The Melding of Two Worlds Pt. 1: The Battle for Ponyville

I was absolutely terrified. I was riding in a jeep, TOWARDS the enemy. This jeep was loaded with mines, and tripwire grenades, and it was pulling a cart full of them too. Out of all the locations that I had to be assigned to, I had to be given the one furthest from the town. We were at least 5 miles out, halfway between the enemy and home away from home. The jeep stopped, and we all jumped out. The one upside that there is to being here, is that I didn't have to follow a map to where the mines were gonna get placed. Here, you just laid them out as best you could. The roads got littered with anti-vehicle mines, anti-personel mines, Bouncing Betties (mines that launched themselves into the air and blew up), and fire bombs. The fire bombs were the more annoying to set up. Not only did you have to place the mine in the ground, but you had to drench the road with fuel so the fire could reach everywhere, even the dry grass on the side of the road. Then we mined the field. Honestly, with how many mines we placed, it had to be a miracle that we didn't step on one ourselves.

When we finished, we could see the plume of dust rising in the distance from down the road. We jumped into our jeeps, and we raced away, ducking and weaving through the various mines we remembered laying. When we finally got to the trenches, we drove up the makeshift ramps made of wooden planks, and stored them in the back of the town. Our feet pounded down the road, trying not to run into any of the ponies panicking as they rushed to get their things and leave. I found myself back in the first trench, waiting for the enemy to come into sight. The rainbowy flag of the Federation came into sight first. I took out my binoculars, and looked through them. A grin found it's way to my face, as I saw a fire mine go off, a massive plume of flame reaching up into the sky as the gas lit afire, burning everything around them.

The artillery in the mountains boomed as they fired. The sound resonated through the air. I smiled, They're gonna have a helluva bad time!

-

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Our artillery had run out hours ago, and we'd had to resort to watching as our mines kept going off as the enemy kept walking into them. I felt an odd sense of satisfaction of the deadly work we'd wrought. The sound of our rifles sounded. So they've entered the range of our snipers eh? Can't believe that they're still coming. They were running towards us in a frenzy, rifles in hand. It was now that I could see how many of them there was. There had to be thousands, running in one massive wave. I flipped off the safety on my machine gun, and I braced, waiting for them to get close enough.

Finally, our guns erupted. I was just spraying the line back and forth, as soldiers fell to the ground, yet they were still coming. A bullet whizzed by my ear, and impacted against the wall behind me. I just kept firing until my gun ran dry. I ducked down underneath the protection of the dirt, and reloaded. I looked up into the sky, though why I couldn't fathom, and saw something that scared me about as badly as the approaching enemy did. Bombs. I could see them falling at us from the metal birds above. I ducked again as dozens of bombs landed and exploded. People were crying out for medics and corpsmen already. Crap, this is getting bad. Where's that anti-aircraft gun when you need one?!

A heard a bone-chilling ping of a helmet being punctured by a bullet. I looked at the sound, and found Marcel slumped against the back of the trench, a hole the size of a quarter in his forehead, and his helmet rolling around by his side. "F**K!"

I popped up once again, spraying the advancing soldiers. "Someone get on the .30!" Someone yelled. I looked over to the left, where a .30 cal machine gun was steaming. F**k me. I cursed, and I ran over to man the gun, pulling off the dead body that laid on top of it. A gripped the handle, and started firing. The gun recoiled in my hands violently as I kept a steady stream of fire.

The fight continued on for the rest of the day, until the Federation troops finally started to retreat. Bolstered by our victory, we left the trenches to chase them in jeeps with machine guns mounted on them for miles until the gas gauges demanded attention. We then recouped our losses. 12 guys were dead, and 32 were seriously wounded. When I finally dropped into my trench, one thing was on my mind. The new recruits. I looked up and down the trenches, but I couldn't find them. Just guys who were worn out and trying to sleep at their posts.

Come on! Where are they? I didn't find them in the trenches, so I looked through the town, trying to find the crazy colored ponies in human bodies. Nothing. I was irritated and worried about not finding them. My mind began to wander towards their safety. Were they among the casualties? Damn it, I hope not. My worry finally got the better of me, and I ran for the hospital.

I barged in through the front doors, frightening several ponies in the foyer. The nurse attending the desk looked at me nervously, "Can I help you?" She was a white earth pony with a pink mane done up into a bonnet, wearing a nurse cap.

"Yeah, did you get an influx of humans here?" I asked fervently.

She nodded, "Yes, why? Do you know them?"

"That depends, were they different shades than normal?"

She raised an eyebrow, "No, why?"

I audibly sighed out in relief, falling to the desk that the nurse attended for support, a smile growing, "Good, good. You see, I trained some of the local ponies to be their own brand of local militia. With the battle, I fear that they've been hurt or killed."

"I did hear something about them going to the castle, they're probably there!" She said cheerfully. With a smile, I thanked her and ran off. The closer and closer I got though, the more apprehension I felt towards who I'd meet there, my little outburst still present. Wow, you just killed however many men and you're still feeling bad about a little outburst? What's wrong with me?

Finally, I reached the castle. Normally, I'd go right in. But from what I'd picked up, this was also Twilight's home, and I still had my manners. I knocked on the door, and waited patiently. The door creaked open, allowing for a small purple dragon to poke his head out.

"Can I help you Wolfgang?" he asked.

"Did a bunch of multicolored people come here lately Spike? I've been trying to find 'em."

He nodded, a small smile touching his lips, "Yeah! There in the Table room right now. Come in, I'll take you to them!" Is he... excited?

I followed Spike inside, and walked with him down the halls. It was silent, unbearably so. "So you're... a dragon?" I ask. Already I was cursing myself for the stupidity of the question and how I asked it.

"Yep. Haven't gotten my wings yet." He said with an irritated deadpan.

"I'm sure they'll grow in sometime." I stated through a guess. I didn't know a damn thing about real dragons, so it was just me playing by ear and trying to make him feel better at this point.

"Really? Do you have dragons back in your country?" he asks, not really believing me.

"No, but you're... what?- 12? 13? Puberty is right around the corner."

He looked pleasantly surprised, "Really? You think I'm that old?" Aw s**t, he's younger than that isn't he.

I tried sounding like a normal person, "Yeah, I mean, I've seen kids older than you act like toddlers. I'd think you'd be older if yer voice didn' sound so young. How old are you then?"

"I'm 11." He says this with pride, like it's something to show off.

"Either way, if dragons are like any other species on the planet, you'll hit puberty soon enough. I'm goin' to feel bad fer ya though." I shuddered as I remembered my earlier teenage years. That hadn't been a pretty time.

Apparently, Spike is as confused as most other kids are, "What do you mean you'll feel bad for me?"

"Cuz yer gonna git more responsibility, less time to enjoy yourself, an' growing larger don' feel very good. You have to eat more, an' healthy stuff too 'r you break out with pimples. I was lucky an' got to skip the pimples cuz my beard an' mustache hairs grew in quick. An' one other thing, you feel miserable when you wake up." Again, I shudder. I mean, it was still miserable for me to wake up, but at least it wasn't to the same degree.

"Well, hopefully I don't get all that. I mean, we are different species and all." he says, sounding a little nervous.

"If half that doesn't happen to you, I'll wish I'd been born a dragon. We almost there?"

"Yep, one more turn," we take a turn right, and behold, a familiar large door, "and we're here!"

"Thanks Spike. Next time I get somethin' good, I'll see about givin' it to you." I lean down and pat him on the shoulder, leaving him with a big smile.

I put a hand on a ring to open the door, and pull. I step into the room, and ducked just in time to dodge a bullet from the smoking gun from one of the recruits. I roll to the side as more bullets fire from the same place.

"STOP! DAMMIT! STOP!" I yell above the gunfire. To my amazement, the gunfire stopped. I stand up, and looked at the ponyperson that had shot at me. A small green human, hiding behind one of the chairs was the only one who had his gun. I stomped over to him from around the table, looked him dead in his terrified eyes, and snatched the gun out of his hands, tossing it across the room.

I lower my voice to a low growl, "What the hell was that?" I swear that the devil himself would've pissed himself just like this kid did. His knees shot inwards, trying to stop his bladder.

"S-s-s-sorry s-s-s-sir! I thought you were... one of them." He whimpered.

"Clean yourself up." I ordered, and with no delay, he sprinted out of the room, and out to wherever he was going.

I turned to look at the group of 23 ponies and ponypersons gathered, who were looking at me with shock. They were mostly the units I'd trained, but Twilight and the rest of her friends plus the mayor was here too.

"What?" I asked, feeling a bit defensive towards what I knew was coming.

"That... was... AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash went, her eyes widening ever further than they had already been, "I mean, just by talking you scared him into peeing his pants!"

"That's what you take out of this?" Now I'm just pissed off. This isn't what she should've taken away from this, "Rainbow, that guy is f**king petrified an' paranoid. If I had been anyone else, I'd be dead." I turn to Twilight, "If anyone else starts actin' up like him, take them outta the force. He's not dealin' with the battle right."

"PTSD?" She asks, and I can see she's hoping that it wasn't.

I nod solemnly, "PTSD. Poor B***ard will be havin' nightmares for weeks." I look over everyone in the room, mostly the soldiers, and I can see that everyone looks fine besides the still shocked faces. "I just wanted to check in with you all, make sure you ain't hurt. We lost some guys and I didn' want you to be in among the dead and wounded."

Fluttershy spoke up, mortified, "Some of our soldiers died? How?"

"I don't know. The only guy I saw dead was a guy in my squad. At least he died painlessly. I'm just glad that your all safe. How you all feelin'?" I ask. I was met by mumblings of, "Fine," or, "ok,".

"That's good. Go home an' get some rest. You did good today." 15 of them left the room quickly, relief flooding their faces. Now, it was just Twilight and her friends, the mayor, and me. I ask them, "So what are you all thinking about?"

Applejack sat down in one of the chairs, and sinks into it wearily, "I can't believe some of the things I did." She holds up her hands, "My hands still feel shaky and numb."

"Yeah," Rainbow agrees, "I don't feel so good about the fight." She was rubbing her shoulder, looking away with a depressed look.

"Well, you did good either way. You protected your families, an' your neighbors. Just remember this, if we hadn' killed them, a worse fate would've befallen us. The independence of yer nation depends on people who are willing to give the ultimate sacrifice to defend their nation from invaders. That means smilin' in the face of death, an' givin' it a solid punch in the balls." I say this with a wide grin, and I was met by a shouted, "YEAH!"

The mayor asks, "How is your militia doing?"

I lean against the wall, "12 dead and 32 seriously injured. Coulda been worse."

Fluttershy seemed to take it the worse, tears falling down her cheeks, while everyone else just looked solemn. "Anyone else wanna git drunk?" I ask.

"Yep. Come on, my treat." Applejack says. Everyone, except the mayor, left the castle for Applejack's farm. There, we went into the barn, and opened up a barrel of Apple Whiskey. I gotta say, I'd never known alcohol to be sweet. The only thing that kept me from thinking it wasn't alcoholic, was the familiar fire that raced down my throat and formed a pleasant warmth in my stomach.

We drank for a while, silence permeating throughout until Spike, who had been drinking apple juice, asked, "Do you think they'll attack again?"

"No doubt. Question is, how? They know they can't just come up the road an' attack us. That didn't work, an' they lost thousands of troops." I take another swig from my mug, "If I had to guess, they'd probably try to set up artillery in the forest, an' send in their troops from the same place."

Rainbow laughed at this, "Yeah right! They'd get chewed up by manticores, hydras and everything else that lives in the forest. They may have guns, but the Everfree Forest has more than it's fair share of dangerous wildlife."

"Yeah, but that might be preferable to walking into a wall of bullets." Applejack reminded, "Besides, they don't know what's there yet."

"What I'm more concerned about is the bombings. It's simply dreadful! What would happen if one of those bombs hit the school, or somepony's house?" Rarity asks.

"We could dig a cavern under the ground! That way the bombs can't touch us!" Pinky says before she chugged down the rest of her mug.

"One problem with that," I say, taking a drink myself, "We can't loan enough guys tuh dig somethin' big enough for everyone. Even if we could, it would take months to dig enough space. An' I don't think that any of you, or the rest of Ponyville for that matter, would know how to dig a cavern big enough without cavin' it in. Actually, I don't think we could either." I finish off my mug, and refilled it the brim. Damn this stuff's good!

Twilight goes, "AHA!" spilling some of her whiskey. "Darn." Do they never curse? She quickly used her magic to clean up, and alleviated us of our suspense, "The Diamond Dogs! Remember when they kidnapped Rarity?" She asked us. Everyone in here nodded their heads, grimacing or scowling at what must've been a painful memory.

"Yeah? Whata bought them!?" Rainbow said angrily.

"Their caverns were huge! Not to mention they were fast diggers. What if we got them to make us an underground home big enough for all of Ponyville?" Twilight finished.

I looked at Twilight incredulously after taking a long drought of whiskey, "And how would we pay 'em? From the sounds of it, those guys are bad news anyways. Who's to say they won't betray us?"

"Yeah!" Everyone says in harmony, except for Fluttershy who just nods in agreement.

"Because we'll only pay them after they finish the job. You know how they like gems so much? Well, once they finish, we'll give them a certain length of time in our gem mines to get what they want, and then leave."

Silence. None of us had a valid argument against this, especially seeing as how we were all getting pretty drunk. I stood up, swaying slightly, "You know what, that sounds like a plan." I drink what's left in my mug, set it down on the table and say, "Well, I'm hammered. See you all in the morning!" I take about two steps to the door, and fall flat on my face.

"Applejack, how much alcohol is in yer whiskey?" I ask as cogently as possible.

"By volume? 'Bout 45%. Why?" she answers.

My only response is, "Ah hell."