The middle one perked it's ears and made a gittering sound. "We are here." It said. The humvee was stopped, and all occupants exited the vehicle. The 3 insects directed the troops attention to a large mountain that was riddled with holes and cave entrances. The 3 creatures walked into the largest cave, which also happened to be the only one at ground level. The 3 Marines tried to follow, but after coming within 10 feet of the cave opening, they were instantly surrounded by more bugs. The bugs had drawn swords and had sears fixed, ready to throw at the 3 men, as the bugs hovered off the ground with beating insect wings. The 3 Marines instinctively drew their own weapons, covering all sides in a back to back formation, brushing their sights over the crowd within their respect range of cover. With both sides ready to cut down the other, each individual being present was roaring out the same orders at the other side; "drop your weapons!" "Hands up!" "Put it down!". The standoff was finished when a larger bug with purple and black armor came strolling out of the cave entrances. With a wave of it's hand, the insect horde descended to the grown and lowered their weapons, however, still in grasp so to continue the standoff if tension flare up. The insect commander stopped 5 feet away from the Marines, who at this point at lowered their barrels as well. "I am General Clipped Wing. The ssscouts have already informed me of your arrival and your wisssh for an audienccce with her majesssty. I am here to essscort you to her chambersss." The General stated, with a passive lisp. Without waiting for a response, the general turned around and strolled back into the cave. The Marines opted to follow their apparent guide, entering the darkened corridor. After a few moments of walking, the light from the cave entrance was gone, replaced with wall torches. The further they went, the more creatures that appeared. They would see smaller caves and tunnels along the sides of the wall, and each would have a few whispering such things as "what are those things?" "Are they enemies?" "What is the General doing with them?" The whispers hushed and the creatures hide from sight every time one of the Marines would turn their head to the source. Such whispers persisted for many yards as they went deeper into the cave system. They felt as though they were now with in more then just a cave, as they saw tunnels and smaller caves along the walls, which, they could only assume, went off into more cave systems, making a large network of tunnels. The cave seemed to be a labryinth as they followed the bug further, rounding bends and passing rock piles and stalagmites that appeared to be the same, until they reached a set of large, marbled doors. The General placed a hoof on the door, opening it with a hiss of air escaping. Crossing the threshold into the room, they noted it was not what they had expected. The floor was tiled, the room had 6 large pillars that spiraled, the walls were a bright shade of blue and made of stone, all tied together by the natural light from the large, glass ceiling many yards above their heads. Placed across the room at the far wall, was a massive, wooden throne. Seated in the throne was another insect creature, only, she had to be at least a foot taller than any of the others they have seen thus far, and it was evident she was female by her large bust, wide hips, and feminine facial structure compared to that of the General that had been the guide for the marines. She seemed unfazed by the appearance of the aliens in her throne room, which puzzled them as all the insects were weary of them so far. Then again, the General was also very nonchalant toward them as well. She straightened out her posture, emphasizing on her towering stature. Her gaze met that of the Captain's before she spoke. "Why have you come to my beautiful nation?", she asks, seemingly uninterested. "We have come seeking asylum", stats Luciano bluntly, 'we were told we could find safety here." "Why should I allow that? The only ponies that require asylum are criminals or defectors. Both of which harm the stability of my peace with Equestria." "We are not of...Equistrya?" captain Maore stated, pronouncing the name as best he could, "so they have no record of us, just a patrol spotting us." The captain took a step forward, shouldering his rifle. "We intervened in an arrest of two males of their species. We took them into custody and were informed that they were slaves and that this nation was offering protection and citizenship to runaways that come here. We figured that you would take them in and help us out as well." The captain was now much closer."Look, you don't agree with the policy of your neighboring state anymore than us, however, we can act outside of diplomatic relations and do something about this. If you aid us, we can topple a slave state and bring about change. We have nowhere to go and no knowledge of this land. We are going to do something regardless, but your choice can make a great impact." The Queen contemplated on his words and saw he had presented her with a compelling argument. However, if the Equestrian government could prove her link to them, then war would be inevitable. But this had to be done. 'This is the second time', she mumbled softly. "I will need to know you are a worthy investment of time and resources. So, I will offer this, leave 3 of your soldiers here and I will send two of my best scouts with you. I can offer you supplies and for a month. After a month, my scouts will give me their assessment of you based on what you can accomplish in that time. If you are worth risking our boarder security to save innocents, then we will give you our full backing." Without a moments hesitation, the captain agreed to the offer. The Queen then raised her hand and two insects with actual uniforms came to her side. She spook to them directly and from across the room, the marines could not make out what it was she said. They can assume she brief them on following the marines, as the pair followed the marines out of the throne room, through the tunnels, and back to the humvee. They even got in the humvee with the marines. None of the marines spook a word since they left that subterranean throne room, nor did they speak to the two new partisans that followed. Luciano wanted to speak however. He didn't speak out, but he didn't like how quickly the captain had agreed the Queen's terms, wondering even if he would have agreed to an terms she offered. This wasn't the time. He had to keep his head clear and focus on what will happen next. 'Just what will happen next?', he wondered, 'it seems that the captain is set on going to war.' Author's Note Wow. I am so sorry. This is the very thing I feared. I started this and did not keep up with it as planned. But, life comes first. I can't promise when the next chapter will come, but I can promise it will be better than this one.
Ambush and Meetings{Nobody's POV} Driving along a cleared route in Pakistan is a small convoy of a M1025 Humvee and a M35 2½ ton cargo truck. There are only 10 Marines to travel in the two vehicles and protect it's content of captured weapons and ammo, but these roads have been cleared and are patrolled constantly so there is really no need for any of them other then the drivers. The Humvee is occupied by the driver Capt. Dennis Maore, 50 cal. gunner Sgt. Emily Jennings, left front seat gunman LCpL. Devin Ebert, back seat left gunman PFC. Nick Norten, Right back seat gunman PFC. Bree Corbin, and center backseat is Pvt. Michael Cormick. The Truck is driven by Sgt. Brittney "Britt" Ozzemin, passenger is 1stLt. Marcelino "Viper" Luciano, and in the back with the cargo is Pvt. George Alvarez and PFC. Christian Alvarado. That was the only information shared between these 10 soldiers as this was their first mission together an none thought it was need to start sharing personal information. For the last two hours of their drive, not a single one had tried sparking a conversation. With the tension getting thicker, the Captain decided to get the ball rolling on conversation, being that they had another five hours of driving ahead of them "So where is it that you call home? I'm born and raised in Austin Texas," Said the Captain, with a bit of pride toward his place of origin. "The most conservative state of them all I see. I'm Michigan, Crystall Falls," Said Sgt. Jennings, hoping that that would be the only question so she can continue watching the area. "San Diego California," Said LCpL. Ebert. "Seattle Washington," Said PFC.Norten. "New York City," Said Pvt. Cormick. "Same," Said PFC. Corbin, fist-bumping Pvt. Cormick. "Got any Family? Kids? Husband? Wife? I'm single, but I'm curious about the rest of you," Said the Captain as his men started to open up to him. There was a long flow of "No" from the men in the Humvee, all but one. "I actually got a girl back home who I'm going to marry when I get back," said LCpL. Ebert with a smile. "I actual asked her before I was shipped out here. We were walking along the beach, the sun was setting, and we sat down to look at the ocean. I turned to her and said 'I promise to come home, but when I do, will you stay with me?', and that when I pulled out the ring." A few seconds of Silence went by until Pvt. Cormick hollered"GAAAAAYYY!", causing the Humvee to erupt with laughter, all but LCpL. Ebert, who only narrowed his eyes to Cormick and grunted at his actions. The laughter died down as all the Marines focused their hearing on a distant whistle. "Mortars!" The ground shook as an explosion went off near the Humvee, throwing up dirt into the air. The explosion forced the vehicles to move out of the way as the soldiers inside grabbed their weapons and ducked from the windows. The truck flipped over when a mortar went off infront of the the larger vehicle, ejecting the two soldiers from the back of the truck. The vehicles came to a stop and the men burst out the doors to take defensive positions from the Lidish soldiers advancing from their right flank. Cpt. Maore would have advised someone to go out and drag Pvt. George Alvarez and PFC. Christian Alvarado to cover, but both men were already dead. Worrying about the situation at hand, Cpt. Maore quickly got his head straight and started to bark out orders to the remaining men. The men took cover on the left side of the Humvee and the now flipped truck. Sgt. Ozzemin was the next soldier to go, taking a bullet to the head by a Lidish sniper, who was soon after killed by 1stLt. Luciano. The next soldier to be killed was Sgt. Jennings, who was at the time working the 50 cal. mounted on the Humvee. The 50 cal., being their only advantage, was vital to their survival. It was crucial that someone operates the gun, the only man left that was willing to take it was 1stLt. Luciano. Climbing in to the Humvee from the left side door, he immediately removed Sgt. Jennings's body from the canopy, and proceeded to fire the gun at on coming enemies. With the 50 cal. still in use, they were able to hold back the advancing troops, until another mortar was fired. before anyone could react, the Humvee was hit. The explosion took the lives of PFC. Norten and PFC. Corbin, who were giving cover fire for 1stLt. Luciano, who was also killed in the blast. With only two men left, Maore knew they would not survive. He had one last plan. He ordered LCpL. Ebert and Pvt. Cormick to through throw all grenades in the direction of the advancing troops. Knowing it wouldn't stop many, it was the only thing they could do. If they tried to aim their rifle around the sides of the truck, they would either have to duck for cover from a barrage of gun fire, or be taken out by a sniper. When their Grenades ran out, and the ammo having been used up in the firefight, the only thing they could do now was wait for the men to come around for them and fight hand-to-hand, or wait to die. The three men agreed to not go down without fighting like hell first. When the first few men came around the side of the truck, LCpC. Ebert Swung at the first one, grabbed his weapon, and spun him around to be used as a human shield while he emptied the man's AK into the bodies of his allies that accompanied him. The same situation occurred on the other end of the truck with Pvt. Cormick, but he took a bullet in the leg before it was over. They waited for more troops to come around the truck, but were instead meet with an enemy grenade thrown over the truck landing at their feet. The blast, killed Pvt. Cormick and severely wounded Cpt. Maore. The blast only stunned LCpC. Ebert, but when he regained his composure, he was greeted by three armed Lidish solders, who opened fire on him when he tried lifting his rifle. Watching his soldier fall dead was not the last thing he was going to see. No, the last thing he saw was an enemy officer waltz around the side of the truck and stop in front of the bleeding out Captain. His shaved head, dark aviators, and black leather coat. He knew this man, but could not put a name on him. In that moment it didn't matter anyway, whoever he was, he had won. The officer withdrew his pistol and aimed it at the head of the Marine. The Captain closed his eyes, and breathed through his nose and out his mouth a few times waiting for death to take him. Only to have his ears shredded by a loud, unearthly shriek and a blast of white everywhere. He opened his eyes and saw nothing but black void surrounding him. He felt as if he was floating in the void, gravity not existing in this dark world he found himself trapped in. His gear was gone and he felt weightless. Though no light was present, his body was illuminated. He turned his head about, hoping something would happen. A flicker of light, a glimpse of something moving. Though he could see nothing, he got a strange feeling that he was not alone in the void. "Your time is not yet over, my child... You still have much to do... A voice brook the silence that had surrounded Maore, but it did not stem from one location in particular, the voice seem to be coming from everywhere at once, and an echo following made it more difficult to determine a source. It was not clear the gender or age of the speaker, as it appeared to be a mix of Young and old, male and female. Though it was oddly soothing... "What are You talking about? Who are you? Where am I? Where are my Men?!" "When you enter this world... Do not show fear... Show your courage as a soldier... I will see you again Captain... 1 day later {Ink Quills POV} It's no use, they've caught us. After three straight hours of running, The Lost Colt Retrievers are nearly on us. Heat Signature and I started our escape early this morning at about 4am, and the alarms started going off about two hours later. I can't go back though, for 4 straight years of that life, I can't return to it. Heat Grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me to face him. "You need to calm down, I have a plan. You keep running South, I'll try and lead them East." He said, with a hint of sorrow in his voice. "You'll never make it. They'll catch you. Maybe even kill you!" I said, hoping he wouldn't leave me to run by myself. "Don't worry, they'll never catch me. I'll meet you at the border of the Badlands by Sundown." With that said, he got up and ran through the brush, rustling the leaves to ensure they heard him. I got up too and kept running in the direction we were headed, The Badlands. Four years ago, after the "Preservation Act" was established by the newest Alicorn-Princess, Twilight Sparkle, the Changeling Queen issued a proclamation stating "All Colts and Stallions within our lands, are granted freedom and citizenship, which makes them exempt from Equestrian laws". However, the Equestrian response was to strength military along boarder towns. This made crossing the boarder very difficult, with escape being near impossible. Every slave was listed and accounted for everyday at 6am and 6pm. If any slaves were missing, then the town of which they escaped from goes under 'Lock Down' and the guards patrol each town between there and the boarder much more frequently, until the escapee/s is found. Many have tried, but none have made it close to their destination. If you were escaping from Appleloosa, then you had a chance if you make it to the Macintosh Mountains, which boarder the badlands, but if your from Dodge City like us, then you have a clear shot straight to the entrance of the Badlands. It was prohibited to station guards along the boarder, as the Changeling Queen said it would be taken as an act of hostility. Yet, guard outposts are still up between Appleloosa and the Mountains, as well as between us and the Boarder. "There he is! Over there! HorseApples! They must have heard me running. But I can't stop now. Heat told me to meet him at the Boarder, and by Celestia I will. Just keep running... Don't look back... Don't even worry about the cliff wall straight ahead...Wait What!!! Since when was there a cliff wall here? There shouldn't be any high ground between Dodge City and the Badlands, not until the boarder anyway. Wait a second... Did the wall just move? I picked up a rock, through it at the wall...and it phased right through! Its a illusion, but their is only one member of The Lost Colt Retrievers that can do illusion spells... Princess Twilight Sparkle... As if on cue, she dropped the shield and stepped toward me. I then turned to see that I was surrounded by some of the other members of The Lost Colt Retrievers, Fluttershy and Rarity, along with four female guards. That means that Heat was chased down by the rest; Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. "Ok, you had your fun, now its time to go back home." The Princess tried saying as if she didn't know what happens to us in slavery. "Your owner is probably worried sick, Hoping your not hurt." said Fluttershy, who actually might not know what happens in the slave world. As she has no slaves and doesn't talk to anyone about the subject. "Agreed Darling, you must return home. You might damage your wonderful attire in these woods." said Rarity, worried about the well being of the clothe I'm wearing, since most slaves' clothe are made by her boutiques across the land. Making clothes for Stallions and Colts turned her one shop business into a chain across Equestria. She wasn't the only one to have profited from this Law. "N-no way! I ain't Goin back!" I said picking up a rock, and holding it ready to throw at whoever tries steping closer. "Oh come on, do you really think that will hit somepony before we catch it?" Mocked a guard, elbowing the guard next to her, who then chuckled. Twilight turned to them and frowned. This quieted both guards. She then turned back to me and took a step forward. She was calling my bluff. "There isn't anyway out of this. As we speak, my friends are chasing that other stallion and will be here shortly with him." She was right. A few short seconds later, the remainder of the Retrievers came through the bushes to my right. First was the four guards that I guess split off to join them. Then came the cheerful, bouncy, notorious Pinkie Pie, who was waving a multi-colored flag with "Victory!" on it. Finally, was Applejack and Rainbow Dash, dragging a bruised and bloody Heat Signature. "Rainbow! AJ! What is the meaning of this?!" Yelled the Princess, obviously not to happy to see what they did to Heat. Rainbow was the first to speak "He wouldn't stop running, so we cut him off, and when we were in front of him, he started swinging his fist at us. We were only defending ourselves." "Is that true AJ?" the Princess said, cocking an eye brow at the farm mare. "Uhh...Sumtin like that..." she said while sweeting. Obviously she was lying. I dropped the rock and my arms fell to my side. I closed my eyes and fought back tears, not wanting to cry in front of them. So close...we were so close to freedom. Click-click "Drop your weapons and back away." That voice, is that a Stallion? Its obviously male. Opening my eyes, I see a creature standing half way between the Princess and myself. It seems to have Pony-like features, but looks more like a furless Ape. It was also holding two black objects in its hands, one was pointed in the Princess's direction, as the other was changing between Applejack's and Rainbow Dash's. Looking around I spotted 6 more of the creatures, all seemed relatively the same, but they all held much larger black objects, pointing them at the guard like some sort of weapons. After receiving a nod from the Princess, Applejack and Rainbow Dash let go of Heat's arms, causing him to fall to the ground, and they backed away. Immediately after, two of the Ape-like creatures rushed over to him and lifted him up off the ground, hoisted him up on the larger ones back, and moved back behind the ones still watching the guards. The creature standing in front of me backed away from the Princess and up next to me. It turned and nodded to the one carrying Heat on it's back, who then carried him off into the woods with two others fallowing. It then motioned for me to move back toward the spot they ran off in. The remainder of its group backed away into the woods keeping their weapons pointed at the guards. It then placed a hand on my shoulder and started leading me in the same direction It's group left in. "hold on a second. What do you think you are doing?" the Princess said stepping closer to the creature. "What are you?" The ape-thing then turned around and stared directly at her. It said only three words... "We are Marines." Author's Note I've been on here about a year now, I think its time I give back to the Community. My first story. I want criticism, but not hate. If you don't like it, then don't read it, but help me become a better writer. Please help me see the flaws of my work. This chapter went through very little change in the last few paragraphs, nothing big, but keep an eye open for errors so I may fix them. (1/7/16) I tweaked the story a little, some re-wording, changing of lines, nothing major. (3/29/16) I cleaned up the battle scene a little. A comment made by someone got me thinking that some dislikes could have been due to political stances toward the group I originally had ambush the convoy. So I renamed them and have now thought up a way the nameless enemy man could be a major character later on. I also decided that this story will have no editor or prof reader. I want this story to be something I look back on and get better as I go. If anyone picks up on something that they want changed or edited, comment and I will try to fix it. Here is the map I used to help you better visualize the situation the two Stallions where in...
Alliences and Letters.Previously... "Hold on a second. What do you think you are doing?" the princess said stepping closer to the creature. "What are you?" It then turned around and stared directly at her. It said only three words... "We are Marines." One day prior... In the Everfree Forrest... {Cpt. Maore's POV} Waking up on the ground isn't that uncommon in this line of work. Waking up in the middle of a forest? That isn't something that normally happens when you're based out in Pakistan. Sitting up, I'm slowly regaining my vision with the Sun over head, shinning its blinding light in my face. looking to my left, I paused, rapping my mind around what was in front of me. My Team. All of them were sleeping. Not one drop of blood on their uniform. Not a single scratch on them that I could see. However none of us had our gear on or weapons in reach. Turning to my to the left, I see the truck and Humvee parked side-by-side at the base of a tall tree. Our gear was placed against the side of the vehicles neatly, with our weapons and ammo resting on top. I got up and went over to secure my weapons incase this was a trap of sorts. Not having any idea where I am, is a problem. Not knowing who could be out there, Bigger problem. Holstering my Glock M9, shouldering my FN Scar, but leaving my gear safe by the truck with my M1014 shotgun; I was prepared to get a patrol formed and to scout out the area for hostiles. A shot in the air would be a quick and effective way of getting them all on their feet, but the noise might attract unwanted attention. Cold water could work, but would take to much time finding a water source, carrying it, and dumping it on each soldier. I guess I don't need them all at the moment, I only need the team's sniper Sgt. Jennings, and the teams navigator 1stLt. Luciano. I can wake them up, have them get their primary and sidearm loaded, and then scout out the area to see if we can find out where we are. This clearing is too open for us to stay for long. Luciano was awaken by a single touch to the shoulder, causing him to reach over suddenly, gripping my throat with both hands. Realizing it was me, he let go immediately, helped me to my feet, and awkwardly apologies. "Sorry, Sir. I thought you were a Towel Head." He said, placing a hand on my back. "Its...alright...soldier," I managed between gasps. "I...Hope...You're ready...for a scouting...mission." "Of course, sir. When should I head out?" He questioned, seeming a little eager to get out into the woods around us. It doesn't seem to bother him that we aren't in a desert anymore. "You're going to be traveling with Sgt. Jennings and I after you wake her up. I'm going to go write a note and place it on the Humvee windshield." I said, hinting that it was an order and not a request. Few minutes later, the three of us meet up at the Humvee to move out. Jennings equipped with her Scoped M14A1 and Beretta M9, Luciano equipped with his M16A4 with red dot sight and Beretta M9, And myself using an FN Scar with fore grip and ACOG scope along with Glock M9. We were in fact traveling light, but with enough support to get us back to the others safe if we run into hostiles. About an hour later, we found lightly used dirt road. Not knowing which way to go, we flipped a coin; Heads left, Tails right. Toss, Flip, Catch, and...Tails. That settles it I guess. I don't really think we'll find anything either way we travel. However, something in compelling us to travel down the path to the right, because a coin told us so. Luciano Cut an 'X' into a tree so we know were to turn off the path and get back to the others. Not far down the road, we could start seeing further off into the woods, spotting a small clearing that cause us to slow to a stop, and watch in awe. A pack of wolfs made entirely of wood were growling and snarling at a creature with a snake's head, a tiger's head, and a ram's head. Their fight was interrupted by a chicken like creature that turned two of the wolves to stone with a single glance, which caused the rest to flee. We stayed on the side of the path, just staring at the open area that the events were happening in. A creature I could identify from mythology, Manticore, stalk out of the shadows casted by the treetops, stop next to the statues of wolves, and in swung its tail around to shatter the stones. Seconds later, the two wolves regenerated and backed off into the shadows. That was all I needed to see. I patted the two Marines with me on the shoulders and started a light jog down the path, with the guns safeties off. We stopped to take a quick break. Jennings was the first to speak up. "Anyone like to share with me what the hell I just saw?" I didn't respond. I too was trying to make sense of what we saw. "Well, we just watched a pack of 'Timber' Wolves try to fight a Chimera, a Cockatrice comes in and turns two wolves to stone, they get smashed by a Manticore, only to regenerate and creep away. What was so hard to understand there?" Luciano said with enough sarcasm in his tone to make you want to punch him. If you were dumb enough to try and fight him that is. "You know, the kinda thing you see to get your ass thrown in a mental institute." He added. "Well, I think whatever those creepy bastards were, these woods are filled with them and worse. We need to keep moving and find a better place to set up temporary camp." I said, getting to my feet. "What about the others? What if one of those things stalks into camp and attacks?" Jennings asked. "They're US Marines. They aren't allowed to die unless ordered to." I answered with a grin. The forest finally ended a half hour later, and there were open fields for miles. Looking down along the boarder of the forest, I spied a small cottage. To the North of us, there was a large barn, with rows and rows of trees that had fresh fruit growing. Just further passed that, I spotted what looked like a town. Finally, civilization has been found. It wasn't even that far, maybe 20 minute walk if we took our time. I toke my first step...only to be stopped by Jennings who put up the "Hold" gesture. She shouldered her rifle, took aim, and seconds later lowered it. "I knew it looked too good to be true." she said bluntly, which made Luciano and I very confused. He using her rifle and I using my binoculars, saw what she was referring to. It would have been easy if there was a town of people at the end of the road to help us. Hell, I wouldn't care if they were a village of Towel Heads. But life just likes ta kick ya in the nuts sometimes. The first thing we saw was a school house at the edge of town, letting the children go home to do whatever. Only they weren't kids. Kids aren't purple or blue, with horns or wings. Looking at whatever market stands were located on the outer part of the town, we saw the same looking creatures, but in greens and yellows and reds as well, no two looking exactly the same, or having the same color tones. They looked like the children of a Human-Horse Hybrid. That was it, we turned around and hustled back to the others. We need to get our things and head as far south as we can. Heading south, the Marines stop to make camp in the middle of a new wooded area. What would the morning bring them... Now... On route to Badlands... {Nobody's POV} The ten soldiers, along with the two stallions, went to where the two vehicles were parked. Luciano shouldered his rifle and helped the teenage stallion and the other stallion to enter before the soldiers went into the armored vehicle. The Six remaining went to the truck as they started to drive away. Ink Quill and Heat Signature looked at the furless apes. "What are you?" Heat Signature asked them, now fully conscious after the beating he received not too long ago. Maore removed his helmet, and the others fallowed suit. He turned back to the two stallions and said "We are a special group of highly trained soldiers, bent on the protection, equality, and fair treatment of all. To your species we are Humans. However, to us, we're brothers and sisters in arms." The two were taken aback that a mythical creature was in front of them. Ink Quill groaned, as he remembered something that annoyed him. "Great, I owe Lyra twenty bits now." Ink Quill said as he banged his head on the door. "What do you mean, kid?" Luciano asked him. "A couple of years ago, a Unicorn named Lyra said that you guys existed, but a lot of ponies said that she was crazy. She made many bets on your existance and she's right." Heat Signature said as they saw the entrance to the Badlands. "Why are you heading towards the Badlands?" Ink Quill asked them. "We read on a poster left in the woods that the Badlands are where male slaves head to be free and we want to have enough distance between us and them." Alvarado said as he drove the Humvee to their destination. Meanwhile... In Twilight's Castle... Twilight was not in the happiest of moods and for a good reason. She and her friends were so close at capturing the two runaway stallions, when, out of nowhere, six furless apes told them to release them, in which they complied out of confusion and then ran off. She was pacing back and forth, mumbling about how she could have stopped them or why they didn't go after them. "Uh, Twilight. I think that you should calm down." Rainbow Dash said as Twilight stopped and turned to the rainbow mane Pegasus. "You're asking to me calm down?! How am I supposed to calm down when those things stopped us in the woods and robbed us!" Twilight yelled. "Well, they're probly in the Badlands by now and there ain't nothin we can do without them there Changelings declaring another war. Maybe we should get Princess Celestia ta help us." Applejack said as she lazily sat back in her crystal chair. "You're right, AJ!" Twilight said, with a new optimistic tone replacing her bitter one, "Maybe we should get Princess Celestia to help us with this situation. Spike!" Twilight yelled, as the young drake ran into the room. "Yes, Twilight? What is it?" Spike asked her. "I need you to send a letter to the Princess." Twilight said as spoke what she wanted him to write down and before he sent it to Canterlot. Twilight and the others now wait for Celestia's response. Back with the soldiers... In the Badlands... The Humvee and transport truck were able to get to the Badlands and the place looked like the deserts in the southwest states. As Alvarado and Ebert drove the two vehicles, Luciano went to the 50 cal. machine gun, just in case something goes down they don't plan on. The soldiers heard what sounded like a buzzing noise slowly getting louder. PFC. Norten looked around and saw a bunch of black dots coming towards them. "Sir, unknown contact coming at three o' clock." Norten radioed to the Captain. "Can we get away from the threat?" Maore asked. "Negative. At the rate they're moving, they'll be on us in in minutes." Norten said. "All right then. Men, get ready, we got hostiles inbound." Maore said, as the Marines readied their weapons. They then left the vehicles, Corbin ordered the two stallions to stay inside the vehicle. As the enemy surrounded the transport truck and Humvee, Luciano loading the first round into the chamber. The beings touched down and the Marines had to do a double take at what they saw. They looked like the Stallions they had in the Humvee, but had a black chitin skin instead of fur and had holes in their legs and wings and each had a horn. The Marines shoulder their rifles, until one of the creatures spoke up. "What are you doing in the great Changeling Queen Chrysalis's territory?" The creature in ebony armor, commanding the Bug Things demanded. "We're here to drop these slaves off in your land and then speak with whomever is ruler around here." Maore said, gesturing to Norten and Alvarez to get Ink Quill and Heat Signature. As they did, the Bug sent in some of its own soldiers to collect the two. It then approached the Captain. "You may follow myself to the Queen, but you must keep your forces here. Choose only two of your warriors to come with us, and leave your weapons and armor with the rest." "Uh Sir, these are creatures we know nothing about. How can we trust them? They might be leading us into a trap." Luciano said. "Look, we're in unknown land and we are going to need allies. This could be our opportunity." Maore reasoned. Eventually, Luciano agreed to go with him and Ebert. Luciano, Maore, and Ebert left their primary weapons and removed most of their gear. They then drove the Humvee, with 50 Cal. removed, and its new occupance of three marines and three Bugs. Author's Note I want to thank my Co-author, thomas29, who helped on this chapter. This is the name list in case anyone forgot, or are confused... Marines of Let Freedom Ring. Cpt. Dennis Maore Sgt. Emily Jennings LCpL. Devin Ebert PFC. Nick Norten PFC. Bree Corbin Pvt. Michael Cormick Sgt. Brittney "Britt" Ozzemin 1stLt. Marcelino "Viper" Luciano Pvt. George Alvarez PFC. Christian Alvarado
Last Back-flash6 hours prior to the species meeting... On route to Dodge City... {Nobody's POV} Along the dirt path, with trees on the sides arching inward, a pair of armored, military vehicles head south to find somewhere more secure to try and get their bearings in order. The driver of the Humvee tried informing the Captain that this road look as if it was used often. What puzzled them was the tire marks in the road were thin like wagon wheels. The Captain assured the men that they would be fine and to just keep watching their flanks. This did little to ease their concerns, but as soon as they found a turn off that went further into the forest, they took it. They drove for an estimate 30 minutes before reaching a small clearing. The clearing had a path leading to it, so it would not be a safe to camp here, so they would only be taking a rest to let the engines cool. The Soldiers exited the vehicles and started scanning the tree line for movement. The perimeter was secured, and they could rest for a short time. "What time is it?" Captain Maore asked, not to anyone in particular. "0130, Sir", replied 1st Lt. Luciano, as he lifted the hood of the Truck. "Lets send a team out to try and find out where we are." advised LCpL. Ebert, making his way over to the Captain. "Great idea. And since you proposed the idea, you will lead the team. Pick two men and get out of here." The Captain said, not wanting to lead or conduct anymore scouting missions for awhile. LCpL. Ebert, along with PFC. Norten and PFC. Alvarado, set off eastward. Given orders to travel no further then 1 mile and report back as soon as possible. After they left, the remaining troops waited anxiously for them to return with any kind of news. Sgt. Jennings and Pvt. Cormick gathered all the weapons in camp to distribute the remaining ammo evenly among the men. Pvt. Alvarez and PFC. Corbin both lie sleeping beside the Humvee. Sgt. Ozzemin has climbed into the Humvee and is scanning the treeline with the 50.cal. Captain Maore and Lt. Luciano went to the back of the truck to see what exactly they were meant to transporting that would be worth their lives. The bed of the truck was filled with old Soviet crates, military storage cases, and some spare parts for the truck, such as tires, a door, lights, ect. The Soviet Crates were filled with captured weaponry, uniforms, medical supplies, ammunition, ect. The Storage cases were pad-locked. The two picked up some of the captured gear and checked to see if it was useful. The weapons were in working order and ammo box seemed to have never been open. The uniforms were well stitched and look as if they were never worn. They could be useful for warmth and fire. The lieutenant put his hand on the Captain's shoulder. "Sir, we need to move soon. This place is too weird and dangerous." "I know that. I saw the same shit you did." the Captain said with a seemingly distant tone, dropping the ammo box he was inspecting back into a crate. "But where do you expect us to go. This terrain is not supposed to be in the Middle East and creatures like the ones we saw should not exist." "Well sitting around isn't gonna help. They may not have been human what we saw, but they seemed to be civilized enough. I don't think we are in Kansas Toto, so lets try and get help from the Munchkins." "As far as I can tell you are right. We are no longer in the Middle East, hell not even on Earth anymore. If that is the case, how well do you think the locals will react to a group of armed aliens coming in on loud metal wagons?" "Well, would you rather we just sit here?! Or hide in the woods for the rest of our lives?!" "Lieutenant! You will not raise your voice when addressing the CO again. As for what we do next, we will think of something after the scouts get back." As if on cue, Norten came jogging out of the treeline into the clearing, spooking Ozzemin, who had the 50.cal on him until it registered who she was aiming at. Norten continued jogging until he reached the Captain. Norten informed the captain of how they went for about half a mile until they found a hill overlooking a small town of the horse creatures they saw the other day. The Captain and half the camp took their weapons and 3 mags each before following Norten to the location of this town. They walked up a light incline before grouping up with LCpL. Ebert's scout party. The Men took cover in the foliage, using whatever they had on them, from scopes to old Soviet binoculars, the men watched over the town. After getting a more clear look, they noticed the town was surrounded by a large fence, with barbed wire that sloped inward. The town resembled a prison, and when the men spotted what appeared to be armored figures roaming around the town with spears, they marked of the town as such. They traveled back to base about an hour later. The Marines were divided up. PFC Corbin, Sgt. Jennings, Sgt. Ozzemin stayed back to keep the engines running and the 50 maned. The rest of the Marines made there way back to the vantage point. Upon reaching the hill top, the Captain debriefed the Marines on the plan. "Stay in pairs. Move down the right and left sides, but stay in the foliage. Do not be seen. Take note of whatever you see of importance and report back here in thirty minutes. Its 0330 hours, so we will head back at 0400. If you are spotted, retreat back into the forest." Thirty minutes later, they regrouped and went over the information they were able to gather. Guard locations, patrol routes, CO's office, compromises in defenses and darkest routes around the nearly dark prison. The men confirmed each others information and decided to try and get into the prison the next night. As they were getting ready to leave, they spotted movement at the fence. A tall and thin figure was squeezing through the fence with a shorter, thinner figure already through. The first conclusion they reached was prison convicts on the run, and an opportunity to pickup a source of information. The marines trailed them in silence for nearly 2 hours before they heard alarms go off. The escapees quickened their pace, so the Marines did as well. Before they knew it, they were 5 miles south of the prison, and still going. Had it not been for LCpL. Ebert deciding to head back to the Vehicles, they would have to travel 5 miles with 2 natives after they captured them. The marines stopped when they saw the two not far ahead of them. They seemed to be talking in a hushed tone, but from the actions that followed, they came to the realization that the creature was gonna lead the pursuing law enforcement away from the smaller one. The soldiers opted to trail the smaller of the two, but had to match the smaller one's pace, rather then move slower to keep distance. Not long after the two split, the smaller one stopped in a small clearing and seemed distressed, that distressed quickly turned to horror as he was stopped by a cliff wall. Only...it was not that. The cliff wall seemed to vanish with a wavy effect, revealing another creature of the species. This one was larger, bigger build, but not a masculine one. It had what could only be described as a boarding school uniform. It's hair and body are different shades of purple, with the latter being lighter toned, and a strip of pink hair (I didn't go to art school, don't judge my description, I ain't filing a report to anyone). A few words were spoken, but from our distance we cannot make out what it is saying. Two more appeared from the sides of the small one, a white one with purple well kept hair, mini skirt and dress with a similar build to the purple one, along with a yellow one with pink hair and green dress and a larger bust. Two more appeared from behind the small one, they appeared to be in armored, obviously they are law enforcement of some kind, though they wield spears and what looks like short swords at their waists. They are boxing him (the physical differences of the new comers make it obvious they are female, so the small one must be male) in and are slowly advancing on him. To my surprise, he picked up a stone and is holding it ready to throw. A few words were uttered by the guards and that earned them a displeasing look from the purple one, she must be an officer or hold some authority over the locals. The male then turned to his right, a group of soldiers and more civilians came out of the treeline to the clearing, dragging to other male from before. No point waiting to jump them, they were gonna take them for sure, so we need to make a move on them now. The men seemed to have the same idea as myself and advance through onto the potential hostels position. I strolled into the clearing with my sidearm trained on the purple one. Click-click "Drop your weapons and back away." Author's Note Ok. This is not a very long chapter, it was meant to wrap up the flash backs. I want to let you know how sorry I am for not continuing for so long. I made promises that I never kept. But I will say this... don't ever get the idea that I'm giving up on this story.
Her Majesty, the Bug Queen{Nobody's POV} The ride was Quiet. 3 Marines, each with varying degrees of thoughts on their situation, sat in silence as they drove 3 bizarre, human-sized bug creatures with them as a passengers to a destination that will be swarming with more of their kind. Luciano feels nothing but distrust and caution toward these creatures, Maore feels optimism that they may just find allies here that can offer them asylum from an entire nation. Ebert, he is just shaking at the idea of giant bugs sitting right next to him......breathing on his neck. Captain Maore was the first to break the silence. "How much further?" The middle one perked it's ears and made a gittering sound. "We are here." It said. The humvee was stopped, and all occupants exited the vehicle. The 3 insects directed the troops attention to a large mountain that was riddled with holes and cave entrances. The 3 creatures walked into the largest cave, which also happened to be the only one at ground level. The 3 Marines tried to follow, but after coming within 10 feet of the cave opening, they were instantly surrounded by more bugs. The bugs had drawn swords and had sears fixed, ready to throw at the 3 men, as the bugs hovered off the ground with beating insect wings. The 3 Marines instinctively drew their own weapons, covering all sides in a back to back formation, brushing their sights over the crowd within their respect range of cover. With both sides ready to cut down the other, each individual being present was roaring out the same orders at the other side; "drop your weapons!" "Hands up!" "Put it down!". The standoff was finished when a larger bug with purple and black armor came strolling out of the cave entrances. With a wave of it's hand, the insect horde descended to the grown and lowered their weapons, however, still in grasp so to continue the standoff if tension flare up. The insect commander stopped 5 feet away from the Marines, who at this point at lowered their barrels as well. "I am General Clipped Wing. The ssscouts have already informed me of your arrival and your wisssh for an audienccce with her majesssty. I am here to essscort you to her chambersss." The General stated, with a passive lisp. Without waiting for a response, the general turned around and strolled back into the cave. The Marines opted to follow their apparent guide, entering the darkened corridor. After a few moments of walking, the light from the cave entrance was gone, replaced with wall torches. The further they went, the more creatures that appeared. They would see smaller caves and tunnels along the sides of the wall, and each would have a few whispering such things as "what are those things?" "Are they enemies?" "What is the General doing with them?" The whispers hushed and the creatures hide from sight every time one of the Marines would turn their head to the source. Such whispers persisted for many yards as they went deeper into the cave system. They felt as though they were now with in more then just a cave, as they saw tunnels and smaller caves along the walls, which, they could only assume, went off into more cave systems, making a large network of tunnels. The cave seemed to be a labryinth as they followed the bug further, rounding bends and passing rock piles and stalagmites that appeared to be the same, until they reached a set of large, marbled doors. The General placed a hoof on the door, opening it with a hiss of air escaping. Crossing the threshold into the room, they noted it was not what they had expected. The floor was tiled, the room had 6 large pillars that spiraled, the walls were a bright shade of blue and made of stone, all tied together by the natural light from the large, glass ceiling many yards above their heads. Placed across the room at the far wall, was a massive, wooden throne. Seated in the throne was another insect creature, only, she had to be at least a foot taller than any of the others they have seen thus far, and it was evident she was female by her large bust, wide hips, and feminine facial structure compared to that of the General that had been the guide for the marines. She seemed unfazed by the appearance of the aliens in her throne room, which puzzled them as all the insects were weary of them so far. Then again, the General was also very nonchalant toward them as well. She straightened out her posture, emphasizing on her towering stature. Her gaze met that of the Captain's before she spoke. "Why have you come to my beautiful nation?", she asks, seemingly uninterested. "We have come seeking asylum", stats Luciano bluntly, 'we were told we could find safety here." "Why should I allow that? The only ponies that require asylum are criminals or defectors. Both of which harm the stability of my peace with Equestria." "We are not of...Equistrya?" captain Maore stated, pronouncing the name as best he could, "so they have no record of us, just a patrol spotting us." The captain took a step forward, shouldering his rifle. "We intervened in an arrest of two males of their species. We took them into custody and were informed that they were slaves and that this nation was offering protection and citizenship to runaways that come here. We figured that you would take them in and help us out as well." The captain was now much closer."Look, you don't agree with the policy of your neighboring state anymore than us, however, we can act outside of diplomatic relations and do something about this. If you aid us, we can topple a slave state and bring about change. We have nowhere to go and no knowledge of this land. We are going to do something regardless, but your choice can make a great impact." The Queen contemplated on his words and saw he had presented her with a compelling argument. However, if the Equestrian government could prove her link to them, then war would be inevitable. But this had to be done. 'This is the second time', she mumbled softly. "I will need to know you are a worthy investment of time and resources. So, I will offer this, leave 3 of your soldiers here and I will send two of my best scouts with you. I can offer you supplies and for a month. After a month, my scouts will give me their assessment of you based on what you can accomplish in that time. If you are worth risking our boarder security to save innocents, then we will give you our full backing." Without a moments hesitation, the captain agreed to the offer. The Queen then raised her hand and two insects with actual uniforms came to her side. She spook to them directly and from across the room, the marines could not make out what it was she said. They can assume she brief them on following the marines, as the pair followed the marines out of the throne room, through the tunnels, and back to the humvee. They even got in the humvee with the marines. None of the marines spook a word since they left that subterranean throne room, nor did they speak to the two new partisans that followed. Luciano wanted to speak however. He didn't speak out, but he didn't like how quickly the captain had agreed the Queen's terms, wondering even if he would have agreed to an terms she offered. This wasn't the time. He had to keep his head clear and focus on what will happen next. 'Just what will happen next?', he wondered, 'it seems that the captain is set on going to war.' Author's Note Wow. I am so sorry. This is the very thing I feared. I started this and did not keep up with it as planned. But, life comes first. I can't promise when the next chapter will come, but I can promise it will be better than this one.
