Chapter 1: Lost in the Frost
Pvt. Zippo
1st Bomber Group
7th Array
3rd Squadron
Equestrian Airforce
January 10th, 1949
Thunder Pass
0530 Hours
My eyes opened to find that I was in a bush. What? Last I remembered, me and SSGT. Whirl Wind were heading back to base. Suddenly, the memory came back of how we got separated by enemy flyers. Jeez, I feel like garbage. I forced myself onto my hooves, looking around myself. My spine ached, causing me to cringe at the dull pain. Stepping out of the bush for a second, I dove down back in, eyes wide.
Not far off was a Gryphon patrol, undoubtedly looking for me. My hooves shook with fear. Most of the soldiers were armed with swords, but there were a few with muskets. From my position, I couldn't tell how many there were, but I had certainly seen at least five. Son of a bitch! I thought, growling. Come on, just go! Anxiety coursed through me.
Not long after, they had left. Sighing, I made sure it was safe, before crawling out of the bush, treading through the light snow on the ground. I only had one objective now; find help. I shivered, wishing I had something warm to wear.
As I trudged through the frost, I started to realize how alone it was out here. Hardly a sign of civilization for miles. That is, before I came across a destroyed Duinian APC. I must be near the battlefield, I thought.
I walked for a few more minutes, before I heard something in the distance. My left ear flicked. Listening hard, I heard a distant crackle. I wasn't very sure, but it sounded like machine gun fire.
I continued my walk, curiosity driving me towards the sound. Maybe I'll find help? But something was wrong. Didn't we lose the battle? This only drove me on further.
It wasn't long before a musket ball flew past my head, causing me to dive for cover. HOLY SHIT! My heart beat sped up at a dangerous rate. Trying to control my breathing, I poked my head out. Before me was a firefight. Gryphon carabineers facing off with a Duine machine gun nest. Once all the carabineers were focused on the MG again, I slowly crawled out of the ditch to a place with better cover. I ran to a nearby hill, heart racing. Trying to peek around the corner, my foot was caught by something under the snow. I pulled it away, revealing a frozen hand. Holding back a shout, I nudged the dead soldier away, before peeking around the corner again. It was then that I realized that the building with the MG nest was my only hope for any help. I hesitated for a moment, before sprinting in through a doorway.
"Hey!" I shouted, getting one of the soldier's attention. Good thing I know Duinian!
"What the hell are you doing out here?" he yelled over the MG's fire.
"I was doing a strafing run before me and my sarge got separated." I explained, once the MG stopped firing.
"Well, don't expect living much longer by stayin' here. The battle ended with friendly forces running for HQ. We got left behind." he said. An expression of defeat spread across my face. It wasn't long before the Carabineers started firing, causing me and the soldier to duck behind the cover. I surveyed the room around me; A medic sat in the corner, rifle at the ready. The MG gunner ducked low, keeping his hands on the trigger, before squeezing down, volleying rounds on the enemy cover. An assistant gunner sat next to him, with spare ammo and a rifle at his side. A radio sat on a small wooden table.
"Hey, Eogan, pop some rounds, would ya'?" the gunner demanded. "I can't take 'em out on my own."
"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya'." the gunner assistant said, before aiming his rifle at the enemies and firing. "Scratch one!" he said, grinning. I frowned, sick of standing by and being useless.
"Anyway I can help?" I asked.
"Well, what do ya' got in that pouch?" the closest soldier asked. I forgot! I reached my hoof in, and pulled out my last two grenades.
"Do these help?" I asked.
"Shit yeah, they do!" he said, before grabbing the grenades, pulling the pins and throwing them in the enemy's direction. Two explosions destroyed the enemy's cover. Seeing his opportunity, the gunner held down the trigger, riddling three of the gryphons with bullets. All of us sat in silence for a moment.
"Are they dead?" the medic asked.
"Nope. I think I see one or two running into the woods." Eogan said, before sighing.
"We gonna chase 'em?" the gunner asked.
"It's best we don't." the medic said. "It could be a trap." I nodded. If I was gonna get back to friendly territory, it sure as hell wasn't gonna be soon.
"How far to the nearest friendly post?" I asked.
"Well, as far as we're aware, this is the only place with friendly soldiers for miles." the gunner said, lighting a cigar. "We don't fight for Equestria, or Duine anymore. Right now, we're fighting for our lives." he said, looking to the dark snow clouds. His words chilled me.
"Shut up, Gus." the only rifleman said. I could tell he was a squad leader.
"Well, it's true." the medic reminded. Gus smirked, earning him a sharp glare from the squad leader.
"What's your name?" I asked him, tilting my head a bit.
"Call me Neale." he introduced, before spitting on the ground. "Yours?"
"My name's ZIppo." I said, holding back a cough. I felt like such a foal around such warlike creatures. Duinians could smell cigarette smoke without flinching, and I had the urge to vomit whenever I smelled a hint of nicotine.
"Well, it's mighty nice meetin' ya', Zippo." Neale said, holding out a hand. I shook it before clearing my throat.
"So what are we gonna do now?" I asked, scanning the skies for any flyers. "Surely they'll inform somepony, and a squad will be sent to take us down."
"Well, what can we do?" Gus asked in a rhetorical manner. "As far as I'm aware, we lost the war."
"What about the radio?" I asked.
"Piece of broken scrap, that's what!" Eogan hissed spitefully. We're done for.
"Well, you wouldn't be so pissed off if you didn't waste three hours trying to fix the damn thing." Neale growled. The gunner assistant responded with a pained sigh. It was then that I found that Human society was very different than Equestrian society. They were so much more melancholy. Of course, when you've been abandoned behind enemy lines for two days, anybody would act like this, I thought.
We all sat there in silence for a moment, before it was shattered by the inevitable;
The gryphons were staging a counter-attack! Rifles fired off in the distance. Gus dove for the MG's trigger, plowing rounds into the forest ahead of us. Miraculously, no friendlies were hit. I held my hooves over my head, my back firmly pressed up against the wall. We're fucked. I gritted my teeth, the machine gun rattling the wall behind me, causing me to shake violently.
"S-s-s-son of a b-i-i-i-tch!" I shouted. Eogan popped out from behind his cover and started firing, joined by Neale shortly afterwards. As soon as we thought they were on the run, three soldiers flew in towards our window from the sky, cutlasses at the ready.
"Oh, FUCK ME!" Neale yelped, diving for cover. I rolled out of the building, tumbling into the snow outside. I hid in the snow pile that now surrounded me, begging for it to stop. Screams echoed out behind me, belonging both to Gryphons and humans. Gunshots fired off, before silence overcame the area around me. My ear perked up, betraying my cover just the slightest bit.
"Where'd that damned pegasus go?" A voice hissed. I sighed, letting my heart rest for a moment, before pushing back out of the snow. But I didn't call out just yet; I didn't know how much those gryphons saw. I peeked around the doorframe, before stepping into full view. Luckily, the humans didn't die!
"I'm here!" I said. "What are you guys huddlin' around?" I asked, before suddenly noticing the trail of blood.
"Gus was stabbed." Eogan explained with a defeated voice. Well, it can't be that ba- HOLY SHIT, THEY STABBED HIM IN THE FACE! The sight before me was certainly not something I took to liking. A thin gash stretched from his nose to his upper forehead, blood gushing out. A pool of red liquid grew beneath his head. There was no way he was still alive.
"Bastards."
