Freedoms Call

Chapters

Chapter 3 Why we fight
Chapter 4 Safe Haven
Chapter 5 The no man's land
Chapter 6 The voice of freedom
Chapter 7 Welcome to the Resistance.
Chapter 8 First day of school
Chapter 9 The revolution
Chapter 10 Project Horizons
Chapter 11 Scorched Earth
Chapter 12 Desperate act
Chapter 13 A father's worry
Chapter 14 Dark Words And Darker Deeds
Chapter 15 Progress
Chapter 16 The Day Is My Enemy
Chapter 17 Escape
Chapter 19 Golden Gate
Chapter 20 Aftermath
Chapter 1 Another beautiful day
Chapter 2 The past and a nice evening
Chapter 18 Friends In High Places

Chapter 3 Why we fight

Chapter 3: Why we fight

It was another day in Stable 99. Unfortunate, there was a problem on the lower levels with the recycling system.

Scotch Tape and her mother should check it out. They came to an entrance of a corridor. “The problem appears to be somewhere in the corridor.” Her mother looked on her PipBuck. “Scotch Tape, please wait here while I check it out.”

“Yes, mommy!” She replied.

Her mother entered the corridor. Scotch Tape waited but got worried after some time passed. Why is she taking so long? Then she heard hoof steps. “Mommy, why did you...” the filly couldn’t finish as she saw her mother.

Her mother had some kind of cybernetic implants was on the left side of her head, the right fore hoof was replaced with some kind of weapon. She looked like a partially assimilated Borg drone.

“Kill me…” Dusk Tape pleaded with a cybernetic voice.

“I-I love you, mommy…” Scotch Tape reached for her pistol, shaking in shock.

The drone raised its weapon, with a painful expression, Dusk Tape struggled against it.

Still shaking, tears in her eyes, Scotch Tape managed to pull the trigger, giving her mother a quick and merciful death by a bullet to the head. “I-I’m so sorry…”

“Aren’t you forgetting someone, or something?” A new cybernetic voice was behind her. As she turned around in fear, a pony covered with exo-plating and the same implants as her mother stood before her. She couldn’t even scream as the pony injected her with the pair of flexible needle-like devices and the nanoprobes entered her bloodstream, attaching themselves to her red blood cells, circulating throughout the body. She blacked out.

Scotch Tape slowly came to as the drone spoke, “Rise and shine. Rise and shine.” It was working on her body, altering it. The pain was intensive as the nanoprobes also changed it painfully.

“It looks like a Borg. Walks like a Borg. And sees like a Borg.” The drone putted an eyepiece on her left eye, replacing it. “Then it must be a Borg.”

Having no longer control of her own body, the former filly checked her new implants as a status picture of her now cybernetic body appeared. Apart from the eyepiece that had replaced her organic left eye and exo-plating that covered her body, her right foreleg was replaced with a grappling hook, able to grab and assimilate a lifeform from a distance and to quickly get to point to point. Her vision was light blurry and green, flashing red for a few seconds from the pain.

Neural processor enabled

Cranial transceiver enabled

You wondering what you’re felling? That’s pain.” The drone said as if it knew she was in intensive pain as thousands of voices speaking as one filled her mind. “No Borg is an individual by himself. Every Borg is part of the whole.”

She looked at the Pony.

Target identified

First of 5

Lifeform: Borg

Action: ignore

"You hear that? Filling your mind, telling you what to think, what to do? Welcome to our collective, Scotch Tape.” First of 5 had finished the assimilation of the foal.

Activating Subspace Link

Borg designation: Second of 9.

Absorb

Destroy

Obey

Second of 9 got up. The Hive mind commanded the Pony drone to go to the security room. As it entered the room, Blackjack, other security personnel, Scotch Tape’s father, Morning Glory and Rampage and Lacunae saw it.

“Oh, Scotch Tape, what have they done?” Blackjack exclaimed in shock, yet without hesitating, drew her pistol and fired a shot along with her co-workers, but due Scotch Tape’s assimilated knowledge, the Borg knew how to adapt to it.

“They adapted!” The drone grabbed the pistol of a security guard, turning it around. The guard struggled against it, but as a drone possessed greater strength after assimilation then before assimilation, the former filly could overpower the adult pony with ease and shot him with his own weapon.

Looking at the others, Second of 9 could see that they were too shocked to attack, especially her former father, who trembled heavily while aiming at her. The former pony raised its cybernetic leg, grabbing him. The Earth pony struggled to no avail before he joined the collective. The drone felt no remorse, pity or sadness, as a Borg drone had no emotions or individuality, existing only to perform its designated function within the Collective.

Activating Subspace link

First of 5

Assist Second of 9

The other drone entered the room, raised his arm and fired at the others before they could react. Second of 9 approached Blackjack who backed up in fear. “No, Scotch Tape, don…” she couldn’t finish as the foal’s father came from behind, Borg implants already formed on his head, assimilated her.

Boo walked to First of 5 and grabbed his arm. “I don’t think so.” Everything went black, then white.

“You just called your follow Borg up to the security room and have him assassinating all your friends! Don’t feel bad, though. If they court martial you, you can always say ‘the collective made me do it.” Boo said to her before her vision whited out.

Waking up with a groan, Scotch Tape noticed how Amy had wrapped her arms around her. The filly smiled at the affection the girl showed for her.

That was a strange dream. Looking on the watch, it was 1AM, so Scotch Tape closed her eyes and fell asleep again.

The young man got early out of bed for Duty, smiling warmly at Kate and the two children who were still asleep.

Then something old came back from his memories.

Scotch Tape looks like a pony from the TV show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. That was a good show. Pity that it was cancelled in 2015 shortly after the Oil wars started.

He and his friend were fans of the show, or Bronys as they were also called. Both men had no favorite character in general, but liked foals in the show.

“Good morning, buddy.” Chang greeted him.

“Morning. I got a thought after I got up. Remember that children TV show we watched together years ago?”

“Sure thing. I loved every episode. Why?”

“Well, Scotch Tape looks exactly like a foal from the show.”

The policeman’s eyes went wide. “Y-you’re right! How did we not realize this earlier?”

“I don’t know, but we can live a brony’s dream.”

Nim chuckled. “Right. Now that you say it, if I remember correctly, there was a story on Fimfiction.net featuring her. Fallout Equestria: Project Steelpony…Project Heaven…” He tipped his forehead. “What was the name again?” He snipped his fingers. “Got it! Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons! Do you remember it?”

Chung chuckled. “Yes I do. Too bad that the internet in the south was shut down and replaced with the north’s version of it in 2016, otherwise I could have continued the story.”

“Me and you both. Even if that didn’t happened, we had never been to see the ending, as the side got shut down in the same year due the oil crises as far as I heard. Only 51 chapters were uploaded at the time. I really wanted to know how the story ends. Man, the author, Somber, was a genius, sometimes I wonder how he could come with such brilliant ideas. Whatever happened to him, I hope he survived the crises and can live a normal life as it is possible today.”

Chung remembered this chapter, Scotch Tape got her Cutie Mark there. Her father was so proud, now he must be worried sick about her. I will make sure you will return safe and sound to him, Scotch Tape. He thought, making an inner promise.

“Hey, remember what happened to her in Chapter 37?” Chang brought him out of it.

“Wha? Oh, right. Poor filly. I was crying, praying she would make it. Good thing she did, she’s my favorite of the group.” He shivered at the thought.

“Mine too. Let’s make sure she won’t suffer such a fate here.”

“Of course. We live a dream other fans can only imagine. Remember that scene with her father and Rampage, featuring a grenade?”

The soldier smiled, quoting some parts of the scene.

‘He dove to his bag and dug out a magic grenade. “Back! Back I say…” He waved it at her.

‘I swear to Celestia, if you try and kiss me, I will give you a second childhood! Or fifth… or whatever childhood you’re on!” he said as he kept the grenade outthrust in a hoof. But, more than anything, he was smiling. Maybe it was a little manic… maybe his eyes looked a touch sad… but he was smiling.

Then the door opened and Lacunae walked in. Her purple eyes widened at the mess on the table, the girls peeking out at him, Glory and I cuddling, and Rampage kissing the green-banded apple. She nearly glowed with power… strike that… she was glowing with power. I heard the clicking going off on the PipBucks on both Glory and Scotch’s hooves. “Am I interrupting?”’

At this moment, both Koreans broke out into laughter, unaware how they would have to take part in a brutal raid of the town.

In the morning, both children woke with a yawn, stretching themselves.

“Good morning, Scotch Tape.” Amy smiled.

“Morning.” They got out and saw that Kate was still asleep, Chung had left for work.

“Want to prepare breakfast for my mother?”

“Sure thing!” the green filly exclaimed as she and her friend entered the kitchen.

While not very skilled in cooking, Scotch Tape made toast and a glass of juice with Amy for Kate.

The woman woke up as a wonderful smell came out of the kitchen. The children walked in with a breakfast board. “Good morning mommy, we made you breakfast.” Her daughter gave her a smile.

“Thank you, children.” She enjoyed every bite. “Very delicious.”

Scotch Tape smiled too. “Glad to hear it.

Then, Kate made breakfast for the children.

While their guest enjoyed his oatmeal with milk and cocoa, the radio turned on.

“Good morning Montrose. You're listening to KPAR 88.3 FM.” Again, the female DJ repeated the sentence in Korean. “It is another beautiful day in the Colorado territory with highs in the mid-to-upper fifties and strong winds expected from the east. The days are getting shorter and every citizen of the Montrose partnership has been reminded that curfew has been moved up to 1800 hours. Early to bed, early to rise. Now back to the music that makes your work day ‘float with efficient cooperation’.” Kate turned it off before it could play any music.

Amy giggled as Scotch Tape’s mouth was covered in brown milk. The foal cleaned her mouth. Then, a red bar appeared on her PipBuck.

Looking on it, then outside, she spotted a Humvee that was confiscated by the KPA from the US forces, as the vehicle had dark green camouflage and bear the red Korean star on the sides of the squared trunk, or better said, rectangular back. It stopped in front of Kate’s house and an officer, easily recognizable by his beret and two soldiers got out.

“I think we have a problem.” She pointed with a hoof to it.

Kate’s expression became worried. “Oh, no. Oh god, no! Quick, hide kids!”

The two children hid under Amy’s bed. “I know it’s not the best place to hide but better than nothing.”

“Agreed.” Scotch Tape watched the soldiers’ movements on her PipBuck nervously.

They knocked on the door. “Kate Carter? Is this the home of Kate Carter?”

Kate opened the door. The officer was Colonel-Commandant Jeong.

The American didn’t want to lose her child, Amy was the only thing she had left. She knew Chung, he was always honest, she could tell by his behavior. At first, she feared Jeong would take her but then it clicked in her head. “Yes, can I help you?”

The officer stepped it. “Kate Carter…Why are you so reluctant to report suspicious activity to our police forces? We understand that you have lost almost everything. But you must take heart in what patriotism and cooperation can bring you.”

“I-I only found a lost child and took care of it!” She replied in disrepair.

“We know to appreciate that and you’re caring for children. But eventually, it’s our duty to bring it home. Sergeant Moon, search it.”

The Sergeant searched the building. Scotch Tape and Amy held their breath as they saw the Korean Sergeant in front of the bed. He looked down and grabbed one of the filly’s legs.

Scotch Tape struggled in his arms but he was to strong. “Amy, help me!” She screamed but the other soldier saw her rescue attempt and grabbed her too.

As the two children were brought to the Colonel-Commandant, Kate begged, “Please! What was I supposed to do, let her freeze and die out here? She’s still a child!”

“We only have some questions for her. Thank you for your cooperation and for helping our glorious leader in this endeavor to persevere the rights you still have. Now I remind you that any action will result in the extermination of this entire block. So your decisions will not only affect you but your child and your friends. Now we wouldn't want that to happen, do we?” Jeong replied cold.

“O-okay…I understand…” Kate looked with a sorry expression at her young guest who still struggled.

“As reward for your cooperation, you and your daughter are spared from the raid we execute at the moment and you are allowed to take care of this…child once we have questioned her. Take her away!”

The soldier let go of Amy, she ran to her mother, tears in her eyes.

“No, please! Kate, don’t-“ the soldier who had held Amy, hit Scotch Tape with the buttstock of his gun, causing her vision to be blurry.

They threw her into the floor and down the stairs, knocking her momentarily unconscious and causing her nose to bleed.

“Was that really necessary?!” Kate yelled in shock.

“Standard procedure, I’m not allowed to make exceptions.” The KPA commander replied and left.

“M-mommy…” Amy cried into her shoulder.

“Shh...don’t blame yourself.” Both prayed that Scotch Tape wouldn’t be executed. While they knew that the filly had survived many bad things as she had told them, Scotch Tape wouldn’t probably survive long in a labor camp, given the bad conditions and treatment and that the slightest suspicion could cost the young foal her live and would be thrown into a ditch, a mass grave. Right now, they both wished that the resistance would safe her, despite disliking the resistance to some point.

Scotch Tape slowly regained consciousness. She was dragged by the two soldiers to the Humvee. She saw how citizens were leaded away, their hands behind their heads. “Keep moving! Eyes forward! Stay in line!” The MP who watched them ordered.

One of the soldiers handcuffed her in the car. She looked out of the window.

“You are under arrest!” a member of the Occupational Police Force was about to arrest a citizen.

“Hey! Hey!” He yelled before a KPA soldier hit him in the back with the butt of his rifle, knocking him down. A comrade putted a bag over the American’s head.

The Humvee started to move. The filly saw many civilians on their knees with their hands behind their heads. A woman tried to hold her husband’s hand, screaming as two Koreans broke their grip, separating them.

At a former bar, two policemen were merciless hitting a civilian who lied defenseless on the ground with their nightsticks until he didn’t move anymore.

Three civilians were standing against the wall. One of them tried to flee, only to get killed with a head shot by a soldier, blood splattered on the glass of the window, Scotch Tape yelped.

“Shut up!” One soldier sitting in the Humvee ordered.

Now Scotch Tape understood what Chung and Amy meant with that the KPA came down on the civilians with more violence.

The Humvee was about to take a left turn. “Don’t look. Please don’t look. Just…don’t think about it. Just…close your eyes…” A mother pleaded to her son not to look as she and her husband were held at gunpoint.

“Wait!” the husband yelled before soldiers executed them. The toddler started to cry over the loss of his parents, the soldiers didn’t care about him, walking away like nothing happened. This shocked Scotch Tape.

Oh my...Chung didn’t lie, his comrades are really merciless. Images of getting killed, experimented, dissected, even raped, flashed through her mind by the shock and seeing corpses covered by white blankets, a policeman dragged a body away, leaving a blood trail on the ground. Oh Celestia…somepony save me! While she was very brave for a foal of her age, the fear took fully over at this point, she trembled.

The SUV passed a parked T-99 tank with an officer standing in front of the turret as he watched over American civilian prisoners being marched to a KPA controlled building.

The military vehicle stopped at a checkpoint. She saw a tower. A heavy tri-barrel machine gun activated and scanned her. “Please keep your arms and legs inside the Humvee at all times.” A female PA voice said after the scan was done. “Trespassers and civilians, who resist, will be shot swiftly and without mercy.” It added.

Scotch Tape was too shocked to hear how the checkpoint guard asked the driver for passengers, destination and transfer papers. He let the SUV pass as he saw it was Colonel-Commandant Jeong personally.

After passing the checkpoint, the Humvee took another left. As the SUV through an intersection, a house wall broke apart as a 6-wheeled vehicle broke through, ramming the Humvee, flipping it over.

While Scotch Tape was unharmed, the Koreans had less luck. Her vision was blurry as a woman opened the door. “Are you hurt?” She asked genuinely concerned.

“N-no, I’m fine.” The foal got up, the woman helped her out of the vehicle.

“Here.” The human give her cloth for her nose.

“Thanks.” Scotch Tape held it on her nose to stop the bleeding.

“You’re welcome. I’m Rianna. Glad that Hooper’s improvised and risky plan didn’t get you killed.”

Scotch Tape was about to say something but saw the 6-wheeled vehicle. It looked terrible familiar to the machine from her nightmare. In fear, she cowered, shielding her head. “K-keep that thing away from me!”

Rianna petted her. “There’s no need to be scared. Goliath won’t hurt you.”

Slowly looking up, the filly saw that Goliath was a drone, armed with an MG and a rocket launcher in the middle. It also had headlights on the front and a taillight like a normal car had. The machine in her nightmare had more armor and only a cannon on the roof.

“Sorry my dear, couldn’t get up with a better plan so fast. No hard feelings I hope. “I’m Hopper Lee.” A man said to her. He was wearing a green cap, looking similar to Chung and also was wearing a bag.

“None taken. I’m Scotch Tape.” She introduced herself as she noticed that Hopper was armed with a M4, Rianna with a shorter version of it. Must be the resistance.

“Rianna, where are you?” a male voice asked on her radio.

“On our way. Come with me if you want to live.” Scotch Tape nodded.

Hooper took another way, the woman leaded Scotch to another intersection where a truck rammed a bus, flipping it also over.

A man stepped out of the truck, climbed into the bus and helped another man out.

“Glad to see that Conner’s ‘Plan’ didn’t get you killed, I’m Rianna. Let’s go.”

Scotch Tape spotted a newspaper at a house. Curious, she read it.

Wild fluctuations in oil market lead to instability, uncertainty

12/3/2013

Although the first decade of the 21st century is the "poster boy" for fluctuating oil prices, the sudden shifts of the past few years suggest that this decade may yet break that record. A series of reforms aimed at stomping speculation in the sector, enacted after the wild price spikes in 2008, temporarily appeared to smooth out fluctuations in the market. However, a cascade of unforeseen events (including a strike in Venezuela and ongoing political instability in Nigeria) have caused analysts to question the global market's ability to keep pace with demand. "This year, we've seen oil prices as low as $70 a barrel and as high as $200," commented Goldman Sachs analyst John Rice. "It's difficult to say how a market as essential to global economic health will weather any additional instability." Rice and other analysts fear that as demand returns and supply cannot be met, prices will skyrocket out of control, further depressing the global economy. Already, major American automobile manufacturers are feeling the crunch as demand for personal vehicles has bottomed out. "The US auto manufacturing is dead in the water," Rice stated in no uncertain terms. "It remains to be seen what will happen to other petroleum dependent sectors."

“Here comes the cavalry. Get out of the parking lot!” Conner ordered not noticing the filly at first.

“They spotted us! Into the store!” Rianna followed him, the other man and the foal close behind.

A Korean UH-60 Black Hawk hovered over them and gave an order via loudspeakers to stop and surrender.

Scotch Tape saw a red bar on her PipBuck. A Humvee fired into the story, bullets missed her barely. She was used to being under fire in the wasteland and tried to keep calm. But she was afraid to die here, not seeing her father or friends again. “Get down!” Conner took the lead. “They’re trying to head us off!”

“I hope you’re worth what this rescue’s gonna cost us.” The female resistance member commented to the man they had rescued. He was now armed with a M9, stolen from a dead KPA MP.

“We need you in this fight, Jacobs! Start shooting!” Conner kicked the backdoor open.

At an alley, a pair of KPA policemen jumped over a fence to intercept the suspects. “Two of ‘em coming over the fence.” Rianna pointed them out.

“Put down your weapons! Hands behind your back!” one of the police officers ordered.

“Aim for the head, make every bullet count!” Conner advised as Jacobs opened fire.

Scotch Tape could see that Jacobs wasn’t angry or aggressive, he only defended himself as he did not wanted to end up in a labor camp or anything worse.

After he had killed them, Conner commented, “There’s no going back, you have Korean blood on your hands. You’re in the resistance now.” He kicked another door open as Jacobs took a T3AK rifle from the dead Koreans. That filled Scotch Tape also with unease, fearing that Chung and Chang could get killed by them. They would hesitate to fire when they see me, I’m sure of it. She thought recognizing them by that action.

“They’re coming through the skylight!” Rianna held the foal with her left hand back to avoid that Scotch would get hit as a KPA soldier rappelled down from the chopper through it. “Two more upfront. Stay low and keep behind cover.” Two policemen stormed the building but Jacobs took them all out.

“Pick up any spare mags you find. Don’t leave any ammo for the enemy. There’s a gas station up ahead – Kims used it as fuel depot. I know a shortcut through the suburbs, we need to get out of sight until this blows over. Enemies by the bus!” Conner yelled outside, Jacobs took care of them. Scotch Tape stayed in cover. Looking on her PipBuck, all KPA soldiers were red bars, she was not sure if Chung and Chang would be too, or yellow bars.

“I thought this was supposed to be a quick Snatch and grab.” Rianna gave the child a sign to move on.

Vaulting over a wall, they came to a building, opposite of the Gas station. Jacobs found some grenades.

Many red bars appeared on Scotch’s PipBuck as reinforcements came in by Troop Transports and rappelled down from helicopters.

Jacobs threw a few grenades while the green pony used a fallen over vending machine as cover. More transports arrived.

“Check your fire! Watch out for the pumps!” The woman warned, fearing they could blow up.

“Screw ‘em! If they blow, we’ll take ‘em all with us.” Conner countered as he fired.

But it was too late. The foal saw how the pumps already had caught fire. The explosion took every KPA soldier out. Out of reflex, they all covered their faces.

Scotch Tape stared at the destroyed gas station, praying her friends weren’t along the victims as Rianna asked, “Everybody in one piece?” Scotch nodded.

“Count your pieces later. We gotta go before reinforcements show up.” Conner replied.

A troop transport exploded near Scotch Tape. She was unharmed but stumbled, coughed and her ears ringed.

“You ok?” Rianna asked as she helped her up.

“I’m fine.”

“What the? A foal that can speak?” Conner noticed her finally, confused, so was Jacob.

“Yeah, sounds strange but I and Hopper saved her like we did Jacobs. An old friend of mine took care of her and I still owe her something.”

“You let me waiting for a speaking foal?!” Conner exclaimed. “She could also be a KPA spy!”

“No she’s not! She’s just a child!” they augmented.

Scotch Tape cleared her throat. “Can this wait, until we’re safe?”

“She has a point.” Jacobs added.

“Alright, alright. Boone, it's Conner. We’ve got the pilot and…another saved citizen.”

The radio buzzed unintelligible radio chatter. “Don’t worry about it. Ought to slow them down. And the citizen is a child. We’re on our way to Revere Road. Meet us there. I don’t have time to argue. Conner out."

Scotch Tape found another newspaper.

Kim Jong-un promises to protect Koreans worldwide

8/23/2017

The following is an excerpt from a statement to the nation of Korea by Kim Jong-un,

President of Korea, broadcast on state television on Thursday:

"In ancient Rome, just three words were enough to protect any citizen: 'Civis Romanus sum': I am a Roman Citizen. So great was the power of Rome that an attack on a citizen of Rome was considered an attack on Rome itself. This is the message I am sending out to the world: anyone who carries a Korean passport, anyone born in our great country has but to utter these words: 'Na n'un (Chosun) shi-min in-mi-da' - 'I am a citizen of Korea'. If you can speak those words, know that you will be protected."

"Our countrymen are under attack on the island nation of Japan. Because of their Korean heritage we have seen their property destroyed and their persons assaulted, and in some cases they have been murdered. Simply because they are Korean. My message to them is simple: we will protect you. If we cannot protect you, we will avenge you."

“What was that about?” Rianna asked, tearing the foal out of it.

“Boone thinks it is too dangerous to blend in with the locals. He’d rather risk the entire operation than upset a bunch of squatters.”

“Calm down. He’s just looking out for them.” Rianna replied as Scotch Tape read another newspaper she found at a house.

Pentagon: North Korean missile test fails

7/6/2006

Despite ongoing talks to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear programme, the isolationist country staged a series of missile tests that began at 3:30 am local time (2:30 pm ET) and lasted for five hours. The Taepodong 2 missile (a variant of the Soviet-era Scud) failed 40 seconds into its launch, officials reported.

The US, Japan and the UN strongly condemned the tests, which they say violated a commitment on the part of Pyongyang to a long-standing moratorium on missile tests. The moratorium went into effect after the failed launch of Taepodong 1 missile over Japan in 1998.

Wouldn’t surprise me that Equestria had the same problem with the Megaspell at the beginning. Scotch Tape thought as the group crawled through the destroyed wall of the house.

“Yeah, well who’s looking out for us?” Conner asked in return.

Suddenly, multiple red bars appeared on the PipBuck. A T-99 and several soldiers entered the area.

Jacob quickly pulled the filly to cover.

“Hold your fire. A tank. Stay out of sight until it passes.” Conner ordered.

“There’s a whole squad out there.” Rianna had counted the soldiers.

“I don’t think they saw us. Hold position, nobody move.”

Scotch looked nervously on the display, seeing how the red bars slowly moved away.

“Wait for it. Wait for it. On my mark…Now! Go!” They sprinted across the street.

“We clear.” Rianna was relieved as the child saw another newspaper to the left of a blue house.

GKR Peacekeeping mission in Nigeria a success

10/3/2023

Representatives from the Greater Korean Republic and the United Nations monitored the first democratic elections in Nigeria since the start of ethnic strife last year, with both groups declaring the process a "success." The GKR intervened late last year after civil war marred the Nigerian landscape and widespread ethnic violence led to what is now officially recognized as a genocide, resulting in the death of nearly 300,000 people.

Ambassadors and officials around the world are lauding the KPA's intervention as a "true peacekeeping mission" and "a selfless act of humanitarianism." Along with aid missions to Sri

Lanka and relief efforts in Cuba following last year's devastating hurricanes, what was formerly international suspicion of the Greater Korean Republic appears to be transforming into a more positive opinion.

The GKR has also offered on several occasions in the last two years to help the United States with material and military support, but the US has flatly rejected all offers of aid from outside North America. Although the situation in the US has begun to stabilize, many are questioning what place the former superpower has, if any, in a world now led by East Asia.

I don’t think that was a real peacekeeper mission. The child disagreed.

“Some shortcuts.” The woman tore her out of it.

“Look, I didn’t expect them to send the entire Army after us.”

“What did you expect? You kicked the hornet’s nest!”

“I read your file, Jacobs. You’d better live up to it.” Conner checked a house before they moved in. In the house that had seen better days, were, you guessed it, two more newspapers for the foal to read.

Aircraft carriers decommissioned, navy to downsize

9/2/2015

The aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis joined the USS Theodore Roosevelt as being the second ship of its type to be decommissioned this year. Part of a broad goal on the part of the military to downsize and re-focus its efforts on fourth generation warfare, large capital ships have become to be regarded as redundant, expensive and inflexible. A brief, but moving ceremony accompanied the handoff from the Captain of the ship to the shipyard commander at Puget Sound.

The USS John C Stennis was contracted in 1988 and commissioned in 1995. The Carrier has participated in operations all around the globe including exercises in the Persian Gulf, and with the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and the Republic of Korea. The last two years have seen a series of announcements regarding the re-focusing of the military's priorities, as combat trends towards a more agile, "digital" army of the future.

Global Economy Bites Back

8/27/2014

The continuing decline of the global economy is visible everywhere. In Elizabeth, New Jersey, container ships arrive less frequently, only partially filled or sometimes not at all.

In Singapore those same containers, once destined for the US and other ports, lie empty in massive stacks near once bustling ports. And all over the United States, people wait in lines for supplies that were once plentiful and easy to come by. In some areas, nerves are beginning to fray as tensions grow.

A riot broke out at a Wal Mart outside of Phoenix on Tuesday after supplies failed to arrive on schedule. An unthinkable circumstances only two years ago, consumers were forced to wait in lines as long as 8 hours in the hot sun for simple goods that never arrives. "Is it so hard to get asthma medicine from one warehouse to another?" asked Janet Evans, a former legal assistant and mother of two. "I desperately need this medicine for my son, who suffers from uncontrollable asthma attacks. The whole time I stood in that line I was worried sick that he might be having an attack."

Representatives from Wal Mart did not respond to inquiries about their supply chain, save for a generic press release that described their shipping and supply chain as the "envy of the developed world".

I don’t want to imagine how hard it must been for Kate and her family to survive.

Jacobs tapped her on the shoulder as Rianna replied, “Ease up, Conner. Boone picked him for a reason.”

“A pilot with Combat experience? I’m sure we could’ve found one that didn’t involve getting chased by a tank.”

Leaving the house, the group reached a tree house. “Jacobs, get up there and cover us. And keep the child safe.”

“Will do, Conner.” He helped her up.

The treehouse offered a perfect view of the area. A crashed plane was in the middle, having fallen out of the sky due the EMP back then.

“Sit tight! We’re coming over the fence!” Rianna warned.

Scotch Tape saw a squad of the Occupational Police Force moving in, soldiers rappelled down from a Black Hawk to support them.

Jacob started to pick off targets. “Incoming!” Rianna shouted as the helicopter fired a missile at the treehouse.

The former Marine pilot clenched the green filly protectively as the tree collapsed, both grunted in pain as they hit the ground hard. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, Jacobs.” Scotch was still dazed from the impact. She stayed in cover, leaving the shooting to the humans. I really, really pray that Chung and Chang aren’t along them.

After the area was clear, they moved through the wreck. Getting out, a hizzing sound ringed in Scotch Tape's ears, the young pony was almost hit by a bullet, hadn’t Rianna pulled her back.

“Machine Gun! Second Floor window!” Conner pointed the KPA LMG gunner with a M249 SAW LMG.

“I got him in my sight!” Jacob took him out with a well-aimed shot.

But as the gunner was down, a big red bar appeared on the pony’s PipBuck, as a Korean LAV-25 broke through the fence. It fired but missed, yet caused Scotch’s vision to be blurry and her ears ringed for a few seconds.

“APC! Get out of the yard!” Conner shouted.

Rianna held the filly down. “Get down! That cannon will tear you apart!”

They moved to the left using debris as cover. Jacobs climbed into the house the MG gunner was in and threw C4 he found in it, on the LAV. Pressing the detonator, the APC exploded, a smoking wreck remained.

“Outstanding!” Conner commented before they moved through the neighborhood.

“Revere Road is through these yards.”

“It’s strange that people live so close to the wreckage.” Rianna found it strange.

“Stranger still they aren’t out here helping us.” Conner countered. “The EMP must’ve fried their balls, too. You’d think seeing a plane fall out of the sky woulda put guns into their hands.”

“Maybe they’re not ready to fight! The KPA doesn’t bother these people. They’re just trying to live their lives, just like my friend Kate. Besides, Boone gave you an order.”

“Boone’s not here! We’re gonna do whatever it takes to stay alive.”

Scotch Tape had stopped to read some more newspapers she had found.

Violence and Protest sweeps China as manufacturing jobs disappear

5/18/2012

Workers at a Taiwanese facility near Beijing clashed with authorities on Thursday, resulting in one dead and fifty injured. The protest comes after a wave of firings resulting from the falling demand for Chinese-made goods. The year has seen a loss of 15% of jobs in the manufacturing sector in China thus far, and many experts suspect that the trend will continue.

China's primary market for exports has changed radically in the last few years, said Arthur Brooks, an analyst for Morgan Stanley. "Consumers in the United States no longer seem interested in purchasing luxury goods from labels like a Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Even mainstays like personal electronic devices have seen a pronounced dip in sales."

Many expect the trend to continue as the recent crash in the housing market continues to ravage the American economy. "We're not talking about 'green shoots' anymore," said Brooks. "I think everyone has started to become a lot more pragmatic. Many are now trying to guess where the bottom is and what we do when we get there."

US Infrastructure crumbles as debt become unmanageable, tax revenues decline

6/21/2017

In the middle of the 20th century, Route 66 was considered the crown jewel of the United States' transcontinental highway system. Once called the "Main Street of America," it's now a barely navigable stretch of treacherous potholes and dangerously deteriorating bridges.

It's no surprise either: at more than a million dollars a mile, many highways and superhighways are simply too expensive for Federal and State Governments to maintain and repair.

Other parts of the national infrastructure are starting to crumble and collapse as well. Much of the Northeast has been crippled by intermittent blackouts as portions of the energy grid prove to be unstable and interconnected. While the National Guard has been deployed to help repair the aging systems, there are lengthy waits for replacement parts.

Governments around the world have seen a sharp decline in tax revenues as global trade cools off. Faced with an almost insurmountable debt, many policy makers are being forced to slash the budgets of even essential services.

Must been difficult for them. They made their own wasteland so to speak.

American gas prices rise to record highs as Great Arab War escalates

9/18/2016

Rising demand from across the globe, coupled with instability in the Persian Gulf region, have caused gas prices in the US to sky rocket. Up 79.1 cents from last month and up three dollars from this time last year, the week's average gas price in Southern California was at $12.61 for regular, $12.81 for premium and $12.77 for diesel. "Markets are incredibly vulnerable to a variety of influences at the point," said Chris Winters, manager of the Consumers Network Gas Tracker. "It's difficult to predict how the market is going to react to further pressures." Winters went on to say that although May is typically the month with the highest gas prices during the year, the political situation in the Gulf could throw standard calculation and expectations out the window. The state government has reacted to the situation by implementing a rationing system, the details of which will be announced this coming Tuesday. It is expected to focus on interstate shipping with an emphasis on food and medicine, and to discourage using gasoline for personal transportation.

Makes me wonder if Kate had a car before this.

Japanese capitulates to Korean occupation

4/7/2018

Reeling from the shock of the destruction of one of its largest nuclear power plants and the subsequent fallout ravaging much of their southern coast, Japan capitulated to Korean control on Thursday. The Japanese Diet passed an emergency measure on Wednesday night as Korean troops moved towards Tokyo, acceding to all of Kim Jong-un's demands. A spokesman for the Korean Department of Defense stated that "the government of Korea has no interest in further violence," and "applauded the Japanese government in its swift decision to surrender." Korean officials stated that their goal was to prevent further violence against Korean citizens, and that every effort would be made to create a smooth transition.

Sounds more like forced to me.

The group came to a man, wearing blue clothes and a bulletproof vest with the inscription „Colorado State Police” calming angry civilians down. That vest and blue clothing reminded Scotch Tape of Blackjack.

“Goddamn Resistance, what’re you doing here? We’re a peaceful community.” One of the angry citizens asked.

“There are families here, man. You can’t be bringing us this kind of trouble.” Another one added.

“Everyone calm down. As soon as the others get here we’ll move on. I’m sure they weren’t followed. We’re leaving. But you should get inside. Let’s not attract attention.” The civilians leaved and the man turned to Conner.

“Goddammit, Conner. I said don’t come here, you risk starting a shit-storm right where these people live.”

“We had nowhere else to go. The area’s crawling with KPA.”

“We supposed to be fighting for those people, not hiding behind them.” Rianna augmented with Conner.

“Who the…” Conner was interrupted by the man.

“That’s enough! Both of you! You must be the pilot. I'm Boone Karlson. I founded this cell. The U.S. military's gathering near San Francisco. They need fuel. We've got a plan to get it there. But we need you. And who is that?” Boone looked at Scotch Tape.

“That’s the child Rianna saved. A talking pony.” Conner explained.

“Name’s Scotch Tape.” She introduced herself.

The former state police officer opened his mouth to say something but a Korean Humvee stopped with screeching tires at the houses, opening fire on the civilians.

“Into the house! Now!” Boone equipped his M249 SAW LMG.

Bullets missed Scotch by inches as they entered the house to their left.

“Please don’t hurt my baby!” a single mother pleaded, the baby started to cry.

“That’s just what we needed.” Conner deadpanned.

“They’re pushing in!” Rianna fired at policemen that were about to storm the house.

“We’re on your side, ma’am! Just stay down! We’ll protect you!” Boone assured the mother as he returned fire, leaning against the wall for cover. “Defend the front of the house! We have to draw fire away from the civilians! Ma’am, we’ll get you out, I promise.”

Scotch Tape covered her ears as the crying was disturbing.

She, the mother, Jacob, Rianna and Conner used a counter for cover. The PipBuck was flashing red, waves of police forces attacked from all sides.

But the resistance held its ground. Jacobs gave the filly an assuring smile. “I’ll defend you with my life.” She returned it.

Grenades were thrown in. Gas poured out, Scotch Tape’s eyes watered and she coughed.

“Tears gas! They’re trying to flush us out!” Bonner helped the mother out, Jacobs carried Scotch Tape outside.

The two men got them behind a fence. “Hide back here. We’ll come and get you after everything settles down.” Boone promised.

But the young filly didn’t listen. For some reason, she felt safer with them, following them into another house. A fast red bar flashed on her PipBuck. Looking up, a machine that reminded her of a Pegasus Pony flew by very fast.

A resistance member got hit in the neck. “He’s been hit! I don’t know what to do!” Hopper yelled.

“Put pressure on it! Here!” Rianna aided Hopper. “Hopper! Where’s Goliath?”

“Out back…It’s out back. But the targeter’s in my back over there.”

“He’s bleeding to death!” Rianna shouted as Scotch Tape gave Jacobs the targeter and Goliath crashed through the wall.

“Listen. It’s a semi-autonomous combat drone. NAV and the 50. Cal are pseudo-intelligence. But the rockets are you. Just pick your targets and pull…”

“He’s gone. Let’s go.” The man had died. “Stay down.” Rianna was worried for the foal’s safety.

Jacobs used the controller and targeted the Humvee. Goliath drove outside and fired its rockets, destroying it.

While having seen many impressive machines in the wasteland, Scotch Tape had never seen a machine like this. Jacobs took more enemy vehicles out. If Equestria had such a machine during the Great War…

“That’s it! They’re falling back!” Conner shouted as the last KPA vehicle was destroyed. They got out on the street.

“We gotta get out of here now!” Boone warned as the flying machine performed a bombing run on the street, knocking Scotch Tape out. The last thing she heard were the echoing screams of the resistance members.

Author's Note

Luceky the Resistance was here to save her. This chapter was based on the first level of the game with the same name. Scotch Tape's dream was based on a scene from the old game Star Trek: Borg

Chapter 4 Safe Haven

Chapter 4: Safe Haven

Chung and Chang returned to Kate’s house after the raid. They were called as reinforcements as the Resistance made trouble but called back before they could arrive.

They both saw Kate and Amy depressed on the couch. “What happened?” the police officer asked.

“T-they took Scotch Tape!” Amy said through tears.

Realizing that they both were blaming themselves, the young soldier comforted them. “Don’t blame herself, you did what you could. “ He took Amy on his arm and patted her back. She cried herself to sleep.

“You’re right, we did what we could.” Kate had pulled herself together and tucked her daughter in. “Maybe some sleep makes me feel better.” She went to bed.

“Don’t worry my friend, I will not rest until I have found her.” Chang leaved and Chung went to bed himself, worried about Scotch Tape.

Please be alright, wherever you are.

The next morning, they had slept not so well due worrying about the foal.

As they had breakfast, the radio turned on.

“Good morning Montrose. You're listening to KPAR 88.3 FM. Our top story for this hour: 24 American civilians were dead in the wake of a shooting spree by a local insurgent group. KPA authorities are searching for Connor Morgan, believed to be responsible for...” Chung turned it off as Amy hugged her mother.

“Mommy, do you think she was along them?” She asked with fear and worry.

“I hope not, sweetie.” He stroked her hair.

The KPA soldier had an idea. He switched to another frequency. The voice of Freedom. An American controlled radio station operating throughout the occupied states. As opposed to the KPA-censored radio stations, the Voice of Freedom broadcasts the truth of what is really going on in the occupied states. It was illegal to listening to it but Chung secretly listed to it sometimes to know what really was happening. And maybe, it could tell what happened to Scotch Tape.

“Yesterday afternoon, KPA authorities raided the town of Montrose, Colorado. Their goal, in the words of the enemy, was ‘to neutralize high value citizen targets.’

But, this was not a measured response to American insurgency. This was innocent blood running red on the Main Street. Your families and friends shot down like animals. One of the Montrose Resistance cells reportedly escaped after a brutal firefight in a nearby neighborhood. We can only hope that these freedom fighters made it to one of their safe zones, somewhere in the sea of abandoned suburbs. But, whatever their fate, we will fight on. Don't believe the lies of Korean-controlled media. We are the channel of truth, and this is the Voice of Freedom.”

“Do you think the resistance saved her?” Kate asked with hope.

“I’m pretty sure. But we can only hope and pray.”

The young pony awoke with a groan. Slowly getting up, Scotch Tape realized that she was bandaged around her chest, her overall was consolidated next to her.

Oh, my head…what happened? Looking around, trying to remember what happened, she found herself in a bed with a blanket covering her. Children's drawings were on the wall next to her.

Rianna walked in. “I’m so glad you’re awake. I was worried you would die. You’re too young and cute.” The woman hugged the filly, she grunted in pain and gasped for air.

Realizing that she almost stifled Scotch Tape, Rianna let go. “Sorry, you’re just so cute.”

“I know.” The foal caught her breath. The room she was in has seen better days but was still cozy.

“If you’re excuse me, If have something to take care of. And don’t worry, we will inform Kate that you’re safe and sound.” She leaved.

Scotch Tape closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was safe. But what happened to Chung and Chang? She didn’t know.

I hope you’re both alive.

Boone came with Jacobs in. “Glad you’re awake too. Come outside when you’re ready. I’ll show you around.” The former state police officer smiled at her. It was painful but Jacobs helped her up.

“Thank you.”

As they walked out, Scotch took notice of table soccer near the doorway that leads to a Glasshouse.

Radio chatter emitted from Boone’s radio. “The pilot’s up. We’ll be moving out during the next patrol gap.” He opened the door. “Come on.”

Once on the stairs down, Scotch Tape was speechless as she saw the outside. Wherever she was, it was beautiful.

“Welcome to your new home. It’s our little piece of America. We all came together to create this place and to have some sense of community. Not quite the future we had in mind, but at least we’re free. From the outside it’s just more boarded up suburban failure. But inside, we’ve built ourselves a safe haven.” Boone sounded proud as they walked down.

“Fences, tree cover and that camo scam keep us hidden from the KPA. Still, we’ve got to be careful. Especially now.” His radio buzzed. “Got it. Get Rianna on the radio. She’s prepping the playground. Talk to Conner about ammo.” He pointed to a garden.

“Everything we eat, we grow. Waters collection’s over there. And between solar panels and the windmills, just enough power to get by.”

It reminded Scotch Tape of the Chapel, a settlement, the home of the crusaders, a group of orphaned Fillies and Colts. Scotch Tape lived and worked alongside them, when she was out roaming the Wastelands alongside Blackjack and her companions. She helped to install a working plumbing system in Chapel, improving living conditions for the crusaders. That was also the day where she earned her Cutie Mark. The Chapel was also her, Blackjack’s and their friends’ home when not travelling the wasteland.

To her left, a man worked on computer hardware. “Hello.” She greeted him.

“Hi there. No shortage of old parts to fix around here. I’d shake your hoof but I’m a little wrapped up here. I’m Andrew. You’re Scotch Tape, right?”

“Yes. Mind if I help you out?”

“Not at all. But that has time until later. Introduce yourself around.”

She nodded and got into a house with Jacobs. A woman was cooking supper, two children, younger than Scotch Tape, were sleeping at a fireplace in sleeping bags and the mother the resistance had saved, was sitting on a couch, rocking her baby.

Conner walked out of a room that looked like an office. “Back from the dead, huh?” He asked Jacobs before turning to Boone.

“This means we’re set to go, right? I’m damned tired of sitting here. We’ve got a short window to grab those tracking devices and we shouldn’t be wasting more time.”

“Shh. Keep it down!” The mother interrupted.

“It’s my call. We do this right and we won’t lose anybody else.” Boone replied.

“Those bastards are going to get what’s coming to them.” The aggressive man leaved.

“Conner’s a good man to have in a fight. Look around if you’re like.” Boone got outside too.

The supper smelled delicious. Much better then Glory’s food. Sometimes, I wonder how Blackjack can like that. The filly wondered as Glory was a very bad cook.

“Don’t mind those two. They’re always going at it. I don’t think Conner appreciates everything Boone’s done to keep this place safe. I’m Sally. Dinner’s at 7. We’re having leftovers. I hope you join us.”

“Count me in, Sally.” Scotch smiled as the mother said to Jacobs,

“I appreciate what you did for us back there. My name is Janice.”

“Robert Jacobs. And this is Scotch Tape.”

She waved a hoof before curiosity got the best of her and she investigated the office.

Radio chatter emitted from the radio in the office. A map was on the wall, showing the drastic changes the country has gone through. A newspaper was also in the office.

Juche Ideology

2/18/2007

Created by Kim Il-sung and based off classic Marxist-Leninist dogma, the Juche Ideology of self-reliance was created in the sixties as a check against proxy control by other prominent communist nations. Focused on North Korea's contemporary goals of an independent foreign policy, a self-sustaining economy and self-reliant defensive posture, it has also served to create an autocratic regime completely under the control of Kim Jong-Il.

While the Juche Ideology is focused on self-reliance and manifesting the will of the people the North Korean government has been forced to accept food aid from the outside and implement a number of market reforms. Famine resulting from Kim Jong-Il's policies has resulted in widespread starvation, and numerous governments including the United States have given aid to North Korea through the UN World Food Program. While this has weakened the foundation of the ideology, it has not stopped the North Koreans from attempting to re-unite the peninsula on their terms, using erratic displays of military power to threaten its neighbors.

Many critics and human rights organization contend that the North Korean political environment bears no resemblance to the Juche Ideology. Based on reports from defectors, the people have no actual part in the decision making process, and the country relies on aid for more than a quarter of its food. It remains to be seen how long Kim Jong-il can maintain absolute control over the country.

No resemblance to the Juche Ideology, that’s exactly right! Scotch thought, not believing it at all.

Walking outside, closing the door, she saw a man working on a transceiver. “Hello there.”

“Hi, name’s Zach. This Transceiver should let us listen in on Korean radio chatter. Not sure how well it’s gonna work, but any warning is better than none, right?”

“Indeed.” She agreed.

“The KPA figures we’re out here somewhere. But we’re well-hidden. Nothing like being surrounded by an ocean of abandoned suburbs.”

“Why’re they abandoned?” the filly asked curious.

“Too much energy consumed getting people and supplies back and forth to the suburbs. Most had to move to the cities. It’s either that, or the labor camps. We call it the Oasis. It’s not much, but we call it home.”

While Stable 99 used to be her home before the incident, the Chapel was what she could call a new home. And the Oasis was similar to it. A community working together.

Looking on her PipBuck, there were several yellow bars surrounding her. In front was a playground, consisting of two swings and a slide. A boy, younger than her was having fun on it. To her right was a male resident that cooked herbs and spice.

“Hello.”

“Hello, I’m Carlos. So you’re the child everyone’s talking about, huh? Heard you were very brave back there.”

“Yes, I am.”

“They took a big risk with the pilot and you. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t have the luxury of taking chances around here. We got our families to think about.”

“I understand. When was this safe haven made?”

“We’ve been hiding here for almost two years. Someday we’ll build this land back into a country. Good meeting you. Take care now.”

“I will.” While Scotch Tape didn’t know how life was in Equestria before the Great War, she was sure someday, Equestria would return to its former state.

The boy smiled and waved at her, she returned it.

A woman was tending the vegetable gardens. “Oh! Hey there. Welcome to Oasis. I’d like to talk but we got a lot of work to do before sundown. Can’t risk running too many lights after dark. I’m Ana and this is my husband Michael. The boy on the swing is our child Logan.”

“Pleasure.”

Next to them to the left, a resident of Afro-American origin was on what appeared to be a cross walker, connected to a rain collection site. “Hello there, Scotch Tape. Call me Adedayo. Hopper rigged this system up, so I don’t have to haul the water by hand anymore. He’s our resident mechanical genius. The guy even managed to hack Goliath to fight for us.”

“Impressive.” She commented.

Exploring more of the safe haven, she came to a man wearing glasses who milking a goat. “Hello.”

“Hello, I’m Sid. You believe this? Goat’s eat through anything. ‘Course you can pretty much feed them anything. And it’s fresh milk for the kids.”

“Good to know.”

Looking at the system, Scotch thought if she could make it even better. She jumped into the air as someone tipped her shoulder.

“Oh, it’s you, Jacobs.”

“Yes, sorry, didn’t want to startle you. Just wanted to say, I will whatever I can to help getting you back home.” He smiled friendly at her.

“Thanks. What’s your backstory if I may ask?”

“Well, before the invasion, I served in the United States Marine Corps as an infantryman, but was put on loan to the Air Force as a helicopter pilot, until the government began cutting its budget, which forced me to retire. But I admit I planned to retire earlier as it was very dull given that the military had been mostly inactive due to the economic recession. Since then, I had worked for several odd jobs. Before the EMP, I travelled to Los Angeles for a job. I was on my way home when the EMP happened. The KPA wanted to recruit me. As I failed to answer the draft, they arrested me and here I am.”

“Well, my story is a long one. Better I tell it later, ok?”

“Okay. See you later.” The former pilot ruffled her mane before he leaved. Hopper joined her.

“How’s it going?”

“Good, Hopper. Is it true that you hacked Goliath?” she asked with excitement.

He smiled. “Yep. I’m a third generation Korean-American; my grandparents fled North Korea in the mid-sixties. I lived in Oakland, California, but during the riots, my house got burned down. Prior to the invasion, I used to be a very skilled technician. The KPA forcefully recruited me to repair military equipment. While repairing electronics for the Koreans, I reconfigured the unmanned armed ground vehicle Goliath and built a controller so that it would be under my direct control. Escaping with it, I joined this resistance cell.”

“Sorry to hear it. I’m very skilled in Engineering. Say, where is Goliath?” She felt sorry for him but her technical and engineering interest in Goliath was awoken.

“In a garage, let me show you.” The Korean-American leaded the foal to a garage that was connected to the Oasis. The drone was inside, recharging.

“While Goliath is very powerful, it is vulnerable to Armor-Piercing Rounds, Attack Helicopters, EMP Rockets, RPG's, and Tanks.” He explained.

Scotch Tape putted her hoof to her chin. “Hmm…mind if I change that?”

“We got a lot of scrap parts of cars in the other garage, do as you like.”

He got her some tools. The young foal putted some scrap parts, like car doors and hoods on the unmanned ground vehicle, making an improvised armor out of it. Also, she connected a large-caliber machine gun that was once looted from a crashed UH-60 to the targeting system. She also reconfigured the system.

Looking through the scrap parts, she found a still working car battery. Exactly what I was looking for!

Getting back to the cross walker, she connected the battery to the solar panels and windmills. “What are you doing?” Hopper and Adedayo wondered.

“You’ll see.” She was proud as the cross walker got connected to the battery too. Once connected, the cross walker moved on his own, hauling the water automatically.

All residents were impressed. “Wow. I must admit, I’m impressed. I was wrong about you, Scotch Tape.” Conner said to her as all others save for Rianna and him, went back to work. “You’re a genius like Hopper.”

She blushed at the compliment. “Thank you very much. Why did you join the resistance?”

I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1989 and was a marine fighting in the oil wars before I joined the resistance. I had a good friendship with some comrades but then… this terrible day in Riyadh happened…” He sounded sad, struggling not to cry. “But in my heart, they’re still alive, fighting by my side.”

“As for me, I used to be a nurse before all this and an expert hunter in my spare time. I and Kate went together to school and were best friends. Due the economic problems, our contact broke away but for helping me becoming a nurse, I still owe her something. And I promise I will bring you back to her safe and sound.” The woman smiled warmly at her.

“Appreciated, Rianna.”

Then, she enjoyed being on the swing while Logan pushed her and they played tag. While playing, she found another newspaper.

United States begins phased withdrawal from Middle East

10/5/2012

In a joint press conference with his British counterpart, the President announced that both governments will begin withdrawing troops from Iraq as early as this month. The phased withdrawal calls for reducing the force level to around half its current strength by June, culminating in a complete withdrawal by December. The announcement comes on the heels of a statement from the Iraqi Prime Minister that he no longer feels that US forces are needed in most of his provinces.

The withdrawal is officially being described as a "transition", focusing on US-trained Iraqi security forces taking control of the country. Although there have been more than 5,000 US servicemen lost since the war began in 2003, there has been sharp decline in fatalities in the last few months, with only two deaths occurring in the last thirty days. A spokesman for the Defense department said that it was expected that 70 percent of the Iraqi army was expected to be in control of its own sectors by the end of the year.

Oh, how wrong they were. Scotch felt pity.

During the rest of the day, Scotch Tape had a happy conversation with Hopper about engineering, had a great and fun time with the children and helped out in the garden, despite not being skilled in that but she enjoyed it still.

In the evening, they all had Dinner, The foal told her story. Everyone was fascinated and told his condolences for her. Conner even showed a human and calm side, saying that he never thought a KPA soldier could be so kind and promised to spare him should they met.

Before Boone, Jacobs, Conner and Rianna moved out, the young woman tucked the foal in. “Goodnight and sweet dreams. We will inform them that you’re safe, you have my word.” She gave Scotch a kiss on the forehead.

Knowing that she could trust them all, the green pony drifted off to sleep.

She woke up in the middle of the night by a noise. Getting out of bed to investigate, opening the door, she saw Rianna carrying Boone who was wounded.

Scotch Tape gasped and gave them a first-aid kit.

“Don’t you worry, I will make it Scotch Tape. Get to sleep again.” Bonne assured her.

With that Scotch Tape got back into bed.

A day had passed. Neither Chang nor Chung was able to find out where Scotch Tape was and that filed them with unease and worry.

Right now in the night, Chang was guarding the labor camp at the Montrose Elementary School. He felt sorry for the American people.

Chung was not here, he guarded a Fuel station in Downtown.

The KPA had information from a collaborator that the resistance was here to steal tracking beacons. That would be the perfect opportunity to end once and for all.

They waited in cover at the Administrative Building for the Collaborator and resistance members to show up.

“Here they come.” A comrade said.

The Collaborator, Arnie, who had a teenage daughter, grabbed one of the resistance members, pointing a pistol at him. Chang felt sorry for Arnie, had he refused to work with them, they had killed his daughter. He had seen it before, Kate and Amy was the perfect example.

Spotlights turned on and the police officers got into position as Arnie shouted, “Nobody move! I’ve got kids, besides, they cut me a better deal. It’s over! Face it, the Koreans have won.”

“It’s over for you.” One of the members said sarcastically before grabbing and pointing the gun of the Korean behind him at Arnie. The policeman pulled the trigger, the shot hit the collaborator's head, killing Arnie. He and the other member overpowered the Koreans that held them at gunpoint. The third drew his pistol and shot a comrade next to Chang into the head.

Chang shouted, “I don’t want but I will kill you!” But the pistol wielding resistance fighter shot him into the left shoulder, causing him to drop his rifle with a cry of pain.

He fell backwards against the wall, holding his shoulder.

The terrorists cleared the area of KPA personnel.

“Okay, now where are those beacons?” One of them, wearing a cap asked.

“He knows!” The aggressive one got his knife out. “Tell us and it will be quick!”

“Alright, alright. They are in the Administrative Building. I’m so sorry, Scotch Tape…” he added quietly.

“Wait, did you say Scotch Tape?” the freedom fighter with the pistol asked.

“Uh…yes?” Chang replied confused.

“Conner, don’t! It’s him!” the cap wearing member held his friend back.

“Is…is she okay?” the policeman asked.

Conner took his knife away. “Well yes, she’s safe and sound at our safe haven.”

Thanks to his father teaching him how to know if people were lying or not when checking them, the police officer could see that the former Marine was honest.

“Please, let me live, she wouldn’t take it!”

Conner helped him up. “Get out of here. I made a promise to her and I will keep it no matter what.”

“Thank you! You won’t regret it!” Despite having an injured shoulder, Chang was able to get to safety.

Chung will never believe this!

Scotch Tape woke up in the morning with a cute yawn as the Voice of Freedom had a special report.

“These photos came to me by way of a friend with contacts deep in the Resistance. I think we all suspected - no, we knew - that atrocities like this were happening, but the proof is so horrifying - it's almost surreal. But we should be thankful for this evidence; it reveals an enemy that wants to dehumanize us. But pushing American corpses into an unmarked ditch can't bury our defiance. If dirt and gravel fill silent mouths, we'll speak for them and tell their stories to the world. The dead have names, as long as we fight in their memory. This land will be our land again. Even now, the Resistance is planning attacks that could lead to victory in one of our greatest cities. This is the Voice of Freedom, signing off."

The filly gulped. D-ditch? I don’t want to end in a ditch.

Sally walked in with a breakfast board. “Rise and shine, my dear.” She had made oatmeal with a glass of juice.

“Thank you.” She enjoyed the breakfast.

This day wasn’t very different from the last day, she helped where she could, even played table soccer with Rianna, it ended in a draw.

She enjoyed it here but knew it wasn’t her home. Still, for some reason, she started to miss not only her father and friends back home, but also Kate, Amy, Chung and Chang. They were her “Family” here. I miss you.

Chung was on guard duty at Tiger Direct Fuel station in Downtown Montrose. Tiger direct was a former computer store. His friend was in the hospital for recovery and had told him about Scotch Tape.

Knowing that the resistance had saved the young child, they both, Amy and Kate were relieved. “Hey, comrade, you okay?” A fellow soldier tore him out of his thought.

“What? Oh, was lost in thought, that’s all.” Suddenly, music sounded. He recognized the song. Elvis Presley' Burning Love.

A white van broke through the gate, crashing against a car wreck, missing a KPA soldier who barely jumped out of the way.

“Out of the vehicle, hands in the air!” an officer ordered as the soldiers surrounded the van.

Chung looked into the air as he saw a white flare. Oh no! It was White Phosphorus, about to be used by the KPA in case of an uprising. Chung had seen it before, inhuman and painful.

The young Korean barely managed to get to cover under a roof before the mortar exploded, setting his comrades on fire. “My…god!” He exclaimed in shock, as the unlucky soldiers screamed in pain, trying to pat the fire out before dying. He knew that the Resistance wanted revenge for what the GKR did to the Americans but had never thought that they would go that far. Still, sniper fire ringed in his ears, seeing how some soldiers were putted out of their misery.

“Who’s shooting?! I told you to let them suffer!” Conner exclaimed.

“Do I have to remind you that a KPA soldier took care of Scotch Tape and could be along them? He doesn’t deserve such a painful death!” Jacobs countered as he had Sniper duty to cover the assault on the fuel depot, so they could track a fuel truck.

“I get your point. Hopper! Where’s our second round?”

“I’m working on it!” Hopper responded as the two forces engaged in a battle in the parking lot, with neither side gaining ground. Jacob fired at the KPA soldiers, feeling guilty and sorry as he feared he could kill Chung.

Chung fired at the resistance members, making sure to aim for the head to save ammo and to give them a quick and merciful death. He never liked killing, knowing that they were fighting for their country, feeling guilty and regret. As he reloaded behind cover, he heard a voice scream, “Oh, shit. Misfire! Misfire!”

Seeing a second White Phosphor round, he was shocked. Having no time to run for cover, he just pressed himself against the wall of a building to his left. The explosion set everything around him on fire.

Two resistance members jumped down from the tower, but were knocked down by the impact.

Knowing that the only option to survive was to working with them, he helped the male member up. “You okay? My friend told me you saved Scotch Tape, so I wanted to thank you and to retaliate.”

The man just nodded as the woman said, “We gotta head for the tower! Follow me! Run!”

As they moved, a burning soldier screaming pain came of the fire and died.

“Jacobs? Rianna? Do you hear me? Where did that second round land? Guys? Can you hear me?” Hopper asked as a car exploded, throwing Chung and Jacobs down. “Is everything okay?”

Looking at a burned body, Chung helped the former pilot up.

“Somebody, please say something!” The Korean-American panicked. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Just as they all three reached the tower, a burning resistance member got blasted away by an exploding car, letting out a scream.

"It jammed! It was an accident!”

“Your accident nearly got us killed!” Conner replied on the radio. Seeing Chung, He just asked,” You’re Chung?” The Korean nodded. “Scotch Tape’s safe and sound.”

“Glad to know. If you can make it into the store, watch your aim there are barrels with Flammable material inside.” Chung coughed but thanks to the handkerchief, he hadn’t inhaled too much smoke,

Jacobs and Rianna were violently coughing, the woman had collapsed on the ground. “Take shallow breaths through your nose. We’ve got a few seconds before the Phosphors burns off enough to push through on.” Conner said to her.

“Jesus, Conner. Half those people burning down are ours. There’s no way we’re…”

“Cut that crap. Failure here is not an option. Are you with us?” Conner asked with authority like a drill instructor.

“Yeah.” She pulled herself together.

“Attack Chopper!” Jacobs yelled as a Z-10 Chimera, an attack helicopter developed by the People's Republic of China and used by the Korean People's Army, fired on the tower, causing it to collapse and everyone to black out.

Robert came to with a blurry vision and ringing ears. A KPA soldier inspected the resistance team and raised his rifle but to his misfortune, he got rammed by the upgraded Goliath.

His comrades and Chung came to too. Rianna still coughed violently.

“This crap just keeps on getting better and better! Grab your gun, we’re hitting the store! Everybody form up behind Goliath! If we can make a break a big enough…”

“On the roof! EMP!” Rianna warned after she got up with Jacobs. A KPA soldier fired an EMP Rocket at the drone to shut it down. However, thanks to the upgrades Scotch Tape had done, Goliath destroyed it in mid flight with the secondary MG, then killed the soldier.

“Well I be damned, the foal upgraded Goliath in a way I could only dream of!” Hopper was impressed as he fired at the Korean soldiers.

“She can be proud of herself.” Chung got up, staying back in cover to avoid being seen by his comrades.

Goliath fired rockets at the enemy at the store entrance. “Did Goliath just fire rockets on his own?” Conner’s jaw was open in dismay.

“So that’s why she reconfigured the target system.” Hopper got it.

As Goliath took another EMP soldier and some more regular soldiers out, a Humvee arrived at the entrance, only to be destroyed by him.

A Korean soldier shouted, “Their war-machine is too powerful! Retreat!”

“They’re falling back! Keep pushing! Conner ordered.

“Thank for saving Scotch Tape! You won’t regret it!” Chung retreated along the other Koran soldiers to avoid suspension.

The Z-10 Chimera came back but got shot down automatically by Goliath and crashed into the roof of the Computer store. “I don’t think we need the targeter anymore,” Jacobs commented.

Goliath even took some more Humvees and a LAV that came as reinforcements out by itself, causing the soldiers to fall back. “Well, I don’t know how she did that but it makes the job 10 times easier. Let’s get this done.” Conner entered with Rianna and Jacobs the store, while Hopper guarded the parking lot with Goliath. All were greatly impressed by the upgrades Scotch Tape had done on Goliath. He could now shoot rockets down and the rocket launcher was now also computer controlled. It would definitely make the fight easier.

As Chung regrouped, he thought I hope the authorities won’t be too ruthless with their response. The civilians have suffered so much already.

Another day in the Oasis passed. The young pony breakfasted as the radio had news.

“We've confirmed news of a daring attack today against the primary KPA supply depot in Montrose. Although the Resistance suffered heavy losses, the mission was called a success. The courage and sacrifice of these men and women won't be forgotten. But, our enemies have also marked this day. Throughout the Occupation Zone, the KPA has increased security and pressured civilians to identify Resistance members. Citizens have 'disappeared' in alarming numbers with reports of torture and executions. Some question the risks of rebellion. They fear reprisals - the boot to the door in the middle of the night. The price of our liberty has always been high. We must stand together now, or not at all. This is the Voice of Freedom.”

She gulped, fearing that Kate and Amy could have been taken, tortured or executed. But she was glad that the Resistance was successful.

Suddenly, there was an explosion, causing her to jump into the air.

Looking outside of the window, she saw KPA soldiers raiding the Oasis, rounding up everyone. Putting bags over their heads, they killed the residents with headshots. Boone and Sally were not along them. Also the soldiers were not wearing normal red uniforms but heavy body armor in dark blue, having also different weapons than the regular soldiers.

Boone stormed in. “They found us! Quick, follow me!” She wasted no time.

The resistance leader leaded the foal into a backroom. “Stay here.” She nodded scared.

Trying to control her fear and panic, she looked on her PipBuck. The yellow bar that represented Boone was surrounded by several red bars. Then, the yellow bar faded until he was gone. “No…Boone…” She started to cower in fear.

It got worse, as a single red bar came closer to her position. Scotch walked backwards and stumbled over something. It was Sally’s corpse, lying on her back, a bullet hole in her head, Blood smeared.

In panic, Scotch Tape crawled backwards. She bumped into another soldier. Before she had a chance to scream, she got knocked out by the Korean soldier with the butt of his rifle.

Author's Note

What do you think of Scotch Tape's upgrades?

Chapter 5 The no man's land

Chapter 5: The no man's land

With a headache, Scotch Tape slowly regained consciousness. She heard an engine, it sounded like a helicopter. But she couldn’t see anything. Suddenly, she realized that she couldn’t breathe.

“Hey Luca, I think she’s waking up.” The foal heard the voice of a KPA soldier. It was Korean but because of the passive magic and her learning of the subject guide, she could understand it.

The filly started to struggle as air got short. “Please, take it off, I can’t breathe!”

As someone removed the bag, Scotch Tape gasped for air and coughed.

Catching her breath, she found herself in a Black Hawk, handcuffed, a KPA soldier next to her, another of the opposite of her.

Remembering what Chung had told about his comrades about being known to execute children as young as five years old, she became scared, but tried not to show it. Shivering in slight fear, she spoke, “Where am I? Where are you taking me?

“Don’t worry child, Colonel-Commandant Jeong wants you alive, the Greater Korean Republic has plans for you.” The soldier sitting to the opposite of her replied, his voice cold, his English was embossed by the Korean accent.

Hearing that, imagines of the labor camps and the ditches flashed through her mind.

NO! Everything but that!

But then, a warning tone ringed in her ears. “Incoming missile!” The pilot shouted.

A missile hit the helicopter, he spun out of control towards the ground. Then the impact, causing the pony to black out. Scotch Tape came to with a blurred vision, looking around, the KPA soldiers had died in the crash. She had survived the crash as the only one. Scotch Tape crawled away from the wrack before she blacked out again.

Conner, Jacobs, Rianna and Hopper returned to the Oasis after their mission was a success. “I can’t wait to tell Boone we pulled it off.” The mechanical was excited.

“I just wanna take a shower.” The woman replied

The Korean-American tried to open the door. “It’s stuck!”

“Move!” The former marine kicked the door open.

“Oh my god!” Rianna exclaimed in shock. Oasis had been compromised and all of the residents had been massacred and Boone was hanged on the swing set.

“Help me! Oh, god…” Horrified, Rianna and Hooper removed Boone’s body while Jacobs and Conner secured the area. “Boone…No! No!” Rihanna sobbed.

“They killed them all.” Hopper slammed his fist into the ground.

Jacobs counted the bodies, Scotch Tape was not among them. Morgan gave the former State police officer his badge back, putting it on the body’s chest. “Here’s your badge back, old friend.”

“I can’t believe they’re did this…Oh, god. Boone.” The woman cried as a helicopter flew by.

“…You hear that?” Hooper grabbed his rifle.

“We have to get out of Montrose.” Conner realized that this was their only option to survive.

“Are we really just going to leave him like this?” the female resistance member cried.

“We have to go, now!”

I’m so sorry, Scotch Tape…I hope it was fast and painless for you…” Rianna got up.

“Rianna, it wasn’t your fault. I think Scotch Tape got taken alive by the KPA. I mean, look! She isn’t among them!” The pilot pointed out.

“You’re right. Maybe it isn’t too late yet!” She pulled herself together and they moved out.

“This is Conner Morgan to all resistance cells. The Oasis has been compromised. They’re murdered Boone.” The former marine spoke into his radio.

“Conner? It’s Brooks. 718s found the safe house. Gunnison’s got nowhere to go. What the hell is going on?”

“Meet us at the wall. We’re getting out of here.” The wall was an expansive border barrier, built by the KPA to keep the population controlled within the city, isolating them and, more importantly, the Resistance.

As they moved through the abandoned suburbs, Hopper was suspicious. “It’s way too quiet.”

“Just keep moving.” Conner replied.

At a cul-de-sac, the former soldier pointed along the street. “If we head down this street, it should be a straight shot to the wall.”

“RPG!” Jacobs yelled as he dived to cover, almost hit by the missile.

“Ambush! Kill them all!” Rianna shouted enraged.

The former pilot aimed the scope of his M110 down and fired. But for every killed Korean, 5 more took his place.

A Korean Humvee arrived, forcing the resistance fighting to scramble for cover.

“Humvee! Got to cover! Hopper! We need Goliath!” Conner ordered.

“I’m on it!” Goliath broke through a house wall, and rammed the Humvee, flipping it over before firing rockets at it.

“That’s how you do it!” Conner shouted happy. “This is our chance! Push up the street!”

The KPA tried to destroy Goliath with RPGs but it was in vain thanks to Scotch’s upgrade.

They fought their way through until they came to a barricade.

“They blocked the street!” Conner reloaded his M4.

“That’s not going to stop us, stand back! Goliath’s coming through!” Hopper warned as the drone broke through the barricade.

“Keep pushing forward, let’s move!” Conner eliminated more RPG soldiers on the rooftops with his comrades and Goliath until they reached another barricade.

A T-99 came over it, scoring a direct hit on Goliath. The UGV survived the hit with massive damage, sparks came out of the drone and the engine was on fire.

“Get out of the Street! Through the house!” Conner shouted and Goliath rammed through a house wall on the left, allowing them to escape the tank.

In the backyard, the man commanded, “Hopper, get Goliath out there! We need that tank dead!”

“Are you nuts? Even with Scotch Tape’s upgrades, Goliath can’t take out a tank head on.” Hopper protested.

“Then we’ll flank it and hit it from the rear.”

“I lure it out.” Jacobs prepared to move out.

“I‘ve got your back. Let’s go!” Rianna kicked the back door open.

On the street, the T-99 reversed to shoot at the enemy but Goliath broke through the other side of the house wall, firing rockets at the T-99 before he could react. “Nice work, you two!” Conner praised them.

After the tank exploded in a large fireball, the mechanic fixed Goliath as good as he could. “Goliath’s rolling, but just barely, without Scotch’s improved armor, it had been destroyed by the tank.”

“Good. We gonna need it. Let’s go.”

The team then reached the edge of a sewer river ditch. “Hey, I see smoke in the distance!” Jacobs pointed to the smoke.

“My god…” Rianna was horrified. The KPA was firebombing Montrose, killing civilians, the whole city was burning as Su-47 Berkuts were making airstrikes on the civilian population, Z-10 Chimeras assisted by firing missiles. Screams of agony could be heard in the distance.

“Payback for last night’s raid.” Conner figured out.

“So…this is our fault.” The Korean-American blamed himself.

“Shut up, Hopper.” The woman refused to believe it was their fault, but still, she thought, I’m so sorry, Kate…I failed to keep Scotch Tape save. I hope it was quick for you and your daughter. I hope you can forgive me…

Once again, Scotch Tape came to. Oh… my head… She wanted to rub her head but couldn’t move. Scanning the environment, she was in a small storage room. Her hooves were tied together with…duct tape.

Duct tape? Really? She wondered as suddenly, three red bars appeared on her PipBuck, heading towards her. She gulped.

The door opened and an elderly man with grey hair walked in, flanked by two guards. The guards wore both handkerchiefs over their mouths similar to a KPA soldier. But they weren’t KPA, that realized the filly quick. It reminded her of the Raiders in the Equestrian Wasteland, a sadistic variety of ponies that had succumbed to the harsh nature of the Wasteland. It also reminded her of Slavers, ponies who capture and sell other ponies as slaves. They were well known for their cruel treatment of ponies but were still not as crazed and sadistic as the Raiders.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here…” The elderly man with gray hair spoke to her, interested.

“P-please don’t hurt me.” She begged, fear taking slowly over.

“I think you’re more use to us alive than dead.” Was all he said, cold, before one of the guards knocked her out.

As she came to, the guards dragged her along a dusty Field route, her vision still blurry. She recognized the area as farm. They reached a barn. One of them opened the door.

The other threw her into it and locked the door. She landed hard on her chest, letting out a small cry of pain.

“Oh my… I can understand that they hate us but this… is just horrible." An English voice with Korean accent ringed in her ears.

Looking up, she saw two KPA soldiers, one a regular soldier, wearing the same gear as Chung, the other one an officer. The uniforms of both were dirty, meaning they were already here for some time.

“Please…don’t hurt me…” She coughed. Then she noticed that the bars representing the soldiers were yellow, not red.

“We will not harm you. In fact, we would never harm a child.” As proof, he took her on his arm and patted her back. “Call me Mino. This is private Yun.”

“Sco-Scotch Tape…” she managed to say in pain.

I must been injured in the crash without noticing. She thought as her chest ached.

“Shh my dear, save your strength.”

For some reason, she couldn’t control her emotions anymore and cried herself to sleep.

The Korean lieutenant laid gently the sleeping child on the stack of hay that served him as bed. Mino wrapped his arm around her. “I promise by my honor as officer, I keep you alive.” He knew how extremely racist the survivalists were towards anyone of East Asian descent, so he didn’t want to imagine what they would do with Scotch Tape.

The Resistance met up with Brooks after crossing the sewer river ditch.

“What’s the situation?” Conner asked as several wounded got treated.

“We’re pinned at the wall. Taking heavy casualties.” Brooks reported.

“What about reinforcements?” Rianna asked Brooks.

“I wouldn’t count on that. The KPA’s been burning civilian settlements. They’re killing everyone in sight. The few that did survive grabbed the C4 we stashed.”

“The opposition?” The former Marine wanted to know.

“RPG teams. A buncha KPA regulars backing ‘em up.”

“Right. We’re gonna make Goliath our mule.”

“What?” Hopper exclaimed, not believing what he just heard.

“Hopper, you and Rianna strap as much C4 to his chassis as he can carry. Jacobs, you’re with me. We’re gonna clear Goliath a path to the wall.”

“Copy that.” Jacobs had his M4 ready.

As Rianna and her friend strapped the C4 on, he commented, “I’m gonna miss Goliath. Not only because of the many things he helped me, I also like the upgrades Scotch Tape did.”

“Me too, it’s impressive that a child of her age is so creative.”

The two former soldiers moved out. “Jacob’s, you lower the barricades! I’ll cover you!”

“Roger!” Jacobs made a sprint for the controls. The KPA was well dug in but Conner took every Korean soldier out he saw.

“Got it!” Jacobs shouted as he pushed the button.

“One down, one to go! Push up!”

They moved from cover to cover to the next barricade but it was on the other side of a Checkpoint, making it difficult to get to it.

“Barricade controls are on the other side of the Checkpoint. We can’t get to ‘em from here. They’re dug in! We’ve got to go around ‘em!” They moved into a building which was a White Castle restaurant.

At the back door, Conner told Jacobs, “Jacob’s, you get the door! I got your six!”

The pilot breached the door open. 5 hostiles, one to his right, one to the left and three in front of him. Everything went in slow-motion as he first shot the enemy to his right, then an explosive barrel killing two of the hostiles in front of him. The remaining two had no chance to react as they got taken out. The room they had breached was a garage, where a Humvee was in the process of being converted for Korean military use. It was still the USMC version covered in survival supplies, as the US forces were forced to always be on the move, in order to evade and engage the KPA, albeit with the woodland-camouflaged hood and the trunk cover seen on the Korean version of the Humvee.

“I’ll hold ‘em here, get out there and lower that last roadblock!”

Carefully taking aim with his M110, Jacobs killed the RPG teams in the upper windows and Guard towers.

“Yeah! We’re pushing them back!” Conner cheered as the KPA got pushed back, allowing Jacobs to lower the roadblock.

“Done!” He yelled to Conner.

“That’s it! Rianna, the path’s clear as it gonna get. How’s our mule?” the former soldier asked on the radio.

“Goliath’s packed to the gills with C4. We’re heading your way.”

“Good. Once the wall’s breached, that Humvee’s our ticket out of here. Hopper, see what you can do.”

Rianna and Jacobs went upstairs as Goliath moved in, taking the last defenders with its rockets out.

“Wait! How are we supposed to detonate the C4 when Goliath shoots every rocket down?” Jacobs realized that destroying Goliath with a RPG wouldn’t work with his new point-defense system.

“Damn it, I didn’t think about that!” Conner exclaimed but what happened next surprised them all.

The improved armor fell off and Goliath backed up before firing a rocket on the C4.

The giant explosion and smoke blocked everyone’s view.

Once the smoke cleared, Rianna couldn’t believe her eyes. “The wall’s open!”

“And Goliath is still working!” Hopper added as Goliath stopped next to the Humvee, waiting for them.

“I guess she improved the Al or something. Now let’s get out of here. Everyone in the Humvee. Jacobs, you’re on the gun!” Conner took the backseat.

“Guys, Engine’s running. Meet me in the garage.” Hopper was the driver, Rianna took the passenger seat next to him, Jacobs manned the Heavy Tri-barrel Machine Gun.

“All right, Hopper. Get us out of here.”

Hooper reversed out of the garage and drove through the hole, Goliath followed close behind, clearing a path with Jacobs.

Outside, Regular KPA and 718s were shooting ineffectively at the Humvee in an attempt to stop it, in vain.

“We made it.” Hooper couldn’t believe it as they left the checkpoint behind, driving along the deserted Country road. “So, where are we headed?”

“West on 50 into Utah. We gotta get to the survivalist’s farm and get that helicopter. It’s the only way we’ll catch those tankers.” Conner explained.

Mino and Yun awoke by whimpering. Scotch Tape was trembling in her sleep. “Poor child, must have a nightmare.” The private had sympathy for her.

She started to scream, kicked around as much as the duct tape allowed. “No!! Please, don’t!!” She awoke with a gasp.

“Shh, calm down, it was just a dream.” The Lieutenant patted her. The young pony couldn’t help but bury her head into his chest.

“It’s alright, my dear. How does a child like you get into something like this?” He asked with interest and worry.

“It’s kind of a long story.” Having calmed down, taking a deep breath, Scotch Tape told her story and how she got here. The soldiers were fascinated.

“My condolences. Chung Joon took care of you?” She nodded. “I know his parents. He can be proud of himself. You have my word, I keep you safe.”

Knowing that she could trust both and that they will protect her, Scotch felt much safer. “How did you end up here?”

“Well, we were on patrol near the camp and got ambushed by the Survivalists. I and Yun were the only survivors. That must been a few months ago, maybe a year, I lost count.”

“What are those Survivalists?”

Yun answered her question. “People that are out of their minds. They have been preparing themselves for the end of the world since before the Y2K scare. During the collapse of the United States economy, Survivalist ideologies became very popular. When the GKR first attacked in 2025 the Survivalists retreated to large camps in the vast countryside of Utah and other states. Even though they are American, they hold little to no allegiance toward the American Resistance, simply fighting for themselves and even are not above giving captured Resistance fighters to the Korean People's Army in exchange for some form of payment. They are extremely racist towards anyone of East Asian descent, using us as slave labor.”

“Sound like slavers of my home world.” She held out her tied up forelegs. “Mind if you turn on the radio of my PipBuck?” She asked, explaining how it worked.

“Sure.” The officer turned the frequency to the voice of Freedom.

“The Resistance is attempting to contact cells beyond the Montrose area. It's hard to determine what's happening outside the Wall, but our KPA sources report that several patrols have gone missing, and the ones that survived have nothing but horror stories. After the EMP went off and the electric grid that sustained us broke apart, our nation fell into a kind of madness. I remember that first winter - desperation sweeping the country. People turned on each other, and worse, as food grew scarce. Many beyond the Wall have no allegiance to any cause, other than their own survival. If you must deal with them, be advised that they can be unpredictable, and a fair number are outright insane. Let's be careful out there. This is the Voice of Freedom.”

As the message ended, two red bars appeared in the PipBuck’s screen. Two Survivalists came in, one carrying bread and water. “Breakfast, Kim. Try anything funny and you’re dead.” He threatened.

As the member putted the breakfast down, the other trained his M-16 on them.

Gathering her courage, Scotch Tape dared to ask with a pleading voice, “Could you please until me so I can eat?” Fleeing was not an option but it was getting uncomfortable.

“No. Eat it from the ground, scum!” was the answer in a rude tone.

Scum? I’m not Korean or of East-Asian descent! What are they thinking?

Taking a deep breath, she replied “I’m not a North Korean at all!”

The unarmed American glared at her. “One more word, and I will pull your teeth out one by one, slowly and painfully.”

She gulped and nodded.

They treat East Asians like raiders and Slavers would treat their prisoners. It horrified her how cruel the Survivalists were, praying they wouldn’t hang her or worse.

That leaded to the embarrassing situation that Mino had to feed her like a newborn foal. Scotch had her ears lowered, blushing like a tomato.

It was only bread and water, but better than nothing.

After that, the unarmed Survivalist untied her. “Time to work! Stay in line, or you’re dead!”

She just nodded, trying her best not to show her fear.

She followed the KPA soldiers outside, seeing hanged Korean soldiers, dead soldiers tied up on Plywood boards for throwing knife practice she suspected, and worst of all for her to see, bodies and severed heads pierced on spears, the words “Trespassers will shot on side!” written in blood next to them as they were leaded through the camp.

She managed not to throw up at the horrible sights.

Her PipBuck showed many red bars, representing Survivalists and a few yellow bars, representing captured KPA soldiers.

The Survivalists leaded their prisoners to a Vegetable bed. “Your task for today: Harvesting vegetables, later charging batteries. Fail or try to run will be punished with death. Succeed, and you might life another day.” The guard explained.

Scotch Tape wasted no time, grabbed the gear and started to work. She had enough experience from the Oasis.

While she had seen many disturbing things in the Equestrian Wasteland and was very brave, here, she didn’t want to be hanged or suffer a painful death in the mercy of her captors. Even she had her limits. Scotch Tape didn’t want to die so young, she had her life yet ahead of her.

Yun and Mino noticed that she was trembling while working, fearing that the smallest mistake would mean death.

Yet, after a few hours, they were finished. “Okay, now the batteries!” the guard ordered.

They got back to the barn. “That task is simple. Turn that crank. It’s connected to the batteries.” The crank had three sides, Scotch Tape took one, Mino and Yun the other two.

As Earth ponies were strong due their natural physical ability, Scotch Tape had enough strength for the task.

The hours passed. “Push harder, you son of a Scarface! If those batteries aren’t charged by sundown, I’ll strip every inch of flesh from your back!” The American threaten them. That threat reminded Scotch of the nightmare she had this night, causing her to work faster, scared, desperately.

To her relief, they finished charging the batteries before sundown. As reward, they let her alive, giving her some bread for dinner before locking her and the soldiers back into the barn.

The officer hugged her. “You did great work out there.” He smiled but Scotch just trembled.

“I dreamed that night t-that t-they…sliced my cutie mark off…”

“Shh, calm down. I promise we will protect you.” Looking him into his eyes, she could tell he was honest.

“Tell me, how could you survive so long?”

Mino smiled. “Obeying, doing my tasks as good as I can, but most of all, hope. I hope that someday, someone will save me. And we both reassure each other that somebody will save us eventually. The hope dies last.”

“That’s right.” That gave the foal hope. Hope that she would survive.

If daddy was here, he would blow their camp to pieces and Rampage…well, being Rampage slaughtering every single one of them. This night, she slept much calmer.

A few days passed. Scotch Tape, Yun and Mino did their tasks as ordered. Mostly, they recharged the batteries, the guard overseeing them always repeated his threat with stripping the flesh of their backs. Being constantly threatened with death affected the young filly, the two KPA soldiers could see it as she trembled lightly while working, trying her best to maintain her courage.

One morning, a survivalist opened violently the door, caused all three to startle. “You three, come with me, now!” He shouted. The foal gulped, fearing what would happen to them now.

The four resistance fighters reached the camp. Goliath guarded the Humvee, though all knew they didn’t needed it anymore.

“Wait here, Hop. These boys aren’t exactly ‘Korean-friendly.’” Conner warned as he knew how the Survivalists were.

“Can we trust these guys?” Rianna was unsure.

“Boone set this up. He knew who he was dealing with.”

Conner, Jacobs and Rianna walked towards the entrance to meet up with the leader of the Survivalists who was only known as “The Captain”, while Hopper waited behind a car wreck.

“Well, well, well. What have we here… Conner Morgan. We heard the Norks hanged your ass.” The Captain remarked.

“They keep trying. So, where’s the chopper?”

“Where’s Boone?” The leader asked in return.

“He’s dead.”

“Well, I guess the deal’s off.”

This annoyed Rianna. “Don’t even think about jerking us around.” She walked towards the Captain, only to be grabbed by one of his guards, holding a knife to her throat.

Conner tried to calm him down. “Hey! Hey! Help me out here. We’re fighting the same war.”

“You know, I’ll tell you what: I’ll take the bitch and Scarface hiding over there, and you can walk away without a bullet in you.” The Captain changed the deal, pointed to Hopper who was crouched behind the car wreck, pointing his M4 at them.

“I think you’re getting the bad end of that Deal.” Conner refused.

In that moment, Rianna twisted her captor’s arm, causing him to drop his weapon, and threw him to the ground. Then she punched the Captain in the head, killing him instantly. The other guard tried to attack Conner but he blocked it, kicked him in the gut and snapped his neck.

The other Survivalists that watched from a distance opened fire.

Jacobs equipped his SCAR-H LMG he had found in the Humvee and returned fire with the others.

“What now?!” Rianna used a crate as cover.

“We are not leaving without that chopper.” Conner replied.

“We’ll be lucky if we’re leave at all.” Hopper added.

“They’re Americans! They’re supposed to be on our side.” Rianna couldn’t believe she had to fight fellow countrymen.

“No! These guys have lost it! They’re not on anybody’s side!” Conner shouted as he reloaded.

“Try to take them alive! Koreans pay more if they’re still kickin’!” a Survivalist ordered before he got killed by a headshot from Jacobs.

He and his comrades moved up, to the right was a half destroyed house. “Second Floor window!” Rianna warned as a RPG got fired from it but missed them. Jacobs took the gunner out before he could fire another shot.

After all enemies were eliminated, they regrouped at the fence where the entrance to the camp was.

Conner gave Jacobs a silenced M200 sniper rifle. “Don’t fire until I give the word. But when I do, don’t hesitate.”

“Got it.” Jacobs replied.

“Follow me and keep quiet.” Conner kicked the door open, taking the lead.

As they walked along the dusty Field route, Hopper asked, “What’s the plan?”

“They’ve got that helicopter stashed somewhere. We’re gonna sneak through the camp and steal it.”

“They must know we’re here.” Rianna doubted it would work.

“I doubt it. The sound of gunfire’s pretty common around these parts. We don’t know how many of them there are. But these guys have been preparing themselves for the end of the world since before the Y2K scare. They’re heavily armed and out of their minds. We’ve gotta get as close to the chopper as we can before they figure out we’re here. I want safeties on until I tell you otherwise. This mission’s over if they spot us.”

They went to cover at a hut as a Survivalist patrol walked it past. It was the same location where Scotch Tape had seen the bodies and severed heads pierced on spears.

“What was all that shooting?” The Survivalist asked his buddy.

“Probably picking off another Nork patrol. The Cap’n doesn’t want nobody near that helicopter.”

“We have a helicopter?!” His friend was surprised.

“Yeah, in the yard behind the church. You ain’t seen it?”

“I never go back there. I heard there are Korean Snipers in the woods.”

“That’s the dumbest goddamn thing I’ve ever heard.” The patrol continued down the road, not noticing the Resistance fighters sneaking past them into a field.

At a tractor, Conner stopped. “Hold it! There’s a sniper on that windmill. He’s gonna spot us unless we take him out. Jacobs, when you have a clear shot, take it.”

The pilot aimed down the scope, the windmill was about 75 meters away. He fired and the sniper was dead. “Good shot. Okay. Let’s move.”

Leaving the field, they came to some boxes near the barn. “Hold up, hold up! Wait for them to leave.” Conner said as two Survivalists harassed a captured KPA soldier.

The soldier begged in Korean, “Please! Have mercy!” before his captors cruelly toying with him by shooting at his feet and making him have to dodge the bullets.

“I can’t watch, they’re toying with him.” Hopper couldn’t bear it, feeling sorry for the soldier.

“Stop! Why are you doing this?” The KPA hostage asked before he had to dodge another burst of bullets. Then, one of the Survivalists shot the prisoner, bullets perforated him.

His friend got mad at him as they walked away. “Oh, great job! Now what’re we gonna do for the rest of the day?”

Rianna gasped quietly in shock. “This isn’t right. We don’t kill for sport.”

“Just let them walk away.” Conner replied.

“Jesus…How did Boone hook up with these guys?” Hopper wondered.

“I don’t know, Hop, and I don’t wanna know. Okay, we’re clear. Head for that tractor. Follow me.”

They took cover behind a tractor that stood next to the barn, a Survivalist oversaw two KPA prisoners working on the same crank, Mino, Yun and Scotch Tape had worked before. The guard threatened one of the prisoners that if the batteries weren’t fully charged by sundown he would “strip every inch of flesh from his back”, as the intruders moved past him.

They moved to the fence at the other side, a garage a few meters in front of them, a guard blocking the way, having its back to them.

Another RPG.” Rianna spotted it on the windmill.

“Rianna, you handle the guy blocking our exit.”

“These are Americans, Conner. I didn’t sign up for this.” She protested.

“Do you want to get out of here alive or not?” he countered.

“Right.” She sneaked behind the guard and strangled him. “There, it’s done.”

Conner ordered, “Jacobs, take him out.”

He fired. “One shot, one kill.”

“Dropped him. Everyone into the garage.” They moved into the garage.

“I hear a chopper.” Hooper looked into the sky, trying to spot it but Conner was faster.

“Over there. Korean Recon Chopper. “He pointed into the sky as a UH-60 flew past, the Al voice made announcements from it, requesting the Survivalists to turn in the Resistance members that escaped from Montrose, promising a reward.

“What are they doing out this far?” Rianna asked confused.

“Do you think they’re looking for us…or them?” Hopper wondered.

“I don’t know. Stay outta sight until it passes.” Conner replied.

Chung had heard what happened. The KPA had bombed Montrose as retribution for the night raid. Chang was redeployed in another city before the bombings, but Chung wasn’t informed where. None of the two had information’s about Kate or Amy. If they were killed in the bombing, the two Koreans prayed it was quick.

Both got akso informed about the raid of the Oasis but weren’t told about Scotch Tape and that filled the soldier with worry and unease, fearing what happened to her.

Right now, he was in a Black Hawk, searching for the resistance members who escaped from Montrose. The helicopter searched at a Survivalist camp for them, he had also heard the horror stories about what the Survivalists did to KPA soldiers or any people of East-Asian descent, scaring him a little that they were of all here. Scotch Tape, I hope and pray you’re safe.

“Incoming missile!” the pilot shouted, tearing him out. The missile hit the chopper, causing it to spin out of control. Chung felt on his back and hanged onto the seats until the Black Hawk crashed, knocking him unconscious upon the impact.

The young Korean woke up shell-shocked in the wreckage. Outside, the survivors of the crash were fighting hostiles. Chung looked at his gloves, they were lightly torn, his habds bleeding from cuts. As the ringing in his ears stopped, he got out of the wreckage, using the chaos of the firefight to escape as he had lost his rifle except for his sidearm.

The helicopter had crashed at what appeared to be a mix of a trailer park and a Scrap yard of cars.

The Survivalists didn’t notice him at all as he walked into the trailer park.

“Die!” Out of nowhere, a Survivalist rushed at him, a knife in his hands. The enemy attempted him into the chest, but he grabbed his attacker’s arm, holding him back. Chung grabbed the attacker's elbow with his left hand and shoved the attacker's forearm down with his right, causing him to stab himself in the abdomen.

Seeing that the light in the American’s eyes went out, the body fell on his back, a M16, the primary infantry rifle during the Vietnam War, next to it.

Chung picked it up and checked the body for ammo. This model was limited to semi-automatic operation but had greater accuracy than the M4.

He came to a dusty road, seeing two KPA soldiers in the distance. But what he saw happening next to his comrades shocked him.

“Jesus…did you see that?” Hooper was shocked after he witnessed seeing the Chopper being blasted out of the sky by Survivalists with RPGs.

“Gonna be a short flight if we leave these RPGs behind. Let’s make our way towards that Farmhouse.”

They took cover behind a wall. Two Survivalists played cards. “Looks like we got another one. Norks never learn.”

“D’you think those resistance guys are the same ones Tokyo Rose was talking about? Koreans are offering a bounty.” Tokyo Rose was the name of the Al voice.

“Would with you do with a bounty? Money ain’t worth anything out here.”

“I guess. Wanna at least check out the wreck?”

“Eh. It’ll be there tomorrow.”

“Yeah, well. All the good stuff’ll be gone by then.”

“Are you gonna deal or what?” They did not notice the intruders.

“They’re sending out a patrol.” Conner saw how a truck moved out on the road. "We’ve gotta stay off the road.”

“Let’s hope they don’t find the mess we left at the gate.” Rianna hoped.

They moved along but stopped at a ventilation system. “Hold. Sentry, second floor window. He’ll spot us if we try to cross. Drop him.” Jacobs did as told.

Walking along the dusty field route, they witnessed how a KPA prisoner was forced to dig his own grave. “Just a few more feet, Kim. Then you can stop. Hey, you guys! Come check this out!” The guard called out to his comrades.

“Hold your horses. We’re coming! Hey, what’re you guys doing?”

“We got this dumb Nork digging his own grave.”

“Okay, so who’s gonna shoot him?”

“I will.”

“Maybe we don’t shoot him. Maybe we bury him alive instead.”

The soldier stopped his work. “Did I tell you to stop?! Keep digging!” The guard yelled at him. The Korean responded with curse words. The Survivalists gunned him down, perforated his dead body with bullets.

“Like I said: These guys have lost it. We need to get out of here.” Conner spotted another sentry on the second floor of the house, Jacobs took him out.

Inside the house, they had to wait until two survivalists moved. “Hey, got any smokes?” The Survivalist asked his friend.

“Just knock-offs.”

“I’m sick of this Chinese crap. If I wanted to taste Cardboard, I’d smoke some damn cardboard.”

“Count your blessings. Last week Dodgson got a pack with a bullet hole clean through it. Nork Bastard must’ve had ‘em in his shirt pocket.”

“I guess. Thanks, man. Got a light?” They walked away, allowing the group to proceed.

Jacobs took another RPG on a windmill out. They followed the river, Hopper commented how this place brought back bad memories. Back in Oakland, guys like these lynched anyone who looked even slightly Asian. He got lucky that just his house got burned down.

“I’m sorry.” Rianna had sympathy for her friend.

“War brings out the worst of us.” Conner added.

At the end of the river, the woman heard gunfire. “More gunfire.”

“I hear it. No point in being quiet now. The only way through is straight through the middle. Safeties off!” Conner ordered as they engaged the guards.

Jacobs stayed back, firing his sniper rifle.

The Survivalists were no match for them.

As they reached the trailer park, they heard Korean yells. “They survived the crash.” Rianna saw that the KPA soldiers of the helicopter had survived, fighting the Survivalists.

“We should wait until one side wins. That that way, we have fewer enemies to fight and save ammo.” Jacobs suggested.

The Koreans were weakened by the crash, they got quickly overwhelmed by the Survivalists. They in return, were also weakened so the resistance fighters had an easy time taking them and the last RPG team out.

“That oughta be the last of the RPG teams. C’mon, we’re taking the road.” Conner took the lead.

Jacobs saw the church in the distance but also something else. “Guys! Look!” He pointed to it.

“Oh my god…” Rianna couldn’t believe it. About 100 meters, Three Survivalists were holding two KPA soldiers and Scotch Tape at gunpoint. She was tied up with Duct Tape.

One of the hostile Americans hit her with the butt of his M4, she fell on her back. “Time to die.”

“Spare her! She ain’t one of us! She’s still a child!” The officer yelled at him, only to be knocked to the ground by one of the other Survivalists.

“Shut up, Kim!”

“Please! Have mercy! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!” She couldn’t bring out another word as she hyperventilated.

“Jacobs, take him out before he shoots her!” Conner was filled with rage.

The former marine pilot took aim and pulled the trigger but nothing happened. The pilot could see that the bolt-action rifle had jammed. He tried to fix it by desperately pulling the bolt back to eject the jammed bullet but it didn’t work. “Damn…it!”

Scotch Tape crawled backwards until she was against the wall of the car wreck. “Don’t shoot me! “Please! Don’t shoot! Please! Don’t!” She begged.

The Survivalist pointed his gun at the filly’s head, no, pressed the barrel against it. “Just close your eyes.” He said cold and emotionless.

Scotch Tape closed her eyes, waiting for the shot that would end her life. Her life flashed before her and she had one last thought. I love you…daddy.

Her heart stopped, her lungs cease to draw breath at the inevitable death at the mercy of her captor.

Then, there was the shot. Yet, she felt no pain.

Trembling, slowly opening her eyes, she saw that her captor had a hole in his head. Blood flowed down, the Survivalist stumbled for a moment before collapsing, a red puddle forming on the ground. The other two were also dead.

In the distance, she saw Jacobs and the others. But the lifesaving shot came from a KPA soldier, he was standing next to a truck wrack, the barrel of his gun smoked.

“Scotch Tape!” It was Chung. He used his knife to cut the duct Tape.

“Chung!” She hugged him, happy and relieved to see him again.

“Shh, I’m here, shh.” He took her on his arm.

The officer stood up. “Thanks, I thought we’re done for. You’re Chung?” The soldier nodded. “Scotch told us about you. You can be proud of yourself.”

“That was a close call.” Rianna was relieved as she and the others joined.

“What you’re doing here?” Chung patted the foal who still had wrapped her hooves around him.

“Stealing a helicopter. Did they capture you or were you on the chopper they shot down?”

“Chopper. Let’s get out of here. Thanks for the help. Did they hurt you?” The Korean checked Scotch’s body. Apart from a brushes and cuts, she was fine.

“No, but they constantly t-threatened to k-kill me.” She replied, trying to calm down.

“Bastards. I doubt we will see each other again but it good luck.” Jacobs saluted with Conner, Chung and the other KPA soldiers returned it before they leaved but Hopper stayed back as he gave Goliath’s controller to them

“Here, you will need it more than I or the others. Your upgrades have been paid off, their impressive.” Then he caught up with the others.

“We can lead you outside.” Mino and Yun knew the camp like their western bag due their long time here. Scotch Tape used her PipBuck to detect patrols as they sneaked through the camp back to the entrance.

As they came back to the barn, an alarm went off in the distance. They all went to cover behind some boxes as Survivalists ran past them.

“Guess they stitched the hornets’ nest.” Yun commented.

Finally at the entrance, Chung suggested, “If we team up, we have a better chance.”

“Thanks but we two using the chaos to free the others. Good luck!” Mino saluted before going back.

Scotch Tape and Chung saw the Humvee and Goliath standing on the road. The filly smiled. “Don’t worry, I changed the target system so it sees you as friendly.”

“Good to know.” Chung took the driver seat, Scotch Tape the passenger seat.

“Where do we go?” She asked as the car moved, the drone following them.

“I don’t know. The closest city would be Salt Lake City, the capital of the state we’re in, but it got completely destroyed a year ago. KPA planes bombed it in direct retaliation for an uprising back then. We could head for the state Oregon, or Nevada but the city of Las Vegas got also destroyed. California could work with the city of Los Angeles.”

“What about Montrose? Kate and Amy will be very glad to see me again.”

The Korean took a deep breath. “I’m afraid, The KPA destroyed it too as retaliation for the Night raid.”

The foal’s pupils went small in shock. “D-destroyed? Wh-what about Kate and A-Amy?” She asked worried.

“I don’t know. They didn’t inform me about their fate, I only know that Chang got redeployed in another city before it happened. We can only hope that Kate and her daughter got relocated. And if they were victims of the bombing, I pray it was quick and painless.” He sounded sad.

“I hope so too.” She leaned back into the seat as her friend turned the radio on. It played Pink Floyd - High Hopes.

Both enjoyed the song. It fitted the environment, the streets that had fallen into disrepair during the economic crisis.

Scotch Tape looked out of the window, wondering how it must have looked like before everything went down the drain. Traveling across the wasteland, just like with daddy and Blackjack. A pony and a soldier against the world.

Seeing that it was getting evening, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, the Korean smiled at the cute sight.

As the Humvee had several supply canisters attached to its back, they’re got plenty of food, spare parts and fuel, enough for a few weeks.

The roads were deserted, from time to time, car wrecks and cars stopped dead from the EMP attack two years ago could be seen. Due the bad condition, the roads had many potholes.

But as the Humvee was a SUV, it drove over the holes without problems, Goliath too.

As it was getting dark, the two stopped at a Resting place, making a camp fire.

It fascinated Scotch Tape that Goliath was still running with the damage it had taken, but also that it still had power.

“I must say, Goliath is a fascinating machine.” She looked at the semi-autonomous ground attack drone in awe.

“I agree in that. The life of its power cell is a strictly-guarded secret, it has been rumored that it can operate for days on a single charge.”

“Interesting.” Scotch Tape looked into the sky, enjoying the view of the stars and the moon. A beautiful and peaceful thing.

When Scotch lay down in her Sleeping bag, listening to the crackle of their fire, she could swear she saw ghostly images of soldiers passing by. Those soldiers were wearing blue uniforms, armed with what appeared to be Muskets. The uniforms looked very outdated. The march seemed endless. Maybe it was her imagination. Maybe not. The soldiers faded.

They reappeared, shooting at soldiers in grey similar uniforms. Some of charged at each other with Bayonets, some of them even started to throw their opponent to the ground, punching him.

The foal even saw soldiers on horses, shooting with their muskets at the enemy or slashing sword at they charged.

Not able to watch this ghostly battle for long, she shouted, “Stop! Stop this madness! Stop killing!” but as these words left her mouth, one of the Cavalry soldiers charged towards from behind her. In the moment Scotch turned around, the soldier slashed his sword at her.

It all vanished as she let out a scream.

“Scotch Tape, what’s wrong?” Her caretaker asked, worried upon hearing her scream, coming over to her.

“I-I could swear I saw ghostly images of soldiers fighting each other.” She tried to explain, hoping he wouldn’t think she went crazy.

Chung’s response was something that surprised and confused her. “I think you saw a battle between soldiers of the United States Army and the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. I read once that this was once a battlefield. It is said that the ghosts of the fallen still wander the battlefield.”

“B-but how is that possible?” She asked confused.

“I don’t know, the scientists are still not sure what causes this. You should catch some sleep, you earned it after what you went through.” The Korean smiled.

Scotch Tape let out a yawn. “Yeah, I should. But what about trouble?”

“Don’t worry, I stay guard. And we have Goliath.” Chung inspected his rifle as the foal nodded and drifted off to sleep, snoring cutely.

She looks so cute. His heart melted.

Scotch Tape was on the Passenger seat of a blue Chevrolet Corvette C5, driven by her father. The city they drove through was a decaying industrial and downtown area, presented in a futuristic cyberpunk style. It looked somewhat frightening.

“Let’s see how fast this baby can go, shall we?” The stallion asked his daughter who grinned.

As the sports car passed by an alleyway, a first generation Ford Crown Victoria police car drove out with turned on lights and blaring siren.

“26 to central, in pursuit of a Chevrolet Corvette at the old underpass, it’s going more than 100.” The police officer reported.

“All units be advised, unit 26 in pursuit of a Chevrolet Corvette at the old underpass.” The central alerted nearby units.

Not wanting to endanger his daughter’s life, the driver pulled over.

Scotch Tape looked into the mirror, seeing the cop stepping out. It was Blackjack. She was wearing a Black trench coat, her left eye was a cyborg laser eye. Respectable and scary.

The mare walked towards the driver side, looking Scotch’s father into the eyes and just said, “I'm gonna pretend your accelerator was stuck and let you off with a warning. But don’t try it again.” In an emotionless tone, not recognizing them.

After the warning was given, a grey Chevrolet Corvette raced past them, Morning Glory stood on the license plate.

“I’m gonna get you!” Blackjack got into her car and with blaring siren and squealing tires, the Crown Victoria chased the racer.

“Do you think she gets her?”

“We will see, my dear.” Now keeping the speed limit, they saw after making a 180 degree turn as the road was lead, that the grey car has crashed against the wall, the police car with flashing lights behind it. Blackjack stood at the driver’s window and said, “Step outta the vehicle slowly! You're under arrest!” as they drove past.

“Didn’t come far.” Scotch Tape commented.

Chung was with Scotch Tape in a forest with some US soldiers. She showed great interest in the M1A3 Abrams, doing maintenance work on it with an Engineer.

Chung was chatting with a soldier as they both heard the whistle of artillery. “Incoming!” They both dived into a foxhole as the explosions came, spreading shrapnel and splinters everywhere. The Korean couldn’t help but laugh.

For some reason at that moment, all he could think about was when he was a kid and loved to watch fireworks. What he just saw was the most awesome and terrifying display of firepower he had ever seen in his life. Course he hadn't been laughing if he knew what happened to Scotch Tape.

“I need my PipBuck… I need my PipBuck…” Echoed weakly in the distance.

The KPA soldier recognized the voice. “I think that’s Scotch Tape.” He got out and ran towards the source of her voice. “Oh, god.” He was shocked

Scotch Tape’s left foreleg was blown off, she tried to crawl with her right foreleg, leaving a blood trail on the ground, mumbling “I need my PipBuck…” over and over again in shock.

“Come on, Scotch. Come on, my dear.” She screamed in pain as he gently picked her up.

“Can you get back my PipBuck for me?” The filly asked, her voice was a mix of pain, shock, fear and crying.

“You ain’t going anywhere. You’re alright!”

Scotch screamed in pain. “I gonna get my PipBuck!”

“Forget it!”

“I gonna get my get my PipBuck!”

“Forget it, Scotch!”

“Incoming!” an American shouted as the artillery fired again.

Chung made a sprint for the foxhole as explosions were all round him. “Come on! Come on!” the soldier in the foxhole yelled.

Halfway there, a shell exploded right next to the Korean, throwing him to the ground. During the second barrage he wasn’t laughing anymore. Explosions all round him, causing his ears to ring. Trees fell over from the barrage, then it came to an end.

Chung got slowly shell-shocked up. But the shock became greater as his vision got clear again. Scotch Tape was lying in a puddle of blood and shrapnel.

“M-m-m-m…MEDIC!!!” yelled Chung at the top of his lungs.

At this moment, the young man awoke with a gasp and panted heavily, cold sweat on his face. It was just a dream. Just dream. He thought relieved, taking a deep breath to calm down. His heart melted as he saw Scotch Tape giggling in her sleep.

Knowing she was safe, he fell asleep again.

The next day, both breakfast. “If I may ask Chung, what kind of job had you chosen if you had never to join the military?” Scotch Tape was curious as she took a bite from her ration.

The answer was simple. “Well, my mother is a doctor and my father a mechanic, so I had either chosen a career in the medical area or in the mechanical area. You?”

The foal thought for a moment. Due the role with a resident's child taking over her role once their parent died, she had never thought of it before. “If the Great War never happened or ended in the Megaspell, I would choose to be a repairpony, or an architect. Plumber only as last option when everything else would fail.” She emphasized Plumber with disgust.

The human suppressed a laughed. “I understand. Time to go.”

During their second day of traveling along the deserted and in disrepair fallen road, they stopped at service station to repair Goliath as there were many spare parts left.

“We make a good team.” Chung was proud of her.

“Yes we are.” She blushed.

After a few hours, the road leaded to a deserted city. The Road sign was missing so they couldn’t figure out what city is was but it looks similar to Carson City, high buildings filled the sky. Scotch’s eyes widened in awe.

“Even in such a deserted and destroyed state, this city maintains its beauty.”

“Indeed, my dear. Do you see anything?” The soldier asked, pointing to her PipBuck.

No red or yellow bars except for him. “No. nothing. I’ll warn you should someone come.” They checked a street diner designed in a 50s flair out. Abandoned cars stood outside on the parking lot, ketchup and mayonnaise bottles with salt and pepper still on the tables, on some tables were also bottles, cans and plates but otherwise nothing. The furnishing was dirty, the cash register had no money, not that it had any use out here.

“As kid, I always dreamed to visit one of those.” The Korean smiled at the memories. “Or to visit Los Angeles or New York.”

Then they searched an old Fashion home. Chung scanned the rooms with his M16 and gave a thumps up with his left hand after it was clear. Scotch confirmed it with her PipBuck.

All clothes were gone but there was still some fabric left and some tools for knitting. That gave Chung an idea. “Uh, Chung, what are you doing?” The young foal was confused as he measured her with a measuring tape.

“You will see.” Then he worked on a still working sewing machine.

She watched curious at what he was working on. His work turned out to be a saddle bag and a holster for her. “You got to defend yourself out here. The saddle bag is for ammo and other useful things you should find.”

She gave him a smile. “Thank you.” Scotch Tape’s voice was in a glee.

The next journey wasn’t very interesting. In the evening, they reached an Army base. It had the star of the KPA on it but no signs of soldiers. Plus it had still supplies and ammo.

“Strange that they captured the base but no one is here to guard it.” Scotch Tape was suspicious, watching her step, looking for traps.

“Yeah. Maybe they saw no use in it or something. Still, let’s be careful.” They both entered the base carefully, watching out for traps. Luckily, there were none.

In the armory, Chung took some ammo for his M16 and a M9 for Scotch Tape. “Here, for your own protection.”

“Thank you. I hope I won’t have to use it though.” She holstered it.

“I hope so too. Hey, do you smell that?” He smelled something, a smell that was very bad, something he would recognize instantly.

“I do too.” They followed the smell. It came out of a storage room, which door was perforated with bullet holes. Slowly opening it, they saw a dead US soldier, his back against the wall, his M4 next to him, his chest perforated with bullets. He looked like he had been dead about a day.

“Don’t look.” Chung covered Scotch Tape’s eyes out of reflex, although he knew that she had seen this before in her home world.

“We should give him a proper burial.” She suggested in a tone that showed pity for the dead American.

“Agreed.” Chung grabbed the body by the arms, dragged him outside and gave the soldier a proper burial, leaving an improvised grave. “Rest in peace.” He made the catholic cross out of respect, Scotch Tape made the same gesture with her hoof in respect.

As they had dinner, the KPA soldier told her, “The United States Armed Forces used to have significant power projection capabilities and defense because of the advanced weapons and the placement of troops in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the continental United States. Due to the burgeoning economic recession in the U.S., the United States Department of Defense scaled down the military budget by reducing its reliance on fleets of capital ships and large-theater military conflicts. Due to the worldwide economic collapse, America's military simply did not have enough funding to re-modernize all their forces. Therefore, much of the U.S. Armed Force's equipment are the same ones they have been using since before the economic downturn, which started in 2007. But still, I have great respect for them. They helped us in the war years ago.”

“I understand. But happened to them?” She asked curious as she took a bite from her ration.

“As far as I know, subsequently, the U.S. military began to pull out its troops in Asia, and by 2016 the United States was forced to pull out of all its foreign installations in order to maintain domestic order. By 2017, the U.S. President enacted a policy of martial law in response to the growing disorder in the U.S. caused by the economic crisis. By 2019 the crisis had worsened, with outright anarchy in several cities, forcing the President to consider violating the Posse Comitatus Act and had the U.S. military deploy domestically to restore order. The Pentagon put forth a plan involving the military in charge of managing civilian authorities, completely supplanting the police and fire departments in many urban centers under the controversial Operation Vital Archer. The military later continued to serve under martial law in the Eastern United States in response to the outbreak of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, also known as Knoxville Cough.”

“Sounds like they have been through Tartarus and back. Makes me feel sorry for Kate and her husband, they had a very difficult time.” She didn’t want to imagine what kind of chaos that must have been back then.

“You and me both. We could try to get into the east of America, it’s still under control of the US or better said what’s left of it. Yet, it could be difficult, as we had to cross the Mississippi River.”

Scotch was confused by this. “What’s the problem with the river?”

“It’s irradiated. One year ago, the Greater Korean Republic executed Operation Watersnake. The operation created a barrier between the West and East side of America. The affected area is almost 210000 square miles of land and sea within the continental United States. The Mississippi River and roughly 100 miles to either side was contaminated with lethal radiation from the Northern Reaches of the river into the Gulf of Mexico. Not only is the water and ground contaminated, the combination of Materials XYZ makes the air poisonous when inhaled and to a lesser extent air that is absorbed through the skin. Most of the groundwater in the area was contaminated destroying plant and animal life and causing the area to become uninhabitable.

We would need hazmat suits to cross unaffected, otherwise we’re would be dead before our bodies hit the ground. I’m sure we can produce them from this base. I have never seen a hazmat suit for a pony but first try for everything.”

“Well, I heard once, before the great war, a hazard suit for foals was created, Mark VI Omni-Environmental Suit was the name I think.”

“Interesting. The suits have time until tomorrow. For now, let’s catch some sleep.”

The green pony yawned cutely. “Yeah, I’m tired. Goodnight.” She climbed into one of the cots in the barracks and fell asleep.

“Sweet dreams.” Chung whispered before he went to bed, putting the safeties of his weapons on, laying them down on the table next to him.

In the morning, they both breakfasted and Chung produced two hazmat suits. It was a little bit hard to make a hazmat suit for the filly. She tried the suit on. “Suits perfectly.” Her voice was a little bit distorted from the helmet. Of course, Chung had thought to make it so that it covered her tail.

“Glad to hear it.” They packed their things and moved on.

This time while travelling, they saw an M1151 of the US forces, crashed into the Road trench on its roof. The wheel with a severed hand on it was next to the wreck.

“Poor guy.” Scotch commented.

“Agreed. As the EMP catapulted America's technology back to the 1800s, they got quickly pushed back. We isolated and scattered them. I doubt it will end soon.”

“What about their allies?”

“Their allies? They got Europe. As the economy of the USA went down the drain, Europe’s economy worsened as well, they were not able to help their partner. But still, they have all pledged their aid to America, but due to global economic conditions it could take months or even years before their assistance arrives. With the European Union aides them, the US troops could take what once was theirs.”

“I see, a hopeless situation.”

“Sadly, yes.” The came to a military checkpoint, the gate was broken, the guards dead, lying in their own blood against the wall of the small house.

“My guess from the deceased US-soldier and the destroyed Humvee, the US-forces came through here.” Scotch Tape suspected.

“Could be.”

They travelled for a week now, towards east, evading KPA patrols and US forces alike. They stopped at an abandoned Gas station, the price tag still showed 20$ per liter.

“We should be close to the river by now.” Chung pronounced.

“You sure?” Scotch raised an eyebrow.

“Before I got deployed in Montrose, I used to patrol the roads in a Humvee, so I have pretty good knowledge of the area.” He pulled a map out of his backpack and opened it. “We should rest here and tomorrow, we should reach the river. A subdivision of the Occupational Police patrols the border, but I’m sure we can evade them.”

He pointed to the price sign. “This is a Result of the Oil Wars, hundreds of oil wells and pipelines in the Middle East were damaged or destroyed, burning uncontrollably. The prices were about to break the dreaded twenty dollar ceiling.”

“How do you know so much about it?” She asked with interest.

“I watched daily the news and read newspaper.”

“Uh-huh.” Suddenly, a red bar appeared on the PipBuck. Looking around, she spotted a Korean helicopter, a Z-10 Chimera in the sky.

It looked damaged, as smoke came out of the engine. “Attack chopper! Quick, down!” Chung and she went phone as the helicopter flew past them.

“I don’t think he saw us.” Chung said but the chopper turned around. “He's circling back around. Don't...move.” He didn’t have to say it twice. Her heart raced in fear of being seen but he placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

Suddenly, the rotors exploded and the helicopter spun out of control.

“Ahh...crap! Run!” Her friend shouted as the helicopter fired his missiles, crashing towards them.

They both ran as fast as they could. The Z-10 Chimera exploded as it crashed on the ground, throwing Scotch Tape into a ditch, knocking her out.

She slowly came to with a blurred vision and ringing ears, rubbing her head. I don’t know how more of this I can take. She was not injured, only a few bruises and scratches. The ditch was too deep to climb up, Chung was not visible on her PipBuck. Did he die in the crash? Was he still alive and taken away by someone? She didn’t know. Okay, don’t panic. Stay calm. Taking a deep breath, she tried to think how she could get out of here. It was still light, only an hour or so had passed.

As she did that, two yellow bars showed up in the display. “It’s worth a try.” She spoke to herself before she called out for help.

Someone called out, “There’s someone! Get a rope!” a rope was lowered and she grabbed it and climbed up.

Upon leaving the ditch, she saw her saviors. Two men in US forces uniforms with a tank she didn’t recognize. “Thanks for the rescue.” They looked shocked at her. “You’re not hallucinating, I can talk.”

One of them shook his head. “Just a kid in a costume. I’m Ben Walker and this is Sergeant Wally Kopple of the California National Guard.” He introduced himself and his comrade.

“Scotch Tape.” She replied.

Author's Note

Looks like she found new allies. The scene with the ghosts, I got inspired by a semilar scene in Somber's story, Homeland, should you read this Somber, I hope you don't mind. Scotch Tape's dream was based on the old game Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 3, one of my first games, I thought I give it a tribute too. Chung's nightmare was based on this scene from Band of brothers.

Chapter 6 The voice of freedom

Chapter 6: The voice of Freedom

“Strange name, but whatever. Climb in.” The Sergeant said to her. Before she did that however, she looked around. The helicopter was a burning wreck, having crashed into the gas station but Goliath had moved out of the way, still intact. But Chung was nowhere to be found.

“Chung? Where are you?” She called out but got no response.

“Who’s Chung?” Walker asked.

“A KPA soldier I was travelling with before that chopper went down. And no, he’s not like the others, but friendly and kind.”

“Sorry, but we didn’t see anyone when we arrived. I guess a patrol found him and took him away, or he got disoriented and leaved. Is that a Goliath drone?” Wally pointed to it.

“Yes but don’t worry, it won’t attack. Hopper made sure of that.”

“Hopper? Hopper Lee?” Walker was puzzled, Scotch nodded. “I know him. How do you got to know him?”

She scratched her back. “It’s a long story.” As she climbed into the tank and saw the interior of it, her eyes went wide, having never a tank before. (Apart from the encounters with the Korean T-99.)

Goliath followed the tank as they moved down the street, while she told her backstory.

“My condolences. You’re lucky, we two are also heading for the east of the USA. Before all this happened, I was a student who attended the University of Southern California. I graduated with a bachelor degree in 2013; however, I later found it difficult to find a job in journalism during the same year when the United States economy broke down. As a result, I worked at a burger joint in Los Angeles.

In 2015, I lost my job as the economic crisis worsened and spent three months bumming around Europe. I returned to the States just in time for the so-called ‘Wal-Mart Riots’. Miraculously, I got into a job as a real reporter for a news website operating out of LA, in which I covered the American harsh winter of 2016-2017, strict interstate immigration laws in Texas, Florida, and California, and the incident in which Texas state troopers killed 14 Chicago youths. In 2018, I married but it didn’t last which ended in an amicable divorce. My mother died in 2020 and my job as a reporter had dried up and I was forced to take whatever employment I could get.

5 years later, I didn't take a positive view towards the Greater Korean Republic which had gained such a strong prominence in the world. My grandfather died in the Korean War, leading to an inherent mistrust in my family. Before the KPA invaded us, I quitted my job. After I witnessed that the GKR invaded us, I left my home town Los Angeles. I got lost in the Mojave Desert where Kelly under the command of Captain Michael Hennings found me. Here, I befriended Wally and we traveled to Las Vegas.

Here, I got to know my second wife, Kelsie Wilcox. I did a broadcast criticizing the Korean occupiers. That resulted that they destroyed the city, I with Kelsie and many others barely escaped the doomed city. We reached St. George in Utah. After a few days, we left and traveled to Bryce Canyon, where I reunited with Wally, but sadly, his Captain was killed. Here, I also got to know Hopper Lee and his Goliath.

We then traveled to Montrose where we met the local Resistance cell led by Boone Karlson. It was here where I became the Voice of Freedom.

As my usefulness had run its course, I and my wife leaved Montrose and traveled to Kansas City where I continued broadcasting for a year. Then, the KPA found us and we barely escaped. However, we discovered faint radio signals coming from across the Mississippi. So I decided to travel across the Mississippi River to learn the fate of the eastern half of the United States. As we reached St. Peters after that.”

Scotch Tape was fascinated and honored, meeting the famous Voice of Freedom in person. “Interesting. What’s your story, Sergeant Wally?”

“Well, we were affected heavily by the Korean cyber-attack. We lost com uplinks with our superiors and were unable to restore order after the EMP attack. So we attempted to repel the Korean invasion, but failed. Many units were forced to fall back inland. My group managed to escape across the Mojave Desert. The group had thirty men but we lost several men in a firefight shortly after, leaving only nineteen. 3 more died due to a strain of the Knoxville Cough. Two were killed in a firefight against a Korean Convoy. But we were later warmly greeted in Las Vegas, yet moved on a week later. By the time we meet Walker again, we were down to twelve. In another firefight, eight men were lost. I then decided to follow Walker and help him to cross the Mississippi River. My remaining man participated in a raid on a KPA supply depot in Denver but got all killed, only I was left. Here, I obtained this M1A3 Abrams tank.” He explained.

“I see. What about your wife, Walker?”

“She stayed behind as she is pregnant.” Scotch Tape grinned upon hearing it.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

The three came across a KPA outpost where Walker and Kelly produced hazmat suits. “Chung made already one for me.” She pointed to her saddle bag and showed her hazmat suit.

“Good. That saves us time. I promise by my honor as sergeant, I will keep you safe and make sure you will reach the east. Chung would have wanted it so.”

That made Scotch Tape unsure, she didn’t knew what happened to him but hoped he was still alive and well. Please, Chung, I hope you’re alright.

Eventually, they reached the New Chain of Rocks Bridge. “Wait!” The foal exclaimed as several red bars appeared on her PipBuck. “We got company!”

The Sergeant used binoculars to see what is was. “They’re using MQ50 MG Wolverines to remotely guard the bridges.” He looked around until he spotted a station between the two bridges. “That station appears to be where they control the drones. Cover your ears.” He climbed into the tank, aimed at the station and fired. Scotch Tape’s ears ringed from the shot but the station was destroyed. The red bars faded as the drones were shutting down.

But new red bars showed up. “Damn it, the KPA is on our tail! Go, I distract them!” Wally shouted.

“All right, it was an honor to fight by your side.” Walker said goodbye and putted his hazmat suit on, Scotch Tape too. The man got on a bicycle. “Climb on.” He said and Scotch Tape wrapped her hooves around his abdomen to make sure she wouldn’t fall off. Looking back, she saw two Koran Humvees closing in and two helicopters with the Korean star on the hull in the sky.

The radiation detector on her PipBuck clicked as they traveled across the old Chain of Rocks Bridge. One of the helicopters destroyed the tank, while the other destroyed the New Chain of Rocks Bridge to prevent Walker from escaping across the Mississippi River. But the plan of Wally worked, as the two confiscated AH-64 Apaches veered away, believing they had killed Walker.

The two Humvees however didn’t fall for it and gave chase. One of them crashed as the driver became incapacitated due to the radiation. Goliath fired at the other Humvee but he dodged the fire and rockets, increasing in speed to run the fugitives down. “That maniac’s gonna run us over!” Scotch Tape exclaimed in fear and shock as the Humvee came closer.

“No, he won’t!” Ben replied as he had planted C4 on the bridge. Calculating the threat, Goliath made an aggressive turn and headed on collision course with the KPA Humvee. The unmanned ground vehicle rammed the hostile vehicle head on, firing rockets on the C4, destroying him and sending the KPA driver to his death into the irradiated river, his car became his radioactive grave.

“He served us well. You can be proud of yourself.” Walker was impressed.

“I am proud. Now, what can we do next?” She wondered.

“I ask myself the same thing.” He replied, wondering what he will do next.

As they crossed the bridge, Scotch Tape saw the deactivated MQ50. Small drones on threads, armed with a with a large-caliber machine gun. They had torn them apart had they been active.

She trembled lightly. Once upon a time, she followed with the others Blackjack into the tunnels under the city. Something bad had happened there. She couldn’t remember what it was, because Blackjack had some medical ponies remove the memory. Whatever she’d seen, whatever had happened, was no longer in her memory.

But the fear remained. That was also why she was afraid of Goliath at first.

Despite this, they reached Illinois. “So this is the still free East.” Walker said as he saw the city. Instead of KPA troops, US troops patrolled the other side. “Stop! Identify yourself!” A US soldier ordered as he aimed at them.

“Ben Walker. And this is a child I saved from the KPA.

The soldier lowered his weapon. “Ben Walker? The Voice of Freedom? Sergeant Kopple informed us you would try to cross the river. Incredible you made it! Speaking of him, where is he?”

“He sacrificed himself so that I could cross the river.” Walker was sad about his death.

“Oh, sorry to hear that. Anyway, let’s get you decontaminated.” After getting decontaminated by having a shower, which was very pleasant for Scotch Tape, they rested.

They both noticed the difference to the west controlled by the KPA. The people here, lived free, without fear, but the consequences of the economic collapse were still there. Rooftop gardens, for fruit and vegetable supplies, abandoned cars on the streets.

The people still had a hard life, but it was still better than under the control of the Koreans.

Now that she had made it into the east of the USA, Scotch Tape wondered what she should do next. She was lying in a field bed of a barrack, trying to get her head free, Walker was doing the same. US soldiers guarded them to guarantee their safety.

“So you’re Ben Walker, the Voice of Freedom?” A soldier walked in, he was a Sergeant.

“Yes, I am. And don’t even think about taking her away.” Walker stood protectively in front of her.

“I would never dream of it. High command is actually impressed by Scotch Tape. I got order to keep her safe at all cost.”

The foal disagreed. “I don’t need a babysitter, I can watch for myself.” Scotch was embarrassed yet upset.

“I understand your feelings, Scotch Tape. But orders are orders. Do you really think you can travel across the USA alone? It’s a large country.”

“I guess you have a point.” She let out a defeated sigh.

“Anyway, we need your help, Walker.”

“Help? How?” He asked surprised.

“The KPA got new toys, prototypes of new weapons as far as I know. They somehow managed to deploy troops here and captured Philadelphia. Our troops tried to free the city but every attack failed, due the new KPA technology. No survivors. But there is resistance.”

“Let me guess, I shall inspire them with my broadcast.”

“Yes and the leader of the resistance there, Jack Parrish, wants to meet you.”

“I see. ASAP I guess?”

The Sergeant nodded. “Correct. My orders are to escort you there. Your little friend can come too if she wants.”

Scotch Tape stood up. “I help in any way I can.”

“Good. You can call me Tanner. Let’s go.”

They moved out in a Humvee, escorted by two LAV-25s. Sergeant Tanner explained the situation. “Our attacks in the hope of driving the KPA out had been Bitter Street fighting, leaving much of the city in ruins. The Resistance hides in the ruins of the city. An extraction team waits for you in Edgware at an abandoned gas station.”

They arrived in the cover of the night. “All right, here we are. Good luck you two.” The soldiers leaved them, after they got out.

Scotch Tape looked on her PipBuck. Three yellow bars in the gas station. “They’re here.”

“Good. Leave the talking to me.” Walker walked into the station. She heard muffled voices for a minute, then Walker waved at her to get in. A radio was on.

“…however many years, however many lives, we will endure and we will fight and we will be victorious!” It was Walker’s voice, he looked at a wanted poster of himself. Scotch Tape took a look at it.

Wanted

Benjamin Walker

For acts of terrorism and civil unrest

Considered extremely dangerous

He putted it aside and turned the radio off. “It’s kind of surreal hearing your broadcast with you standing right here.” One of the three resistance member said to him. “Oh, hi, you must be Scotch Tape. I’m Vance Olmstead, this is Elon Cole and this is his wife Jill Cole.” He pointed to the woman who watched out of the window, looking out for trouble.

“Pleasure.” She replied.

“Man, I’d love to do a speech like that, really inspire people. When they make a movie of all of this they better cast me as Walker.” Elon was excited of Benjamin’s work.

“If Hollywood still exists.” Vance countered as Los Angeles’s movie industry closed down as it could no longer afford in making a product and the city under the Korean occupation became a Propaganda Capital of the Greater Korean Republic, thanks to utilizing Hollywood and other major media centers. He looked on a map.

“Okay, this should make it clearer, let’s go over it one more time.”

The Afro-American grabbed a Rubber duck. “So, this is us?” This caused Scotch Tape to chuckle.

“No, what?” Vance grabbed the duck in disbelief of what he just heard. “No, we’re here! This duck is the checkpoint! And this is Greentree. See? I mean it’s not to scale obviously.”

“Jill, this look right to you? Aren’t we the duck?” Elon asked his wife.

“Elon you need to focus on the mission.” She countered annoyed by him.

“The truck picks us up here and smuggles us through the checkpoint into the Yellow Zone. Once in Greentree we deliver you to Harv’s cell, and he’ll take you on to Parrish.” Vance explained to Walker.

“We’ve been really careful, I mean it’s not everyday someone like you comes into town.” Elon tried to assure to Walker that they were very careful not to be caught.

“You talk like we’re home and dry, Elon. A hundred things could go wrong.” His wife warned him.

Elon asked his friend what was bothering her, Vance replied “What do you think? She’s your wife…go talk to her.” As Elon walked over to his wife, Vance turned to Walker again. “I’m really glad you’re here, Walker. If you can start the revolution, maybe we can kick out the KPA, get things back to normal. Heck, why think small. We’ll make it better than before. But I know you’re taking a big risk coming here. I want you to know we’ll do whatever it takes to get you and Scotch Tape into Philly safely. You can count on us.”

Scotch Tape smiled, knowing she could trust them, as Walker picked a M9 from the table and cocked it.

“Guys, the truck’s here.” Jill pointed to a KPA troop transport that stopped outside.

“We’re all set, come on people, let’s move.” Walker walked outside, followed by the resistance members and Scotch Tape.

As they got outside, one of the Americans got out of the truck. “Come on, quick. I think I saw movement back there.”

The horn of a truck sounded and a fuel truck with a skull painted on the trailer came out of nowhere, stopping behind the KPA truck.

Several red bars appeared on the foal’s PipBuck, Ben pulled Scotch behind a crate he used for cover. Both peeked carefully out, spotting two men in black hoodies on a container, one of them had a RPG.

“Nine Oh! Eat this!” The one with the RPG fired on the KPA truck, the explosion knocked Scotch to the ground.

“Ambush!” Vance shouted and fired his MP7, Elon his M4.

“It’s not KPA. Who are they?!” he shouted as more hostiles moved in, opening fire.

Walker fired his pistol as the filly got up. You ok?” He asked as he reloaded.

“I’m fine.” She stayed down. One enemy charged at Benjamin, he reacted by kicked his opponent’s weapon out of his hands, then rammed his knife into his attacker’s throat. After that, all enemies were defeated.

Walker looted the bodies for ammo as Scotch Tape came out of cover. The hostiles wore gas masks with a red skull pointed on it, ski masks, some of them wore balaclavas. It reminded her of raiders.

“That’s the last of them.” The woman reloaded her shotgun.

“What just happened? Her husband was shocked.

They regrouped at a wreckage of a school bus. “We go to the backup plan.” Jill said as she lifted a barricade with Walker up.

“All of you stay calm, ok? I’ve been in worse spots than this.” Walker said after all crawled through. Getting out at the back of the bus they came to a catwalk, a metro sign could be seen in the distance. Elon and Vance scouted ahead.

“Okay Walker and Scotch Tape, here’s the plan. You see that Metro sign? The line runs directly into Greentree right under the boots of the KPA and their damn walls. Now, we have to get under the station without drawing more attention so no shooting, ok? Just stay close and keep quiet and everything will be okay.”

“No guns, got it. I’ll follow your lead.”

“Got it.” Scotch replied.

“Damn, airship’s coming, let’s move.” Cole pointed to the sky. Scotch Tape looked in awe at the KPA airship. It had a spotlight that looked more like a sensor. She had once read that humanity used airships in their own Great War, later known as the First World War. But after that and a terrible catastrophe, it’s golden era came to an end. It wondered her why the KPA would still use them.

As they moved, Vance radioed in. “Jill, we’re trying to sneak past by the KPA patrols, but we had to take one out.”

“Just be careful.” They came to an abandoned garage, a destroyed car and truck with trailer next to it on the car park. They used the trailer for cover. Their ears pricked to the sound of a faint but rapid clicking, a whirring even, as a bizarre contraption met their gaze, honing into view like an great metal insect.

Built like a small helicopter, it’s great eye glowed electric blue and was about as large as a human head, kept aloft by a large propeller atop it. Above that were a conjoined trio of curved metal panels that shielded its engine and cooling systems. A bright yellow grate surrounded its base for when it required landing safely.

A Seeker Drone, a simple and effective surveillance unit that often meant trouble for those deemed 'troublingly unsatisfied' with the way the KPA did things in Philadelphia.

“Seeker. If we’ve seen, it’s all over. Scotch peeked around the corner. The Seeker was a small Korean drone, looking similar to a helicopter, using Rotor blades to fly and scanned a destroyed Seeker drone, still burning and a dead KPA soldier next to it with its spotlight like scanner before flying away.

“Jill, head through the container, but watch out for the left; there’s snipers.” Vance warned.

Jill looted the body. “If we keep killing soldiers, they’ll realize something’s up. We can’t risk being detected.”

“And you could kill Chung.” Scotch Tape added unconsciously.

“I will promise I will try not to kill him should we encounter him, Scotch.” Walker stroked her mane as they moved through the container that was marked with a blue glow stick.

“There’s KPA up ahead. Looks like Vance’s handiwork is drawing attention.”

At a teared up street, two burnt out M1A3 wrecks on the still intact parts, a leftover from the battle with the US forces. A KPA soldier talked into his radio, a Seeker drone scanned the area.

“We could try and knife him or find a way past him. Your call.”

As the Seeker flew away, Walker sneaked up, held a hand over the soldier’s mouth to keep him from screaming and rammed a knife into his throat. Just like back in Montrose, Scotch Tape hoped the killed soldier wasn’t Chung.

“I’ll never get used to that. Come on, over here.” Jill took the lead and leaded them to an exposed sewer tunnel, marked by a glow stick.

“Jill, when you get to the road, look for an exposed sewer tunnel and follow it. Dropping a couple of glow sticks for you.” Elon informed.

Inside, it was dark, so the foal activated her PipBuck flashlight.

The track of glow sticks leaded to a basement, a dead KPA soldier was lying against the wall, a glow stick in his hand. On a shelf was a journal, curious Scotch Tape read it.

Decisions

Bad day today. My legs hurting like hell. It’s definitely infected and I have exactly zero meds left.

I thought I saw other scavengers but when I got closer they were armed to the teeth and I didn’t like how they were talking so I stayed out of sight.

Could be I can trade for meds with them but more likely they’ll just kill me.

It’s a tough spot alright. I’ll see how the leg is in the morning.

I wonder what he did. Scotch Tape thought before they moved up the stairs.

The room upstairs used to an office, a KPA soldier with a tag light on his weapon had his back to them, a hole in the wall to his right, a Seeker scanned it. Walker took him out.

“Smoothly done.” Jill commented.

They got out and into a backyard, Walker helped the foal on the container so they could get on the roof. “The metro’s just to the right. Keep low. Airship! Quick, undercover!” They ran under a sign on the roof. “Watch out for the airship beam.” She warned. “I guess you do this stuff all the time.”

“Yeah, way too often.” Walker replied.

“I not so often.” Scotch Tape added, trying to get used to that.

They climbed over a wall to the next roof after the Airship has passed by. “There’s the metro.” But a KPA Sniper scanned the area from the same roof they were on. “Sniper overlooking the entrance. Can’t see a way past. Take her out, Walker. Quickly and quietly.”

He stabbed the female sniper into the back and shoved her off the roof.

“The things we do to each other…” The woman mumbled.

“Worse part is, it gets easier.”

Ducking behind a wall, they could see the gate that lead into Greentree, KPA soldiers watched prisoners in orange suits working on the debris. There was also a Goliath, it looked different compared to the one Hopper had used. It had only a turret but had more advanced armor and was larger, black in color, red and blue lights flashed on it. The lights and color made it looking similar to the vehicles used by SWAT teams. Also, the drone looked identical to the one that chased Scotch Tape in her nightmare. She trembled lightly at the memory. Walker noticed this and patted her. “Don’t worry, we keep you safe.” She smiled in return.

“Beyond that gate is Greentree Yellow Zone and your rendezvous at Harvey’s safehouse. Without the truck we can’t go through it so we use the subway and go underneath the wall. The line runs right under that gate.” Their leader explained as a building in the distance got demolished, crumbling down. “They’re demolishing all the buildings. Soon this entire area will be flat, barren wasteland. So much for helping to rebuild America.”

“That was never gonna happen.” Ben replied.

“Let’s get inside and find Elon and Vance.” The two humans removed a barricade.

“At least we should be through the worst of it now.” Walker commented.

“Let’s hope so.” Scotch Tape added.

As they got inside, Elon warned, “Jill, Walker, Scotch, I don’t think we’re alone down here.”

“That gang that hit us. The Nine Oh. Looks like this is where they live.” Vance reported.

“And they don’t welcome visitors. We should get out of here.” Elon added.

“We can’t, there’s no other way to get into the Yellow Zone. Maybe they attacked us by mistake. We were using a KPA truck after all. If we tell them we’re Resistance…”

I don’t think that’s gonna work, Jill. Scotch Tape thought as she saw the graffiti that said 90s or die.

“Wait till you see the barricade, Jill. Their views on Resistance are pretty clear.” Vance replied.

“Christ’s sake, can anything else go wrong.” She complained.

“Trust me, it can always get worse.” Walker replied.

“I can relate to that.” The foal added, trying to stay calm due what happened in the tunnel in her home world.

“I’m really sorry about this.” Jill felt guilty.

“It’s not on you. It’s war. If this was easy, everyone would be doing it.” Walker didn’t blame her.

At the blocked entrance, there was a dead KPA soldier and a dead resistance member, both pierced on spears.

Like the Survivalists in Utah or raiders back home, or…whatever. Just my luck.

“Ok, Vance’s right, we won’t making a deal with those guys.” Jill commented as she saw the bodies.

After removing another barricade they came to the subway tunnel where Elin waited at a gate.

“Let me fill you guys in. The Yellow Zone is down this tunnel but the Nine Oh have sealed it off. Guess they didn’t want KPA coming through from Greentree. There’s no other way past, we have to get this gate open.” The tunnel rumbled from an explosion above. “Damn! We need to do it before the whole damn tunnel collapses.” He pointed to a cable on the ground. “See this cable? Vance went to see where it leads; he thinks there might be a generator nearby. Me and Jill will watch for more Nine Oh coming down from the surface. Walker, can you go help Vance find the generator? None of us should be alone here…”

“Okay, I’ll go help him look.”

“And I?” Scotch Tape asked not sure what she should do.

“I don’t want to put you into danger but you could help us find and activate the generator with your skills. Just stay by my side.”

“Okay Walker, I’ll follow your lead.” She felt safe with him.

They walked deeper into the metro station where Vance waited at a locked door. “See this cable? It goes down the tunnel, the generator must be deeper in. We have to get this door open.”

“Let’s take a look around, see if we can find something to use.” Walker suggested.

“Check upstairs, I’ll search down here.”

On the other platform, Scotch Tape and Walker carefully walked up a staircase, coming to a Workbench where a bolt cutter was lying on. “That should do it. Walker, I think I have found what we need.” Scotch shined her light on it.

“Good found. That should do the trick. Vance we’re in business.” He grabbed the tool.

“Great, get back here.” Vance replied.

After getting down and opening the door, they walked through a decommissioned train cart, deeper into the tunnel.

“I really wish we didn’t have to do this. I just hope we can sneak to the generator and get out before they can react.” Vance was a little bit scared.

“Yeah maybe we’re due some luck.” Walker replied as the tunnel rumbled again, the explosion was closer. “Then again…”

“The explosions are getting closer. I don’t know how longer the roof’s going to say up. Life’s never been boring these days, huh? Always new and exciting ways to get killed.” Vance took the lead with his flashlight.

“A new way every day, that’s been my experience.” Walker noticed that Scotch Tape was feeling uncomfortable as she trembled a little.

“Once, I and my friends walked through a tunnel like this. Something bad happened back then. I-I just don’t want to die down here! I just want to return to my daddy in one piece!” She was frustrated.

“There’s no shame in being scared, Scotch Tape. And I promise I will get you out of here alive, safe and sound.”

“Appreciated.” She relaxed a little bit.

“I know how it feels to fear for someone. My neighbor, Rudy Gomez, lived with his family hills north of Mulholland Drive. We often shared food and supplies. Rudy was the owner of a lucrative burger franchise until he lost it in the wake of the economic recession. After the detonation of the Korean EMP, electronics of all kinds were disabled. As food grew scarce, Rudy fell into a deep depression, refusing to leave the house. As I didn’t hear anything from him and his family I became worried and looked after them. He had killed his family and himself. But because of that, I will do everything I can to keep you alive.”

“Glad to hear it.” She smiled at Walker.

They came to a switch the cable divided.

“Ah, damn, the cable divides here and we don’t have time to waste following the wrong one. I don’t like it but we’re going to have to split up.”

“Okay, I’ll and Scotch Tape take the left tunnel, you take the right.”

“Ok. Here I’ll help you move this.” Vance lifted the barricade up, so Scotch and Walker could get through.

“We’ll let you know if we find the generator. Good luck!” Walker said after he got through. They climbed into a train car. As Scotch walked forward to the other end, a trap got activated. A plank littered with knifes came down, Walker just barely managed to pull Scotch Tape back. “That was close. Thanks.” She let out a sigh of relief as the plank got pulled back into position.

“You’re welcome. These guys are crazy. Vance, watch yourself, they’re got traps set.” He warned him via radio.

“Traps? Great.” Vance complained.

They moved on along the railway tracks, making a left turn through a destroyed fence and got through another cart. At the other end was a hallway with a huge cage and bats in a dispenser machine. “What is this place? Cage fights? And to the death by the looks of it.” Walker commented.

“Great. First traps, now this.” The tunnel rumbled again. “Question is, do I die by this or by the collapsing tunnel? Just like Raiders and the Survivalists.” Scotch Tape deadpanned, looking at the cage in disgust.

In a backroom was what appeared to be a jail. “Hey everyone if it comes to it, don’t let them take you alive. You won’t like what happens.” Walker warned the Coles’.

“Understood.” Jill acknowledged, her husband did not understand.

“Understood? What happens?”

“They’ll make us fight and kill each other.” Walker explained.

“Understood.” Elon got it.

Scotch Tape found a Journal entry in one of the cells.

What separates us?

There are things worse than dying.

I killed a man with my hands so I would live. Strangled him while they shouted and stamped and screamed for more blood.

Saw my humanity stripped back to its animal core.

But I am not a beast, and I can make a choice.

I’ll die a man.

“Oh my…goodness.” The foal was shocked and terrified, not wanting to fight Walker or the others in a fight to the death.

“Scotch Tape, we need to move. I will make sure they won’t capture us. You don’t deserve to die like this.”

“Thanks, Walker. What’s a robot doing here?” She pointed to a robot built out of scrap and cans, with a bottle in his left hand, sitting in an armchair in front of a TV. It had a bullet bill from the Mario games on the left side of the head.

“Seems so. Funny about the bullet bill though.” Walker chuckled as he saw it.

Scotch Tape couldn’t help but chuckle too as she saw it, despite not knowing it.

They got back to the tracks and moved deeper into the tunnel, past the entrance to Lombard. The filly found another journal entry on a bench.

Tripwire

The boss came to me last night after the bandit attack and asked me about my rat traps.

He wanted to know how I made the trip mechanism and how I kept the springs working.

I was confused why he was suddenly so interested until he asked me if I could make traps to protect the tunnels against bandits.

I told him it was possible. What was I thinking?! I’ve no idea how to build traps for people. I used to build drones as a hobby and found a way to turn those skills to rat catching for food.

Now I’m supposed to build traps ten times bigger that are designed to kill people. I know it’s important to keep the tunnels clear and to protect our people from attacks. I know we don’t have enough guards to watch the tunnels all the time, so I get it why the boss had the idea, I just don’t know if I am up to it.

I’ve come up with a few rough ideas so far I think might work. One’s very basic and also a bit gruesome, but I think the boss will approve.

The other might need some work. I want to try and create some kind of deterrent that uses fire.

If I can give these invaders a choice of turning back or walking into a wall of fire, I think they’ll pick the sensible option.

Okay, that’s just sick! She thought disgusted. The tunnel rumbled again.

One part of the tunnel was blocked by train carts, so walker helped Scotch Tape on the roof of one of the carts. Her PipBuck showed 5 red bars. “Light out.” He ordered quietly, she nodded.

At the other end, they saw five 9-O members walking into the station, a hole was in the roof, light shined in, a Black APC, still smoking, had come through the hole, destroyed. It was a Dodge Ram of the fourth Generation, once used by the SWAT team, now used by the KPA. The Truck had kept its original emergency lights, but the “SWAT” inscription was removed and a machine gun turret on the roof, remotely controlled by an operator inside.

“Spider, we got some intruders in the tunnels and…what happened to the roof?!” One member couldn’t believe what he saw.

“KPA are blasting above. This APC came right through. Gave Tyler a shock.” Another member explained.

“Where is he?”

“Underneath it.”

“So what was going on in the tunnel?”

“I think another scavenger wandered in.”

“People really should learn to read the warning signs…have they been dealt with?”

“I triggered the spikes. I’ll take care of the body once we’re done here.”

“Alright. Get stripping this car down then, I want everything out in one hour.

“Alright, alright.” They went to work, having their backs to the two intruders.

“Stay behind me, low and quiet.” Walker whispered, she nodded.

They jumped down into another cart to the left, sneaking past the Nine-Oh who had a conversation.

“Spider, the whole damn place is coming down. We got to get out.”

“Are you tripping? We’re the Nine Oh! This is our place! No one takes it from us, you hear me? You hear me!?”

“Alright man, alright. I hope the supply run come back soon; I’m starving.”

Yeah. Food’s been bad for days. Never thought I’d be excited to eat basic food rations but it sure beats rats.”

“Let’s just hope they find something. The runs into KPA territory are getting harder thanks to these walls. Soon maybe we can’t get in at all.”

“The boss will have a plan when that time comes.”

“We might have to leave the subway for good.”

“No way. This is our home. Our turf.”

“Someone must have some shine stashed. We need to kick back a while.” A member talked to himself.

“I don’t like these explosions. They could dig us out. Staying here is crazy. It’s all gonna come down.”

“We need to get the cages full again. It’s damn boring without the fights.” A member complained.

“If the Boss is talking about leaving then I say he’s gone soft. I wouldn’t be running away. Maybe he needs to be retired.”

“If we leave our turf, that’s our edge gone. It’s bad news.” Another Nine Oh member mumbled as he stood guard inside a train cart, before Ben took him out. The others didn’t notice it.

Scotch Tape and Walker sneaked to the other side of the decommissioned subway train. However, an enemy blocked the way further, so the Voice of Freedom threw a brick he found at the other side, where they had entered. “What was that?” The guard wondered and investigated.

The two trespassers used this to sneak past, getting into another train, then back into the tunnel. “I am wondering why they call themselves Nine Oh.” Scotch Tape found that name strange.

“As far as I know, this is the 90th street Metro, that’s why I think they call themselves so.” Walker replied.

Another explosion caused the tunnel to rumble as they walked past a train cart that had fell on his left side and got through a cart that was upside down.

The cable leaded to a stolen like exit to the left outside of the metro. A spotlight got on and blended the foal. She shielded her eyes “What the?”

“End of the line!” A 9-0 member yelled and laughed. Walker picked her up and made a sprint to the entrance as the spotlight belonged to an armored car the 0-9 had somehow stolen from the KPA and modified.

“We can’t deal with that!”

“Yes Walker. Ok, these guys are more dangerous and crazy then the Survivalists in Utah.” Scotch Tape took a deep breath after Walker putted her down.

“Get outta my house! You’re dead! You hear me!? You and your friends are dead!” the driver shouted.

The exit leaded outside to a collapsed part of a highway, car wrecks littered the debris. “Vance, there’s some kind of armored car down here! We’re trying to get past it.”

“Watch yourself.” He replied to Walker.

The man used his bolt cutter to open a yellow container where he found a crossbow and a 4x sight which he putted on the crossbow. “This looks useful and could come in handy, taking them quietly out from a distance.”

Vance radioed in. “Damn, Walker, Scotch Tape, there’s a cave in ahead of me, I can’t get any further in. I’ll have to head back to Jill and Elon at the gate, it’s up to you to find the generator.”

“Great. How do we get past this armored car?” Scotch Tape looked on her PipBuck, the red bar reversed as they came to another entrance.

“We distract it.” The man built a firecracker out of chemicals and an igniter. He threw it behind the car, the turret turned 180 Degree and fired at the distraction, giving them a chance to get into a train car on the other side on the right.

There was open ground between the next subway car, the Armored car had a free line of fire there.

“We got only one chance, run. You ready?” Walker picked her up again. She didn’t mind it at all.

“Ready.” Walker made a sprint the bullets of the turret missed him and Scotch Tape by inches.

“You can’t run forever, we’ll find you!” the driver shouted but the way was blocked by debris as the two intruders got out of the other side of the car.

The foal blew a raspberry. “Try it, looks like you lost, armored car driver!” she taunted as Walker putted her down.

The tunnel was rumbling again, littered with debris. As they came to a train car, Buried by debris, blocking any way further in, Jill reported.

“Walker, Scotch Tape, we got Nine Oh here! We hold them off, find that generator!” gunfire filled the background.

“I’m coming, Jill, hold on!” Vance ran as fast as he could.

“We better hurry, I don’t think they will last long.” Scotch Tape was worried.

“Agreed.”

The cable leaded to the left, through another stolen, to an underground car park. They heard voices in the distance. Several red bars showed also up in the distance.

“You know what he’s like. Most unreliable runner the Nine Oh has. Heck knows why the boss gave him a team.”

“I hear you, brother. He only got the gig because they play Poker together. The guy’s too friendly with the boss for my likening.”

Several abandoned cars were still in the car park, Walker found a Pump action shotgun in the back of a white van. Another explosion caused the tunnel to rumble.

At the other side was a hole it the wall that leaded to a camp of the 9-0.

“Stay here, while I take them out.”

“Okay Walker, I wait here.” Scotch Tape waited in cover at the hole, watching Walker’s movement on her PipBuck. The yellow bar moved behind a red bar, the red bar faded after a few seconds. One down, six left. She counted mentally but another red bar appeared. It was the armored car, moving back and forth to find Walker.

“Damn, the tunnels not gonna hold. What’s the boss saying?” A 9-0 member asked another member.

“He says we’ll move down the line. Take our stuff and go. Tunnels are tunnels, right?”

“But this is our place. We all grew up right here. 90th street is who we are. Everything I did I did right here.”

“If you stay here it’ll be the last thing you do. We’ll find another home, expand our turf.”

“Listen up! We’ve got resistance in the tunnels! They’re heading this way! Find them and kill them! Now! Move!” A third member shouted, giving orders.

Watching the red bars, one after another vanished until only the armored car and two 9-0 members were left.

Seeing a chance to get in without being detected, she dared to sneak in, seeing the armored car driving back and forth, shining his spotlight to the left, then to the right, but she avoided detection by using the boxes and water canister as cover.

“We’re gonna find you! We’re killing you friends while you hide here, coward! Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!” the driver shouted via megaphone.

Seriously though, what’s with that whole kitty, kitty, kitty junk? That’s so dumb! The foal thought as she stayed in cover while the APC scanned the area of the tunnel end, then moved as the car moved back into the tunnel. Repeating this, she could get up the stairs without being seen.

“Don’t kill them, keep them for the cage. If you come out now, we won’t kill you!” a 9-0 shouted, Scotch Tape wondered if they meant her or Walker.

At the top, she saw said 9-0 dead and another looking at a whiteboard where a map was drawn on, Walker sneaked up on him.

“It’s Stupid, no way anyone gets this deep in. That’s where we need to go. Practically untouched. We’ll be in easy street again.” The Nine Oh spoke to himself before Walker slit his throat. He turned around and was surprised.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay back?”

“You took most of them out, so I had a free way.”

“I got your point. Just stay close.”

The man built a pipe bomb out of a battery and Propellant he had found in the camp. “We have to take out that truck.”

He threw the remote explosive over the railing when the car couldn’t see it. The pipe bomb landed on the Railway line. As the car reversed, driving over the bomb, Walker activated it with his phone.

“We’re taking damage!” The driver shouted, Scotch Tape could see that the armored car was smoking, no. lightly burning, but it didn’t appear to affect it at all. But after two more bombs, the car exploded and the driver let out a distorted scream, caused by the explosion and flames.

“Jesus.” Walker commented, the tunnel rumbled once more.

“Walker, Scotch Tape, we’re ok we won but the explosions are really close. The whole tunnel’s shaking up here, you have to hurry.” Jill reported.

“You heard her, let’s move.” Walker cut a chain that held a door to a backroom closed, where the cable leaded.

“There’s the generator,” Scotch pointed to it and pushed the button. With a whirring powering up sound, he came to life. The tunnel rumbled more violent in rapid succession

“Damn that explosion was right above us, feels like the tunnels gonna collapse! You got to get back here now! Move it!” Jill shouted.

“Come on, it’s all coming down, you gotta move!” Elon added.

In the tunnel on the far left was a motorcycle. Walker got in and started the engine. “Climb on, we don’t have much time!”

“I know!” she wrapped her hooves around his abdomen as he drove up a ramp on a roof of a train car, then then on the ground again.

Small explosions in the ceiling of the tunnel caused small debris to fall down.

Walker used another ramp to get on a train and back to the ground, 9-0 members fired their weapons at them but missed, while other tried to escape the tunnel as Scotch Tape and Walker drove past the destroyed APC.

They had to drive through a train, the windows cracked by the explosions.

Driving past more Nine Oh bandits, Scotch Tape yelled, “Narrow! Very Narrow!” As they drove through another train, the tunnel rumbled violently.

“Out of our way!” Walker yelled as they passed more Nine Oh members.

After using more ramps and driving through more train cars, the foal could see the gate in the distance. “There’s the gate! Come on Ben, you can do it!” She motivated him, not wanting to get crushed.

Just as they drove through the gate, the tunnel above them collapsed. “Damn!” Walker had to jump off, Scotch Tape couldn’t react in time.

The bike flipped over, sending her flying forward. She landed hard on her chest, letting out a cry of pain “Ow! Uhh…” She got up, patting the dust of her, coughing from it too.

Turning around, she saw that the collapsed tunnel had separated her from Walker.

“Walker, you still there?” Scotch Tape tried to call out to the other side.

“I’m ok, I’m ok. I can’t remove the debris, I’m sorry.” It was lightly dimly due the debris.

“Don’t be, I will try to find another way out of here. Wish me luck.”

“Will do. And Scotch Tape, be careful.”

“I will.” As Walker’s footsteps became quieter, Scotch looked into the tunnel that was still intact. “Tunnels! Why it is always tunnels! I hope there aren’t more of those Bandits! Or KPA machines!” She exclaimed in a frustrated tone, almost freaked.

“Okay, deep breath, calm down. What would Blackjack do? What would daddy do? Stay calm and find a way out.” The filly equipped her pistol in case some of the 9-0 had made it through here. What she noticed was, for some reason, she could grab the M9 pistol Chung had given her, with her hoof without any problems. Back in Equestria, guns for Earth ponies had a mouth grip, so they could use them. Her father’s primary weapon was a grenade launcher, designed to be used by Earth Ponies. Her father always noted how natural it felt when using it.

For a pistol made for a human to use, she had first the idea of picked up the weapon with her teeth, standing on her hind legs, using the tip of her forehooves to pull the trigger, but threw that thought away, as it was very unpractical for a pony and hard to do it.

While she couldn’t understand how the magic made it possible to pick up things with her hooves, she didn’t want to know how it worked.

It was dark, only the flashlight of her PipBuck illuminated it. After a while, she smelled smoke and saw light.

Smoke? She wondered until she came closer. The tunnel had leaded her to another station of the subway which was on fire, burning trains on the tracks.

Just what I needed. Like that destroyed subway level in Syphon Filter. The track was blocked by a burning train, so she climbed on the station platform. The exit here was also blocked by flames, so she walked to the other side of the platform.

Suddenly a yellow bar appeared on her PipBuck, flashing from yellow to red, then back to yellow, then red again. The bar was according to the E.F.S in front of her, but she couldn’t see anything due the fire. One problem of the E.F.S was that it only showed lifeforms in a plane parallel to the ground. Vertical height is not given, which can make it difficult to determine the exact location of the lifeforms in multistory buildings. “What’s wrong with this thing? Red, yellow, Red, yellow, what is the meaning of this?”

The flashing bar moved towards her. “Ah! Aah! AAAAAAH! AAAAAAAARGH! AAAAAAAAAARRREEEEGH!” It was a KPA soldier, running out of the flames, lit ablaze, screaming in terror.

Scotch Tape panicked, trying to take aim, backing up, shaking. She understood why the E.F.S was glitching, the soldier actually didn’t mean harm, it was a basic human instinct, the pain that caused this behavior. The M9 made only a clicking sound as she had forgot in her panic to take the safety off.

The filly tripped, falling on her back. She crawled backwards to get away, the soldier collapsed in front of her, with the fire extinguishing itself shortly thereafter.

After a minute, she got her breathing under control, stood up, getting her sidearm. “By Celestia, that was close…” Her breathing became slowly calmer. “Ok, it appears that I’m not alone down here.”

The KPA soldier was burned beyond recognition, so she couldn’t tell if it was Chung but hoped it wasn’t him. I hope you’re safe, Chung.

The exit at the side where the soldier had come from was collapsed. “I hope there is still an exit that hasn’t collapsed. Her ears perked up as she heard two voices.

“Okay, let me get this right. They send us down here to take care of the Nine Oh, then decide to bomb the tunnels to bury them in their base?”

“Yeah, while we’re still down here! Think some of them survived?”

“Nah, don’t think so. But we’re better being careful.” Both voices were Korean. Looking on her PipBuck, the bars were yellow and around the corner. But none of them sounded like Chung.

It worth a try. She leaned against the wall, took a deep breath, holstered her weapon and turned around the corner. “Stop!” One of the soldiers ordered in English, blinding her white his Tag light.

“Don’t shoot!” She tried to negotiate. The soldiers lowered their weapons. They both wore red beanies instead of helmets and were armed with T3AK rifles.

“A Talking pony?” One of them asked confused.

“Must be that foal everyone’s been talking about.”

“Can we make a deal? We put our differences aside, we have a better chance of survival together. I help you out of here, in return you let me alive.” It wasn’t the best idea but she couldn’t get up with something better so fast.

“Kill you? We would never harm someone like you. Let’s get out of here, I’m Lim, this is my brother Gim. We’re born in South Korea before the GKR was founded.”

“Uh-huh.” The soldiers helped her on a burning train to get past the flames. Three red bars appeared on her right after they reached the other end of the train and jumped down.

“Make them pay for destroying our home!” A Nine Oh member shouted as he opened fire, missing them though.

Gim pushed Scotch down to keep her from getting hit, then returned fire with his brother.

Scotch Tape noticed how terrible the Nine Oh’s aim was, so they got quickly killed. The Koreans looted the bodies.

“Are there more of them?” Lim scanned the area.

“As far as my PipBuck shows, no.”

“Good.” He and his brother helped her to get up a ledge sticking out of the wall, then climbing some more ledges up.

At the other end, they found a still intact passage to the surface. “Ah, finally, a still intact way to the surface. Gim opened the door.

“Incoming!” his brother shouted as several red bars on the PipBuck closed in. A group of 9-0 members tried to storm their position.

“Scotch Tape, go, we’ll hold them off as long as we can!”

“But...”

“No buts, we follow when we can, I’m not planning on dying down here. Go!” Lim ordered as he fired as the hostiles.

“Thank you.” She thanked them, doubting she would see them again as she moved up the stairs.

She came up into an abandoned street, it was night and raining. “I hope this is Greentree Yellow Zone. I better find some shelter, not that I catch a cold in this rain.” She saw a house nearby, the door was not barricaded like the other houses.

Her PipBuck showed four yellow bars inside the house. “Here goes nothing.”

She slowly opened the door. “Hello?” She called out as nobody could be seen.

Someone closed the door with force. “Freeze! Don’t move!” Scotch Tape obeyed, not moving a muscle.

“Don’t shoot, Walker sent me!” she tried to explain.

“Wait, Walker?” The voice behind her asked confused. Then three humans, two male and a female came out of their hiding places.

“That must the foal Walker mentioned. He said he would come in with her. Scotch Tape, right?”

“Uh-huh? And you are?”

“I’m Harvey, this is Mary and this Ethan Brady. Where’s Walker?”

“We got separated but he should be here soon.”

“If you say so, get some rest, you earned it.” Mary pointed to a couch. The young pony couldn’t complain, after all that sneaking she needed some rest.

After she was comfortable, the three resistance members made explosives on Workbenches, having a conversation, while the fourth watched the window, serving as lookout.

“That damn guy. He calls us terrorists? After what he’s done?” Harley asked Brady.

“He wouldn’t be so confident if he knew Walker was right here in Philly.” Mary replied.

“Yeah. Walker’s really gonna stir things up. How long ‘till he’s due?”

“Five minutes. Hope one of those new drones doesn’t scan him. Are we ready?”

“Think so. Damn hope so. It’s something, eh, Brady? Only been what, three days with us? And you’re gonna meet Walker in person. He’s the whole reason I’m here.”

“He’s inspired all of us. Brady, can you pass me some gas?” Mary asked him.

Brady walked over to her with a gas canister.

“Thanks.” Mary walked over to Scotch Tape. “I heard a little about what happened in Montrose, I’m sorry. I’m glad you’re here with us.”

“Thank you.”

Suddenly, several red bars appeared on Scotch’s PipBuck, she jumped off the couch in alert.

“Hey guys, there’s something weird. The streets deserted.” The lookout noticed too that something was wrong.

“What?” Harley was surprised.

“Damn, is it us?” Mary asked the lookout.

“Damn, Walker’s gonna be here any minute.” Harley realized how bad it was.

“Armored car!” Brady heard the siren of an armored car, Scotch Tape saw emergency lights outside as said armored car stopped outside.

“It’s a raid!” Mary exclaimed as a shot from outside hit the lookout in the head, he stumbled for a few seconds before falling to the ground in a puddle of blood.

A tear gas grenade was thrown in. “Out! Get out!” Harley ordered.

Scotch Tape wasted no time and made a run for the door but the KPA troops kicked it open as she reached it. She stumbled backwards by the force, landed on her back, blacking out.

“Ugh…” She regained slowly consciousness with a blurred vision. Once her vision was clear, she looked around.

The room she was in seemed to be a backroom, Scotch Tape was restrained on a chair. Brady, Harley and Brady were not here.

W-here I am? W-what do they want from me? She wondered as she had flashbacks from the time in the Survivalist camp and the mass arrests and executions back in Montrose.

The foal couldn’t help but gulp as she heard footsteps.

A man in a grey overall, followed by a KPA soldier walked in.

“Hello, thank you for waiting so patiently. We can get started now.” The man checked a toolbox on a table before turning back to her. “So, you are gonna tell me where I can find Benjamin Walker.”

She gathered all her courage. “I’m afraid you wasting your time. Last thing I heard Walker was in Illinois.”

“Pity. But still, you might be able to help me in another way.”

“H-how?” She didn’t like where this was going.

“Well, we need a mule in the resistance, so we can be one step ahead of them.”

“And why should I help you?” She was suspicious.

“Simple. I can confirm that your friends survived the bombing of Montrose. But one phone call and they’re dead.” His expression went serious.

That waked an old memory in her mind. Once upon a time, Blackjack got blind and disabled because she used a weapon that contaminated her. Some bandits used this to do some bad things to her. Scotch Tape was able to hide, but that forced her to listen to Blackjack's screams, filling her with guilt. Knowing that Kate had lost her husband already, she knew that the mother couldn’t take it if she would lose Amy, or the other way around. Scotch Tape could never forgive herself if she would be responsible for their deaths.

So, she submitted. “O-okay, I’ll do it. Just…don’t hurt them.” She recoiled, her voice was sad and meek, knowing it wasn’t right but she had to do it to keep them safe.

“Good. I assure you, they won’t be harmed. Don’t worry about how to contact us, we’ll take care of that. And don’t feel bad, being a Collaborator is a just cause. You help us to rebuild America.”

The soldier untied her, giving her, her saddleback back but kept the M9.

It was still raining and the streets deserted, so she looked again for shelter. It didn’t take long until she found an abandoned house. The windows were boarded up and the wallpapers were partly demolished, the furniture had seen better days.

Still, the couch she climbed on was still comfortable, so she closed her eyes to sleep, trying to process in what she got herself into it.

After a while, Scotch Tape awoke as she heard footsteps. Seeing two yellow bars, she mumbled “Yellow be Mellow.” It was Blackjack’s motto before she changed it to ‘I don't want to kill you if I don't have to.’ due some incidents.

She got behind the couch, peeking around it so see who would come. The voice was familiar.

“This is the place. We should be save here for now, but the Norks will tear the district apart looking for us.” The door opened. It was Walker assisted by Brady as he got shot into the leg.

“Walker, you made it!” The filly was glad to see them both,

“Scotch Tape? You escaped?” Brady wondered.

“Not exactly. Their transport crashed, giving me an opportunity to flee. I took shelter here some time before you showed up.” She lied.

Brady set Walker down on another couch. “We’ve got to make contact with another Resistance cell.” He clenched his injured leg to put it on the couch. “Damn, I picked a bad time to get shot.” As the voice of Freedom reached for his phone, a Seeker scanned the window, it’s blue beam couldn’t see through the barricade however.

“Remember these? This phone is our ticket to safety IF you can find a network transceiver and hack into it. That will connect us to the hidden Resistance signal and show us the closest safehouse. Here, take it.” Brady took Walker’s phone. “We’re working blind here, you need to find a Resistance stash – that should have Intel on the district, including transceiver locations – but hurry, Brady, we don’t have long. Take Scotch Tape with you, her skills may come in handy for you.”

“Uh, how should I go with him, the people will notice me.” Scotch Tape saw that now, the streets weren’t deserted anymore.

“I got it. Climb into my backpack, the people won’t notice you that way.”

“If you say so, Brady.” She fitted perfectly in, Brady couldn’t help but to find it cute as he opened the door and got out.

The foal could still peek out of the backpack. The civilians were depressed, Soldiers and Seekers patrolled the streets. Greentree looked like a ghetto, or more like a slum-like tent city. On some walls, cameras were installed, scanned the area with the same blue beam as the Seeker drones.

An armored Car stopped on the street, soldiers jumped out to raid a building. Some soldiers were checking civilians, sometimes, an abandoned car was on the roadside.

After Brady walked down the road and took a right turn, he walked into an alleyway on the left side of the road. He climbed on the roof of a van.

“Attention. A security operation is occurring is this zone. All travels are suspended.” A PA system announced as the man climbed from the van roof into an apartment window into the bad roof. It wasn’t looking any better than Walker’s hideout.

Brady walked up the stairs, the walls had graffiti that looked like a gasmask, the furniture was scattered in the floor. In a room, there was the resistance stash, identifiable by a blue sign that said “Revolution is coming” on the workbench.

The man took a flashlight and bolt cutter from the work bench. As he got back to the window, Scotch Tape wondered who could have lived here, feeling sorry for the resident.

Back on the street she saw a large TV mounted on a wall. An old man in a similar overall as Scotch’s interrogator was on the screen.

“I assure you, the KPA forces are doing all they can to bring those criminals to justice.” She couldn’t hear more as Brady walked out of hearing range.

Ethan walked into an alleyway and used the bolt cutter on two fence panels to get through a fence and through a window of the house where the KPA transceiver was located.

The transceiver, which looked like a small triangle, was next to a window where they had a perfect view of the street below, where Ben’s safehouse was.

Scotch Tape climbed out of the backpack. “Okay, how do we hack it?”

“Like this.” Brady got the phone out and held it horizontally close to the transceiver. A computer like booting up screen appeared on the phone and a small window opened.

On the top on the window stood “Secure Gateway.” Under the words were two hexagons, one to the left and one to the right. Both of them had an x in the middle, two bars were connected to them and leaded down into the middle where “Time 10.0” stood.

“May I try?” Scotch Tape was curious.

“Sure, you need to move the crosses to find the access code before time runs out.” Brady explained.

“Okay. Daddy told me how to do this. You just back out and start over when time is short.” As soon as she moved the right cross, the timer started to count down. As the right cross was at the top left corner, the right bar filled with a light blue color. The left bar filled with the blue color as the left cross was in the right bottom corner. As both bars united in the blue color, the “Secure Gateway” switched to “Hacking” and a percentage value showed the progress. As only three seconds were left, the hacking reached 100%.

“Ha! Piece of cake!” the foal shouted triumphant.

“Okay, I get the location. Wait, do your hear that?”

They looked out of the window.

An armored car stopped outside of the house, soldiers got out. They stormed the house. A quick flash of white inside.

“Leave him alone!” A civilian yelled as one KPA soldier threw the now handcuffed Walker down the stairs.

“That changes nothing…Your hear me? Others will rise up…You can stop…” Before Ben could finish, the same KPA soldier kicked him as he was helpless on the ground.

“Get off me…Get…” This time, another soldier knocked him out with the butt of his rifle before they loaded him into the car and drove away.

“What was he doing here? Did you see his leg? My god!” Another civilian was shocked at this.

“I can’t believe it. They got him.” A third added.

“Damn it. They got him. There’s nothing we can do, Scotch Tape. Let’s find that entrance.”

“Okay.” She got back into the backpack. Her mind raced. Was it her fault that they found Walker? She didn’t know but it filled her with unease.

Brady moved out of the alleyway, on the street, into another alleyway, to the right of the TV they saw earlier.

They got into the backyard of a house, marked with a blue symbol. He opened the door she got out.

Inside, it was dark, so both activated their flashlights. As they moved down into the basement, boxes blocked their way, Brady smashed them with his knife and they found a stolen like tunnel. “That must be it.” He took the lead.

“May I ask what your backstory is, Brady?”

“There isn’t much to tell. I was born here in Philadelphia and live here ever since. Young and naive, I recently joined the Resistance to free my home from the KPA.

The tunnel leaded to a subway tunnel, where glow sticks leaded them into a train cart and to another tunnel

As Scotch Tape got out, she got blended by a bright white light that got on, she covered her eyes. What the… she wondered beforesomething hard hit her head and she blacked out.

Author's Note

What now? Before you complain or wonder, as the first Homefront is very short in the storyline, I putted some paers of the novel it's based on it as well as parts of the second game, Although changed to it suits to the first game. About Scotch Tape using the gun with her hoof, It's a headcanon of mine I thought could be useful in that one scene.

That being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter

Chapter 7 Welcome to the Resistance.

Chapter 7: Welcome to the Resistance

Scotch Tape awoke slowly, her vision was blurry. As it returned, she noticed that she had a bag on her head.

Someone removed it. A woman with black hair and brown eyes stood in front of here.

“Hello down there. I’m Dana. And you are…Ms. Spy. You and I we’re gonna play a game. You’re gonna tell me what the Norks know about us, and I’m gonna hurt you while you do it.” Her expression a light smile.

The foal gulped. “No, I’m not a spy, this is a misunderstanding!”

Dana held a knife up. “We will see.”

No, no, no! The filly’s heart beat faster as Dana held the knife closer to her throat.

But then, the door opened and an Afro-American man in a brown trench coat walked it. “Dana! I told you to leave her alone, she’s still a child!” He looked very angry and displeased.

“But Baker and Scozzari said…”

“Dana, they’re idiots! Besides, you could traumatize her!” This was nothing compared to what happened in the tunnels back in Equestria.

“And, Walker’s message said he was coming in with her and Brady.” A new voice ringed in the foal’s ears.

A man in a brown jacket along with Brady walked in.

“Well no one told me.” The woman protested.

“Yeah well if I ever could find you when I need you…”

“Meh.” was all Dana said.

“Brady, tell them I’m with you.” Scotch Tape hoped he could free her.

“We already know. You traveled with Walker to Harvey’s crew right?” The man Brady had come with asked, she nodded. “I’m sorry about what happened. But you survived. We could use someone like you. I’m Jack Parrish by the way, this is Sam Burnett, and uh Dana Moore you met, no hard feelings I hope.”

“You’re a lucky girl.” Dana commented,

“It’s okay.” Scotch just said as Brady untied her.

“You ok kid? Looks like some head trauma. Possible concussion. I got some pills you should take. The doc suggested.

“Hey Doc, she don’t need doping up, she needs to keep his focus.” Jack, replied, thinking she was alright.

Sam got a flashlight out of his pocket and shined into Scotch Tape’s eyes to check for dilation. “Head injuries can be unpredictable. You feeling confused kid, disconnected?”

“She’s fine Doc, you know what’s real don’t ya, Scotch?” Jack asked, holding two fingers up, moving them from left to right, up and down, her eyes followed his movement instinctively.

The doc putted the flashlight away. “Looks like she’s been through a lot, last thing she needs is more trouble. Can’t you let her go?”

“It’s not that easy Doc, you heard what happened, she has nowhere to go. Besides, it was her choice to get with Walker here.”

“And she’s seen too much already.” Dana added.

“Yeah, so what do you say Scotch, you gonna stick with us, huh?” Jack asked, kneeling down to her.

“That’s why I’m here.” She replied.

“So, any objections to Brady and her join us?” Jack asked his friends.

Sam raised his hand. “Yea-“ But Parrish cut him off.

“No? Sweet.”

“Well of no one’s gonna listen to me, I’ll be getting back to my work. Good luck kid.” Sam walked out.

“So long Doc.” Jack called out before turning back to Scotch Tape and Brady. “Alright as soon as we get word where they’re holding Walker we gotta find a way to bust him out. Everything depends on him. But first thing’s first, we’re gonna get you trained up and show how we do things around here.”

“I’m heading out, got that transceiver to take care of.” Dana walked out too.

“See ya! Walk with me.”

They followed Jack outside to a tunnel where he leaded them to the main station.

“Well it’s good you came along when you did, you two. Walker must have seen potential in you. And well, if he trusted you…My instincts tell me you’re alright. We need more people like you. People willing to join the uprising. And that’s what it’s all about now. We gotta stir the people up, and soon enough we’ll be snowballing. Get the whole city behind us and the Norks won’t stand a chance. Walker is the spark. People will follow him. We gotta get him back.

Many yellow bars appeared on Scotch’s PipBuck as Jack leaded them through a train cart where the main station was.

“Ah…we’ve been here for a few months now. This is all part of the Broad Street Subway extension that was mothballed back in’21 when the city run out of money. It’s not on any of the pre-war maps so the Norks don’t know about it. And here you have it, this is the boot that’s gonna kick the KPA’s butt. Come on, over here.

The yellow bars were resistance members. They were standing guard, patrolling or inspecting and cleaning their weapons. Unlike the resistance In Montrose, they wore military-grade clothes, like Kevlar helmets, Ring collar as neck protection, body armor, bags on the armor for ammo, backpacks, gloves and knee pads. Some wore knitted hats instead of helmets and scarves that covered their noses and mouths.

One resistance fighter complained “Damn rifle jammed on me again today.”

What Scotch Tape found strange was that some of the resistance fighters looked at her with red faces, some nervous, while some just shook their heads, mumbling something she couldn’t understand.

I know that it’s not common to see a talking foal here, they knew that I was coming with Walker. Why are they acting that way? She wondered.

“But first things first. Let’s get some American steel in your hands.” Parrish tore her out of her thoughts as he leaded Brady to an armory where a man that was sitting behind a desk, having a grumpy expression.

“This is, ah…Sidney Cook, he runs the armory.”

“Who’s this?” Sidney asked in his grumpy tone.

“That’s Ethan Brady and Scotch Tape, they were helping Walker.”

“Walker got arrested.”

“That wasn’t our fault!” Scotch Tape felt blamed.

“Yeah, it wasn’t their fault.” Jack turned to Brady and Scotch, “Don’t worry about Cooky, he’s uh…generally in a bad mood. But he’s a genius in improvising weapons, and that’s why we keep him around. Ain’t that right, Cooky? Always cooking up something new. He gave Sidney’s leg a pat and chuckled.

“One day you’re going to make that joke and I’ll shoot you dead – then we’ll see who’s laughing, huh?”

“Sidney, take it easy, will ya? Brady needs a weapon, what can you spare? Scotch Tape, I don’t want to put you at risk, but you should have something to defend yourself.”

“You can have…” Cook grabbed for something under his desk. “…This, if it turns out you show some aptitude, then we can talk about upgrading.” He putted two M9s on the table.

Scotch Tape took one and putted it into her holster.

“I know ya thinking a pistol won’t do much, but with one of Cook’s special conversation kits, suddenly you got yourself an SMG. There you go, now try converting your pistol.” Jack advised and Brady replaced the upper receiver of his M9 with that of a MP7 which amazed Scotch Tape.

“Cool.” She commented.

“I know. See you around Sid.” Jack smiled at Scotch Tape, her eyes went wide in awe.

A Resistance fighter reported. “Parrish, we’re still waiting on that transceiver Intel.”

“Ah yeah, yeah, I know. Don’t worry about it. Moore’s on it. Say hey to Brady and Scotch Tape, they’re new recruits.”

“What’s up?” the fighter greeted as they moved on and Jack continued.

“Resistance is more than just front line troops. Its people helping the best they can. Take Doc Burnett, he’s a good example. That’s not going to win this war though. Top line is we gotta build up our strength by expanding our Red Zone operations. We keep ambushing and raiding, that weakens the Norks and strengthens us. Eventually we’ll turn the tables.” He leaded them to the entrance to Elmtree.

“Hope you’re up to the task, rookie.” A woman commented.

“And in the Yellow Zones we’re fighting for the hearts and minds of the people trapped there. We give them the belief that we can win, and when Walker gives the call they’ll rise up and follow. We’ll only get one shot though, we gotta be ready.”

They reached the tunnel entrance. “Okay, I want you to head to the Red Zone, Dana will teach you how we operate. Out there she’s the best in the business, just try not to anger her. Show me I’m right to trust you, okay?”

“Sure but wouldn’t better for me to stay here?” Scotch Tape asked for her own safety.

“Actually yes but given how Brady told me about your skills, they would be most useful in the field. Don’t worry, our fighting will ensure your safety.”

“Yes we will. Brady, you don’t want to go out there unprepared. You should take some Molotov’s. Hey, Lorna, help the new guy out.” a resistance member said to his friend.

“Be best if you learn how to make your own. Grab some ingredients and give it a try.”

Ethan followed the woman’s advice, taking some propellant and igniter from a small table next to the tunnel.

“Okay, now just put it all together.” Brady did as told. “There you go, nice one.”

Okay, now you’re set. Molotov’s are great against their soldiers, but they won’t do anything to drones or vehicles – so watch out for those. Elmtree’s down here.” The other member warned him.

“Good luck out there.” The female resistance fighter smiled at Scotch Tape before she and Brady moved out.

Ethan saw that the foal had a worried expression. “Don’t worry, Scotch Tape, I keep you safe, promise.” He smiled.

“Appreciated. She returned a weak smile.

After a while, they reached Elmtree, the exit was a partially collapsed Parkhouse, where the resistance had an outpost.

“Dana, this is Parrish, I’m sending you Brady and Scotch Tape – they can help you with the KPA transceiver. Make sure you get the coordinates of every KPA operation in the area.”

“Dana here, understood, we’ll get you those locations. Soon as we reach the KPA transceiver we’ll download the data.” The two talked over the radio.

Several Resistance members were resting or chatted, not noticing the new recruits.

“Damn, Dana, we got a patrol. They must have switched routes overnight. Got any ideas?” A fighter named Isaac asked her on the radio.

“No time to go around, let’s hit them.” Dana ordered as Scotch Tape and Brady climbed up the collapsed parts of the Parkhouse, outside to Moore’s team.

It was still night, a thunderstorm ruled the sky. Dana was behind debris as cover, having a good view of the street.

“Over here. Okay, Parrish wants you to be trained – and I guess I owe you for before – so you got to learn from the best. Just try not to screw things up. New plan, we’re ambushing this patrol. Best if you go with G Man, just do what he says and try not to die.” The woman explained.

G Man was wearing a black cap. “This way. And yeah, try not to die.”

“I’m not planning on it.” Scotch Tape replied as she and Brady followed G Man down the street into an apartment and onto a balcony, where a barrel trap was. Simple, yet deadly. Several explosive barrels on a ramp and triggered with a switch.

“Just hope it works.” A woman prayed it would work.

“They’re approaching the marker, this it.” Isaac warned as with a rumbling groan like some great beast churning up the earth, an armored car drove slowly through the streets, a steady, steel-eyed hunter, accompanied by infantry. Built like some monstrous scarab, hoisted aloft by four gigantic wheels that crushed the debris beneath it into powder. Atop its back was a mighty shield-shaped turret with its barrel scanning its surroundings.

Scotch Tape was ready to trigger the trap, Brady took aim, both waited for Dana’s signal.

“Not yet…wait…wait…wait…now!” Scotch Tape triggered the trap, the barrels fell down and landed on the car, the explosion left only a burning wreck.

“It worked!” G Man couldn’t believe it.

“Get the rest!” another male resistance fighter shouted as Brady fired on the survivors.

Scotch Tape stayed in cover, praying Chung wasn’t among them.

“Okay, airship’s coming, we don’t have long – loot the truck! Go, go, go!” Dana fired on the KPA soldiers.

“Seekers!” a Resistance fighter shouted as several Seekers flied in.

One of them stopped above the foal. The drone’s scanner switched from blue to red as it scanned her. Not wanting to know what would happen if the scan was complete, Scotch Tape drew her pistol and fired a few rounds on the Seeker. Due the small and light design, it exploded into pieces after 4 to 6 bullets from the pistol.

“Heads up, another patrol!” Dana yelled as reinforcements moved in. “Bad guys, take ‘em out!”

“Jesse and White are down!” another fighter reported casualties.

“We are done here, fall back, fall back! Split up! Isaac’s team head for the transceiver, fire team regroup on me!” Dana ordered as hit and run tactics were crucial against the numerically superior KPA forces, retreating and regrouping was often the best tactical decision

“That’s us. Brady, Scotch Tape, come on!”

They both wasted no time, following the survivors to an abandoned warehouse a couple of blocks away, Losing the enemy in the process.

“Dana, this is Isaac, we’re flapping in the breeze here, where are you guys?”

“Isaac, we hit trouble – be better if we split up, everyone head for a transceiver, with luck some of us will find a way through.” Danna turned to Brady and Scotch Tape.

“Brady, I’ve uploaded a transceiver location to your phone. We’ll try for the others. Good luck. And keep Scotch Tape safe.” Dana had an expression that showed her concern for the foal’s safety.

“Thanks and I will. Ready, Scotch Tape?” Brady converted the SMG back to the pistol as it consumed ammo too fast for his taste.

“Ready!” she exclaimed. In the warehouse was a storage container with a motorcycle and some supplies. Brady took them and started the engine, Scotch wrapped her arms around him.

The man drive out of the warehouse and took a right turn. Some soldiers noticed them and opened fire but missed before they were out of sight.

He drove on a ramp to jump over a barricade.

“This is a Red Zone. Civilians are not permitted at any time. If you are unintentionally entering the Red Zone, report to the next patrol. Put your hands behind your head and kneel to the ground. Do not move while the patrol comes closer. Civilians who try to escape from arrest by patrols will be shot.” A male PA system echoed through the Red Zone of Elmtree.

“Dana, this is Parrish, what’s the situation? You reached the transceiver yet?” Jack asked on the radio.

“Parrish, we hit trouble, had to split up. One of us will get there, don’t worry.”

“Okay, I’m counting on you.”

Scotch Tape looked around, abandoned cars and debris littered the streets, buildings were damaged, smoking, some even lightly burning.

Ethan stopped next to a warehouse that looked mostly intact.

“That warehouse contains a KPA Transceiver. Acquiring access to it may grant us Intel about the nearby stronghold and other KPA operations in the Zone.” Philly Alpha, the main radio operator of the Resistance in Philadelphia explained as Scotch Tape and Brady entered the warehouse at the docks. The Transceiver was next to a destroyed window.

“You hack it, I watch for trouble.” Brady gave the child his phone.

“You got it!”

Like with the Transceiver in Greentree, she had only 10 seconds. Enough for her. She moved the left cross in the top middle, and the right cross in the top right corner, and both bars filled in the blue color. As 6 seconds were left, the hacking was complete. “Ha-ha!” She laughed in joy.

With that, the former Westbury Sugar plant was established as operation base.

“Brady, Scotch Tape, it’s Moore, you managed to get to the Transceiver I’m impressed. We’ll put that Intel to good use. I guess Parrish was right about you. I’m going to follow up a possible Walker sighting, you should familiarize yourself with our operation. We have our main weapons store hidden in this district. Its run by Ned Sharpe. You should head over there, introduce yourself. I’m uploading the location to your phone now. I’ll see you around.”

“See you.” Brady replied and looked on the map. The armory was on the other side of Elmtree.

“This is Philly Alpha all available teams listen up. They got Walker. We’re gotta get him back.”

“Bet your butt we are.” A male resistance fighter replied on the radio.

“I want everybody’s eyes and ears wide open. Words, signs, or any kind of information about where they’re taken him, you report in. Everybody got that?

“Loud and clear.”

“On it.”

“Got it.” several teams acknowledged.

Brady took a M4 from a gunsmith locker. A Solid all-rounder.

Only now, Scotch Tape noticed that it was light and the rain had stopped. Must been out for the rest of the night.

Brady looked on his map. "I suggest we take care of the customs office, then the rest of the Strike points and strong holds as we go to Ned. That way, we weaken the KPA and move much easier around to him.

“Good plan, Brady.”

The customs office was just down the street, so they walked.

“Andy, this is Philly Alpha, where you at?”

“Supply run in Elmtree for Ned. You got something?” Andy replied on the radio.

“Parrish wants all available teams on Walker’s scent. Top priority.”

“I hear ya. Soon as we nail this supply truck we’ll head back.”

The office was at the docks, a fallen over crane, a rusted, damaged container ship was near it, stranded.

“The Elmtree customs office has been used by the KPA in the past and could be a useful location to control. See if you can find a way to get in there.” Philly Alpha reported to them.

The windows were barricaded but the back door was open. Inside was a radio.

“-Repeat, we were attacked en-route to the safe house. We were able to evade them, but our boat upturned and the radio supplies we were carrying got scattered. We need immediate assistance to secure the supplies. Please send help. Damn, can anyone- What channel is this on? If anyone is picking this up, the radio transmitter supplies are scattered along the shoreline. Norks are on their way. Send help! Repeat, send some damn help!” the distress call ended.

“Wait, patrol and airship incoming!” Brady warned.

A squad of KPA soldiers and a seeker, scanning the area, passed by, not noticing the two trespassers, the beam of the Airship could not spot them in the building.

Still, Scotch Tape pressed herself against the wall, praying they wouldn’t spot them.

“Don’t worry.” The man smiled, patting her.

After the KPA forces had passed, the new resistance members walked down the docks to the shoreline. Container and abandoned container trucks littered the streets in the docks.

Scotch Tape spotted blue smoke in the distance, near a small hut, dead freedom fighters, scattered next to it. The supplies were in blue boxes. “That must be it.”

Scotch Tape walked towards them, not noticing a red bar on her PipBuck.

“Watch out!” Ethan pulled her back as he spotted a red laser, aiming for her head in the distance. A shot but it missed her head by inches.

Scotch Tape heard the bullet flying by in the wind as Brady putted her behind a wall for cover.

“That Sniper knows where we are, we got to take him out!” Peeking around the corner, the young man saw the laser coming from a damaged building. He quickly leaved cover, aiming for the laser and fired a short, controlled burst. The female sniper fell out of her nest, into the street. “Took care of the sniper! I loot the body, you collect the supplies.”

“Copy that!” Scotch Tape let out a breath of relief. Too close. After she putted the radio parts into her saddlebag and Brady looted the body for ammo, they returned to the office, establishing the radio outpost.

“Nice work, you two. We can use the customs office to monitor KPA shipments coming on to Philly by sea. I’m sure that information will prove valuable for the Resistance.” Philly Alpha praised them.

“Alright, the Axxco Garage is nearby, we should head there next. It’s a stronghold of the KPA, we need to disable the coolant system.”

“How do we do that?”

“Simple, in the stronghold, there is a Valve where we can disable it by raising the pressure.”

“Okay.”

They saw the stronghold in the distance as they came closer. Imposing walls made it impossible to get it from the outside, a large tower was in the middle of the base, a piston lowered and raised from it, causing a small earthquake and green gas leaking from small holes in the ground, every time the piston hit the ground.

“Brady, Scotch Tape, these strongholds are imposing – but we think we’re figured out some ways to get inside. We’ve identified a structural weakness around the large air vents. Put a bomb on that and you can blow open a route. Some people have suggested jumping a bike right over the walls, although I think you’d have to be crazy to try that. Finally, we saw some plans that seemed to suggest some of these places have tunnels leading in – but we’ve not been able to confirm that.” Philly Alpha informed them.

“That would be where my father really shines.” Scotch Tape grinned, knowing he would be perfect for this job.

“I believe you but I don’t have any explosives with me. So, I guess we have to use the bike.”

“But we left the bike behind.”

“There must be another way. Got it!” Brady exclaimed and walked into an abandoned, damaged warehouse next to the stronghold. On the roof was a ramp, marked with a bike drawn on it, making it possible to jump over the walls.

“Watch this.” Ethan sprinted towards the ramp, jumping over the barbed wire, onto the stronghold’s upper levels. “You can do it.” He motivated her, waving an arm.

“Here goes nothing.” The foal mumbled as it also jumped over.

Instantly, the alarm sounded and KPA soldiers opened fire, the human pressed her behind a wall to protect her from bullets.

“I cover you, go!” he returned fire with his M4.

Scotch Tape spotted the valve in the middle of the catwalk, three soldiers in yellow Hazmat suits defended it. All had gas tanks on their backs. As Scotch Tape moved from cover to cover to reach the valve, Brady hit one of the gas tanks, it exploded, sending the soldier flying like a rocket, killing anyone nearby, opening the way.

Scotch Tape used all her strength to turn the valve but nothing showed that the pressure was raising. Do I turn it into the wrong way or… She cut herself off, as an explosion ringed in her ears, coming from the lower end of the tower, more explosions followed, climbing up to the top of the tower until it reached the tip, causing a sting flame to shot of it, like a burning gusher. She couldn’t help but look at it in awe.

Startled by the explosion, the KPA retreated and resistance fighters moved in to convert the base for their needs.

“This stronghold will give the Resistance an excellent staging ground for pushing further into the zone.” Philly Alpha was pleased.

Brady refilled his ammo at a Gunsmith locker before looking on the map. Around the corner was the Dry-dock. “We should head for the dry-dock next.”

“Okay, take the lead. We make a good team.”

Brady smiled. “Indeed.”

At the dry-dock, Philly Alpha reported in. “The KPA are reportedly establishing a new base of operations within the Elmtree dry-dock. Liberating this from the Norks would give us a great way to smuggle supplies into the Zone.”

Several red bars appeared on the child’s PipBuck. “There’s a large number of KPA in the dry-dock.” She warned Ethan.

“No problem.” He checked his rifle before going in. She heard the shots and saw that one Red Bar after another went out. Seeing an airship coming closer, she had no other choice then to go in.

Only one red bar was remaining. As she walked up the stairs, she saw the yellow and red bars moving back and forth, the KPA soldier and freedom fighter tried to flank each other unsuccessful.

Looking around, Scotch Tape couldn’t see them as she stood next to an office, but then, a small object landed next to her. She quickly realized what it was. Oh crap!

A grenade, a small red dot was blinking at a rapid pace as she dived into the office for cover, hooves over her head for protection, pressing herself against the wall.

The explosion deafened her hearing, but she was unharmed. Brady came into the office, appearing to asking if she was alright, judging by how his mouth moved.

“Airship was near, so I had to go in for cover.” She explained as her hearing returned.

He looked rather worried then disappointed or mad. “It’s okay, just next time, don’t go upstairs until the area’s safe.”

As the Dry-Dock was secured, they looked on the map for the next strike point.

“The Norks could have used the dry dock to bring in plenty of supplies and reinforcements. Capturing it was a huge win for us. Good job. Andy, this is Philly Alpha…Come in Andy? …has anybody heard from those guys?”

“Nothing here.”

“Andy’s team? Last night, heard they were in Earlston.” A female member replied.

“Have they been responding?” Philly Alpha asked.

“I suggest, we take Paschall Trainyard next, then OCU Pharmaceuticals.”

“Okay, Brady. I just hope that none of the dead soldiers was Chung.”

Ethan gave a convincing smile, “I highly doubt he would shoot upon seeing you. Should I meet him, I will spare him, promise.”

“She smiled. “Thank you. Now, let’s move out.”

They moved to Paschall Trainyard, avoiding the small patrols, seeing the warehouse in the distance.

“The KPA used this warehouse to operate the nearby train line. If you can gain access we might be able to repurpose it for the Resistance.” The radio operator explained.

After Brady gave the foal a thumps up to show it was clear, she followed in.

On the first floor was a Computer on a desk, a generator next to it. Brady started it, but the generator just sparked.

“Guess it produces too little power, and has to recharged. There must be a way to restore power. We should follow the cable.” Scotch Tape pointed to a cable that on the ground that was connected to it, leading out of the room.

The cable leaded to the balcony, where a bike was parked, a machine which looked like a dynamo for the bike was connected to the cable. “That should do it.” Brady drove the motorcycle onto the dynamo and revved the engine.

The dynamo sparkled, and smoked for a second, signaling it had worked. They returned to the generator and activated it, the computer came to life, showing surveillance images of the surrounding area.

“Resistance one: 1 KPA: Zero.” Brady cheered as the operation base was established.

“This will be a great place for us to set up an outpost, nice work you two.” Philly Alpha radioed in.

“Philly Alpha, this is Tony.”

“Go ahead, Tony.”

“We lost the vehicle transporting Walker. Gonna try and pick up the trail again.”

“Damn it. Ok any sign you let us know. Parrish says he wants some hard info ASAP.”

“You got it.”

Brady looked outside, it was getting late, the sun started to go down. “I guess you catch some rest, you earned it. I take care of the second transceiver.” Brady suggested.

Scotch Tape yawned. “Okay. Good luck.”

A female resistance fighter, wearing a cap and scarf, a Ring collar, body armor, bags on the armor for ammo, a backpack, gloves and knee pads. “I watch her for you if you want.”

“I don’t mind it. You, Scotch Tape?” Brady asked the young foal who let out another yawn.

“No.”

The woman smiled, she had brown hair and eyes. “Hello Scotch Tape, I’m Elizabeth.”

The foal smiled before yawning again. Elizabeth lifted her up and carried her to a sleeping bag tucking her in. “Goodnight, sweet dreams.” The woman’s heart melted as the filly fell asleep, her chest raising and lowing peacefully.

Two other resistance members joined her, both male, the first was wearing a gas mask and a Kevlar helmet, the other one a knitted hat.

“Isn’t she cute, Logan?” She asked the helmet-wearing comrade.

“Indeed. Can you believe she really exists? I mean, she’s out of a fanfiction story, yet she is here before our eyes, a brony’s dream.”

“I can’t believe it either Logan, but we must make sure that she’s safe, I don’t want to imagine how worried her father must be.”

“Yeah, I remember chapter 40 only too well. Don’t worry, we keep you safe by our honor as bronies.” Aiden whispered in her ear.

“Okay, you take the night watch first?”

“Sure thing, Logan.”

As the morning came, the sun shining through the windows, Scotch Tape awoke with a yawn. “Rise and shine.” Elizabeth walked in, bringing the child breakfast.

“Thank you.” Scotch Tape enjoyed it clearly. As the woman got outside, Brady came back.

“Morning, kid. I hacked the Transceiver at the Marian Elmtree Hotel. Now, we should be able to capture the other strike points and strongholds. And we’re not alone this time.”

They walked downstairs, the filly saw Elizabeth with two resistance members, one of them was wearing a helmet and gasmask, giving a morale speech.

“We might not be trained soldiers, but their biggest mistake is underestimating us. They underestimate the American spirit! The American people! They don’t realize that we were born to fight! Each and every one of you, is worth ten of those cowards!”

That speech was motivating and inspiring, Scotch Tape could tell. They want to free their country and are ready to die for it, I can understand it.

“You’re ready?” Brady asked them.

“We got your back!” Logan exclaimed. He used a M4, Elizabeth a Mossberg 590 Shotgun and Aiden had a Springfield M1A rifle with a Sniper scope.

They moved out to the OCU Pharmaceuticals.

As they moved to it, evading Airships and patrols, Scotch Tape got curious. “If I may ask, what did you before all this?”

“Well, I used to be a pharmacist. As the economy went down the drain and the KPA invaded, there was barely a paracetamol be found in Philly, let alone antibiotics or insulin I took for granted. So, what’s left for someone of my skills to do, other than to fight back?” Elisabeth explained her background.

Aiden, having black hair and blue eyes explained, “I used to be an Electrician. Scratching a living by fixing up solar lighting, or turning collaborator and working on KPA’s high end surveillance gear were the only two choices left for my skills. There had to be a third way.”

“As for me, I used to be a plumber. No one cares until they turn on a faucet and nothing comes out. Broken faucets are the least of folk’s worries nowadays.” Logan told her, his voice distorted by the gas mask.

The foal spotted a watch on Elizabeth’s wrist. “Nice watch.”

The woman smiled sadly. “Thank you. Father has kept it in a safe place.”

Logan had also one. “It has a sentimental value.” was his reply.

The former Electrician had no watch.

“Brady, Scotch Tape, we have reports that the KPA are using this Pharmaceutical building as weapon storage location. Head on over and see what you can do.” The radio operator informed them.

“Here’s the plan: I; Elizabeth and Logan go in, you, Aiden, stay here and provide covering fire. Scotch Tape, stay with him until the area’s clear.” Brady suggestion, making sure his rifle was loaded.

“Got it.” Scotch Tape followed Aiden to some debris he used for cover.

“You spot them, I take them out.”

“Copy that.” She looked on her PipBuck, two red bars were directly ahead. “Two of the, dead ahead, she pointed at them.

“Roger.” The man fired, with a clean headshot, the Korean soldier fell in his own blood to the ground. The other resistance fighter advanced inside.

Scotch Tape watched the gunfire, the red bars became less, Aiden aimed for the windows, for the soldiers to show up.

It didn’t take long for the Resistance to kick the KPA out, Aiden and his little friend moved into the building after it was cleared.

“Looks like our Intel was accurate. Those weapons will be very useful. I’ll make sure they are distributed amongst our people. Nice find, you two.” The voice of Philly Alpha radioed in.

“Philly Alpha, this is Tony, you there?”

“What’s up, Tony?”

“Harv and his crew…what happened? They were the pickup team, right?”

“Harv didn’t make it.”

“…Mary?” Tony couldn’t believe what he heard.

“No…”

“Bastards…” this loss made Tony angry.

“Two of Harv’s crew new guys called Brady and Scotch Tape, they survived. Helped Walker from what I heard.”

“Yeah I remember Harv mention their names. Remind me to buy a drink for him and a juice for her when I’m back.”

Hearing this caused Scotch Tape to smile, they cared for her. Elizabeth noticed her smile. “Everyone in the Resistance helps each other. We all keep you safe.” The woman had an honest expression.

The Allstar Diner was their next target as it was near. While it was converted into a stronghold by the KPA, the sign was still there, visible from the distance. The walls of the stronghold were built into the former diner.

“The Allstar diner has become a critical KPA stronghold. If we can liberate it we will be sending a strong message to the Norks.”

“Copy that, Philly Alpha. Looks like they left us a backdoor.” Brady used his bolt cutters on a lock on a red back door.

“We distract them, you use the valve!” Logan fired as they got inside and the alarm sounded.

“The young pony wasted no time to get to the valve. Unlike the garage the KPA barely showed resistance to stop her.

This time, Scotch Tape could feel how the ground rumbled, stronger the more she raised the pressure level. Again, the young filly looked in awe as the machine exploded in a flame at the tip.

“Capturing that stronghold will have dealt a serious blow to the KPA. Nicely done.” Philly Alpha was pleased as Tony radioed in.

“Philly Alpha, this is Tony.”

“What’s the news, Tone?”

“We managed to snatch a clab, asked him about Walker. Even hung him off a bridge but we got nothing. So…we let him go.”

“You let him…? Never mind. Keep trying someone must know something.”

I better do not ask their politics for collaborators. Scotch Tape did a mental note as they moved to one of the many Abandoned Apartments.

As it was in sight, her PipBuck showed three red bars inside the building.

“Watch yourself, that apartment building has a KPA sniper nest covering the route towards the nearby stronghold. If you can take them out we’ll have a great vantage point for further expansion in the Zone.” Philly Alpha warned their comrades.

“Okay, Aiden you cover us, we storm the Apartment.” Brady suggested.

“Solid copy!” the Marksman got with Scotch Tape into position at a resistance stash near the building in a multistory building where they could see the Snipers perfectly.

“Heart or head, either way, Kim’s dead.” Aiden mumbled as he had a sniper in his scope and fired. The other two aimed at him but they both ducked behind cover, the red lasers searching for them.

The lasers vanished as Scotch Tape head female screams, the Snipers got surprised by the other resistance fighters.

After the Overwatch was established, they got praised again. “Good job clearing out that sniper nest. We can move through the Zone with a little more ease.”

“Okay, next stop COOK Chemical Plant.” Brady announced as he refilled his ammo.

Got it, Brady. Lead the way.” Scotch Tape knew if she helps the resistance here, they could help her finding Chung, Chang, Kate and Amy. It filled her with determination as they moved out once again.

As the former Chemical Plant was in sight, they got a radio message from Philly Alpha. “I’m detecting a KPA transceiver near your location. This facility is important to KPA activities in the area. If you can hack the terminal, who knows what dirt we can dig up?”

Inside the building, the transceiver was up the catwalk, the roof was missing. As the catwalk that connected to the platform the transceiver was on, was destroyed, Scotch Tape jumped to it with Brady.

This time, she moved the left cross to the right top corner and the other cross to the top left corner to hack it. “Piece of cake!” she exclaimed after it was done.

“Transceiver online! Great work, we’ll be able to keep track of the Nork’s activities in the zone. This is Philly Alpha, Nork transport vehicle’s broken down in Holloway RZ, anybody able to look into to?”

“We got it.” a male member acknowledged.

“Ok Will. Shonice, you able to back them up?”

“On our way now.”

“Just make sure it’s legit before you move in.”

Brady looked on the map on his phone as new strike points appeared. “Okay, I see a three more strike points, the nearest is the Biedul Manufacturing factory.”

“We’re ready.” For some reason, Scotch Tape couldn’t help but feel determination and also…fun.

As they got close to the stronghold, they got informed, “This warehouse is a key KPA stronghold. Not only does it pump gas into the tunnels, but it also acts as a refueling and rearming station. Liberating it would deal a serious blow to KPA activities.”

Like with the diner, there was a back door they used to get in. Once they were on, the alarm sounded and the soldiers noticed them.

“We cover you!” Elizabeth escorted the foal as they made their way to the valve. The woman killed two Hazmat soldiers near the valve before Scotch Tape reached it, raising the pressure.

“There goes another one!” They all cheered as the tower exploded and their enemy fled.

“We’ll be able to move more freely around the Zone now that we control that Stronghold. Excellent work.”

“Philly Alpha, this is Will. That transport vehicle on Holloway turned out to be nothing. Just a driver and armed guard.”

“Copy that.”

“So the Norks announced Walker’s trial today…Trial!?! That implies justice! A notion I don’t think these bastards even have a word for! ...This entire thing’s a joke! But the Joke’s on them. Cos we in the resistance, we’re not gonna stand for this junk!”

“We’ll find him.”

T-trial? This is my fault! Scotch Tape felt guilty, lightly trembling, Elizabeth noticed it.

“What’s wrong?” she asked worried about their young recruit.

“I’m just worried about Walker, that’s all.” It wasn’t a lie, she was really worried about him.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Parrish has a plan to free him.” the woman smiled, trying to cheer the foal up.

Brady cleared his threat. “Sorry to interrupt, but can we concentrate on our next strike point? This one is near the wall they built.”

The green pony gave him a weak smile. “Sure.”

They moved to a backyard where server abandoned cars were, a lone KPA soldier with a Seeker inspected one of them, having his back to the resistance fighters. Brady gave a sign to wait until the Seeker moved away from the soldier.

As the drone flew away, the young man choked the soldier, while Aiden destroyed the Seeker with a well-aimed shot.

“There used to be an illegal food market in this location until the KPA shut it down. Head on over here and see if there is anything left we can use.”

Scotch Tape saw a bus, market with a white cross. The vehicle’s front part was held up by palettes, making it inaccessible. “Hmm…” she putted a hoof to her chin until she saw explosive barrels behind the pallets. “Got it! Brady, blow those barrels up.”

“A good plan.” He fired two shots and the barrels exploded, letting the front part of the bus fall down.

In it were still some supplies. “Good work. Those food supplies will make a lot of people happy. We’ll show them how we’re here to help them.”

“Philly Alpha, this is Tony.”

“Whaddya got?”

“Hearing rumors that Walker was taken to Independence Hall. Can’t confirm yet but we’re looking into it.”

“Parrish says no engagement until we have a confirmed sighting. We can’t afford to put Walker at risk. You got that, Tone?”

“…Yeah.”

“Tone…”

“I got it, I got it! Tony out.”

While Tony and Philly Alpha had their conversation, the team moved to their next target, the Finstock Warehouse.

“The KPA have set up a listening outpost in the wreckage of the Finstock Warehouse. We cannot allow the Norks to listen in on our communications or let them pinpoint where we are storing our munitions. Get in there and take them out.” Philly ordered them.

Like with the apartment, Scotch Tape stayed with Aiden, while the others stormed it. She saw how they quickly overrun the normal soldiers but then, the resistance fighters jumped behind cover.

“What’s wrong?” Scotch Tape asked, only one red Bar on her PipBuck was left.

“Heavy guy of the 718.” As Aiden said this, she saw the Korean soldier. He was wearing the same uniform the soldiers wore that raided the Oasis, walking steadily towards the enemy, firing a LMG, shrugging off any bullets that hit him.

Brady fired blind to avoid getting hit, Logan and Elizabeth did the same. Aiden however fired at the head, blood splattered from the visor of the 718 soldier as the bullet tore it apart and he fell to the ground in his own blood.

“Phew, glad that’s over. Now, let’s disable that communications array.” Brady pushed a button on the array to deactivate it.

“Taking out that listening outpost will prevent the KPA from pinpointing our locations within the Zone and make our movements harder to track. Nicely done. Tone, this is Philly Alpha…Tony, you there?”

“Yeah we’re here what’s up.”

“Just hadn’t heard from you for a while, you guys ok?”

“Just catching a breath. We’ve covered a lot of ground with the search.”

“Yeah, we appreciate it, maybe come in for a bit, get some proper rest.”

“Nah we’ll keep going a bit longer. It’s important right.”

“Yeah. Ok well, stay safe, Tone.”

While it was clear now that they should move to Ned’s armory, Scotch Tape noticed that Elizabeth, Logan and Aiden whispered to each other, seeming very nervous.

“What so nervous?” She asked confused.

“Great, she noticed it. Who’s gonna explain it to her?” Logan deadpanned.

“I do.” The woman took a deep breath. “In this world, you’re not real.” She took “Real” with uneasiness.

“What do you mean? I’m standing right before your eyes.” The foal stepped forward.

“I think it is better if we show you.” The female resistance fighter got her phone out and selected a video. It was the very first episode of my little pony: friendship is magic, Friendship is Magic, part 1.

About five minutes into the episode she looked at the woman with the most bewildered eyes, “How…how is this possible?”

“You’re asking the wrong guy.”

“So, if the show showed Equestria before the war, how do you know me?”

“Well, you’re a character of a Fanfiction story called Fallout: Equestria - Project Horizons.” To show it, Elizabeth showed the foal the first chapter of it, Inception. Despite the length, Scotch Tape read it quickly, her eyes showed shock and fascination.

“I-I can’t believe it! I’m a fictional in your world! B-but…” She was about to shut down in confusion as the young woman took her in her arms, patting her back.

“We know that this is very confusing for you, but we knew you would figure it out eventually. The show had many adult fans for a kids show, called Bronys and Pegasisters. In fact, we’re Brony’s too.” She told Scotch Tape about when the show and Fanfiction site was shut down, and that chapter 51 where she got her Cutie Mark, was the last chapter uploaded.

The filly blushed red as a tomato. So that’s why they acted to weird back in the Metro…I have fans! This is so embarrassing!

Elizabeth giggled. “You’re so cute! But anyway, let’s head to Ned’s armory.”

“Right. Lead the way, Brady.” Scotch Tape had calmed down and looked to Brady. He had seen everything with a smile.

As they captured all strike points, there were only few KPA patrols which they evaded with easy, the airships, they stayed inside or under roofs whenever an airship crossed their path.

The between entrance was a part of a collapsed building, a ramp leading up, “Free yourself” was written above the entrance.

It leased to some car wrecks blocking any way further, but a white van was held up by a jack, opening a way under the a fuel track wreck and through a container.

Behind it was a dead end, improved barricades were built for protection in firefights and an improvised roof against airships.

Brady used the doorbell so they could enter the safehouse.

We cannot afford to lose six guys, we’re stretched already. Tell the teams if they can’t see anything obvious just move to the next side, we need more coverage.” A man could be heard giving orders in the basement. The safehouse was in pretty good shape, just the hallway floor had little damage and the wallpapers had seen better days.

Scotch Tape looked around. “Looks pretty comfortable.”

“We know how to improvise.” Logan replied as they walked into the basement. The voice they heard belonged to an elder man with a shaven head, having his back to them as he stood next to a radio operator.

“Rat pack, this is Philly Charlie, do you hear me?”

“What about over in Holstein?”

“Helen says there’s no trace there.”

“Damn it. What the hell just happened to them?” The man noticed Brady and Scotch Tape. “Oh, you Brady and Scotch Tape? Moore called, said you might show up. Lucky for me you did, I got a patrol missing and I could use your help. Just…just wait a second.” He turned back to the radio operator. “Get a hold of Conner, see if he checked out the coastline. Maybe they got themselves lost or broken down. If he’s free tell him to grab a bike and…and go take a look.”

He turned back to his visitors. “Sorry you two, I’m Ned Sharpe by the way, I run the armory. But like I’m saying – I’ve lost a patrol, they were following up a report that Walker was being moved. They said they had a convoy in sight, then their transmission stopped. Any information about Walker is vital, we got to find out what’s happened to them. I got people out looking but there’s a lot of ground to cover. I need you out there helping the search.”

“No problem, we’ll find them!” Scotch Tape exclaimed with optimism, ready to help in any way she could to free Walker. She owed him that.

“I like your optimism, Scotch Tape.” Brady commented as they got up.

“Keep trying to raise them. Could be something’s blocking their radio.” Ned turned back to the operator.

“Ned, I’m doing my best.” He replied.

“I told Andy he was getting too cocky. Why can’t people be more careful?” Ned complained.

“Hey, you two. You gonna look for Andy’s patrol, you’re better prepared for trouble.” A resistance member gestured them to a table.

“Got some pipe bombs here. They work on vehicles as well as soldiers, gives you a chance against those damn APCs.”

Brady gladly took them. “Thanks for the advice.”

As they all got out, they heard Ned yell, “Why haven’t they checked in?”

“Any idea where we must search?” Scotch Tape asked Brady who shrugged.

They used the exit that used to be a school bus as Ned radioed in. “Brady, Scotch Tape, its Ned – the more ground we can cover, the more chance we’ll find Andy and his men, I’m marking your search area on your phone. You find anything at all, I need to know about it. Good luck.”

Ethan looked on his phone. “Okay, your search area is a near the Train yard.”

“Alright, let’s head out.” Logan checked his M4 before they moved out.

While they traveled to the train yard, Scotch Tape wondered how Elmtree got so destroyed, even though the Sergeant told her why. “How did this part of Philadelphia become a debris city?”

“Well, not only because our military tried to free us, but also because we tried to free it. Bitter Street fighting to the last man.” Aiden explained, having a sad tone in his voice.

A distress call came in. “Ned! Anyone, this is Andy! Norks got us surrounded! We need immediate…” it cut off as the signal was very bad.

“Brady, Scotch Tape, we tracked Andy’s message and you’re the closest. Marking the transmission source on your phone. Get over there, see if you can help! I’ll send support as soon as I can.” Ned ordered on the radio.

“Copy that, on our way.” The source come from a warehouse near the Train yard, the turret of an APC could be heard firing in the distance. “They’re in trouble, safeties off! Scotch Tape, stay in cover.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice!” While she could take on a KPA soldier, the APC would tear her apart in seconds. She used a wall as cover, watching the battle on her PipBuck.

“Push up! Go!” Logan fired his M4, Brady moved from cover to cover to throw pipe bombs at the armored car.

“Move and fire, keep pushing up!” Elisabeth fired on the KPA soldiers. Taking a peek around the corner, the foal saw how Ethan threw a pipe bomb at the APC. The car caught fire from the explosion but was still operational. A second grenade finished it off, the car exploded, taking a few soldiers with it.

Without the APC, the KPA troops got quickly taken out. On a cat walk was Andy, injured.

Scotch Tape got a bandage out of Elizabeth’s backpack, so the woman could treat him. As she applied pressure on his chest wound he tried to talk. “Urgh…saw…saw Walker…We tried…we tried…they went…” Before he could tell more, he fell over, dying from his injuries.

“Damn it! Ned, we found Andy, but he died before he could tell us anything.” Brady reported it.

“Thanks for what you did. Christ I hate losing people. Only silver lining is this lead on Walker. Andy’s guys saw where the Norks were taking him and our spotters just reported some of them aren’t dead. Norks captured them and have taken them and have taken them to Earlston Yellow Zone. We have to try and rescue them to find out where Walker is being held. Ok, I’m heading Earlston now. Can you come meet me? You strike me as a man who gets results. I’m marking the tunnel location on your map, I see you there.”

“Copy, on my way.”

The three resistance fighters saw that Scotch Tape tried to suppress a tear. “All in vain!” She kicked the ground in frustration.

Elizabeth took her on her arm. “Shh, calm down, we did what you could.”

The foal calmed down as they moved to the tunnel.

“Brady, it’s Parrish, Ned told me you and Scotch Tape really helped him out, I’m glad I was right about you. He says you’re heading to Earlston so I gotta warn you Brady the Norks have ID’d you. Your name is all over the news, Pyongyang Polly’s telling everyone you’re a murderer. You’ll have to be really careful ok? Ned can tell you in when you see them.”

“Great.” Ethan complained. “Can this get any worse?”

As if the KPA could hear him, a patrol came out of nowhere, opening fire on them. Fast on their feet, the rebels flung themselves behind cover, fighting the soldiers off with well-aimed shots and a few Pipe Bombs. A Shotgun soldier charged at Aiden, he tackled the Korean to the ground, stabbing him into the heart several times. Logan slammed another soldier’s head against a car, while Brady stabbed a soldier right into the eye. Elizabeth just went for a quick cut for the soldier’s throat as he came into melee range.

While they all knew, the KPA soldiers were also humans, following orders, the brutality the KPA showed, made it questionable if they still could call be human.

It all happened so fast that the young pony couldn’t react in time. In the moment Scotch Tape tried to go to cover, a bullet hit her into the chest.

She fell on her back, trying to slow the bleeding by pressing her hooves into it, grunting from the pain caused by the pressure she applied. She had trouble breathing, blood coming out of her mouth. Her PipBuck showed that the bullet appeared to be close to her heart, as a colt with bandaged chest showed up on it.

While gritting her teeth due the intense pain, tears leaved her eyes. “M…Me-Medic… Help!” she tried to call out but all she could bring out was a blood gurgling sound.

“Scotch Tape! Elizabeth exclaimed in shock. “Hold on!” She knelled down, getting a syringe out of her Medical Pouch. “I got you!”

While the former pharmacist managed to stabilize the wounded child, Scotch Tape’s eyes were half open. “It…hurts…Don’t…want…to die…”

“Shh, save your strength. Brady, I have to bring her back to the metro, sorry that you must go without us.” Being careful of the filly’s wound, Elizabeth gently picked her up.

“Don’t be, it will be hard enough to move undetected in Elmtree alone. Don’t you worry, the doc will fix you up.” Brady had a calming voice, gently stroking Scotch Tape’s mane, an expression of sympathy on his face, before he headed to Ned.

Logan got a motorcycle, Elizabeth got on with Scotch Tape while he drove to the metro as fast as he could, Aiden following them on another bike.

The entire time, the woman whispered comforting words to Scotch Tape, despite the pain, she gave Elizabeth a weak smile. “T-th-thank you…” to let her know she appreciated the American’s caring.

Back at the metro, Logan shouted, “Doc! We need you!”

The doctor came out of his clinic, about to ask what was wrong until he saw the bleeding child.

“Get her into the OP, assist me, Elizabeth!” he ordered as he got everything ready. “How did it happen?”

“Damn KPA came out of nowhere!” She pointed a lamp on Scotch Tape, who was grunting in pain, trying to breathe, almost gasping desperately for air, so Sam had more light.

“I need some gauze.” He ordered and Elizabeth gave him some. “Okay, Scotch Tape, this is ketamine, you’re gonna feel a bit odd.” He injected the medicine and Scotch Tape’s vision became blurry and she could swear she heard faintly the voice of her mother and friends, whispering calming words, before she drifted away.

Aiden and Logan waited outside, worried. The Marksman spoke up, “I know it’s a bad time but it’s almost like…you know.” He hinted to chapter 37 and 40 in Project Horizons.

“Yeah, I pray she makes it. She’s survived worse but she doesn’t deserve to die here, away from her father and friends.”

“I hear you. Damn KPA, firing at everything that moves!” Logan yelled in anger slamming his fist on the table.

Scotch Tape awoke slowly, her chest ached as she slowly opened her eyes. She found herself in what appeared to be an improvised clinic, the walls had seen better days, her chest bandaged, her overall consolidated on the night stand next to her.

Sam walked in to check her. “Ah, you’re awake. That was a close call. They missed your heart by inches.”

“Thank you for saving me, doc.”

Sam let out a weak smile. “Sam is just fine. I look into the future, Scotch Tape. And in that uncertain darkness I see a vast constellation of light. The good deeds, the joy and the love that will be spread by all of us as we travel our lives. Each death in this conflict extinguishes those lights. And the future darkens for all of us. I just want to run away from it all but then I hear someone calling in pain. And I just can't do it. I have to try and help. I also could never live with myself letting a child like you die.

I’m entirely against unnecessary violence and fearful of the Resistance's actions that would only bring KPA reprisal on Americans, including those who are unaffiliated with the Resistance.”

“I understand. You want to resist in a nonviolent way.”

Their conversation was interrupted as Elizabeth, Logan and Aiden came in, overjoyed and relieved to see that Scotch Tape had made it.

“You’re awake. I almost thought you would die.” The woman smiled.

Burnett got angry, walking up to her, yelling her into the face, “Take a look…take a good look! This is your doing! Brady and Ned wanted to take her to the Red Zone and this is the price!” He pointed at Scotch Tape who got slightly scared by his outbreak.

“People. Elizabeth! Innocent people! All this fine talk about revolution, but it’s always the ordinary people who suffer.”

“I understand Sam, but it was her choice to come here and join us, she had nowhere to go.” She was calm.

“Plus, my skills are more useful in the field. I’m used to be under fire.” The foal added.

“I know, it’s just…I want you to be safe and sound. If you’re excusing me, I need to look after the other patients.” The doctor leaved the room.

“We’re so glad you’re survived!” Elizabeth hugged her, this time being careful of her wound.

“And I must thank you for saving me. I owe you one.” Scotch Tape returned the hug.

“No owe us nothing, it’s your job. While in the Resistance, I learned that the place to save lives is out in the field not an office. I respect that Sam wants to go a nonviolent way but, even peaceful demonstrations are brutally crushed by the KPA. So, both ways lead to the same result.”

That woke the memory of being forced to be a collaborator. It filled her with unease. They said they would contact her first. But how?

The three resistance members noticed her behavior. “Something wrong, my dear?”

“Wha? No, everything’s fine, just lost in thought.” The young Earth pony replied, surprised.

“Okay. Get well soon!”

While it was almost fatal, Scotch Tape recovered quickly, the three Bronys visited her regularly, playing with her and talked about the show. The former electrician even managed to find and repair an old TV, on which they watched the cancelled show. Scotch Tape enjoyed the episodes, not able to believe that the Ministry mares, also known as the Mane Six, lived such simple, yet adventures lives before the war. The show also showed the adventures of the Head Mares of Stable-Tec, when they were still foals and known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. That made her wonder, if she had landed in pre-war Equestria before she got her Cutie Mark, had they wanted that she joins and become a Crusader? It was an interesting question for her.

By the time she had fully recovered, Brady had managed to win the hearts and minds of the civilians in Elmtree, starting a riot. Which in turn allowed him to assault important strike points, like the Fuel depot, Drone Control Tower, KPA Relief Depot, and most important, the police station where the captured resistance fighters were being held prisoner.

Unfortunately, as Brady arrived, he had to find out that the KPA had executed them in a violent way, their murder violated every convention on the treatment of prisoners. Plus the Intel on Walker was gone too, which meant they had to start from the beginning.

It made Scotch Tape sad, as she feared Walker would have the same fate.

As Brady returned, she was with Parrish and Dana in the war room.

“I’d figure out we’d have a location by now. Something. What if they just kill him?” Jack asked as he picked an ammo crate up and placed it on the table. “Ah! How we gonna start the revolution without Walker? Ya know, people need a hero, someone they can follow.” He picked a second crate up and putted t on the table.

“I hope we find him before it’s too late.” Scotch Tape was worried about him.

“It’s out of control. All we can do is fighting.” Dana checked another crate as Brady walked in.

“Nah! Hey Brady boy! Come in! Come in!” Jack greeted him.

“Hey, Jack. Hi Scotch Tape, glad to hear you‘re survived.” He was very glad that she didn’t die back then.

“Yeah, thanks to Elizabeth and Sam.” She replied, happy to see him.

“You’re doing a fantastic job pal! I’d better watch my back, you’ll be taking over from me around here.” Jack joked.

“Be nice to have someone who knows what he doing.” Dana joked.

Doc Sam ran in, completely out of breath.

“Ha-ha, very funny. Whoa who dialed 911? What’s up Doc?” Jack asked as the doctor leaned on the table to catch his breath.

“What brings you all the way down here Doctor? Someone tell you we found some Band-Aids?” Dana added.

Sam held a note up. “Listen – Crawford sent a message – The KPA know about the armory. They’re going to attack.”

“What did you just say? If they hit the armory we’ll lose it all – All our weapons all our equipment.” Parrish couldn’t believe what he just heard, this was very bad.

“You gotta warn your men, there’s still time to get them out.” Sam advised him.

“Not without those weapons we need ‘em for the uprising. We’ll be left fighting the Norks with spoons. Nah, nah, nah. We need to get everything out first, find some place new to stash it.”

“We should turn the tables. Surprise them before they hit us.” Dana suggested as Jack looked on a map, trying to think of something.

“Yeah, yeah, an evacuations gonna take a while anyway, we need to stall them. Sounds like it’s ambush time.”

“At least we have plenty of ah, explosions ready. There’ll be bits of Nork landing all the way over in Pyongyang. You like fireworks Ethan? Scotch Tape?” Moore asked with happiness which unsettled Brady as well as Scotch Tape as they looked at each other with light frightened expressions.

“You think this is funny? You can just joke about killing like it’s nothing?” Sam asked disgusted.

“Hey doc, last time I took the high ground I brought a sniper rifle with me.” Jack replied.

“So where we gonna stash the guns? Huh?” Dana asked Jack.

“Ah, it’s gotta be someplace safe, a few places would be better. So uh…” Hack thought for a second, then had the idea. He turned to Sam. “Hey doc…we’re gonna need to use your clinics.”

The doc walked backwards, not believing what he just heard. “You’re insane!”

“Perfect. When the revolution starts we’ll have everything right where we need it.” The woman liked the idea, Sam did not.

“No! What if the Norks find them, they’ll execute everyone, you can’t risk my people.” He protested.

“It’s not ideal doc. But this is damn war man…”

“I’ve spent four years begging, borrowing and stealing to get these clinics up and running. It’s a joke to even calling them that but they’re all we have! All the people have...”

“We’ll be careful Sam, I’m sorry we got no choice.”

“To hell with you.” The doc leaved angry about it as Dana grabbed her Pump-Action Shotgun.

“Damn.” Parrish didn’t like this but they had no other choice.

“His people…so sweet.” Dana mumbled.

Jack turned to Brady and Scotch Tape. “Alright, you need to get over to the armory and help prepare the ambush. Me and Dana are gonna round up as many fighters as we can and meet you over here.”

“Don’t have all the fun without us.” Dana added.

“Look. You gotta old them off until we get there with reinforcements. We need to secure those weapons, you understand me?” Both nodded. “Don’t let me down.”

“We won’t.” Scotch Tape assured with confidence as they moved out, Elizabeth and Aiden waited already for them.

“Philly Alpha here. Everyone on active. Ned’s in trouble! Get over to the armory now!” the order came through the radio.

“Let’s move!” They ran to the Elmtree entrance where Logan waited, a RPG on the table next to him. “You’re gonna need something bigger than that my friend. Take this RPG, it’s the real deal.”

“Okay.” Brady picked it up and they moved through the tunnel.

“This is Ned to all teams, we got the KPA knocking on the door, we need help! We’re trying to evacuate the guns but if we can’t hold them back we’re gonna lose everything. Get over here if you can!” Ned ordered on the radio.

“Ned, I’m sending Brady and everyone we can spare now, Dana and me are going to get our teams together and come as soon as we can. Just hold on, we need those weapons.”

“We’ll do our best Jack.”

At the entrance, the KPA was already here with soldiers and an APC. Scotch Tape stayed in cover as Brady used the RPG to take the armored car out, she watched the backblast, the others took care of the soldiers.

“Scotch Tape, help Ned to load the guns into the trucks, we hold them off!” Logan fired his M4.

“Got it!” The Koreans were only focused on the soldiers, so she could easily move through the crossfire to Ned, bullets missed her by inches but the rebels covered her

As she arrived, the first trick was loaded and drove away. “First truck’s away! You guys are doing great, keep it up!”

“Ned, I’m here to help with loading the guns on the trucks!” the pony yelled.

“Good, we can use any help we can get.”

She heard the gunfire at the entrance, working as fast as she could to load the guns on the trucks.

“Two more trucks are on their way out, we just need a bit longer!”

“There’s too many of them, we haven’t got a chance!” a resistance fighter shouted on the radio. “Ned, we’re screwed out here! Are you guys ready?”

Realizing they were about to get overrun, Ned spoke into the radio, “Guys you’ve done all you can out there! Fall back to me! We’ll make our stand here!”

The others regrouped as Scotch Tape had loaded another gun on one of the trucks as Ned gave out orders.

“We gotta hold them off until those trucks are loaded, everybody spread out, watch your lines of sight!”

Brady, Elizabeth, Aiden and Logan used the barricades as cover to get into positions as the KPA blew up debris to move in.

“They’re breaking through!” the woman took aim.

“Protect the trucks!” Logan fired as soldiers moved in.

They stood their ground as Scotch Tape finished loading another truck.

“”That’s another truck done! We got most of the heavy ordinance clear! Keep fighting!” Ned fired his M4.

The defense got slowly overrun, causing Logan to shout, “Where is our backup?! Where is Parrish?!”

“We got no chance! Ned, we need to go!” Elizabeth realized that they couldn’t win this battle.

“Just a little bit longer and we’re done!” He replied as Scotch Tape along with the others almost was done with loading the last truck.

“Ned, we can’t hold, this is it! Come on Ned, hurry!”

“We’re done! Get to the trucks! Get to the trucks!”

Scotch Tape along with Brady and their three friends climbed on the back of the truck in which Ned was riding. “Great job everyone! Now let’s get out of here! Let’s go – go, go, go!” he ordered.

The trucks headed around the corner, a 6-wheeled all-wheel drive semi-autonomous ground attack drone rammed through the wreck of a school bus, blocking the way, a turret on the roof aiming for the leading truck.

“Goliath!” Ned shouted as the drone destroyed the truck in front of them. “Back up, back up!” before the driver could do so, the Goliath fired again, knocking their truck to the side, Scotch Tape blacked out as she landed on her back from the impact.

She came to with a light blurred vision and ringing ears, seeing that Ned was pinned under the truck that was on fire. Logan came to her aid, appearing to ask if she was okay and helping her up, while Aiden tried to help Ned by grabbing his arms, trying to pull him out. Seeing that the truck was about to explode, Logan managed to pull his friend away as it exploded. The explosion was strong enough to send Scotch Tape a few meters back, and she grunted in pain yet was shocked, seeing that Ned’s body got destroyed in the fireball.

Elizabeth helped her up and brought into a building for cover, while Logan helped Brady up.

“Take down that Goliath!” Logan fired but the bullets showed no effect against the advanced armor.

“How do we stop it?!” Aiden asked in frustration.

“It’s gonna kill us all! Bullets won’t do anything!” the woman ran with Brady up the stairs, the foal safely in her arms. Scotch Tape saw that the Goliath drove around the house in an attempt to get a shot on them.

Remembering the Goliath Hopper used, she had the solution. “Get rockets on it! And Pipe Bombs!”

“Got it!” Brady used the giant holes in the walls of the first floor to fire with the RPG on the Goliath when it came into view. The first hit seemed to be effective, as the Goliath smoked and was on fire from the rocket. “It works!” she yelled in joy.

Logan had converted his M4 to a Limpet Mine launcher and fired, the mine was effective too.

Seeing a Pipe bomb in Elizabeth’s bag, Scotch Tape grabbed it, pulled the pin and threw it on the UGV. It exploded, the turret was blown off, the 6-wheeled all-wheel drive semi-autonomous ground attack drone was now nothing but a burning wreckage.

“it’s down!” The woman was relieved.

“Wooh…we did it!” Aiden cheered.

“I can’t believe it. You took down a damn Goliath! Quick, see if the brain is still in one piece. Heather has been looking after one for months”. Danna was impressed.

They walked down to the wreckage, the front hood was open, a small red rectangle was revealed, looking like a small box.

“That’s the brain. Now let’s get out of here!” They retreated back to the subway.

Scotch Tape took one last look at the wreck of the truck Ned had been in, wondering if there was anything she could have done for him, looking sad to the ground, a small tear flow her check down, falling silent to the ground.

“We can’t replace the lost weapons so easily.” Logan made a quiet prayer. The sky was grey as if it was about to rain.

As they were halfway there, Scotch Tape was lost it thought. Was it her fault that the KPA knew about the armory? Was she responsible for Ned’s death? She didn’t know but still blamed herself, lost in thought, not noticing how Brad yelled “Wait!” until a strange sound tore her out.

She'd, at first, assumed it was a faraway plane. But planes rarely flew over Philadelphia unscathed in these times.

Perhaps a rumble of thunder. The sky was grey enough.

But it was altogether a different kind of storm. A mighty mechanism of terror that signaled its arrival with an unearthly roar from above.

It grew louder, so quickly she barely noticed until her hooves instinctively flew to her ears.

It was piercing, pounding, invading her eardrums, signaling the arrival of an enraged patroller.

The KPA had long perfected all forms of intimidation.

A lesser man would've been reduced to huddling under the rubble at the sound.

Every resistance fighter knew after the noise came death.

She was in a red beam. Looking up, it blended her, causing her to shield her eyes as she tried to find out what caused it. Her eyes went small in fear as she saw it was a KPA airship. Monstrous and imitating, the red beam indicated imminent danger, like it would fire on her any second with its onboard weapons. It was at this moment she knew they would all die.

“They onto us! Run, we hold them off!” Brady yelled as he opened fire, a resistance member close by him jerked and fell back, bleeding from a forehead shot open, his eyes wide and unblinking.

Scotch had never got to ask his name.

Looking into those eyes locked forever in a second's pain, she found herself wishing she had.

The foal ran as fast as she could, not looking back, knowing she wouldn’t see them again, the red beam followed her wherever she went, an entire battalion after her.

Eventually, she found shelter in one of the many bombed buildings where she collapsed exhausted from running, she didn’t knew how long she had ran.

From under cover, her ears were greeted to an eerie whine that spanned the cityscape, lowering in volume and pitch with every moment until it died down.

The airship was gone.

At last she was, once more, in the clear.

In the moment she let out a sigh of relief, she noticed a red bar closing in on her position.

No! Her heart raced in fear, her breathing was rapid.

“Put your hands behind your head and kneel to the ground. Do not move while the patrol comes closer. Civilians who try to escape from arrest by patrols will be shot.” The PA system echoed through her ears as she remembered it.

So, she lay down on the ground, hooves behind her head, lightly trembling, a tear leaved her eye, hoping the KPA soldier would spare her as he came closer.

“No…please...no…” she whimpered as she got a flashback of being shot a couple of days ago.

Author's Note

I captured every strikepoint before doing the missions, makes them and travelling much easier. Plus to streech out the story

Chapter 8 First day of school

Chapter 8: First day of school?

Scotch Tape closed her eyes as she saw the shadow around the corner, hoping it would be quick. I’m sorry, daddy...

There was nothing the filly could do but wait for the inevitable death, or whatever the soldier would do with her.

She heard the click of a safety going off. “Fre-Scotch Tape?” The voice was confused and surprised yet familiar.

She slowly opened her eyes, A KPA soldier armed with a T3AK which he had lowered was in front of her.

“C-Chung? I thought you had died!” She was happy to see he was still alive.

“After I got knocked out, some of my comrades found me and took me to Philadelphia.” He explained.

The foal’s happiness changed into apprehension and disillusion. “Why? Why did you kill them? They were my friends!” She exclaimed, breaking down in tears.

Chung thought for a moment, knowing this wouldn’t be easy. “Scotch Tape, please, listen to me.” She slowly looked up, her green eyes were filled with tears. “I’m sorry but as I told you back in Montrose, I’m not in favor of this, I dislike it greatly due my decent. As I know that the Resistance is fighting for their country, I feel guilty and regret whenever I have to kill one of them. But I make sure it’s a quick death.” He tried to explain, knowing that her faith in him is shaken by this.

“Scotch Tape… please… forgive me.” Chung struggled, knowing that the chances she would were low.

“Chung… I-I….” Scotch Tape struggled before she got up, hugging him with tears of joy. “…it’s okay. I’m just so happy to see you again!”

“Me too, me too. But now, let’s take you to a safer place.” He gently picked her up and carried her outside. An armored car stopped in front of the building, a Captain stepped out.

“Damn it, they escaped! Found anything, private?”

That could mean they’re still alive. It gave her hope that her friends had survived.

“Only this lost child, sir.”

“Ah, the filly I heard about it.” The officer looked Scotch Tape into the eyes, his face emotionless, which scared her but she did not show it. “The Resistance fights without honor or humanity. They are vermin. We must give them, and those that support them, no mercy.”

“But sir, she’s still a child.”

“I know, that’s why you are ordered to bring her to safety. Don’t fail me!” He ordered in the same emotionless tone.

“Yes, sir.” Chung entered the backseat of the APC with her. As the engine made very loud noise, the driver couldn’t hear their conversation.

“So, Scotch Tape, how did you come here?” The young Korean asked her curious.

“Well, it’s kind of a long story.” She told him how Ben Walker found her, how they crossed the Mississippi River, the Nine Oh, and how she “joined” the Resistance.

“Wow. So they could capture this all thanks to you. I’m impressed. Shame about Walker though.”

“Yeah, I hope they can free them. Where is that armored car headed? I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in a prison cell.” She shivered at the thought, remembering what happened to Ned’s men.

“Don’t worry, you won’t end up in prison. We head for Ashgate Yellow Zone. That’s where I live. Chang got relocated here too for some reason.”

“Could you find anything out about Amy and Kate?” She asked with hope.

“Sadly, no.”

The APC passed the perimeter checkpoint and let the two passengers out in Ashgate Yellow Zone.

Scotch Tape looked around, it was just like Greentree, civilians roamed the streets, but she saw mostly men and woman in grey overalls like her interrogator had worn. They gave out rations, checking equipment, writing it down on notepads.

“This is Ashgate Yellow Zone, collaborator district. Even the lowest ranked Liaison officer gets a much better standard of living. This is the vision the KPA sold us when they took over. Cooperation to rebuild America. Here, people still believe it. Or at least, everyone says they do. A lot of the people here are just relishing having a little power. You can see their eyes, revenge for all the trouble they had before the KPA took over. It’s mainly officers in the Zone – but there’s some workers too. The Occupational Police Force is mostly seen in the Yellow Zones, we soldiers patrol the Red Zones but can be called in, if there is trouble in the Yellow Zones."

As Chung said this, a police officer walked up to them. “Chung, back again. Scotch Tape? I thought we had lost you!” He was glad to see her again.

“No, Walker saved me. Where do you live, Chung?”

“I show you. Want to come to, my friend?”

“Sure, why not, my shift’s over anyway.”

How comes that I didn’t notice the policemen before in Greentree? The foal wondered.

The civilians and Liaison officers didn’t notice her or seemed not to pay attention to the foal as they walked past, PA systems made pronouncements about barbeques every Friday at 7PM.

The KPA soldier leaded them to a house that was next to a multistory building with red doors.

Inside, Chung was greeted by someone Scotch Tape never thought she would see again.

“Welcome back, Chung.” Kate called out, Amy joined her.

Both were surprised, seeing Scotch Tape again. “Scotch Tape! We missed you!” The young girl hugged her tightly, the filly returned it.

“Me too! I thought you died when Montrose was burned to the ground!”

“No, our…Cooperation with the KPA, letting Chung live with us, was our salvation from it. I’m no collaborator but the KPA treats me like one, relocated me into the collaborator district, giving me a fancy place to live. I and my daughter were even allowed to take all personal belongings with us.”

“But Chung you said…”

“I lied to surprise you.” He had a smug smile.

“And it worked!” she couldn’t believe it.

Kate cleared her throat. “I think this should be celebrated.”

“All in your opinion!” Scotch Tape exclaimed happy, happy that she was reunited with Amy.

“Agreed but I think you should take a bath first, Scotch Tape. No offense.” Amy pointed out as Scotch Tape was covered in dusk from the truck explosion.

“Yeah, I would need one.”

“Let me prepare it for you.” Kate walked into the bathroom, turned the water faucet on, checked the water temperature by putting a hand in it and made sure it was at a safe height. Then she got towel out of the cabinet.

"Mind if you take your overall off, so I can clean it too?” She asked the filly as it walked into the same room.

“Not at all.” Scotch Tape took it off, letting the woman gently lift her up into the tub. The warm water felt relaxing, the PipBuck was waterproof.

“Is the water warm enough?” Kate asked with a smile.

“Yes, Kate.”

“In that case, enjoy your bath.” She leaved with the overall to clean it.

Letting out a relaxed sigh, Scotch Tape leaned back and closed her eyes, she couldn’t remember when she had such a relaxing bath. Suddenly, something touched her coat, causing her eyes to open again. “A rubber duck?”

A giggle of a girl was next to her. “Sorry, just couldn’t resist.” Amy smiled warmly at her.

“It’s okay, Amy. But please, give me some privacy.”

“I’m actually here as I wanted to ask if I could wash your mane.” Amy looked down, slightly blushing.

“I don’t mind it at all, Amy. Go ahead.” Scotch Tape smiled warmly at her.

“Okay.” Being gently, the young girl putted some shampoo on her friend’s head who had his eyes closed and massaged it in. Scotch Tape’s mane felt very soft to Amy.

“Your mane feels so soft.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

After the shampoo was measured in, Amy washed it off while Scotch Tape had her eyes closed. Then the child helped the filly out and rubbed it dry.

“There you go. Better?”

“Much better, thank you.” The green pony smiled.

“You’re welcome.” Amy returned it as they walked out of the bath room. In the living room, Kate and Chung had selected a song for the celebration. Happy by Pharrell Williams.

“Ready to celebrate?” Kate asked with glee.

“You bet!” Both children exclaimed.

They danced happy together, with happy smiles until it was evening.

As the beautiful sunset ruled the sky, Kate had made Dinner. Pancakes.

While they dined, Scotch Tape told how the Resistance saved her in Montrose, how she helped out, travelled around with Chung and met Walker and everything after that. The part with where she was shown that she was not “real” was hard but she managed to tell it.

“I’m glad to hear that Rianna hasn’t forgotten me. I never thought I would hear from her again. I guess she and I are even now. I will thank her should I meet her again.” The woman smiled, after hearing that her school friend was still well.

“That sounds silly, but I and Chang are also Bronies. When we found you, we didn’t realize at first that…you know.” Chung explained light embarrassed.

“It’s fine, Chung.” Scotch Tape finished her meal. “I just wonder what happens now.”

“I wonder the same. If the KPA managed to get a grip here with the new technologies, they could conquer the rest of the USA with ease.” Chang figured out.

“They could. But this is a worry for another day. Let the cleaning to us, children.” Kate smiled at them.

“Yes, mommy. Come Scotch Tape, let’s enjoy the rest of this beautiful evening.”

“Sure thing, Amy.” Scotch Tape enjoyed the girl’s company.

As the two children leaved for the living room, the adults cleaned the kitchen. Upon being done with that, the policeman checked on the kids and had to smile. “Would you look at that?” He asked happy.

Chang’s and Kate’s hearts melted seeing that both children had fallen asleep on the floor. The foal had a drawn picture between her hooves.

On it was her father, Blackjack, Morning Glory, Rampage, Lacunae, and Boo. Her father had a light blue coat with a dark blue mane and blue eyes. His Cutie Mark wasn’t visible as Scotch Tape had fallen asleep before she could finish it.

Blackjack had a white coat, red eyes and a red and black mane. She had an Ace and Queen of Spades as Cutie Mark. Morning Glory had Violet eyes, a Bright Violet mane and a grey coat. Her Cutie Mark was a Morning Sunrise. Rampage was a pony with Pink eyes, red Mane and a cream coat with red zebra stripes. Her flank was unfinished too. Lacunae had Violet eyes like Morning Glory, a night blue mane and a dusk coat. She had no Cutie Mark. Boo’s appearance was pure white in Coat, Mane and eyes. While the word “Daddy” was under her father, the others had no words written under them, but above them all stood “I miss you.”

Also, Scotch Tape’s PipBuck played a song that fitted her situation. Way Back Home.

Seeing how the filly missed her father and friends, it broke the adult’s hearts. Chang hung the picture on the fridge up while his friend and Kate tucked the children in.

The song ended as Chung putted the bedcover over the sleeping foal. Amy’s new bedroom had a second bed for whatever reason, opposite of her bed. He didn’t care why, he was just glad to see Scotch Tape again and that she was safe and sound. “Goodnight, sweet dreams.”

Kate gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. “Sleep well, sweetheart.”

They walked out. “It’s really sad how she misses her father and friends.” Chang let out a sigh, looking to the ground. “But I promise, I will do whatever I can to make sure she can enjoy a normal life here until they find her.”

“Appreciated, my friend. I wish you a good rest.”

“Thanks, Chung.” Chang leaved as Kate looked at the picture.

“I admit I never had much interest in the Fanfic while liking the show, but it gave me an idea.”

“And that is?” The Korean was curious.

“You’ll see tomorrow.” She replied with a grin before heading to bed.

“Well, better not ruin the surprise.” Chung talked to himself before heading to his own bed.

Scotch Tape awoke in the morning, yawning and stretching herself. Amy was still asleep. She got carefully out of the bed not to wake the young girl and walked into the kitchen to breakfast.

To her surprise, Kate was already awake, making toast. “Good morning, Scotch Tape. I made you breakfast.” Kate putted it on the table.

“Good morning and thank you. Let me guess, Chung’s already gone to work?”

“Correct.”

A yawn filled the room and Amy walked in. “Good morning, Mommy.” She gave her mother a hug. “Morning, Scotch Tape.” She gave Scotch Tape a hug too which she returned.

“Morning, Amy.” She replied happy yet sleepy.

After Breakfast, Kate spoke up, “I have a little surprise for you. Close your eyes.” The foal did as told.

I wonder what it could be.

“Open your eyes.”

What the filly saw next filled her with happiness and joy. The surprise was a plushie that looked like a pony with light blue coat with a dark blue mane and blue eyes.

It resembled her father. It looked exactly like him in every detail, only the plushie had no Cutie Mark. “It’s so beautiful! Thank you!” She hugged Kate.

“Glad to hear that you’re like it. I had the Idea after I saw your picture.”

“I just miss them so much.” Scotch Tape admitted as a tear left her eye.

“We’re here for you.” Amy hugged her to cheer her friend up.

“I know. It’s just so difficult to not think how worried he must be about me.” The filly explained with sadness in her voice.

“Understandable. But I know what cheers you up!” Without any warning, Amy tickled Scotch Tape, who broke out in uncontrollable laughter until the filly was lying on the ground, trying to catch her breath.

“Always works.” Amy grinned.

“Yes it does.” Scotch Tape smiled, feeling happy again.

“Want to play some games in my room?” The girl asked with glee.

“You don’t have to ask me twice!”

They got into Amy’s room, Chung and Kate watched after them with smiles.

Amy’s new room was exactly like her old room but Scotch Tape saw something on a desk, she was sure she hadn’t seen before in Montrose.

A PC.

“You have a PC? Can’t remember I saw one in your room back in Montrose.”

“Yeah, I got that and some games for it when Mommy and I moved here. But on console, it makes for fun for us too.”

“Right, which game do you want to play?”

“How about… a Lego game?”

“Lego?” The filly had never heard of that before.

“Just watch. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, one of my favorites.”

Scotch Tape looked in awe, the characters looked like toys in game, making noises instead of speaking, which leaded to humorously scenes. The Main character, Indiana Jones, reminded very much of Daring do, an adventurer in the comics of prewar Equestria.

As Amy gave her friend the second controller, the foal selected in the character selection screen the “Enemy officer”, as his weapon were hand grenades like her father used. Amy selected the “Enemy Soldier” as they played the level City of Danger.

They both had much fun, solving puzzles, defeating enemies and lots of other fun things.

While Kate did her work in the house, the doorbell ringed. Wonder who that could be.

She opened the door, a collaborator, a liaison officer was the visitor, wearing gloves, a grey cap with matching overall, a clipboard in his right hand. “Ms. Carter?” He asked friendly.

”Yes, how can I help?” She asked slightly confused why a Liaison officer would visit her. At first, she thought he was here to take Scotch Tape away, but she realized that this would be the KPA’s job, not that one of a collaborator who would friendly knock on her door.

“I’m here to tell that you that your daughters have the luck to be enrolled for school here.”

“Daughters? Pardon me, but I only have one daughter.”

“I know Ma’am, but for your loyal service to our great country, the authorities have decided that you shall be her caretaker. There’s nothing to worry, they won’t take her way, she shall see the Greater Korean Republic as America’s way to become great once again.”

“I see. Anything I need to fill out?” Kate couldn’t believe what she just heard. It would never work.

“Not at all. All the papers have been filed out already. In fact, your children are already enrolled for school. The school here in Ashgate is one of the finest of Philadelphia. I’m just here to inform you.”

“Okay, when does the school start?”

“Tomorrow. The school is just down the street of your apartment. The school supplies are provided by the GKR free of charge. I wish you a wonderful day!” He waved friendly as he left.

“Well…how am I gonna explain this to Scotch Tape?” She wondered.

Amy was educated at the Montrose Elementary School before everything went down the drain and the KPA arrived in Montrose. While she still went to school after the invasion, every friend she had back then was taken into the labor camps and the school was converted into a labor camp with the time. The journey to Philadelphia had taken some time, so Amy wasn’t in school here yet.

Scotch Tape was different. She could learn more about humanity but Kate was unsure how she would take the news, or how other children would react to her.

Still, she had to tell them, so she went upstairs, seeing that the children were playing a clapping game, happily.

“Children, I have news for you.”

They both listened to the woman with interested and attention to her news.

Amy’s eyes sparkled at the news. “I can make some new friends that way!”

Scotch Tape was not enthusiastic. “School? While I would like to learn about humanity, I don’t think that is a good idea. They could freak out.”

“It’s a risk, but you could make some new friends too.” Amy countered.

“You have a point. It’s worth a try.”

“We can use the saddle bag Chung made for you as your schoolbag. Any wishes for the colors of your pencil case and such?” Kate got a notepad to write it down.

“I don’t have a favorite color, but blue would be nice.” Scotch Tape replied as it reminded her of her father.

“Sure thing. I take care of it right away.” The woman took the phone and dialed the number of the local Community office.

After a few minutes, the doorbell ringed, a Liaison officer had brought the school supplies. “Thank you for calling. I wish your children a pleasant first school day!” He left.

What Kate knew to appreciate was the politeness and helpfulness of the Liaison officers here. She once accidently bumped into one and she expected that he would be upset as she apologized

Instead, he asked friendly if she was lost and if he could help, as he knew the area well.

Around noon, Chung returned from his shift and Kate brought him the news.

“Scotch Tape has to go to school? Wonder who came up with that, but it’s better than a lab or labor camp.”

“Agreed.”

The day was quiet, they watched Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark on the evening together. A movie from 1981, where the main character, Indiana Jones, an archaeologist, was trying to find the Ark of the Covenant, a gold-covered wooden chest, a religious artifact before the bad guys could do so. Due the video game, Scotch Tape knew how the movie would go but enjoyed it still.

“A good movie.” Scotch Tape yawned.

“Yes it is, but bed time for you two, so you are rested and fit for school.” Kate looked on the clock, it was 9PM.

“Yes, mommy.” Amy leaved with Scotch Tape for the bathroom to brush their teeth.

“Anything new in the Red Zones?” Kate asked with interest.

“The Resistance tries to get a foothold in Holloway, god knows what for. I hope Scotch Tape will enjoy school here.”

“I hope so too.” They looked after the children, they were already asleep in their beds, snuggling with their plushies.

“Scotch Tape’s so cute when she’s asleep.” Carter’s heart melted.

Agreed. Goodnight.” They went to bed too.

At 6AM in the morning, Amy’s alarm clock ringed, she turned it off as she was still sleepy, trying to stay awake.

Kate opened the door. “Good morning children, are you ready for school?”

Her daughter yawned. “Yes but still tired.” She got up, seeing that Scotch Tape was still asleep.

“Scotch Tape, time to wake up.” Kate gently shook her shoulder.

The filly groaned, turning to the side, mumbling in her sleep, “No, mommy, five more minutes. I don’t want to get up…”

That caused Kate to giggle. “Sorry my dear, but school calls.” She pulled the blanket back, scooping the filly in her arms.

That caused Scotch Tape to open her eyes, sleepy but awake. “Hey,” She said in a playful tone. “Please put me down.”

The woman did as told and Scotch Tape joined Amy for breakfast. “Sorry about that, I actually dreamed of the time I spent with my real mother, I didn’t do that on purpose.”

“It’s okay, I suspected that already.” Kate smiled at her.

After the most important meal of the day, the children brushed their teeth and collected their things and putted them in their school bags. Amy asked Scotch Tape what she had packed, and she confirmed it with the inventory function of her PipBuck.

“Pencils?”

“Check.”

“Pens?”

“Check.”

“Erasers?”

“Check.”

“Notebooks?”

“Check.”

“Folders?”

“Double check.”

“Binder?”

“Triple check.”

“Okay, that’s all.” Amy saddled her red schoolbag up.

As they walked out, Kate called out, Bye, have a nice day at school!”

“Bye, mommy!” Amy responded happy.

“Bye, mom!” Scotch Tape added, which earned her confused looks from both humans. “I have to bled in, besides, aren’t you technically my mother here?” She countered.

“Right, didn’t think about that. Anyway, see you later!” Kate waved goodbye.

While they walked to school, Amy noticed that Scotch Tape was looking down at the ground, lightly shivering.

“Are you not well?” Amy asked with concern.

“I-I’m just nervous that’s all. How they will react to me and such.”

“Won’t be bad, I’m sure of it.”

“You know, I was temporarily enrolled in a school by Glory once, I failed to see the practicality of playing with colored sand as I already knew how to strip a steam-gauge assembly.” She explained blushing.

“Completely understandable for me as you were in the maintenance team. But see it from the bright side, you can learn more about humanity.”

“I guess you’re right, sister.” The filly smiled, Amy saw her already as sister, so she didn’t mind it at all being called sister by Scotch Tape.

After about 15 minutes, they arrived at the school, other Parents were bringing their sons and daughters to the school, saying goodbye to their children and walked home.

“Ready for School?” Amy asked

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Scotch Tape replied, giving a convinced smile.

The girl took a paper out of her pocket. “Our class is in room 115. First floor.”

“Go ahead.” As they headed for the nearest staircase, Scotch Tape noticed how other kids stared at her as they walked past, as if they had never seen a pony before.

At the end of the hallway, they reached a white wooden door labeled 115. “There it is!” Amy opened the door. “Come right in.”

The classroom had four windows, letting in bright morning sunlight and 20 desks which were still empty. “Guess we’re the first, let’s take a seat, shall we?” Amy asked.

“Yeah.” Scotch Tape let out a yawn and stretched herself, as she was still tired before taking a seat at the desk closest to the door next to Amy.

Looking on the clock, they both saw it was 7:50AM.

Within the remaining time, the other students filled the remaining desks, most of them stared at Scotch Tape for short periods at a time. One kid even asked what she is and what she’s doing here. She just rolled her eyes. Just as the clock showed 8AM and the bell rang, signaling that class had begun, the teacher walked in. He was a woman with had brown hair and blue eyes just like Chung. She was not wearing a collaborator uniform, wearing normal clothes like Kate.

The woman walked up to the chalkboard, took a piece of chalk and wrote her name on the board in big letters. Ava Yun.

A Korean-American like Hooper. Scotch Tape thought, knowing that Ava was American while Yin was Korean. Ava turned towards her class.

“Good morning students! I'm your teacher Ms. Yun.” She had a slightly Korean accent. “This year we get the luck of having a special student in our class.” She said looking towards Scotch Tape. It made her nervous, not used to something like this. She blushed lightly as Amy clapped, following by the clapping of the other students.

Yun smiled at the filly. “Now, why don't you tell them your name?”

Scotch Tape stepped forward and took a deep breath. “S-Scotch Tape.”

“A pretty name! Where are you from?”

“From Equestria, Hoofington. I used to live in a Stable which is a really big underground bunker in the middle of the Hoofington wasteland.” She explained the rest without going too deep into it, leaving dark and questionable parts out.

The students were fascinated, Ava too. “That’s amazing!”

“Yes, it is!” Amy chimed up.

“Well I'd love to find out more about you Scotch Tape, but I have to teach you how interesting history and other school subjects can be!” She was full of enthusiasm.

The first lesson was history. World War 1, also known as the Great War. It was quite fascinating for Scotch Tape, This war was completely different from any, humanity had experienced before. Tanks, planes, Machine Guns, gas. New, yet deadly weapons. But nothing as destructive as the mega spells was. The First World War had some things in common with the Great War of Equestria.

New weapons that changed the world were developed, before the wars, the nation’s distrusted each other, and a political incident started the wars. In Equestria, a massacre of refugees started the war, not an assassination like it was the case with the First World War.

The filly learned that the sides of the conflict were the Allied Powers with the British Empire, The United States, the Russian Empire, the French Third Republic and the Kingdom of Italy, who actually was aligned with the other powers but did not enter the war in 1914. Instead, they joined the Allies one year later.

The other powers were the Central Powers with Germany, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire.

The war ended in 1918, with an allied victory and the End of the German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires.

The First World War was seen as one of the most devastating conflicts in world history as over nine million combatants and seven million civilians died as a result of the war, due to the belligerents' technological and industrial sophistication, and the tactical stalemate caused by grueling trench warfare. As such, many people at the time dubbed the conflict as "the war to end all wars". While warfare would continue, the aftermath of World War I paved the way for both political and military change.

Must been pretty boring in those trenches. She thought as the first lesson ended.

“Okay class, now time for some math.” Jun announced.

Due her special talent, math was no problem for Scotch Tape, she solved geometry tasks, like calculating the circumference of a triangle, by calculating the total of the triangle’s sides. Then the area by multiplying the base with the corresponding height and divided the product by 2. While it was easy for her, the foal noticed that Amy had difficulties to calculate, as she looked at the paper, tipping her forehead with an almost desperate expression.

Before her sister could ask, the teacher was writing math problems on the blackboard. “Who wants to give it a try?” She asked friendly.

No student raised his hand, Amy’s breathing was rapid, like she was afraid of being called up. So, Scotch Tape raised her hoof.

“Scotch Tape?” Ava asked and the foal walked up to the blackboard.

Multiplication. Easy for the young child, yet fun.

2x40=80 5x50=250 6x70=420 8x90=820.

Scotch Tape slowly placed the piece of chalk down, smiling at her teacher. “Great work! You correctly solved every math problem!” Jun exclaimed, patting the foal on the shoulder. “You may go take your seat now.” Scotch Tape nodded and walked back to her seat.

Ava continued with her lesson. Scotch Tape paid attention intently as did the other students in the class.

After two lessons of math, the bell ringed for the students to go outside and enjoy recess. The other students walked out, Amy however waited outside the door for her sister.

As Scotch Tape approached the door, Yun spoke up, “Scotch Tape?”

“Yes?” She turned around, looking at the woman.

“You did an exceptional job today, young mare, and you should be proud of yourself. Most students I’ve taught usually get nervous to walk up to the front of the class like that, but you did a wonderful job.” She gave Scotch Tape a pat on the shoulder.

The filly smiled softly. “Thank you, Ma’am. Math is my favorite subject.” She let out a giggle.

Ava smiled warmly. “Well, that’s what I like to hear from my students. Now you go on outside and have fun.” Scotch Tape nodded.

She grabbed her Lunchbox, wondering what Kate could have made her.

Joining Amy, she asked, “What was wrong with you? You looked like you were about to break down. No offense.”

The girl lowered her head in shame. “I-I…”

Scotch Tape gave Amy a warm and convincing smile. “It’s okay, you can tell me. I’m your sister, remember? You can tell me.”

“I guess you’re right.” Amy took a deep breath. “I’m having a math weakness. Like dyslexia but for math, not reading.”

Scotch Tape had sympathy. “My condolences. But I can help you with the math tasks.”

“You would?” Amy asked with hope, having a hopeful smile.

“Sure, you’re help me, I help you. That’s what sisters are for, right?”

“Yes, thank you!”

“You’re welcome.”

Reaching the schoolyard, Scotch Tape and Amy immediately looked in awe at the schoolyard which also was a vast playground. There were three swing sets positioned on the left and right sides of the playground, and one in the center. There was a tetherball area, a slide, a full basketball court, and plenty of oak trees to sit at. There were also some benches too. The PipBuck showed more yellow bars then the filly could count.

The two had a seat on one bench, opening their lunch boxes. “Delicious, cheese bread! You?” Amy asked.

“Same as you. She also packed me an apple, small cut into pieces.”

“Me too.”

They enjoyed their meal, Scotch Tape had never eaten food with such a fresh taste, the recycled food in her Stable, never tasted so good.

A small group of three children, one girl and two boys walked up to them. “Hello, mind if we join you?” The girl asked polite.

“Not at all.” Amy replied friendly. The children sat down to them.

“Hello, Scotch Tape, I’m Emily.” The girl had brown hair and blue eyes. She shock Scotch Tape’s right fore hoof with a big smile.

“Pleasure. Who are your friends?”

“I’m Collin, nice to meet you.” He sounded slightly nervous and had black hair and brown eyes.

“And I’m Alex.” The other boy, having brown hair with matching eyes introduced himself.

“We hope that we can become best of friends.” Emily spoke up.

“I'd love to be friends with you, but please don't treat me any different than the others here okay?” Scotch Tape asked.

“Sure thing, we’re actually in the same class as you,” Emily replied.

“Really? How comes that I didn’t notice that?”

“Guess you lost the Overview with 18 other students in the class.”

“Yeah, could be.”

I'm already getting friends. So far my first school day goes pretty well. The young pony thought, as she had never expected it would go so well.

She really wondered what made the GKR let her register and go to school, instead of taking her away and into a lab. Maybe because she was a collaborator? They said they would contact her first but how would they do that? Don’t even think about it! She shook her head to get her mind clear.

“Something wrong, sister?” Amy noticed her behavior.

“What? Oh, nothing, just tried to get something out of my head.” Scotch Tape replied light off guard.

“Ah, okay.” Amy finished her meal and went for the bathroom.

“If I may ask you three, who are your parents?” Scotch Tape asked her friends, curious.

“Well, my parents are workers at the navy yard.” Emily explained.

“My parents and Collin’s parents too. What about Amy’s parents?” Alex asked.

Scotch Tape thought for a moment. “It’s complicated…”

“How’s that?” Collin was confused.

“Well, Amy’s father died during the invasion and her mother…is a collaborator but at the same time not. In order to stay at their home and not get taken into a labor camp, they had to allow a KPA soldier to live with them. I had a big journey with him.”

And so, Scotch Tape told her new friends, how she got saved by the Resistance in Montrose, travelled with Chung across the USA and how she met the Voice of Freedom.” Her friends had their jaws open in fascination.

“Sounds like you have been through a lot. Yet it’s amazing how far you got. Shame about Amy’s father though. Anyway, while you talked with Ms. Yun, we talked with the other classmates, and guess what: They’re all fans of the kids show my little pony: Friendship is magic. We too. And it’s exciting a meet a pony from the show, even if you’re an Original character.” Emily replied, trying to stay calm.

“I know, as I told you, Chung, his friend the resistance fighters who helped me, are fans too.” She replied, slightly blushing from all the attention.

Soon, all other classmates wanted to befriend her, she accepted but Emily, Alex and Collin were the only ones whose names she could keep in her memory. They chatted happy about the show and other things until a red bar showed up on the E.F.S. “What now?” She asked alerted, looking around.

The answer was a female cry of pain. Scotch Tape saw how Amy got pushed to the ground by a boy with black hair and blue eyes, wearing fancy leather clothes.

Amy landed on her belly with another cry of pain. She tried to get up, only for the boy to set his foot on her back. “You should stay on the ground where you belong! A baby, who can’t even solve the simplest of math tasks, should go back to Kindergarten!” He yelled dominant.

This action angered Scotch Tape, she saw red. “Hey! Leave my sister alone!”

“Or what, you freak?” he taunted, increasing his pressure, causing the girl to grunt in pain.

“I said, leave. Her. ALONE!” Now completely in a fury, the filly charged at the bully, tackling him to the ground, off her sister. She punched him a few times, before he hit her with his boot into her stomach, causing the air inside her lungs to escape, sending her off him. Scotch Tape gasped for air, but did not cry as she landed on her back

Amy rolled over, still in pain, her back and tummy ached. Alex and Collin helped her up by gently grabbing her arms, while Emily got help. “Don’t worry, you going to be fine.” Alex spoke consoling, as she struggled not to cry in pain. She was covered in dusk, and had suffered some cuts on her arms and legs from the fall.

The bully tried to kick Scotch Tape, however, she managed to roll out of the way, quickly getting up. “Is that all you got?” She taunted as she dodged his blows.

“Shut up!” he yelled, only to got hit into the chest by his opponent. He stumbled but quickly recovered and delivered a blow to Scotch Tape’s nose, causing it to bled, and fell on her back again.

“Pathetic!” He raised his booth as she held her nose, but flinched as someone angry was behind him.

“Mark Sunderland! How dare you to hurt the sister of a new student!” To the director, now!” Ms. Yun shouted with a very angry expression.

“But…”

“NOW!”

He left as told, cowed by the outburst of the teacher.

Calming down, she asked Scotch Tape, “Are you hurt?” giving her a cloth to stop the bleeding.

“My nose is bleeding but not broken.” She replied, as her PipBuck showed that nothing was broken.

As Ava saw Amy’s condition, she had sympathy. “Poor you. Let’s get you to the Nurse.”

Amy was assisted by the two boys, she held her gut with one hand, lightly whimpering, still struggling not to cry.

“Don’t worry, the Nurse will fix you up!” Scotch Tape consoled her sister on the way to the nurse.

At the office, Ms. Yun informed the nurse who had sympathy for both children.

“Poor you. Don’t worry, I make you feel all better.” She pointed to a pair of chairs.

The Boys helped Amy on the chair, Scotch Tape looked worried at her as she took a seat too. “It’s not that bad, okay? It’s not that bad.”

The nurse checked Amy, she had only a bruise on her tummy and back, getting treated by getting her cuts disinfected. “See? All better now.”

“By the time they came here, the bleeding had stopped and Scotch Tape had also a bruise on her tummy.

“Scotch Tape, I know to appreciate that you but I feel guilty that they will probably sentence you to detention. Because of me! I’m…”

Seeing that Amy blamed herself and was about to break down, Scotch Tape wrapped her arms around her. “You’re not a failure! You’re a sister everyone could ask for. I did it to protect you and if they sentence me to detention, so be it. I don’t mind it at all. I would do it again to help you.” She wiped a tear out of Amy’s eye.

“T-thank you.” She smiled again.

“Ms. Yun, I take the full responsibility for what happened. I lost my temper when mark hurt her.” Scotch Tape spoke in a mature manner, ready to accept her punishment.

“Scotch Tape, normally I should punish you but as it is your first day and I've verified witnesses stating you did not start the fight, I'm going to let you off with just a warning. Emily informed me as she got me. Mark, however, will be get detention for what he did. I will make sure he won’t bother you again. You could have told me about your weakness, Amy.” Ava sounded like she had sympathy.

“Yes Ms. Yun, I was just…”

“Afraid? I know you’re afraid of admitting it and getting bullied, but there’s no need to be afraid. Everyone has his weaknesses. I will forbearing when we have math the next time.”

“Thank you.” Amy smiled at her teacher.

“Anytime you have an injury, or you are sick, just come to me, and I’ll help you anyway I can.” The nurse patted on her shoulder.

As they walked out, the other students of the class started to cheer and clapped, causing Scotch Tape to blush.

“Please, I only did it to help my sister. Now, let’s go back to class.” She explained, the clapping died down, the classmates nodded and went on their way.

“What was that all about?” Scotch Tape asked bewildered Emily.

“You see, Mark is the bully on this school for quite some time, even before the KPA invaded the country. He’s the son of a high-ranking Liaison officer who is in charge of the Green Park plantation in the Washington Square. Because of his high position, many don’t want to get into a fight with Mark, fearing that their parents could get into trouble for this.”

“I see. But I think his father will have a talk with him after this.”

The next two lessons were gym with a male teacher called Mr. Jake. He had blonde hair, green eyes, muscular build and was wearing sport clothes, which made sense, as he was the physical education teacher.

“Good morning students!” He shouted. “I am Mr. Jake, and I will be your physical education instructor. As it is the first day, there won’t be any physical education, as none of you has sportswear. So, I will check the attendance list.”

He started to calling off names, and with each name he said, a random child either raised their hand, or said here. Some of them had to repeat it as they lacked attention.

Physical education, wonder if Kate could make me some sportswear, a headband maybe? Plus some sports things, like soccer I believe, could be hard for me. And the locker room, with the other girls…

“Scotch Tape!”

“Here!” The teacher had torn her out, she had almost missed it due being lost in thought.

“Okay, all are here. Sorry, to say it, but I have you to read the class matrix. You know, how you should act, what you should do, what not to do, how grading works, what to do for a missing assignment. The whole deal. And when you are done reading, if you finish, you sign your name at the bottom of the last page, and bring them home for your parent, or guardian to sign as well.” A sigh escaped the class.

Scotch Tape wasted no time, reading it through when she and Amy got theirs. “Why the sigh?” They both asked their friends.

“Well, every new year, we have to sign the class matrix, like back at first grade, get what I mean?” Alex explained.

“I see.” Scotch Tape saw Mr. Jake smiling at her.

He doesn't really seem to care about me being the only talking pony in the whole school. I’m sure sooner or later, they won’t stare at me anymore, getting used to me. Never thought I would get their respect so fast.

After the lesson was over, they headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

Scotch Tape and Amy shared a table with Emily, Alex and Collin. Out of respect for their pony friend, they had a salad and potatoes.

“…So, while I was travelling with Chung, I had a dream, where me and my father were driving around in a decaying industrial and downtown area, presented in a futuristic cyberpunk style. We got pulled over by a cop, who was Blackjack. But she looked different. She was wearing a Black trench coat, her left eye was a cyborg laser eye. Respectable and scary.” She told them about her dream.

“Sounds like Empire City from Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit.” Alex recognized it.

“What’s that?” The filly asked him.

“A Racing video game from 1998. My father used to play it when he was my age. I play it too, despite its age. Empire City is a bonus race track in the game, the Cops and the track look exactly like the ones you saw in your dream.”

“Okay, wonder how I dreamed of that.”

“Our brain comes up with the strange things sometimes.”

“That reminds me, I have this game on my PC if you want to give it a try, sister.” Amy realized as she finished her salad.

“With pleasure when I have the time.”

After lunch break, they had a lesson about basic anatomy and physiology of the human body, which Scotch Tape found very useful. May come in handy if Amy gets hurt or I get into a fight again.

The bell ringed, signaling the end of school. “Alright class, have a nice day!” Ms. Yun said goodbye.

Outside, Emily said smiling to her new friends. “That was a fun day. See you tomorrow!”

“See you!” Alex and Collin said in union before all children went different ways home.

“Well, that went pretty interesting for my first school day here. But it was fun still.”

“Indeed, Scotch Tape. Eager what we will learn tomorrow.”

Back home at their apartment in Ludlow of Ashgate Yellow Zone, Kate greeted them. “Welcome back, how was school?”

“Great! We already made some friends!” They both replied.

While Amy had to use the bathroom, Scotch Tape went to her room to drop her saddlebag. The plushie of her father was placed on the bed, it’s smile towards her as if it said “Welcome home, how was your day?”

The filly let out a sigh, hugging the plushie before saying, “Hello again daddy, my first day of school was great, I already made some friends.”

She talked with him about her first day in a half happy, half sad voice, missing him.

“You miss him, don’t you?” Amy entered the room, dropping her school bag, wrapping her arms around her sister in an attempt to cheer her up.

“Yes, I do. I don’t want to imagine through what kind of worry he must be.”

“I understand. Now, can you help me with my Math problem?”

“Sure.”

The young Earth Pony gave her sister coaching, it seemed to work. “Calculating with straight numbers is quite easy, just imagine the zero isn’t there, or add it.” Scotch Tape explained, regarding calculations with numbers like 60.

“5x90?

“Equal 450.”

“And 5x9?”

“45.”

Splendid! You’re improved! See, just think about the zero and it’s easier!” Scotch Tape was proud of Amy.

“Yes it is. Can we do some Geometry next?”

“Of course. Calculating circumference, you must calculate the total of the triangle’s sides. And for the area, you need to multiply the base with the corresponding height and divide the product by 2.”

“Okay.” Amy did as told, she did everything right.”

“You did it!” Scotch Tape smiled proudly.

She helped Amy to calculate the circumference and area of a rectangle, square, and even helped her with the formulas of cuboid, cylinder, circle and pyramid.

Amy improved greatly. “Thank you, Scotch Tape.

“No need to thank me, that’s what sisters are for.”

The doorbell interrupted them. Kate opened and before her stood a man in a Liaison officer uniform, having a beard, brown eyes and appeared to have a bald head but she couldn’t see it exactly due the cap he was wearing. Next to him was a boy with black hair and blue eyes, wearing fancy leather clothes.

“Yes?” She asked.

“Are you Ms. Carter?” He asked.

“Yes, how can I help?”

“I’m Sunderland. My son got into a fight with your daughters.”

Kate couldn’t believe what she head. “I’m sorry to hear that. But my daughters would never do that.”

“There’s no need to apologize, I’m the one who is sorry. My son started the fight by hurting Amy. Scotch Tape tried to defend her.” He explained with an honest expression.

As Sunderland had said this, Scotch Tape and Amy had joined their mother.

Mark still represented a red bar on the filly’s PipBuck. He had a neutral expression, but she could still see anger under his mask.

“I’m truly sorry for my son’s actions towards you.” He turned to Mark. “Now, I want you to apologize this instant to them.”

Mark sighed. “I’m sorry for insulting and hitting you. Ms. Carter, I’m sorry for hurting your daughters.”

The woman could tell that Mark lied but proceed to take it. “Thank you.” She turned to their daughters. “Is there anything you want to say, children?”

“Apology accepted.” They both spoke in union.

“I give him private lessons, so he won’t bother your daughters anymore. Here’s also a gift for you as my apology, He gave Kate a basket with fresh beans and corn. “From Green Park plantation. Have a nice day.” Sunderland tipped his cap before he and his son left.

“Kate, I take full responsible for what happened, I lost control.” Scotch Tape was ready to accept whatever punishment she may choose. What she didn’t expected, was that Kate smiled lightly.

“It’s alright Scotch Tape, you did it only to protect her, I had done the same if I had been in your situation. It’s alright.”

“Okay, Kate.”

In the evening, Chung returned home, they told him what happened. “Mark Sunderland? An idiot. Just because he is the son of a high-ranking collaborator, he thinks he can push everyone around. You proved him wrong, Scotch Tape, you can be proud of that.” He smiled proudly at her.

“I am proud.” She replied, feeling slightly proud of helping her sister.

For Sport, Kate had made a headband for Scotch Tape and got some Sportswear for Amy.

The next days were also interesting, Scotch Tape coaching had paid off, Amy got better in math, and sports was not as bad as Scotch Tape thought.

While the human body was surely interesting, she respected the other girls and they her. Mr. Jack mostly did obstacle parcours and sprints but also sport games like soccer and basketball. Scotch Tape had been given some perks to balance her disadvantages out in those games.

Unfortunately, due the authorities, they also had to watch propaganda movies, about how great and good the Greater Korean Republic was, which was pretty boring. That’s even more boring as Morning Glory! The filly thought as she called the Pegasus sometimes the most boring pony in the Wasteland.

Time passed, it was Friday, the students had earlier out. “Have a nice weekend!” Ms. Yun called out as they left.

“Well, it was pretty nice for my first week.” Scotch Tape smiled, she had enjoyed it, yet was glad that it was Friday.

“Yes it was. I think I have the right song for this day.” Amy selected a song from her MP3 player and gave the ear plugs to her sister. The song was Loverboy Working for the Weekend.

While rock wasn’t her taste, the filly enjoyed the song, bobbing her head to the music as they walked home. “Nice song.”

“Thank you.” Back home, both children helped on the house and enjoyed the day, until it was evening. After dinner, Amy asked, “Want to try out the game we talked about?”

Scotch Tape grinned. “You bet!”

In their Room, Amy started the computer, it ran with Windows 7. The screen was the standard imagine. The girl clicked on the symbol that said Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit. An intro played.

After it was over, a loading screen appeared, then the main menu with music. Amy selected “One player.” The race types were Single Race, Knockout Race, Hot Pursuit and Tournaments.

“Which one do you want to try?” Amy asked.

Scotch Tape though for a moment. “I think I try Single Race.”

“As track I recommend Hometown, It’s a beginner track but I like the setting and music. Featuring an iconic set of twin covered bridges, this route is set in autumn across a North American rural environment with trees and farms filling the background alongside fallen leaves cover parts of the road.”

“Okay.” The filly read through the controls, setting the driving assists on, weather off, 2 laps, direction forward, mirrored and night off. Traffic was on, full number of opponent cars and the skill on easy. The C5 Corvette in blue was her car and the opponent’s cars too. She selected automatic transmission. As she hit the RACE button, the sound of a revving engine was heard as the loading screen, consisting of a red bar showing the loading progress and a real life picture of the selected car.

Once it was loaded, the camera switched behind the car, music played. The road was near a farm, a plane was flying overhead, a cock could be heard crowing in the background as the announcer counted down.

“3, 2 1, Go!”

Scotch Tape pressed the gas button and quickly managed to get into the first place by the time she reached the covered bridges. The filly smiled happy, enjoying the game as she overtook a traffic car at the Interstate Underpass. The 90 degree turn at the main street of the town was no problem, she just hit a breaks for a second, drifting easily through it.

The rest of the track to the finish line was no problem. As the car reached it, the announcer announced “Final Lap!”

She quickly finished the final lap. “You placed first!” The announcer announced and the street switched to the Race summary, showing she was 1st place.

“Congratulations! You’re the winner!” The announcer congratulated her.

“Great work!” Amy and she did a brofirst or better said brohoof.

“Thank you. It was really fun!” Scotch Tape couldn’t remember the last time she had so much fun.

At Saturday, Scotch Tape played again the game and the same Race track but in the Hot Pursuit mode.

The race started the same, except that she raced only one opponent instead of seven and a bar with several green points was in the top middle of the screen, under the rearview mirror.

She quickly overturned the opponent, at the covered bridges, the bar blinked rapidly, the points switched from green to red as it blinked

The reason, a first generation Ford Crown Victoria crossed her way, it made a 180 turn, it’s siren blaring. “36 to country, in pursuit of a blue Chevrolet Corvette, by the covered bridges.”

“All units be advised, unit 36 in pursuit of a Chevrolet Corvette at the covered bridges.” The central informed but the Al was too slow to keep up with her.

Right after the bridges, a police Chevrolet Corvette C5 driving into the same direction as her, equipped to engage in high-speed pursuits and capable of outperforming normal police cars, turned it’s siren on.

“20 to country.”

“Go ahead, unit 20.”

“I found him, joining the pursuit of the Corvette, at the Crystal Lake Turnoff.”

“All units, unit 20 in pursuit of a blue corvette at the Crystal Lake Turnoff.” The police Corvette was too slow to react, as the filly raced past it, leaving a good distance behind as she entered the town.

“36 to country, recommend we use a roadblock.” The cop reported in.

“Unit 36, go ahead with the roadblock.”

By the time Scotch Tape leaved the town, the police lost her as the bar changed to green.

“20 to country.”

“Go ahead.”

“I lost contact with suspect.”

“Unit 20, 10-4.”

As she reached the Interstate Underpass, the police pursued the other racer, the radio buzzed nonstop.

“45 to country, in pursuit of a red corvette at the old Church.”

“All units, be advised, Unit 45 in pursuit of a red corvette, near the old church.”

“36 to country.”

“Go ahead.”

“Roadblock deployed, near the farm.”

“10-4.”

At the farm, Scotch Tape saw a Crown Victoria and a Corvette blocking the far right of the road, the Ford stood transversely on the road, the corvette with its front towards the incoming young racer, which just steered to the left avoiding it.

“You call that to roadblock?” She taunted, the cops lost her again as she went into the second and final lap.

3 police cars, patrolling into the opposite direction, crossed her way at the highway 19 underpass, but she escaped them before they could turn around.

The radio chatter buzzed, the policemen reported in and out how they lost her, followed by the country to confirm.

The same happened at the interstate underpass before she finished the race on first place.

The race summary showed that the other racer got arrested. “Congratulations! You’re most wanted!” The announcer congratulated her again.

“Great Job! You’re a good driver!” Amy cheered.

“Thanks, sis. I wonder, can I also be the cop?”

“Yes you can. You just need to select a police car like the corvette. I suggest you change to 8 laps, so you can bust all of them.”

“Okay.” She did as told and selected the Pursuit corvette.

She started behind 6 Corvettes and turned the siren on. A green square was focused on a green Corvette, a flashing red square inside the green one.

“20 to country, in pursuit of a green Corvette half a mile from the covered bridges.”

“All units be advised, unit 20 in pursuit of a green Corvette.” The central warned.

Scotch Tape rammed the suspect into the side, pinning it against the fence of the farm. A small in game scene showed a policeman in a blue uniform, hat and sunglasses, standing at the driver window, his right hand at his holster, while his other did a stop gesture.

“20 to country.”

“Go ahead, Unit 20.”

“I have the driver in custody.”

“Unit 20, 10-4.”

“One down, 5 left.” Amy counted.

“Yep.” Scotch Tape after her car spawned at the location of the leading racer.

She stopped the next racer at the Interstate Underpass by blocking his way, forcing him to stop. “20 to country, this boy’s done.”

“10-4”

The 3rd racer got arrested by the filly at the town by ramming him against a lamp pole. “This boy’s done.”

In the town, Scotch Tape deployed a Spike trip. “The Spike trip is deployed, at the town.”

As she chased the fourth racer, she yelled, “Pull over!” as she rammed his rear, causing him to crash into the wall for arrest.

The fifth was quickly stopped too at the farm. The last one however kept his car under control, no matter what the filly tried. “This guy’s tough!” But it didn’t help, he drove over the spike trip, puncturing his tires. “Gotcha!”

The screen switched to the race summary “Congratulations! You’re top Cop!” The announcer congratulated the young officer.

“Great work!” Amy hugged her.

“Thank you. I think I try Redrock Ridge next.”

“Good idea. It’s a desert themed track, 5.4 miles in length.”

Scotch Tape hit the race button, having selected the blue Corvette again, racing against an orange one. The music had also a desert theme and was nice.

She quickly took the lead, the bar blinked, as the police showed up in form of a police Eagle Talon, driving into the opposite direction, siring blaring as it made a 180 turn at the divided highway.

“46 to country, in pursuit of a blue Chevrolet Corvette, at the divided highway.”

“All units be advised, unit 46 in pursuit of a Chevrolet Corvette at the divided highway.” The central informed nearby units.

The police lost her, but another Eagle Talon made a 180 turn at the old tunnel. “37 to country, here he comes. Joining pursuit of the Corvette.”

“Unit 37, 10-4.”

Unit 37 also lost her, at the old mines, a police Corvette turned it’s light on making also a 180 turn, that was his doom, losing her too.

The police found her again at the waterfall, but lost her again, yet pursued the other racer.

Unit 41, also an Eagle Talon, patrolling into the same direction as the young child, joined the pursuit but she easy overtook the police car, evading again.

The police set up a roadblock at the Redrock tunnel, by of an Eagle Talan and a Corvette blocking the right side, standing with the rear to each other. The racer just steered to the left, dodging it without problems.

The cops couldn’t find her again for the rest of the lap, she finished it in first place.

Again Scotch Tape was most wanted. “Okay, now the other side of the law. That is really fun!” she exclaimed smiling.

“Glad to hear it.” It pleased Amy.

As the race as cop started, Scotch Tape managed to arrest the first racer by pinning him against the tunnel wall as she was at the old tunnel. The scene showed a policeman wearing black boots, a brown uniform, sunglasses and a sheriff hat, his left hand at his hip, his right arm stretched out to the right, as if he pointed to something in the distance of the rear of the car,

“This boy’s done.”

The next racer got stopped at the Canyon U-turn, by blocking his way, taking a shortcut over the sand, causing him to crash right into her and to be arrested.

“One more in custody.” Amy smiled, seeing how much fun her sister had who grinned.

Racer number 3 got stopped shortly after the canyon as she overtook him then hit the brakes, causing him to crash into her rear.

The fourth racer got arrested at the next tunnel, Scotch Tape had pinned him against the wall.

The fifth racer got arrested by the tunnel the police had set up the roadblock when the foal was the suspect, being rammed against the concrete wall of the tunnel entrance.

The last racer managed to get into the second lap and to the divided highway, Officer Scotch Tape rammed into his driver door, he lost control and got arrested as he crashed into the wall.

“Top Cop again!” Scotch Tape cheered happy.

“Yes! Still want to play?”

“You bet! I think I will try Empire City.”

“Living the dream, eh? An expert track, 4, 6 miles long. Given how you won the others, this should be no problem for you.” She alluded to Scotch Tape’s dream.

The race started, the music was somewhat scary, radio chatter could be heard at a certain part, as well a female scream could be heard at another certain part.

She took a shortcut through a side street, getting into first place, only for the police scanner to start blinking as a Crown Victoria drive in the opposed direction, turning its siren on.

“2-23 to central, in Pursuit of a blue Chevrolet Corvette in the industrial district.”

“All units be advised, unit 2-23 in pursuit of a Chevrolet Corvette.”

Scotch Tape quickly evaded the police car, only to be pursued by a police Corvette who drove into the same direction as her, just it she took the turn.

“2-17 to central. Joining pursuit of the Corvette. At the industrial district.”

“10-4.”

They lost her and pursued the other racer.

As she got further into the town, unit 2-24 made a 180 turn, reporting in “2-24 to central.”

“Go ahead, Unit 2-24."

“I required the suspect, joining pursuit of the Corvette.”

“Unit 2-24, 10-4.”

She evaded that police officer too, but another Crown Victoria, unit 3-16 crossed her way. ”3-16 to central.”

“Go ahead, Unit 3-16.”

“I’ve got him in sight, joining the pursuit of the Corvette.”

“10-4.”

However, the police lost her again. But as she entered a tunnel, a Police Corvette tries to block her way with the 180 turn but she avoided getting stopped.

“You have to do more than that to stop me!” she taunted with Glee. Unit 2-17 and 3-16 crossed her way once more but she shook them off as she finished the first lap.

After that she didn’t encountered any police car but the police radio buzzed something, she paid attention. “3-53 to central. The Spike strip is deployed on the left, near the Empire hotel.”

Thanks to that, she steered right at the hotel, missing the Spike strip, “3-53 to central. The Spike strip missed.”

“Unit 3-53, 10-4.”

Again, the police couldn’t find her until she reached the finish line and was winner and most wanted once again.

“Okay, now the cop!” Scotch Tape exclaimed in fun.

As the race started, she pursued a yellow Corvette. “2-17 to central, in pursuit of a yellow Chevrolet Corvette by the docks.”

“All units be advised, Unit 2-17 in pursuit of a yellow Corvette.” Scotch Tape took the shortcut she had taken a racer and rammed the suspect head on. The arrest scene showed a policeman wearing a Black trench coat, his left eye was a cyborg laser eye, both hands in his hips.

Just like in my dream. Scotch Tape thought as she pursued the next racer by the warehouse district. He was right behind her, so she hit the brakes, causing him to crash into her to be arrested.

Racer number 3 got rammed against a wall by her and arrested. “Half way done.”

“Go get them, sis.” Amy commented smiling, enjoying that Scotch Tape had fun.

Racer 4 had the same fate as the second as her car spawned in front of him.

In the tunnel, Scotch Tape pinned a red Corvette against the concrete wall, arresting him. “One guy left.”

The last race managed to get into the second lap, the filly stayed on his tail and rammed him against a traffic vehicle, arresting him.

“That was fun!” The filly couldn’t remember the last time she had so much fun.

“Indeed. You should try out the other tracks.” Her sister suggested.

The doorbell ringed again. Outside were Emily, Alex and Collin.

“Hello you three.” Kate greeted them.

“Hello Ms. Carter. We plan to do a sleepover at my home and wanted to ask if your daughters want to come too.” Emily explained smiling.

“I think they will accept your invitation.” Kate replied as their daughters joined her.

“How could we refuse? Of course we accept! When shall we meet?” Amy asked.

“8PM. My house is just down the street.”

“Okay, see you later!” Scotch Tape waved as they left.

Time passed fast. The two children got their sleeping bags, walked to their friend’s house. Amy used the doorbell.

A woman with black hair and blue eyes opened the door. “Yes?”

“Hello, I’m Amy, this is my sister Scotch Tape. Your daughter invited us for a sleepover.”

“Ah yes, she told me about you. Come right in.” They walked in. Emily’s father was sitting at a table reading a newspaper. He laid it down to greet the children. He had brown hair with matching eyes.

“Hello. You’re Amy and Scotch Tape, right?” They nodded. “Our daughter told us about us. I’m Liam and this is my wife Ava.”

“Pleasure. Both children replied.

“Emily’s upstairs in her room.” Ava pointed to the stairs, the siblings thanked and got upstairs. The woman turned to her husband. “I can’t believe she’s real. A talking filly right before our eyes.”

“You and me both. I first thought it was her imagination when she talked about Scotch Tape, but she has found herself quite the friend.”

Upstairs, Amy knocked on the door. “Come in.” Emily smiled at them after they got in. “Hello and welcome in my room. You two are the first ones here. The others should be here soon.” She got a game out of a shelf, a card game called Uno as far as the filly could tell.

Then there was another knock and Emily answered it. “Hey guys!” She greeted Collin and Alex in the doorway with a smile.

“Hey Emily.” Both greeted her.

“Now that all are here, let’s starts the game, shall we?” Emily asked her guests.

After being introduced to the game rules, the young filly quickly started to enjoy the game. They played for some time. The girls were close to finish it compared to the boys as they were interrupted by another knock on the door. It was Emily’s father.

“Dinner’s ready, kids.” Ava had made macaroni, the children enjoyed it, especially Scotch Tape, as she had never eaten something delicious as this before.

After Dinner, they finished their game, Amy finished first, then Scotch Tape, followed by Emily, Collin and Alex.

“That was fun!” Scotch Tape exclaimed happy.

“Yep.” Her sister added.

Liam knocked on the door. „Okay kids, time for bed.”

“Yes, dad.” Emily replied and went into her bed, while her friends got in other sleeping bags.

“Goodnight, sis.” Amy whispered into her ear.

“Goodnight, Amy.” She whispered back before falling asleep.

It was a sunny and warm day, Scotch Tape played with her friends on the playground, smiling. They threw a ball to each other. The young pony giggled as she hit the ball with her head, throwing it to Amy who passed it to Emily.

She missed the ball, it rolled out of the entrance at a fence. “Don’t worry, I get it!” The filly ran after it.

After she got the ball she got back to the entrance “I got it, I-“ A sudden flash of white blended her, she heard terrifying screams of pain from her friends. Scotch Tape herself screamed in pain too, her body was on fire, her screams grew louder from the intense pain and heat as she grabbed the fence. The heat was so great that her skin was obliterated, her Skeleton was the only thing of her body left, still grabbing the fence.

Scotch Tape awoke with a gasp, breathing heavily, looking around. Her sister and friends were still asleep. It was just a dream. With a sigh, she fell asleep again.

In the morning, they breakfasted together and they, together and Alex and Collin walked home. It rained but it didn’t bother the children at all, on the contrary. Scotch Tape and Amy jumped into the puddles, laughing.

Back home, Kate and Chung greeted them. “How was the sleepover?” Both asked.

“Great! We had much fun!” They both replied. The rest of the day, the children helped out in the house, and Scotch Tape tried out the tracks Atlantica, a clean, ultra-modern city with numerous gardens along the coastline, located on a tropical coast and Rocky Pass, based in the Rocky Mountains in Canada. In Atlantica, the cops drove Ford EL Falcons and wore blue uniforms, sunglasses with a stylish hat, having their left hand on their hip, while the right hand hanged loose. In Rocky Pass they drove Land Rover Discoveries, wearing a brown uniform and winter hat, sunglasses, their right hand on the hip and the left hand pointing at the driver.

In the evening, they got ready for bed and another week of school.

“Goodnight, Scotch Tape. Sweet dreams.” Kate and Chung wished her and Amy a goodnight.

In the next morning, Kate woke up, seeing that Chung had already left for work, she checked on the kids, hearing coughing from Amy’s room.

“Children, are you okay?” She walked in, seeing that Amy was fine, but Scotch Tape’s nose was red, the coughing came from her. Amy was out of bed, ready to breakfast and get dressed, Scotch Tape was still in her bed.

“I’m good, mommy but Scotch Tape got sick.” Amy explained.

“Yeah…” The filly coughed violently. “Must be the rain yesterday.”

Chung had taught Kate some of his medical knowledge, so she could tell that Scotch Tape got a cold but nothing serious. “I’m afraid, school would be nothing for you this week.” Kate leaved to get her daughter a bottle of water and to make a soup.

“Get well soon, sis!” Amy said goodbye, leaving for school.

“Thank you.” The young pony thanked as the woman putted the bottle and soup on the nightstand.

“You welcome, drink much and the soup will also help.”

Kate walked out to do her work, leaving Scotch Tape alone.

She barely could breathe through her nose, coughing and blowing her nose into a tissue. She stared at the ceiling “Being sick sucks. But at least it’s not as bad as… no, don’t think about it.” She had once suffered something familiar, it was the most agonizing pain she ever experienced in her live, she was close to death back then.

The young woman walked in with a MP3 player. “Some Music should help you to pass the time.”

Scotch Tape selected a song. Michael Jackson-Billie Jean. The song was nice and calming, making her forget her cold.

In the noon, Amy returned from school, checking her sister. “I’m back sis, how are you doing?”

The filly let out a weak smile. “Apart from that annoying cold, fine.” She coughed again.

“I know, a cold is always annoying, your nose is dense, you can’t breathe, the most annoying cold of all of them if you ask me. Anyway, I have your homework and a get well soon card.” She putted both on the nightstand, the card was signed by all students of the class.

It pleased Scotch Tape to see that they all cared for her. “That’s nice.”

Despite being sick, she did her homework without problems.

The next day, Emily, Collin and Alex visited her. They had brought chocolate, Kate had made cookies. The children had happy conversations about things in school were. Collin had an idea.

We have an idea for next week. A roleplay. Do we have ever told you about Team Fortress 2?”

“No, what’s that?”

“A team-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game released in 2007. It received critical acclaim for its art direction, gameplay, humor, and use of character in a multiplayer-only game. In the game's fiction, the teams are composed of mercenaries hired by two feuding brothers to protect the company assets belonging to one brother while trying to destroy those of the other; the teams are thus represented by the names of these companies: Reliable Excavation & Demolition (RED) and Builders League United (BLU). There are 9 classes, categorized into the roles "Offense", "Defense", and "Support".

In attack, you can select the Scout, the fastest but lowest health class, Soldier, second-slowest class in the game, and the class with the second-highest health and the Pyro who is balanced in health and speed.

In Defense you have the Demoman, who uses explosives to provide indirect fire and set traps, the Heavy Weapons Guy, or simply the Heavy, though he is the slowest class, he can sustain and deal immense amounts of damage, and the Engineer, who can build structures to support his team: a sentry gun for defending key points, a health and ammunition dispenser, and a teleporter.

And In support, there are the Medic, who heals other players, the Sniper, killing enemies from afar and the Spy, equipped with covert tools, including a cloaking device disguised as a watch, an electronic sapper used to sabotage and potentially destroy enemy Engineers' buildings, and a device hidden in his cigarette case that enables him to disguise as enemy players. We were planning a role play based on that.”

“Sounds interesting. The Engineer suits me the most. If I’m recovered by the next week, count me in.” Scotch Tape smiled.

The next days, Scotch Tape’s friends visited her regularly, she was pleased every time. She had recovered in a week.

Kate, along with Chung, Chang and the parents of the other children went to the school to see the role play. They saw Scotch Tape on the playground, wearing custom-made welding goggles and construction worker helmet, sitting on a bench, playing a guitar. “Hey look, buddy, I'm an Engineer. That means I solve problems.” A gunshot, made out of nothing but imagination, ricocheted off the bench near her, she ignored it. Not problems like "What is beauty?", because that would fall within the purview of your conundrums of philosophy.” Two more shots ricocheted off, close to her head. She glanced briefly at it. “I solve practical problems.”

She reached for a bottle of lemonade, her sentry killed a heavy who screamed before she putted the bottle down. “Fr'instance...” A RED Sniper tried to sneak up from behind.” ...How am I going to stop some big mean mother hubbard from tearing me a structurally superfluous new behind?” The Sentry spotted the Sniper and took care of him. “The answer...” A level 2 sentry killed a scout. “...use a gun. And if that don't work...” A level 3 sentry fired rockets. “...use more gun.” She stopped playing.

An explosion could be heard and a scream, causing the filly to grin happily.

“My arm!” Someone screamed, a hand landed in front of Scotch Tape, who continued playing, her sentry targeted the hand. “Like this heavy caliber, tripod-mounted, little ol' number designed by me...” She kicked the hand, her level 1 sentry shot it out of the air. “...Built by me...” The sentry killed a soldier. “...and you'd best hope... not pointed at you.” She mimicked a Texas accent.

Amy, dressed like the medic in a blue doctor smock joined her. “Move zis gear up!” She ordered in a German accent.

Scotch Tape grabbed her wrench and prepared to move her sentry to the end of the playground where a blue briefcase was laying “Alrighty then! I’m moving nis!”

While she did this, her sister overhealed her. “You’re alright Doc. Phew! Erecting a Dispenser.”

She built everything for a defense up.

A Scout tried to capture the briefcase, only to be killed by the filly’s sentry. “How'd that plan turn out for ya, dummy?"

“Nice shot.”

“Thanks!”

“Medic!” Collin yelled and Amy moved out, leaving Scotch Tape alone. “Let’s do this Hoofington style!” She waited patiently, never letting her guard down. Alex, playing as Sniper walked in.

She became suspicious, why would he be here? So, to be sure, she hit him with her wrench, if he was real, he wouldn’t get hurt, but if it was an enemy spy, it would hurt.

And it did, the spy died dropping his disguise, but managed to sap her sentry before he got hit. “Spy sappin mah sentry!” She fixed it quickly and repaired it.

Another scout tried to get the Intelligence but got killed by the sentry too. Scotch Tape taunted, laughing evilly, slapping her knee, pointing at the dead Scout.

A voice ringed in her ears. “I got, I got I got it!” Alex cheered as he returned with the enemy Intelligence, Amy escorted him.

Ms. Yun was the announcer. “Victory!”

The adults cheered, Amy and Scotch Tape did a high fire. “Nice work, sis! You too, Alex!”

“Thanks, Scotch Tape.”

Seeing Chung and Chang gave Scotch Tape an idea. She along with the other kids looked at the two Koreans. “Son! I'm gonna blow that dumb look right off your stupid face!"

“Run, Cowards!” A heavy added and the KPA soldiers backed up in a playful movement before they all broke out in laugher.

After that, the children got out of their costumes and walked to their parents. “You were great!” Kate was liked it much, Chung and Chung too.

“Glad to hear it, mommy!” Amy smiled, Scotch Tape too as they walked home.

In an alleyway, the filly spotted a beggar, so she decided to give him something of her pocket money. “Here.”

The Beggar smiled. “Thank you.”

As she turned around to catch up with the others, someone grabbed her from behind, she struggled and tried to call her help but whoever was grabbing her had a tight grip, covering her mouth.

“Shh, calm down, it’s me, Brady.” She instantly recognized his voice, and stopped to struggle. He let go.

“Sorry for that, but I couldn’t risk an alert.” He had a sorry expression.

“It’s okay but what are you doing here?” Then she remembered something. “And are the others fine?”

Brady smiled. “Yes, we managed to escape in one piece. Remember the Goliath Brain we recovered? The Resistance has someone here in Ashgate who can figure out how it works.”

“I see but please, don’t cause too much trouble, my friends and family live here!” She begged, not wanting any of them to get hurt.

“I’ll be careful, I promise. And the resistance always remembers its friends. Now go, before they notice you’re missing.”

Scotch Tape nodded and left. The others weren’t far away as she caught up. “Sorry, soldier searched me.”

“It’s okay.” Kate and other believed her.

That was close. I don’t want that they get into trouble. Scotch Tape thought relieved.

Back home, the children talked about how fun the role play was, as the doorbell ringed.

Kate opened the door. Outside was a man in Liaison officer uniform. He had brown hair and green eyes. “Can I help you?” Kate asked friendly.

“Yes, Ma’am. I’m the neighbor, James Crawford.” He pointed to the multistory building with red doors. ”I thought I should visit my neighbors to introduce myself and get to know them.” He explained.

“Come right in. Do you want coffee?” She offered.

“No, thank you.” They sat down in the living room. “So, Ms. Carter, right? I would like to know how you became mother of a talking filly.”

Kate took a deep breath. “It’s kind of a long story.” She told Scotch Tape’s backstory and such. He seemed to believe her.

“I see, interesting. My condolences for what happened to your husband.”

They conversation was interrupted as the children walked in. “Who’s our visitor?” Amy asked curious.

“I’m James Crawford, the neighbor. Our mother told me much about you. You’re Scotch Tape, right?”

“Yes I am.”

Crawford? Didn’t the doc mention somebody named like this when he informed about the attack? She wondered.

“Mr. Crawford, could I speak to you alone, please?”

“Sure.”

That confused Amy and Kate. “Everything okay, sis?”

“Yes, I want to ask him something…personal.” She lied as they went upstairs in her and Amy’s room. “You aren’t here because you’re want to know the neighbors more, are you?” She asked, raising her eyebrow after they were alone.

“You got that right. As you can see I’m a Liaison officer, a collaborator, or ‘clab’ on your resistance friend’s parlance, though I’ve been Resistance from the very beginning.”

“The Doc mentioned your name when he warned about the attack.”

“Yes. The Resistance plans to steal a Goliath to free Walker. You are going to sabotage it when the time comes.”

She couldn’t believe what she heard. “You’re a spy! A traitor!” She exclaimed yet kept her voice low, so Amy and Kate wouldn’t hear it.

“Like you. Like you, they forced my hand, I had no choice. They know about everything, I had to do it. They forced me to betray the resistance after they discovered that I’m a double agent.”

“So, you’re responsible for Ned’s death! You informed the KPA about the Armory!” She pointed disgusted a hoof at him.

“I assure you, I did nothing like that. Besides, they said they would inform you, didn’t they?” He asked and it clicked in her head. Crawford was the informant they meant.

“It's not the same! I did it to protect Amy and Kate, not for profit or anything else.” She replied lightly trembling.

“It’s alright, I also do it to protect those I love, not for profit.”

He walked downstairs and said goodbye.

This night, Scotch Tape could barely sleep, the thought of being a traitor kept her awake, rolling around in bed. Her sister noticed it.

“What’s wrong?” Amy looked at her with a concerned expression.

“It’s just…how could I say it, I’m worried about my friends in the resistance and Walker.” It was the truth, she was worried for them.

“I understand your feeling. I’m sure they’re fine.” She smiled at her. You must have faith in it.”

“You’re right.” With that, she could find some sleep.

Everything changed the next day. Brady had raised the hearts and minds of the people here too, the civilians were protesting, rioting.

Kate however didn’t take part in it, protesting was a crime in the view of the authorities and she didn’t wanted to be arrested or endanger the lives of the children. When taking prisoners, the KPA was brutal, she knew that, so she stayed inside.

Brady had kept his word, the resistance supplied them with food. None of them knew what had happened to Chung or Chang, they all prayed they were still alive and alright.

A mechanical voice could be heard outside. “This unit is now authorized to use deadly force.” Scotch Tape looked out of the window. What she saw scared her.

A KPA drone on tracks, a quadrangular turret on the top, scanning for targets as it patrolled the streets. As for as she knew, this drone was called Wolverine, not as deadly as a Goliath, but still deadly enough to tear a human apart.

Then, she spotted soldiers of the 718 Division outside. They were about to enter their house. Oh no!

The door was kicked open. Kate screamed as they grabbed her, pinning her against the wall, weapons trained at her. “I didn’t do anything!”

“Shut up!” One of the soldiers yelled as another two get upstairs to get the children.

Amy and Scotch Tape had no time to react as the 718s kicked the door open, grabbing them. The sisters screamed and struggled, the filly did even go so far that she bit the soldier who held her, but all was to no avail.

“MOMMY!” Amy screamed at the top of her lungs before one of the soldiers hit her with the butt of his gun and she blacked out. Scotch Tape suffered the same fate, not having a chance to call out to Kate.

“Please! They’re everything I have left!” Kate begged as they got brought away, her eyes tearing up.

“We handle only for the benefit of the Greater Korean Republic, American weakling!”

That insult waked a beast inside of the young woman. She was against violence but not weak, she would defend her children like any other mother would. In rage, she lunged at the soldier who had insulted her, throwing him to the ground, beating him.

“DON’T. YOU. DARE. TO. CALL. ME. WEAK!” She screamed with every punch, it took several soldiers to get her of him, only with effort they managed to keep her from beating their comrade more.

She struggled in fury, only stopping as same soldier hit her in the solar plexus, knocking the air out of her. As she collapsed in pain, the 718 soldier said cold, “I must admit that was impressive. For that, you shall live.”

They leaved. Kate cried, she had failed to protect her child, the only thing she had left. She sobbed before letting out an ear shattering scream.

Scotch Tape slowly woke up with an aching head. Must they always hit to hard? She rubbed her head, getting up. Looking around, she found herself at the athletic fields of the school, Amy, still unconscious next to her. Also, all other children from her class were here.

Sentry Towers and 718 soldiers guarded the entrances, making an escape next to impossible.

“S-scotch Tape? You here too?” Emily walked up to her, frightened, followed by Alex and Collin.

“Yes. What’s going on?” She asked, wondering why they took her here.

“We don’t know. The 718 showed up at our house and took us here.”

“Uhh…” Amy regained consciousness, Scotch Tape helped her up.

“You okay?” Collin asked worried about his friend.

“My head aches but otherwise, I’m fine.”

“Something tells me, they brought us here for a reason we won’t like.” Alex trembled in fear.

A PM system announced, “Attention. Cowardly Terrorists have killed a high ranked Liaison officer. To the atonement for this terrorist act, Colonel-Commandant Jeong has ordered the execution of several hostages.

Should the terrorists not turn oneself in until Sunset, the hostages will be shot in view of the heavy action.”

This made the children realize: They were the hostages the authorities would kill, should Brady not turn himself it. Emily had a nervous breakdown. “I don’t wanna die! I want my Mommy!” She cried, tears flowing down.

Scotch Tape hugged her in an attempt to comfort her. “Shh, calm down, It's okay, Emily. No-one's gonna' hurt you. I'll make sure nothing happens to you.” Even she was scared, but she did her best not to show it.

The other children started to give each other hope that they would be saved.

But it seemed all in avail as the sun went down.

The soldiers started to round the Children up, tying their hands and blindfolded them with bandannas with the Korean star.

Scotch Tape couldn’t see but heard the desperate pleas of parents to spare their children. She felt the trembling bodies against her body, one on her right shoulder, one to her left shoulder. “Sis, I’m scared! I don’t want to die!” She heard Amy to her right.

“I’m here for you.” She replied, her heart beating fast from the fear. She had one last prayer. “Please Daddy…remember me…”

“Take aim!” an Officer ordered. Scotch Tape at this moment, prayed it would be quick and painless, there was nothing she could do.

They all would die.

Author's Note

Looks like Scotch Tape made some friends. What do you think of her relationship with Amy? I thought I give my first racing game another tribute, Hometown and Empire city are my favorite race tracks. Her nightmare is based on this. If I had to decide which of the TF2 classes would suit Blackjack and her friends, I would say Scotch Tape suits the Engineer, Rampage the scout, Morning Glory medic and Lacunae the Heavy. Not sure about Blackjack and P-21, the demoman suits them both. What would you say?

Ashgate was my favorite yellow Zone to be in. I kid you not, the Laison officers are really polite and ready to help, bumped once into one and he asked kindly if I was lost and if he could help, as he knew the area well.

Chapter 9 The revolution

Chapter 9: The revolution

While being very brave, Scotch Tape’s heart raced in fear.

There was nothing she could do. Nothing but to wait for her life to end.

A very loud shot echoed in her ears, it was deafening and she flinched from it.

Silence.

“Children!” Kate’s voice sounded, and the filly and her human sister got untied along with the other children. They saw the soldiers lying dead on the ground, puddles of blood forming at the ground from their heads.

“You okay!” The mother hugged them tightly, overjoyed.

“M-mommy…” Amy cried, burying her head into her mother’s chest, all other kids did the same, Scotch Tape also hugged her, heavy breathing as she tried to calm down.

“That was too close.” A new voice ringed in their eyes.

Looking up, they saw Brady, Elizabeth, Logan and Aiden walking to them. “Thank you.” All parents and children were very grateful.

“No need to thank us, we won’t stop until we got rid of the KPA.” Brady replied.

Elizabeth had an expression of guilt. “I’m sorry to say this Scotch Tape, but Parrish wants you back in the subway. I’m sorry that we separate you from your family.”

“It’s alright. I want to help in any way I can to free Walker, I owe him that.”

Amy’s reaction surprised her. “Okay sis, but be careful.” She hugged her.

“I will.”

“Good luck!” Kate added with a light smile.

“Thanks, mommy.”

Even Emily, Collin and Alex wished her luck as before they all went home.

On the way to the subway, Brady explained that Walker was held at independence hall for trial and that they would get him out with a Goliath they had stolen from the shipyard.

As they came back, Parrish greeted her. “Welcome back, Scotch Tape. I’m sorry to hear what the KPA did, but I promise we will do everything we can to protect your family and friends.” He had an honest expression.

She smiled. “Appreciated.”

He lead her to the Goliath, it was parked on the tracks, two resistance members were checking it.

“Oh man, look at this thing! Ey, this is where the tide turns, people!” Parrish smiled proudly at it.

A woman was lying under the Goliath to repair it. “This goes…there. What am I supposed to do with this bit?”

“How’s it coming together, kiddo?” Jack asked.

The woman crawled out. She was Afro-American, like Sam, having brown eyes and black hair. “It’s not like fixing a Seeker. Weeks. It could take me weeks.”

“Ah…come on. Don’t be like that…”

“The damage it took getting back here has fritzed things. The remote link keeps crashing. The targeting system is screwed. Still, I think the turret’s online. Brady, wanna fire a test shot?” She asked.

“With pleasure, Heather.”

Brady walked over to a laptop that was connected to the drone and pressed a key.

With a loud bang, a quick flash flew into the tunnels, showing that the turret worked.

“Yes! Heather, I knew you could do it!” Parrish cheered.

Bang!

A short circuit occurred, resulting in a small, blue explosion that knocked Brady down and the Goliath shut down.

“No, no, no, no. This is not good. The damn surge keeps burning out everything out. Including our grip. Parrish, we’re not gonna get this ready in time." Heather checked the damage with a flashlight.

“Heather, you got this. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else with this. Anything you need, you got it. Plus, Scotch Tape can help you.”

“Yes, I can!” The filly exclaimed ready to help.

“Appreciated, there’s the range too, we need a staging post closer to the Hall.”

“I got a plan for that. There’s a stronghold in Lombard. We capture that and we’ll be in range for trial.” Jack turned to a rebel. “Hey, get that gate open. That tunnel leads straight to Lombard.”

Before Scotch Tape helped Heather, another resistance member took her measurements down for some reason, she was too focused on her work to ask.

While repairing the damage, she also rewired some wires wrong on purpose. That way, the Goliath’s turret would glitch after getting online, then stopping to respond and the drone would shut down completely. This upgraded version worked exactly like the Goliath Hopper used, so she knew how it could be shut down.

She wasn’t proud of it, it wasn’t right but she had to do it to protect her family and friends.

Nevertheless, she and Heather managed to repair the damage quickly.

“You did great work, Scotch Tape.” The woman praised her.

“Thank you.” She smiled as the rebel who took her measurements down came back. He was holding something in his hand, it appeared to be some kind of mask.

“For you.”

“What’s that?” She asked confused.

“A gas mask. You will need it in Lombard. I based it off the gas masks they used for horses in the First World War.”

Now it clicked in Scotch Tape’s head. She learned that the armies in said war used Poison gas, which caused a slow and painful death. It was banish shortly after the war was over. The soldiers used Gas masks to protect themselves from the gas.

Her mask suited perfectly, as it was a mix between the gasmask for humans and the gas masks for Horses from the Great War.

“Thank you." Her voice was distorted by it but the joy was still audible before she took it off and putted it into her saddlebag.

“Ready, Scotch Tape?” Elizabeth asked as she joined with Logan, Aiden and Logan.

“Ready!” She followed them to the Lombard tunnel Entrance

Logan warned, “Hey Brady, if you’re heading to Lombard you’re going to need a mask. It’s toxic out there. Take this one.” He pointed to a shelf and Ethan collected it.

I guess they gassed Lombard. Good thing that they made the gas mask for me. The young foal figured out quickly.

After they traveled through the tunnel and were at the subway entrance at Lombard, Parrish radioed in.

“Brady, Scotch Tape, you'll need your masks out there. Norks dusted the district back in 25 when it looked like our troops would hold them off here. Killed hundreds of us. The Stuff can still burn your lungs if you kick it up. I’m uploading the location of the target stronghold to your phone, Brady. Once you capture it, Heather will join you with the Goliath. Good luck.”

They all putted their masks on, walking upstairs. Everything was lightly yellow from the gas.

“Be careful. As soon as you get exposed, your body shut down in all sorts of gruesome ways.” Brady cared for her safety as she looked on the map.

“I know. I had experienced something familiar with gas.” She replied lightly trembling, the bronies knew what she meant.

“Okay, the target stronghold is at the other side of Lombard. I suggest we first capture the transceiver.”

“Good idea. Let’s go.” Scotch Tape agreed.

All patrolling soldiers of the KPA were wearing hazard suits as the resistance fighters sneaked past. As neither Scotch Tape, Amy or Kate knew what happened to Chung or Chang after the riot, she hoped that Chung wasn’t among them.

“Biedul & Sons warehouse houses a KPA transceiver station. Liberate it for the Resistance and we’ll be able to use the KPA network to track Nork activities in the Zone.” Philly Alpha advised as the transceiver was in sight.

They took the stairs at the west part of the warehouse, reaching the roof of a small building. There they vaulted through a destroyed window to get in.

The transceiver was at the other side of the wall, but the gap was too wide for a jump. Scotch Tape walked the stairs down, following a cable to a fuse box and used the switch. A lift got activated, making it possible to get across.

After she hacked it, Philly Alpha contacted them again. “Signal acquired. We’re now connected to the KPA network in the Zone. Nice work. This is Philly Alpha, happy to be bringing you some good news for a change! We got ourselves a Goliath!”

Several teams cheered.

“Thanks to the efforts of Parrish, Heather and the wonder team Brady and Scotch Tape! Heather’s work hacking the brain did the job.”

“Way to go, Heather!” A woman praised her on the radio.

“Thanks guys! The real credit goes to Parrish and Brady. They were the ones putting their lives on the line.”

“We’d have been dead without you, Heather.” Parrish replied.

“Ya know what, you have a point!”

“Okay, I suggest we take the Yates Motel next.” Brady suggested.

“Lead the way.” Logan said.

As it was in sight, Philly Alpha reported. “The Yates Motel is currently being occupied by the KPA. It was once a Resistance recon post, until the Norks cleared it out. If you can secure it for us I’m sure it would prove useful.”

They took notice of a barricaded window after getting up a footbridge at the left of the building. Behind it was a door, locked from the other side.

“There must be a way to open it.” Brady looked around until he saw a small hole in the wall. “Got it! Cook’s favorite toy!”

He placed a small car with a pipe bomb on its back on the ground. “Want to try it out, Scotch Tape?”

She grinned. “With pleasure! I’m pretty sure daddy would love it too.” With Brady’s phone as remote, she steered the RC car through hole, into the room where the radio was, then out of the room, to the locked door and detonated it. As the lock was destroyed, they could secure it.

“The motel is ours. I’m sending in our people now to secure it for the Resistance. Good work.”

“Okay, there’s a stronghold down the road.” Brady showed it on his map.

“Right behind you!” Logan gave a thumps up.

As the stronghold was in sight after a short walk, avoiding patrols and airships, Philly Alpha informed them. “There is an old garage in the region that the KPA have repurposed into a base of operations. If we secure it we have a great strategic position for striking back at the Norks.”

This stronghold had no side door or ramp but a ventilation grate in the east part of it. Brady blew it up with a pipe bomb, then climbed in and engaged the soldiers, followed by his backup.

“They got a Wolverine!” Scotch Tape yelled as it opened fire, and she went behind a wall for cover. The drone appeared to be firing blue bolts of electricity or something.

“I got this!” Brady threw a hacking tool on it.

“New target acquired.” The drone responded and started to fire on the KPA instead, giving the filly enough time to get to the valve and raised the pressure. Like back in Elmtree, the explosion was big and beautiful.

“Nice work capturing the stronghold. I’m sending our people to reinforce you and secure the location.”

“The closest strike point next to us is a Reconnaissance Outpost in the west.”

“After you, Brady.” Scotch Tape liked how they made progress.

“The Resistance used to have a listening post in Aelliott Logistics. Get in there, see of you can salvage anything we can use. The Norks can’t have found anything.” Dana informed them on the radio. Dead rebels were scattered in the building.

“Okay, check the building. Elizabeth, Logan, you search here, we search upstairs.”

“Got it.”

Elizabeth found a document under a broken stillage, Logan one at pallets. Aiden found a document in the hands of a deceased soldier.

“Scotch Tape stood at a locked door. “Hmm…” She saw a broken window, climbed through it to the roof where a hole was. She jumped through the hole, landing on the other side of the door, Brady followed her to open it. The last document was in the hand of a dead rebel.

“There was still quite a lot of intel there even after the KPA cleared it. I’ll send some people over to collect it all. Nice work.”

“Okay, let’s move to the next transceiver.” Brady leaded the team to it.

“There is a ruined warehouse near your location where the KPA have set up a transceiver station. Capturing it would help our cause against the Norks in the Zone. See what you can do.” Philly Alpha informed.

Inside was a locked door, it appeared to have an electronic lock, it required a third level access card to open. “We don’t have an access card. There must be another way to the catwalk where the transceiver is.” Brady said, looking around.

Scotch Tape putted a hoof to her chin. “I saw a forklift outside. We can use a hack tool to get on the first floor.”

“Smart.” Logan commented at her idea.

“At the back of the building was said forklift, they used a hack tool on it, the forks moved up with a box on it, allowing the team to get in. A Sniper watched the area, Brady quietly killed him from behind, stabbing her, before Scotch Tape took care of the transceiver.

“Transceiver decoded. Nice work, we’ll now be able to monitor KPA communications and movements across Lombard.

“Okay, thanks due the transceiver, I can see a KPA stronghold and an Abandoned warehouse nearby. I suggest we take care of the stronghold first, then the warehouse.

“Good plan, Brady.” Scotch Tape commented, liking it.

As the stronghold was in sight, they got the Intel. “The KPA have built a stronghold next to a large chemical factory. The Norks have been heavily defending this area so they must be protecting something big. It might be worth investigating if you can.”

Via a ventilation grate on the back, the humans entered it, keeping the soldiers busy while Scotch Tape headed for the valve.

Come on, come on, come on! She thought as she raised the pressure, seeing her friends got slowly overwhelmed. As the explosion came, they all looked with smiles at it.

“Good job in securing this stronghold. You have dealt the KPA a severe blow today. This was a major part of their plans for Lombard, let’s hope it’s a big setback.”

“Okay, the warehouse’s next.” Brady leaded them.

“That warehouse could be a useful location for an operation base. See if you can get in there and restore the power.” Dana informed them.

Inside, they got on the first floor by using a hack tool on a forklift, finding a power button that was connected to a fuse box with a green cable. It had no power.

“There must be a dynamo on the roof I suspect. Wait here.”

Brady got outside to get a bike. After a few minutes, the red light on the fuse box switched to green, Elisabeth used the switch, while Scotch Tape pressed the power button.

“This is a great location for us to use. It will really help us to secure the Zone for the Resistance and push back the Norks. Great work as always.” Dana praised them.

“Okay, no other strike points on the map, let’s take the target stronghold.”

The stronghold was shortly insight after a short walk through the wasteland.

“That’s the stronghold. Now, It’s just down to you. Secure the base for us and we’re in business.” Parrish informed them on the radio.

A ventilation grate was at the north part of the stronghold, so they used that to get in. Snipers were firing from watchtowers but no problem for Aiden as he took them out, one by one, giving the foal cover as she made her way to the valve.

As with the other strongholds, the explosion was a beautiful sight for the Resistance.

“Great job, this place is perfect. I’ve brought the Goliath. Come meet me in the garage, I’ll go over the preparations for freeing Walker.” Heather informed them.

They all moved into the garage, taking their gas masks off inside, Heather was impressed. “You don’t mess around do you?! Alright people, we need to secure the area! Check for weapons, ammo, anything we can use! I need to set up signal coverage for the Goliath!” she ordered some other Resistance fighters.

The garage had a desk with a PC, boxes scattered in the room and some supplies, the walls were decorated with Resistance messages and the American flag.

The woman walked to the keyboard. “I swear – I spend more time at a keyboard then I did before the damn war!” She exclaimed excited as she tipped. “And got it. Our Goliath now has full signal coverage in the area. That should even the odds when we storm independence hall. Okay. On to phase two. So the Norks use flying drones to patrol the Red Zones. We call them Dusters because they drop this gas. Stuff is damn evil. If we don’t want them being used against us when we attack Indy hall, then we’re gonna need to take out all the launch sites around the city.

I’m guessing they’ll be heavily guarded, but I’m not asking you to go alone. I’ll drive the Goliath from here and back you up. Be a good way to test the systems. Just be careful with her, please.”

“Sure thing, Heather.” Scotch Tape replied.

“Scotch Tape, you can be proud of yourself. It was a pleasure for me to work with you.” Heather patted her mane, causing the filly to smile.

“Okay Brady, I’m sending the launcher locations on your phone, and bringing the Goliath online. Let’s get this done.” She tipped again on the keyboard, the garage gates opened and the drone drove by and out of the stronghold.

“Okay, now I’ve programmed the Goliath to follow your phone signal, Brady. I’ve got control of the turret. Let’s do some damage!”

“That sounds like fun!” Logan liked it a lot.

Outside, they equipped their masks again. Scotch Tape couldn’t help but smile with pride as she saw the Goliath. It was graffiti in all colors to show it belonged to the resistance. It followed them in a matching speed.

Yet, she felt guilty as she had sabotaged it.

The first Launcher was at a junkyard, the launcher itself was a catapult on a truck, the drone had a rocket engine in the middle, and wings, it reminded Scotch Tape of a bat pony somehow.

The Goliath’s turret had no trouble taking the soldiers out, so Scotch Tape could hack it. She grinned after it was hacked. Piece of…

Launch initiated. Appeared on the screen of the console.

“Abort! Abort!” She screamed, hitting the console as the catapult winded back and the engine of the Duster came to life.

The Duster launched and exploded shortly after in midair, much to Scotch Tape’s relief and confusion. “O…kay…”

“One down! Let’s get those others!” Heather commented.

The turret of the Goliath sparked for a few seconds, showing that the effects of the filly’s sabotage started.

“Weird, system glitches out on me for a second there. Seems to be working though.” Heather dismissed it.

The Goliath also made quickly short work of the guards at the second launcher, so Scotch Tape could hack it, causing the Duster to launch and explode it midair.

For some reason, this is fun. She thought, the others cheered.

“Yes! That’s two!” Heather exclaimed happy.

Bang!

A small explosion occurred, the turret was on fire, but still operational. “What is with this thing?!...Sorry, lost functionally for a second. We’re good to go.”

The Sabotage effect was increasing.

Under a freeway was the next Launcher, even the heavily armored 718 soldiers had no chance against the Goliath as Scotch Take hacked the Launcher and the Duster got destroyed in the air.

“That’s three! We’re kicking butt!”

Bang!

Another explosion and the turret stopped to respond as the barrel pointed down, deactivated. “Son of a- Something’s wrong. The turret’s not responding. I’m gonna have to take her back in and take a look. You’d better carry on without me, can’t risk this thing suddenly developing a mind of its own and turning on you.”

Heather drove the Goliath back to the garage, Scotch Tape looked after it with a slightly guilty expression. Her Sabotage worked, soon, it would shut down completely.

“What’s wrong my dear?” Elizabeth asked.

“I’m just sad that we are on our own now.” She lied.

“Hey, we could capture strongholds before without help, so we can do this without Goliath!” Logan gave a short morale speech, which have the young pony hope as they moved to the next launcher.

This one was heavily defended, Aiden took care of a Sniper in the distance, while Brady, Elizabeth and Brady kept the soldiers busy, so their youngest team member could take care of the drone.

After this was done, they moved to the last launcher, who was at the train yard. 4 soldiers and an armored car guarded the Duster.

Logan took the car with his grenade launcher out, the others took care of the soldiers, Scotch Tape of the drone.

“All Launchers taken out. Great work, Scotch Tape!” Brady smiled at her.

“Brady, Scotch Tape, it’s Heather. You need to get back here. I can’t say more now but it’s bad.” The woman sounded worried.

As they were at the train yard, Dana had a message for them “We once used the Lombard train depot to store supplies and munitions. They were secure in a container when the gas fell, so they should be completely fine. Get over there and see what the situation is.”

The door of the depot was locked but Brady climbed on a container next of the building, shooting the lock through the window. Then he got on a bike, driving over a ramp to jump into the depot and activated the dynamo.

“Nice work. The supplies are intact and now we have another outpost in the Zone as a bonus. You continue to impress.”

They headed back to the garage after that. “I have a bad feeling about this." Aiden commented as they entered the garage.

A Resistance fighter guarded the door. “It’s okay, let him through.” Heather told the guard and he stepped aside.

As they stepped in, Heather explained the problem.

“The Goliath is completely shut down. I can’t even query the systems to get a diagnosis, it’s just completely dead. Somebody did this, somebody knew exactly how to cripple it and I have absolutely no idea how to even begin to fix it.” She let out a frustrated groan.

Scotch Tape felt sorry, as it was her fault, but she had no other choice.

“Wiley went out and managed to get ahold of some schematics that might help, but he ran into a patrol and had to stash ‘em. I need those plans! His last transmission point is marked on your phone, can you please take a look, Brady? Without those schematics don’t stand a chance of fixing this.”

“Okay. Let’s go!” Scotch Tape exclaimed, ready to help.

“Scotch Tape, we appreciate your helpfulness, you already did enough. Go home and take some rest, you’re earned it. Elizabeth, would you escort her?” Heather asked her.

“Sure thing. Come, my dear.”

The young filly couldn’t complain, she really could need some rest and it was getting late.

“Okay. Good luck, Brady!”

Taking the tunnel back to Lombard, they both noticed that the civilians were still protesting, even kicking and beating the KPA soldiers until they were dead. Scotch Tape prayed that Chung and Chang weren’t along them.

“Help!” a scream came out of an alley, a Liaison officer was threatened by an angry man who held a knife close to the collaborator’s throat.

“Now you will pay, you traitor!”

Scotch Tape didn’t like what she saw, the angry man was a red bar on her PipBuck.

“Hey! Leave him alone!”

“Why should I? He worked with the Norks, he must be punished!”

“Killing him does not make you better than the KPA, who kills innocent people. Think. This man could only work as Liaison officer to feed his family and not for profit. Would you do the same to keep your family safe?” She countered.

“They all do it for their own benefits! They believe the lies of Korea! Sold us out! He needs to pay!”

“Oh really? Sometimes, you need to do whatever it takes to keep your family safe and feed. I ask you again: Would you do the same to keep your family safe?”

“I…would probably…”

“So, it don’t make you better than the soldiers if you kill him.”

The attacker’s bar changed to yellow. “I guess you right. “He let go. “Sorry, man. I…I… I’m just tired of getting pushed around by the KPA.” He left.

“You okay?” the child asked the collaborator who got slowly up.

“Y-yeah, thanks.” He quickly left too.

The woman smiled. “You did the right thing.”

“I know.”

Back home, Amy hugged her without a word after getting in, happy to see her again. Protesting was a crime and you could get arrested for it, Kate stayed inside to avoid this, she didn’t want to danger Amy or Scotch Tape. The parents of Emily, Collin and Alex stayed inside too to keep their children safe.

Kate made Scotch Tape potatoes for dinner, she enjoyed it. “So what happened while you were with them?”

“Well, mommy, we stole a Goliath to free Walker. Unfortunately, it broke down but we managed to capture more ground. Anything new about Chung and Chang?”

“Unfortunately no, we haven’t heard from them since.” Kate replied.

“I hope they’re alright.” The filly replied worried about their safety.

A few days passed. While school was closed due the protests, Amy and Scotch Tape talked with the others via chat on Amy’s computer.

It pleased Scotch Tape to hear that the others were fine but she hadn’t heard anything from the Resistance side.

To pass the time, she played with Amy together and helped out in the house.

In the middle of the night, the kids woke up from a strange noise, like someone had turned on the TV.

Sleepy, the kids rubbed their eyes, seeing it was really on. Kate joined them.

“What’s going on?” Amy asked yawning.

“It’s the Resistance.” Scotch Tape said as the TV showed the Major of the town in his officer, Parrish and Dana behind him. He read a note.

“Citizen of Philadelphia…It’s time to fight back, to-t…I can’t read this!”

“Read it, you weasel!” Jack trained his rifle on the Major.

“It’s insane! Don’t you understand?! …Strike up a revolution, and they’ll wipe out every American in the city! Resistance or otherwise!”

“Lie!”

“Yeah? Salt Lake City. Montrose. When was the last time you heard anything outta them?”

“You expect me to believe someone who turned on his own people?”

The Major slammed his first on his desk. “God dammit, I didn’t turn on anyone! Life’s not so black and white! I use my position to do what I can! …Look, there are soldiers swarming here as we speak. If you lower your weapons, I swear – I swear, I’ll do what I can to make sure they show mercy and maybe-“

“Mercy? Damnit Mercy?!” Dana yelled, not believing what she heard.

“Listen, n-no listen-“

“The hell do you know about mercy?!”

“Dana…” Parrish tried to calm her down.

“I know all about how you use your position! You and your boys almost killed me in Riverside.”

“Ah…Ah…alright Dana, alright Dana.” Parrish grew unsure if he could calm her down.

“No, no, listen to me – my – I can’t, I can’t – Dana, listen to me –“ The Major tried to explain.

“Dana, calm down.” Jack held his hand in a sign to stop.

“Back then I had nowhere to hide.” Dana got a knife out.

“Dana, Dana, we need him…you hear me?”

“Now neither do you.” Dana suffered an emotional breakdown and stabbed in the throat, ramming his head on the desk.

“Dana, no! God dammit!” Parrish yelled, the kids gasped in shock, Kate hugged them.

The camera moved over to Parrish. “All right…Right, now, words ain’t exactly my strong point but – Ya know what, this ain’t the time for words anymore, or prayers, or hope. This is the time for action. Now you a scared and I get that. Now Walker’s gone, the Norks have got us backed into a corner, and and you’re looking for someone to, someone to tell you want to do, someone to show you a way out. But I say SCREW THAT! If you wanna be saved, you gotta save yourselves! You gotta take responsibility! You want your home back – take it! You want your life back – get it back!

Pick up a gun! Pick up a brick! Fight with your fists! Grit your teeth! Get damn furious, man! Cos this is it! This is the moment, this is our only chance. Stand with us, stand with your sisters and brothers. Stand with your neighbors. Stand the hell up! If you want out of this hell, we gonna have to fight our way out.”

The transmission ended.

“For someone who isn’t so good with words, Parrish really did a very good speech.” Scotch Tape was impressed.

“Yes. But now, let’s get back to bed.” Kate tucked them in.

In the next morning, they found out that the speech had worked, the people of Philadelphia openly rebelled. Civilians kicked and beat KPA soldiers, Resistance members arrested soldiers, while other civilians burned cars.

“Listen to the Resistance! This is our only chance to fight! America! We can take our home back! Come on, this is the time! We can throw them out! Come on! Yeah, take it! Take it back! I love this, feels like Philly’s coming back to life. What are they gonna do, kill us all? I don’t think so! Come on, together we can do this!” the crowds shouted.

Kate didn’t take part of it to keep her children safe. She also wanted revenge but not like this. They also saw how the people executed collaborators outside, it scared Kate, she feared they would do this to her or her children.

Scotch Tape looked out of the window, seeing how Brady and Parrish entered Crawford’s apartment, she wondered why.

They don’t look to happy.

They came out after a few minutes and got to Kate’s house.

“Scotch Tape!” Parrish called out, “We need your help!”

“Yes, Scotch Tape, the KPA’s gassing the city!” Brady added.

“Okay, but please, spare them!” She begged. “This wasn’t supposed to happen, I never meant to!” She backed up against the wall.

“What do you mean?” Amy did not understand.

“They forced me to work for them, saying they would kill Kate and Amy should I not cooperate. I was the one who sabotaged the Goliath! Please, spare them!” she pleaded for mercy, breaking down, crying, covering her head.

Kate walked up to her and scooped the filly in her arms, patting her back. “Shh, calm down, we aren’t blaming you. You did it only to protect us. You’re too young to resist such pressure. You did the right thing to protect us.”

“Sis, neither I nor mommy are mad at you.” Amy added, giving her a light smile.

The young pony stopped crying, hugging the woman. “Thank you. “Parrish, Brady, I’m sorry for everything.” She sounded guilty.

“Nobody is blaming you, Scotch Tape, you only did it to protect your family, unlike Crawford who ratted us out. The Norks are gassing the city with their airships, we tried to destroy them but the Dusters are in our way. Thanks to Crawford, we know that they are controlled from a command tower at Independence Hall. We need to disable them before the airships are in position so we can destroy them.”

“Okay, I’ll help in any way I can. As Reparation for being a mule.” Her voice was full of determination.

“I promise your friends won’t be harmed. Let’s go!” Jack cocked his M4.

“Good luck!” Amy and Kate called out as they left.

Outside, the people cheered, as suddenly a loud mechanic groan ringed in their ears.

Looking up, the filly spotted a KPA Airship in the sky, dropping gas over Ashgate.

“Gas!” Parrish, Scotch Tape, Brady and other Resistance members equipped their gas masks while the civilians fled in panic. “We got to end this now! Brady, get to Lombard and set up those launchers! I and Scotch Tape are going straight to Independence Hall. Let’s move!”

She followed Parrish, they encountered no enemy troops on the way to it, making her wonder of the KPA already pulled out of Philly.

As they arrived, Jack informed Brady. “Brady, it’s Parrish, we’re assaulting independence Hall now! We’ll get to the duster control tower or die trying. We could use your help!”

The filly saw many red bars on her PipBuck as she stayed in cover leaving the shooting to the Resistance. She didn’t want to die here, but she owed it to her friends to try getting to the control tower.

The red bars became less and less as the Resistance took Soldiers, turrets and Wolverines out. After it was clear, Scotch Tape followed to the hall, the gardens were scattered with blood, bodies, bullet holes, and destroyed Wolverines.

“Brady, we’re through the gardens. We’re reached the Hall. The Tower’s just on the far side.”

“I’m out of clips.” Dana reported to Jack.

“Yeah, everyone grab any ammo you can. We got one more push. Get yourselves ready. Then group on me.”

“Quickly, those airships won’t wait.”

“Come on!” Jack shouted as Brady joined them, destroyed armored cars were scattered on the streets.

Parrish placed a breaching charge on the door. “Okay, I’m set.” They all went to cover. “Fire in the hole!”

The door exploded and they moved in, taking all KPA soldiers out they encountered until they came to a closed. “The tower’s through here! Help us,” Brady helped Dana and Parish to get the gate open.

A Goliath and some soldiers waited on the other side, firing on them. Bullets hit Parrish into the gut, he fell with a scream of pain on his back, Brady grabbed him by the arms, dragging him behind the crate the filly was using as cover. The other fighting managed to kill the soldiers but the Goliath kept them at bay.

“I’ll be okay keep moving, come and find me when it’s done…I’m proud of you…”

“Stay with me, Jack. I can’t do this without you, come on, stay with me…I got to figure out something.” Dana whispered to him, trying to find a way to take out the drone.

“Dana, Dana, you got this – I believe in you. Look after Brady and Scotch Tape, get them up there – get this done.”

“Thanks for everything Jack, you’ve been like a brother to me. You saved me.” Dana grabbed a box of explosives. “We’re run out of time. This feels right. I’m going to do something good for once in my life…Make it count.”

Dana ran out, Brady and Scotch Tape tried to stop her, she blocked every attempt to grab her, making them trip and fall over as Parrish yelled, “Dana? Dana, no – Dana wait. DANA!”

She threw herself under the Goliath, blowing it up, sacrificing herself, the explosion threw Brady and Scotch Tape a few meters back, the filly let out a cry of pain as she landed on her back.

Getting up, she saw that the Goliath was destroyed and in flames, the turret was blown off, Brady wasn’t moving. Luckily, he was only knocked out as she checked his pulse.

She turned to Parrish. “Scotch Tape, get to the tower, take out those Dusters. IT’s up to you now.”

She nodded, reaching for her pistol, she heard her heartbeat and she had tunnel vision as she walked to the stairs, seeing how a Korean soldier got overrun by a burning armored car, the horn blaring.

“Parrish! Brady! Is anyone alive? The airships are about to drop! We’re out of time!” Philly Alpha warned.

Taking out a soldier in the stairs, she saw how a KPA helicopter got shot down and crashed.

“We can’t launch missiles! The Dusters are still here!” a male rebel reported.

“I can see Scotch Tape! She’s going for the tower! Logan spoke into his radio as she shot a Captain into the head.

“Damn, we got Norks closing on our launcher! We need to fire the missiles!” Another rebel reported.

Halfway there, the filly took out another soldier, seeing how an enemy Sniper got blasted from a roof, falling screaming to his death.

“Go, Scotch Tape, go! You have to bring down the Dusters!” Philly Alpha motivated her.

I can’t fail!

“She’s nearly there! Go on, Scotch Tape – go, go!” Elizabeth encouraged her as she reached the top, seeing the door to the tower.

A Shotgunner crossed her way, she killed him with a headshot.

Opening the door, she surprised the drone operator, head-butting him. He attempted to draw his sidearm but she saw this and punched him into the face a few times, then slammed his head into the console, knocking him out.

“Come on!” She tipped on the console until the shutdown screen popped up and she went for the lever.

“Oh no, you don’t!” A KPA officer yelled, shoving her away, punching her, then head-butted her, causing her to fall backwards on the ground. The Korean overpowered and choked the filly, she struggled against it.

No! I can’t fail! I can’t… She got weaker and her vision faded to black.

A loud sound brought her back, the officer flinched and fell to the side, a hole in his head. The shot had come from Jack’s Pistol, assisted by Brady. Scotch Tape pulled herself up and pulled the lever.

The Duster drones shut down, crashing to the ground.

“Dusters are falling out of the sky, the airships are wide open! SAMs are arming!” Logan reported.

“Elmtree firing.”

“Holloway firing.”

“Lombard missiles away.” Several Resistance fighters reported as the launchers fired.

Brady, Parrish and Scotch Tape walked outside, seeing how the Dusters crashed and the Airships got shot down. A Duster crashed into a wall above them, causing them to cover their heads from small debris.

They watched into the sky, watching the Dusters and Airships go down, Logan, Elizabeth and Aiden joined them, smiling proudly at Scotch Tape, who raised her hoof into the air.

Parish said to her with pride, “This is thanks to you, Scotch Tape. Today independence is reborn. The fight to keep it starts now.”

Author's Note

The revolution was a sucess, thanks to Scotch Tape. What I found out in Lombard, while Brady equips his mask on first person, if you look at him in third persion via the remote car, he won't be wearing a gas mask. Also, you could see sometimes regular KPA soldiers, and resistance fighters without gas masks outside, strange, isn't it?. The angry man, when you raise heart and minds in Ashgate, you could sometimes see something like this happening.

Chapter 10 Project Horizons

Chapter 10: Project Horizons

After the Resistance managed to destroy the airships, the KPA pulled out of the city, allowing US Forces to liberate it. Scotch Tape rested at Independence Hall, as the Resistance had made a temporary base out of it. Parrish was confined to a wheelchair due his injuries but his spirit to lead the Resistance was unbroken. The KPA had managed to break Walker, making him demoralizing the Resistance with his speeches, causing man to desert. Scotch Tape, along with Brady, Elizabeth, Logan and Aiden, joined Parrish as he and a radio operator tried to find out from where the broadcasts were coming.

“Thanks for coming. You heard the latest? Another forty fighters deserted overnight. Walker’s Propaganda is killing us.” Parrish asked them.

“Parrish! I got it! The signals coming from right here.” The radio operator reported success and Jack looked with the others on a map.

“This is it, the old WDED radio building. This is our chance to eliminate him.” He saw an opportunity to take Walker out

“What?! You can’t be serious! He saved Brady’s and my life, he started all of this! Now you want to kill him?!” Scotch Tape couldn’t believe what she just heard.

“His broadcasts have to stop. A rescue is too risky. I’m sorry you two, but he has to die.” Parrish countered.

“No. That isn’t what I joined up for. We have to do better than that.” Brady protested.

“Indeed. We should at least try to rescue him.” Elizabeth added.

“Al right, you’ve earned a shot at this…but you’re on your own. And if you fail then we do it my way, you understand?” Jack asked them.

“Whatever you say.” Brady replied.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Another voice interrupted them from behind.

Turning around, they saw a squad of US soldiers walking in, Sergeant Tanner was leading them.

“The President personally ordered that Walker shall be rescued. His speeches kept the People of America alive, he’s too important for our cause to push the KPA out of our country.” Parrish was surprised.

“Well, in that case, I don’t want to disagree if the order comes from the President.”

“Your friend Brady is welcome to join our attempt to rescue him.”

“Okay. Mind if we join you, Brady?” Logan asked.

“Sure thing. Scotch Tape, appreciate your help but you should stay here for your own safety.”

“Okay. Be careful out there.” The filly was worried for their safety.

“We will, Scotch Tape.” The woman ruffled her mane before they left.

“So, what could I do now?” She wondered.

“Well Scotch Tape, given how you helped the Resistance here, Central Command thought you could assist us in liberating San Francisco.” Tanner explained.

“Isn’t this too risky for me?” Being on the frontline would be too dangerous for her.

“No, you’re not on the front, behind it, doing support tasks like repairing vehicles operating radios and such, so we can guarantee your safety. Besides, you’re looking for your friend Chung, right?”

“Yes, why?” She asked with hope.

“Well, the KPA is gathering most of their troops there, it is likely that he got relocated here.”

She got it. That way, she could meet him again.

“Scotch Tape! You did it!” Amy’s voice’s ringed in her ears as the young girl entered the room with her mother, smiling.

They hugged each other. “Yes, I saved the city. How did you get here?”

“The Army provided us with gas masks so we could get to you. We are very proud of you, young filly.” Kate explained. Scotch Tape blushed, looking to the ground.

“G-glad to hear it. You heard about Chung?”

“Yes we have. Good luck and be careful, sister.” They did a last hug.

“I will, sister.” Then she walked out with the soldiers, to a UH-60 that waited outside, rotors spinning.

As he climbed into the air, the pony looked out of the window, looking at the Red Zones and gassed areas, knowing it would take a long time to rebuild them and removing the gas. The ride towards the east was quiet, none of the soldiers said a word. Even in the air, they needed Hazmat suits to protect themselves as the chopper crossed the radiated river. The Black Hawk landed near a small camp where 2 Humvees were parked, together with one LAV-25 and a M1A3 Abrams. She and the soldiers that were traveling with her got decontaminated here before the convoy packed up and moved towards San Francisco. She got ordered into the APC, the seats were comfortable. Also here, the soldiers stayed quiet.

It was strange to her that none of them said a word, given a talking filly travelled with them.

“So…does anybody of you find it odd that a talking pony is with you?” She asked to break up the silence. One of the soldiers, having black hair and green eyes spoke up,

“Well, we’re nervous about the upcoming battle. San Francisco is the political and economic heart of the GKR occupation, so Central Command knows that the KPA will heavily defend it with everything they have. But if we can liberate the city, it would be a major blow for the Koreans.” Scotch Tape read the name tag. Private Jackson.

“I understand. It’s a big risk, there's a lot at stake.” She replied.

“Yes. It will be a hard battle, I’m sure of that. But I promise you with my honor as soldier, I keep you safe.” He smiled, showing he was honest.”

“Appreciated. I hope Chung and Chang are still alive.” She cared deeply for them.

“I’m sure they are, Scotch Tape. Tell me, it is true about your background?” He asked with curiosity.

“Of course it is.” She told the soldiers how she got here, about her former home and her father and friends, leaving the dark and suggestive parts out of it.

Jackson whistled. “I’m impressed. You’re really made a name for yourself. And here too.” She blushed.

“I know. I hope they can save Walker.”

“I have no doubt they will succeed. If you managed to drive the KPA out of Philadelphia, then we can drive them out of the rest of our country!” He exclaimed with Determination.

“You’re right, we can do this!” she raised her hoof into the air.

“That’s the sprit!” In the evening, the US convoy set up a camp for the night, soldiers stood guard.

“Goodnight my dear, sweet dreams.” The Private wished a goodnight as he walked out to take the night guard.

While the green filly could sleep well, she wondered how the battle would be, if Chung would survive and what would happen after the battle was over. Even if US Military would drive out the invaders, they hadn’t the resources to invade the Greater Korean Republic. And it would be very lossy, she had no doubt of that. This also made her wondering how the Great War could have proceeded had been there no mega spells, it was an interesting question. Due being forced to always be on the move, in order to evade and engage the KPA, the troops moved out early in the next morning, as time was short.

Like back then with Chung, car wrecks and dead cars scattered the roads as the convoy travelled along it. What Scotch Tape found pretty smart was that several supply crates were secured to the bodies of the tanks, carrying much of the supplies, a smart idea to improve.

“How’s the plan when we reach San Francisco?” She asked the soldier.

“Well, we combine all our forces, a multi service, joint operation between the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The Navy attacks the Korean fleet guarding the Golden Gate, fighting through, and then delivering their Marines directly onto the San Francisco shoreline, while the ground troops take key islands and bridges in the San Francisco littoral. The Air force gives air support. We head for Sausalito at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge, where we have set up a forward operations base.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me.”

“Yes, but no plan survives first contact with the enemy as Sun Tzu, a military strategist said this once.”

“I see, makes sense. I hope this works.” She replied.

“I hope so too. I got a wife and child in the still free east. I hope I get to see them again.” Jackson sounded sad, showing that he misses them.

“When was the last time you saw them?”

“Two years. I haven’t seen them since this war started in 27. With liberating San Francisco, we can turn this damn war around and I hopefully can see them again soon.”

“I pray for you that you will see them again. Amy’s father was not so lucky. He died in the first days of the invasion.”

“I knew him, a polite and friendly soldier, never left a comrade behind. He was my best friend.” He suppressed a tear.

“Sorry to hear that. Tell me…was it quick?” She hoped he wouldn’t be upset by this.

“Yes it was. A bullet to the head from a 718 soldier if I remember correctly. Intel says that a large contingent of the 718 Division is assigned to defend the Golden Gate Bridge from infiltration or attack. You have seen how they fight, brutal and aggressive, they fight to the last man rather than to surrender.” The filly shivered.

”Yes, I have seen it. Completely merciless.” The driver interrupted them,

“Hope you don't mind some music.”

“Ah, breaker one-nine, this here’s the Rubber Duck. You gotta copy on me, Pig Pen, c’mon? Ah, yeah, 10-4. Pig Pen, fer shure, fer shure. By golly, it’s clean clear to Flag Town, c’mon. Yeah, that’s a big 10-4 there, Pig Pen, yeah we definitely got the front door, good buddy. Mercy sakes alive, looks like we got us a convoy…” It was a country song, the soldiers sang along, Scotch Tape did too, it sounded nice. After the song was over, the soldiers smiled as Jackson spoke up,

“Convoy, 1978, damn good movie and song.”

“I haven’t seen it but I believe you. Star Trek the First Contact was a good movie for its time.” The young child replied with a grin.

“I agree, very well made, they made the Borg look way scarier than they were in the Next Generation.”

“With that laser they really look scary, I admit that.”

“Yes they are. Gave me nightmares after I first saw the Movie.” The filly shivered for a moment.

“Me too.” Jackson smiled and patted her.

“Good thing that they aren’t real, right? Despite the age, my kid is a big fan of it, the Borg his favorite villains.”

“I can understand that, they’re really interesting, like what their actual origin was and so on. I played Syphon Filter and Need for Speed III Hot Pursuit with my sister, both games are from the late 90s but really fun, I enjoyed every second of it.” She smiled at the memory.

“I played them too when I was your age, good times, good times. I also liked to play RTS games in my childhood.”

“Quite the gamer I see.” The filly commented. Jackson looked down, blushing.

“Yeah, I was. But that also got me in the military. Of course, reality is different than Shooter and RTS games.

“Yes it is. While I travelled with Chung, I dreamed of Need for speed, despite I didn’t knew of that back then.”

“Sometimes, our dreams come up with the strangest things. I dreamed once I was a member of the Royal guard in Equestria, still a human but wearing the Golden Armor, under the command of Captain Shining Armor.”

“That must be an interesting dream, being the only human in the Royal Guard.”

“Yes it was, Scotch Tape. Could you imagine that your father and friends could be in the Royal Guard if the war never happened?”

“I can imagine that, if it goes well is another thing.” As Scotch Tape tried to imagine it, the thought that Blackjack would be mostly drunk on duty couldn’t get out of her head. The convoy came to an abandoned checkpoint.

“It’s quiet, too quiet, stay sharp.” Tanner warned the tank crew with caution, as the tank busted the gate down and exploded, the turret was blown off.

“Ambush!” The soldiers got out of the APC, securing the area, while Scotch Tape stayed inside, looking on her PipBuck startled by the explosion. Strangely, there was nothing hostile on the display, only the yellow bars that represented the US soldiers.

“The only possibility would be that he drove over a landmine but that would never be enough to destroy an Abrams.” Jackson wondered as he scanned the area with a worried expression about their young helper. As Scotch Tape stepped out, a red bar flashed on her PipBuck, spotting a RPG soldier on a nearby hill. “RPG!” She yelled but her warning came too late. The KPA soldier fired, she dived out of the way as the missile headed for the LAV, destroying it, the explosion caused her ears to ring and she was stunned by it. As her hearing returned, the spinning of the Humvees’ miniguns greeted her ears, perforating the enemy soldier before he could fire another shot. As the filly got up, many red bars from the right and left appeared on her PipBuck, coming out of the woods.

“Where they coming from?!” The Private fired his M4, Scotch Tape went into the checkpoint house for cover, pressing herself against the wall, staying calm yet worried about Jackson. She peeked carefully out of the window, the KPA was outnumbering the US forces.

“Scotch Tape, run! We’ll hold them off!” Tanner yelled. Without a word, she did, not thinking she would see Jackson ever again. The filly fled into the woods, never looking back. She kept running, running as fast as her legs could take her. In her panic, fearing an enemy squad might be following her, she overlooking a root, her hoof got caught in it and she fell down into a steep incline.

“Ow! Ouch! Ow!” She fell down the hill, trying to catch herself without success as she rolled and tumbled down. With a painful thud, Scotch Tape landed on the ground.

“OUCH!” She screamed as her entire body ached but nothing was broken. The filly got up, brushing the dust of herself, looking around, the area looked like a farm, decayed buildings, water towers, a tractor, a giant satellite dish was in the background. Her PipBuck showed nothing.

“I guess it’s abandoned.” She searched the buildings for anything useful, starting with the house where the farmer would live. It looked cozy, the walls had seen better days, the shelves were filled with books, some of them were scattered on the ground. “Anyone here?” She called out. On the table in the living room was a journal. She decided to read it.

Letter Home 17th May 1966

Darling,

Construction of the Base is almost complete, I can't wait to get back home. Been so weird sleeping all day and working all night. And I won't miss them punishing us just for leaving a hammer in the open. Talk about paranoid. I guess they got good reason though. Nice yo think I did a little bit to make us all safer. The farm facade should look fine from the air; the fake hay bales are a nice touch. Except Willis screwed the pooch and ordered 300 instead of 30. You should have seen the General's face when all those trucks started showing up!

Anyway should be back next week, I hope you are doing ok, and haven't started seeing other guys while I'm stuck out here!!! I know they won't let me send this, but I like to write them anyway.

Love, Hank

300 hay bales instead of 30? That must be pretty awkward, yet hilarious! She giggled at it before realizing something.

That appears to be an underground base. Should check if there’s an entrance somewhere. Should take a look at the basement.

She walked into the kitchen to the basement, it was dark, so she activated her flashlight. In said basement was an odd steel door, out of place for a farm. “That must be the entrance.” She looked around seeing a red glowing button hidden behind a crate. After she pushed the crate out of the way, she pushed the button, it switched from red to green and the door opened, sliding aside.

Okay, now let’s…

Out of nowhere, a white light blended her, causing her to cover her eyes.

What the...

Once the light was gone, she uncovered her eyes, not believing what she saw before her. A Unicorn pony with green coat and a long blonde mane was lying on the ground, apparently exhausted from something. According to her PipBuck, the pony was not a threat as it was represented by a yellow bar. Upon closer inspection, she saw that a weapon which seemed to be a bow was next to the unicorn.

How… Who… The filly wondered, never have seen something like this before.

“Ugh…my head…” The stallion rubbed his head, slowly getting up.

“You ok, sir?” She asked the unicorn. “Do you want some water?” She took her canteen out of her saddlebag.

“Ah, thank you.” The green pony levitated the canteen out of her hoof, only now, she saw his eyes and was for some reason terrified. He had no pupils or anything that would be similar to it. Instead, they were completely light blue, fluctuating like water, making her wonder if he could even see something.

“Thank you. What’s your name?” He gave the canteen back.

“S-scotch Tape Sir.” She stuttered out.

“Pleasure. I’m Battle brother Fletcher Fray, Eternal Knight, sworn to the Princess of the night.” He introduced himself with a friendly voice but his expression was neutral.

Eternal knight?

“Sorry, but I never heard of the Eternal Knights.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me, as we are barely mentioned in history books. Ask anypony who knows, we don't exactly...fit in.”

“No, I mean, there were never any Eternal Knights serving under Princess Luna, either in the Great War or before it.”

“Great War?” Fletcher Fray asked dumbfounded. “There were many wars. The biggest and most costly war in Equestria was the Civil War.” She thought for a moment, realizing that his Equestria must be different from hers.

“I think we might be from different Equestrias.” She then explained what the Great War was, where she came from and how she got here. The Knight listened interested to her words.

“Impressive…In the civil war, we invented many new machines and weapons but never such destructive weapons like the Megaspell. My condolences for what happened to you.” His voice was slightly shocked, his expression too.

“It’s okay, Sir Fray. Would you mind to tell me about you and the civil war?” She feared he would be upset about it.

“Well, I descended from a proud family of accomplished war leaders, earning my rank defending my troops and family in the struggles of war. This bow belonged once to my father, who passed it on to me. Where I am from, the banishment of Nightmare Moon had been seen as betrayal and the ponies who favored Princess Luna took up arms and began a crusade against Celestia, founding the Lunar Republic, comprised of countless soldiers and commanders across the world, good and evil. They were led to believe that the Eternal Night would unite the world. That the sun and moon would become one and carry out the purposes of both. One Princess with all the power in the world would mean Equestria was safe from all threats. The War ended with a truce which eventually turned into peace. There was no winner.”

“Th-that’s amazing and terrifying!” The filly was somehow fascinated by it.

“Yes, terrifying indeed. As for how I got here, long before the war, there was as an incredibly powerful sorceress who used an army of automatons, deadly robots to fight in her war. After it ended, nopony was ever able to find out where they got stored, until I and my two comrades found one of those hideouts.

I researched it and found out that some parts of those robots were procured using portals. I was curious if those still work and tried it out and…here I am.”

“I guess the spell failed, can’t imagine they would get some parts from humanity.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Anyway, Sir Fletcher, we have better chances if we work together.” Scotch Tape suggested.

“Agreed and Fletcher is just fine. I keep you safe with my honor, you have my word, Scotch Tape.” He gave her an honest smile.

“Appreciated. I was about to check this base for supplies. The Emergency power is still running, we should find the main power room.”

“Sounds like a good plan.”

They both entered, coming to a dark corridor, Scotch Tape shining with her flashlight, Fletcher Fray casted a flashlight like spell, his trusty bow ready to fire on anything that might be still in here.

“Looks like the emergency power is still running. We should find the main power room.” She suggested.

“Agreed. Stay behind me.” The Knight replied, taking the lead.

While they walking down the seemingly endless hallway which was fallen into disrepair, some boxes and cleaning equipment scattered around on the floor, Scotch Tape asked, “If you don’t mind, Fletcher, what are the Eternal Knights and how can you still be alive after 1000 years?” She felt ashamed for asking it. The Eternal Knight took it with serenity.

“Well, the Eternal Knights are the bodyguards of Princess Luna.”

“Isn’t that the Royal Guard?”

“The Royal Guard is a conventional armed force. We're more like...shall we say...specialists. Nopony ever sees us or hears from us but we've been beside Princess Luna ever since she returned on that fateful Nightmare Night”. There is White Wolf, a deadly Pegasus Mare, skilled with knives but caring on the inside. And our leader, Midnight Blade, a bat pony, as his names says, he uses a blade to fight. He is a talented planner and manipulator, the best leader I and Wolf could ask for. For why I’m still alive, we Eternal Knights swore a vow. To not rest until we placed the Princess of the Night on the throne of Equestria. After Princess Luna returned, that vow could never be upheld, so we thought we should be her Bearers. Back then, a sickness named Ceraporosis which afflicted many victims. There was no cure, so I, together with a friend of mine wanted to find a cure.

He had the idea of using nanomites, have you heard of them?”

“Indirectly, I only know the Breezies used them.

“Correct. Nanomites are natural organisms, similar to Paraspites. They live in nests and are drawn to decaying flesh. Nanomites produce chemicals that dispel bacteria and viruses from the flesh they consume which makes dead bodies decompose a lot slower but when they feed on a live body, it heals and repairs the area they leave the chemicals on. Ceraporosis causes decay in the hooves, wing membranes and horns, so nanomites work to repair the deteriorating flesh. One simply opens a wound on the area near the infected hooves, wings or horn and brushes it against the nanomite nest, but it requires constant exposure to the nanomites and often, the virus can build up an immunity. So, we both worked to create a magically-enhanced breed of nanomite that can be let into the bloodstream similar to injection. They are injected as eggs so once they hatch, they treat the body like a nest and work to repair any sign of deterioration, even those that come from old age. However, it is risky as it can cause to go into shock or a heart failure. Despite this risk, I volunteered to test them, had to remain in a state of meditative repose for almost half a year to stop the nanomites causing my body to lock down. In the end it worked, I was the only test subject who has lived this long. As for my eyes, nanomites affect the pigment in a pony's eyes, coat and sometimes mane. That’s why my eyes are that way but my vision hasn’t changed. Thanks to them, wounds regenerate, as long as I’m not too badly wounded.” Only now, Scotch Tape noticed that his coat had dark stripy pattern around his back and shoulders, his horn had also a dark shade.

“Reminds me of nanobots.”

“Yes, there are similarities between nanomites and nanobots. I was quite surprised when I saw my changed eyes for the first time. Reminded me when I first met Midnight for the first time, unlike other bat ponies, he has colorless eyes, it took me some time to get used to it.”

“I can imagine that.” Scotch Tape was fascinated by it. They came to a closed door to the left and a corridor to the right. A sign on the wall showed that to the left was the control room, while to the right was the power room, along with Barracks, Storage and Engineering. As the door to the power room was also closed, they climbed through hatch in the barrack to the storage room, then through another hatch that leaded to the power room. The filly saw a red glowing button on a generator and pressed it. The light switched to green and the nights on the generator jumped to life. “I think I did something.”

“It seems you restored the external power. Let’s restore the main power. Looks like the current power level for the base is displayed here.” Two displays were to the left and right of the button Scotch Tape had pressed.

The left display showed the power was at minimum with three green bars, the maximum was at 10. The right display, showed letters in alphabetic order from A to H. A was active with three green points.

“Looks like we need to switch four circuit breakers on.” The Stallion figured out.

“Okay, H looks like a good start, has three points like A” Scotch Tape walked to it and pressed the button. 3 green points lighted up, displayed the power level of the circuit breaker. “Jeez. What would have happened if the Soviets had attacked huh guys?” She spoke to herself.

“I don’t want to imagine.” Fletcher replied subconsciously as he pressed the button for the B generator. An alert sounded, a red light with the word “overload” lighted up on the circuit breaker and the power system rebooted to minimal power. “Whoa! Think I overloaded it.”

“Then we choose other outputs.” The filly suggested pressing H again, Fletcher pressed F. The system overloaded again.

“We putting too much power in, we need to choose lower outputs.”

“Yes, Fletcher, let’s try H and G.” She pressed H, the knight G.

Overload.

“Dammit! Too much power!” She complained. “Ok. H and D.” As Fletcher pressed D, had only one point. He tried C, overloading it once more.

“Aw not again.”

“Let’s try it with H, D and E.” The filly pressed H again, Fletcher pressed D and E.

The generators made a powering up sound and the lights came to life. “Got it! Not just a pretty face.” He mumbled.

“We did it! Main power is back online!” Scotch Tape cheered, raising her hoof for a bro hoof. Fletcher returned it with a light smile.

“Ok, let’s go to the control room.” Fletcher took the lead again, the lights in the hallway started to turn on, so they turned their flashlights off.

The main control room consisted of several terminals, and a large monitor with a console under it in the middle of the room.

“I wonder for what the base could have been served for. Doesn’t look like a silo for a nuke.” Scotch Tape looked around, trying to think which terminal she should use first.

The filly took the terminal to her right. It contained emails, presumably from two of the workers on this base.

Hey Tyler, did you heard the news what happened in Riyadh?

Hey Wyatt, Yes I have, terrible. We lost over 200,000 men over there! This is a casualty the Military can never replace!

Well Tyler, I got called for a secret project that shall replace those losses.

Really? How?

That, I'm afraid, I cannot divulge. All I can tell you is that it is revolutionary in design. If it works, our enemies will fall wherever they may appear.

Makes me wonder, with all the budget cuts, how you have enough resources for this.

We have, Wyatt, you will see.

There were no replies after that. “Makes me curious what about this secret could be? You, Fletcher?” Scotch Tape had grown curious about it.

“I admit, I’m curious about it too.” His expression was one of wondering.

Scotch Tape checked the other messages, they were status updates about the project, making both wondering why they hadn’t been deleted.

I’m curious about the status of Project Horizons, care to tell me?

The sender was not shown, but both assumed it must be the leader of the project or a high ranking person while the receiver was Wyatt.

We’re working around the clock, sir. Project Horizons will be ready on schedule, promise.

Status?

We having some problems with connecting the inner parts to the control unit and establishing the internal link but we should solve them shortly.

Just make sure it gets done… for America’s sake.

Yes sir, the weapons should be there shortly.

“I wonder what kind of weapons they needed for Project Horizons.” Scotch Tape wondered about what that project was about.

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound too... friendly.” Fletcher replied, unsure if they should continue.

“Okay, a few more messages, let’s see...” Scotch Tape tipped on the terminal.

Status?

The problems have been all solved, weapons are installed. The internal links are stable, it’s ready for combat testing. We did it.

Excellent. Meet me at the firing range.You’ve done good, for both America and the fallen soldiers.

Thank you!I’ll be sure to head out right away, sir!

The messages ended here, the date was 2nd September 2016.

“Hmm, I assume this was the date they tested it.”

“I think so too. Firing range, internal links, what in Equestria where they working on?” Fletcher wondered, his mind filled in confusion.

“This terminal hasn’t anything else. Hmm…” Scotch Tape walked to the monitor, checking its memory. “There appears to be a recording of the test, shall I play it?”

“Well, we have dug deep in, there’s no turning back now.” Fletcher was ready to face whatever Project Horizons was. Scotch Tape pressed the play button. The video showed a man in a military uniform with many awards, possibly a General, being led by two means in white coats, Scientists the two ponies assumed, through the base.

“I assure you General, Project Horizons will meet all your requirements.” One of the scientists said, having brown hair, his eyes were concealed by a pair of goggles.

“I hope so Mr. Archer, we spent millions of dollars into it, I expect that it is well spent.”

“It is well spent.” The other Scientist, having black hair and brown eyes, replied. He was Wyatt as his nametag showed.

They lead the General to a firing range, Wyatt pressed a button.

Instead of a normal firing range, the room started to glow, and several Persons in black clothes, looking like burglar appeared in the room that was separated with bulletproof glass from the speculator room. The filly figured out that this was more a simulator.

“The first model is inspired on the Knightscope K5 security robot of the company with the same name, but more efficient and better.” Archer explained as a gate opened and metallic steps were heard, a silhouette in form of what appeared to be a unicorn appeared. Scotch Tape’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped in dismay when the robot was fully visible. The robot was indeed a unicorn pony with a white coat made out of metal, a Red and black metal mane and red eyes. .It also had what appeared to be a blue security vest that made out the chest and had an Ace and Queen of Spades on the flank.

The robot resembled Blackjack in every detail.

But… how… what… Scotch Tape was lost for words, as well as Fletcher Fray.

He looked also surprised by it. “O…kay…”

“The security model is able to respond to intruders accordingly.” Archer explained as the pony robot started to patrol around the room, the burglar like persons were out of view. One of them tried to sneak past, the Blackjack robot turned around, facing him.

“Freeze! This is a restricted area! I ask you kindly to leave.” It ordered, the robot sounded exactly like Blackjack, having a cybernetic tone.

“It is programmed to use deadly force only when it is absolutely necessary.” The lead scientist explained. The intruder tried to run, a small flap on the left side of the robotic pony opened, a small barrel poked out. It fired what appeared to be a cable, the intruder got electrocuted, twitching before falling to the ground, unconscious.

“It is armed with a non-lethal Taser and a M9 for self-defense. The armor is strong enough to withstand any type of small caliber weaponry.”

A second intruder fired with a pistol on Blackjack’s counterpart, the bullets bounced off, leaving no damage at all. The enemy used a civilian as shield, the drone calmly said, “Drop your weapon and let the civilian go. This is your only warning.” The intruder did not oblige. The mechanical pony’s right fore hoof transformed into a hand, drawing said M9 from a mechanical internal holster, taking aim.

The hostage struggled giving the security robot a chance to take the hostage taker down. She then holstered it and walked up to the hostage. “Do you need medical attention?” the drone had a tone of concern in her voice.

“It is also equipped with an internal flashlight and scanner.” Archer sounded proudly as the light turned off, the drone’s eyes switched to yellow, illuminating the dark.

“There is no point in hiding.” She said, her horn glowed, a white light performed a 360 degree scan, detecting an intruder hiding in a locker.

“As you can see General, this security drone can assist guards during their watch or patrol and respond on its own.”

“Impressive. What about military operations?”

“For that, we made an armored suit for it.” In the moment the lead scientist had said this, the robot walked out, coming back after a few minutes, now wearing military-grade armor, a visor covering her eyes, a Remington Model 870 Shotgun in her hooves. It took both ponies a moment to notice the drone was walking bipedally.

“For military assaults, we outfitted this drone with heavy armor, also very effective in riot situations or defensive battles.” Several enemy targets appeared and the picture of the drone’s highly advanced targeting system appeared on a screen for the visitor, showing how the drone marked the positions of potential shooters, tracking them as they moved into position. The robotic pony opened fire with deadly accuracy - when the shot is right, often without even having to physically look at the target and was surprisingly fast despite the heavy looking armor, even capable of sprinting while firing at the targets It also switched to the same M9 when reloading was not an option.

“Impressive. Most impressive. What about the other versions?” The General asked after all targets were taken out and the Blackjack drone leaved.

“The next model is designed to be a Bomb decontamination robot, but can use also missile launchers and other explosives to destroy tanks or fortified positions.”

“No....way…” Scotch Tape couldn’t believe their eyes as said drone walked in.

It had blue eyes, a dark blue mane and light blue coat, wearing a Milkor MGL grenade launcher and a M72 LAW missile launcher.

“This one looks exactly like Daddy!” Scotch Tape exclaimed, not believing what she saw.

“I wonder what comes next…” Fletcher mumbled, unsure what to think about it.

“The demolitions expert under the drones can disarm mines and other explosives, yet be a very effective fighter.” Archer told his visitor as the drone drew his grenade launcher. The blue mechanic stallion fired directly or indirectly at the enemies with deadly accuracy, also using hand grenades that were attached to his chest.

“For situations where explosives are not an option, it has a build in firearm.” As the scientist said this, a small flap on the left side of the robotic pony opened, a small barrel poked out, firing at enemies that were too close to use the Grenade launcher on them. Then it destroyed a tank with the LAW before leaving. The General whistled.

“What else got you in store?”

“We also worked on a support gunner variant, originally, a M249 Squad Automatic Weapon was planned, but we decided to give it a M134 Minigun.”

“A M134 Minigun?! You can’t be serious, it’s near impossible, and highly impractical for a human being to either carry or operate a man-portable version!” The General replied in surprise.

“I don't work with humans.” Archer smirked. A Large drone entered the room, having violet eyes, a night blue mane and a dusk colored coat, having a horn and winds, an Alicorn, carrying said Minigun in his hooves.

“A robot that looks like an Alicorn?!” The Eternal Knight exclaimed in shock and disbelief at what he saw. The gun started to spin up, tearing the enemies apart, advancing slowly towards, shrugging off any hits it took. An enemy went to cover, the Alicorn ceased fire, picked up the pace and sprinted forward with loud, metallic stomps. As it reached said enemy, the drone bashed him with the minigun, throwing him back several meters.

“For quick movements, it can transform into a UCAV.” The drone jumped into the air, the minigun removed into her belly, the barrels poking out, the legs withdraw and small boosters were activated under the wings, having a similar appearance to the MQ-9 Reaper drone. It flew around the room, raining dead from above before landing, transforming back and leaving.

“A strong support unit. Of course, we thought also of a medical drone.” Archer pointed to the gate.

Okay, that was Lacunae, the medical drone must be… Scotch Tape was cut off as a Pegasus drone with Violet eyes, Bright Violet mane and grey coat walked in, wearing metallic saddlebags with a red cross in them.

“Morning Glory.” She finished her thought loud.

“Okay, Unicorn, Earth Pony, Alicorn and Pegasus, the list is complete.” Fletcher mumbled, wondering what would come now.

“The medical drone it capable of treating many injuries, it was originally designed to assist medics in complex medical procedures and surgery but can also provide medical care on its own.” The lead scientist explained.

“Medic!” a wounded person, lying bleeding on the ground called out, the drone quickly galloped over and spoke “Don’t worry, I have you fixed up in no time! Everything will be alright.” The voice was calming and identical with Morning Glory’s voice.

“It can use fly and fight to defend itself or the wounded.” The drone spread her wings out, flapped them, boosters activated and she took off into the air, evading enemy fired while defending itself with a MP5 that she drew from an internal holster like the Blackjack drone had done.

“It’s impressive work. But… Uh...This might not be immediately relevant, Mr. Archer, but...Why a horse?” The General asked him dumbfounded. Archer scratched his back, slightly embarrassed.

“Well, are you familiar with the TV show My little pony: Friendship is magic?”

The General’s face lighted up with a smile. “Of course I do, my kids love it!”

“To honor the cancelled show and as a tribute we decided to design them after ponies from the show. The ponies you saw resemble the main characters from the fanfic Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons, as we wanted to honor and tribute this well-made story too. For that, we also choose the name of the project on the fanfic name.”

“I see...” Scotch Tape stopped the recording to process all the information.

“That…is… incredible! They made drones based off my father and friends!” She exclaimed in a mix of confusion and embarrassment.

Fletcher had other thoughts. “Wait a moment. TV-show? Equestria is a TV show for human children?” He asked completely confused.

“Well, yes. Let me show you.” Scotch Tape had also found a data of the first episode of the show in the memory, she didn’t care why it was here. It showed how Twilight Sparkle got to meet her friends and how Nightmare Moon returned, only to be changed back into Princess Luna by the Mane 6 with the Elements of Harmony.

“Okay… When Princess Luna returned we…wanted to welcome her back and it…” he struggled to find the right words. “Ended in a misunderstanding. Lucky for us, the Princess of the night… cleared our name. About the show, I don't know whether to be flattered or creeped out...What exactly did I do in the show? Just...out of curiosity.”

“Well, I assume you’re an original Character like I am, created by a fan of the show.” She explained.

“I…guess that would make sense…” He replied, trying to process it while Scotch Tape pressed play again.

“…What about the Arial drones?” The General asked. Archer gave a sign and several Pegasus colored in azure blue with golden yellow lightning patterns, having either a winged lightning bolt on the flank for the male and long streak of lightning for the female drones. They had different colored manes and muzzles but their eyes were concealed by flight goggles which consisted of a black frame with sky blue lenses and a golden yellow metal head strap.

“I based them on the Wonderbolts” With that said by Archer, the drones took of into the air in formation, taking out air and ground targets with missiles, bombs and MG fire, the weapons located under their wings.

“And to transport supplies, we designed a transport version of it.”

The next drone was also a Pegasus but with yellow eyes with matching mane and grey coat.

“That’s…Derpy Hooves!” The Eternal Knight exclaimed at the sight, not believing his eyes.

“The legs are modified to lift things.” As the scientist said on comment, the Derpy drone grabbed a nearby crate with its hooves, carrying it around the room.

Scotch Tape stopped the recording again. “Well, given her job as mail mare, this role suits her counterpart if you ask me.”

“Yes. Mindless machines meant to resemble our loved-ones. I can't help but feel that, somehow, in some way, this has got Downriver's bloody hoof-prints all over it.” Fletcher sounded slightly disturbed by it.

“Who's Downriver?” Scotch Tape asked confused. The unicorn took a deep breath.

“Well, how to describe him? Picture the worst pony you've ever met...and then picture him a dozen times worse.” Scotch Tape had seen many worse things in the wasteland, so she asked,

“He's that bad?”

“No, he's worse.” Fletcher replied with disgust.

“Then we should change the subject. I suggest you search the other terminals for useful information.

“Will do.” The other terminals contained messages between the scientist the terminal belonged to and a friend, having similar chats like Wyatt and Tyler had. One terminal, belonging to Archer, mentioned a Sniper drone based on a Unicorn, an infiltrator drone based on a bat pony and a Pegasus drone designed to fight where it would be too dangerous to use firearms.

Wonder what they could be based on. He thought as Scotch Tape tore him out.

“Think, given the recording, that the mastermind behind this had good intentions?

“Forgive me but I find it very hard to believe someone ever builds a machine made to kill while acting out of good intentions.” He replied caught off guard.

“Uh-huh.” She continued the recording while Fletcher checked the Terminal for more information.

“We also worked on a Sniper and infiltrator model. And one model for situations where it would be too dangerous to use firearms.”

The next drone was also a unicorn judging by the silhouette. Once it was fully visible, Scotch Tape couldn’t believe her eyes. “Uh, Fletcher?”

“Yes?”

“May I say that you have an uh...brother?”

“What?!” Fletcher Fray jumped into the air in surprise at Scotch Tape’s words, seeing the drone now fully. It had a blond mane, leaf-green coat and hazel eyes, carrying a Barrett M82 anti-material rifle on its back. It resembled Fletcher Fray in every Detail.

“What…in… the…” The knight asked in shock, jaw wide open.

“The Sniper model can calculate the advance angle and the trajectory for accurate shots.” As on command, the drone drew it’s weapon and took aim at several targets at long distance with deadly accuracy, adjusting aim to compensate for wind and gravity. The recoil for such a rifle was high but the drone handled it like there was no recoil at all.

“To quickly reach an elevated sniper position or to ambush the enemy, we equipped it with a Grapple hook that is connected to its left fore hoof.” The drone raised said hoof at a wall, a cable shoot out of two metallic blades shaped like a bull's horns that were attached to the hoof. The Fletcher drone climbed up the wall, then fired the rifle with only the right roof, again having no problem to handle the recoil. To get down, it grappled one enemy, pulling himself down to him and kicked him before firing a shot from the hip at another hostile. A small group rushed at the Unicorn drone, it quickly switched to a MP5, killing them with clean headshots. The drone went prone, it’s colors adapted to the surroundings, camouflaging itself. Then, it placed a claymore trip mine at a door way, an enemy got killed by it, another got surprised by the drone, a retractable blade came out of the right hoof, slicing him.

“As you can see, despite being designed as Sniper, it can also fight effectively at close and melee range.” Scotch Tape looked at Fletcher’s counterpart in awe after Archer had finished his sentence.

“Amazing and versatile don’t you think, Fletcher? Fletcher?”

Turning around, she saw the Eternal Knight, still in shock from it. “T-that’s…” He was lost for words. “impressive!” he caught himself. “But this is getting ridiculous!” he added.

“The next model was designed for situations where it would be too dangerous to use guns. It specialty is close-quarters melee combat in environments filled with explosives and other hazards.” The next drone was also a Pegasus, having a fiery navy-blue coat with matching eyes and flowing silver mane.

“White Wolf?!” Fletcher Fray shook his head. The Drone was in a room filled with explosives and enemies. Wolf drew 2 knifes, throwing them at two enemies, landing between their eyes, before rushing at them killing them rapidly with a retractable knife from the right hoof. She had taken all enemies out before they could fire a shot.

“Of course we thought of a gun should they fight with other troops in open areas.

The robotic mare drew a MP5, firing with deadly accuracy. As the gun was empty, a hostile used it to charge at her. She threw the gun with new a mag into the air, killing several enemies with her knives before catching the gun and finishing reloading.

Activating her wings, she threw her knifes and fired her SMG with remarkable accuracy in the air, sometimes diving to attack with the retractable knife. She also uses a dart gun on the enemies, putting them to sleep.

“I don’t want to imagine how White Wolf will react should she see this.” Was all Fletcher said, his expression still one of shock.

“And finally, the infiltrator model.” The infiltrator resembled a grey bat pony. As the drone looked forward, Scotch found herself staring at a pair of eyes completely devoid of color, like a pair of pure-white pearls. Yet somehow, it that cold, insidious gaze, she knew they were locked on her.

“Midnight Blade?!” Fletcher recognized it.

“It can infiltrate enemy bases, steal information and vanish unseen.”

The drone came into a room with a computer, hacking it. Once it was done, an alarm got triggered the display showed unauthorized access detected! The robot quickly jumped into the air as the guards moved in, hanging upside down at the ceiling, staying hidden.

“How’s that even possible?!” Fletcher Fray asked confused.

“Magnets and grappling hooks are built in into the hooves.” Archer explained as the guards except for one, started to leave. The lights went out, the bat pony’s eyes started to glow yellow.

“Darkness.” It laughed evil before dropping on the guard, killing him with a retractable blade.

“Like the close combat model, it also has a gun to defend itself at range.” Like Wolf’s counterpart, it used a MP5 against the guards, firing with deadly accuracy as the other drones. Like with White Wolf, the Bat pony drone threw it’s weapon into the air as an enemy charged at him, taking him and several enemies with its blade it before catching the MP5 and reloading.

“Very impressive I must admit. What about teamwork?” The General asked.

“They can work in squads and with fellow soldiers without problems.” As on Archer’s command, all drones got into the room. The Midnight and Fletcher drone scouted ahead, reporting to the Blackjack drone who was the squad leader. She gave out orders with signs or verbally, the Alicorn drone provided covering fire, while the Grenadier drone disarmed traps, the Wonderbolts provided air support, the Derpy drone carried ammo for them, the bat pony and White Wolf switched between melee fights and their SMGs in fighting style, while the Fletcher drone stayed behind to give Sniper support, moving up with the others when the time was right.

“They are linked to each other, creating a hive mind, that way, they can quickly change tactics, report to each other without speaking or gestures and a threat one drone saw is visible for the others too.”

“Very impressive.”

“Thank you, General. As you can see, Project Horizons is the ultimate weapon. It surpasses every other UAV and UCAV the USA ever built.”

“Indeed it does. The nuclear weapon in Green Zone of Riyadh killed over 200,000 of our men. But robots like this would definitely help us. What is their general designation?”

“LP-9 Centaur. LP-Little Pony.9- Number of Sagittarius on the Zodiac.

Have you ever heard of the Scythians? They are stated, according to some histories, to be the first civilization in Europe that perfected cavalry, riding horses into battle as a shock tactic many centuries before the Huns and the Mongols, striking faster and stronger than the foe and sending them into disarray. They plundered every city and village from China to Greece, feared and dreaded by all who knew them. Hence their name. Scythe farming instrument, ploughing through human lives, threshing them like fields of corn. Literally 'Reapers', harvesters of war.” He explained.

“It is believed the Scythians are what inspired the Centaur mythology. Early man, they say, was their prey as the centaurs rode with impunity through the mortal realms, killing men and raping women and children wherever they went. But in the end, man triumphed. The titan Prometheus, their creator and protector, gave mankind the gift of fire. Through fire was crafted bronze and iron and gold and salvation. Man grew strong, strong enough to repel the centaurs with superior armor and weaponry, driving the horse-folk to the lifeless deserts and mountains and prospering unchallenged. The message is clear. Brute force only gets you so far. Victory lies not in muscle but mind.” Archer stopped to take a breath before he walked across the room and continued.

A message that became clear to us at Project Horizons. The horse is not smart enough. The man is not strong and fast enough. A dilemma that has an unorthodox but very simple solution. Combine the two. Discard the weaknesses and hone the strengths. The result. LP-9. We have created an intelligent weapon that possesses the superior strength and skill of the horse and the superior mind of man. We have created...perfection.” He finished and looked at his audience.

“Yes, you have. What was your inspiration for the design if the Sniper, melee and infiltrator model?”

“Well a few months before the oil wars started, I travelled once to London for scientific work. I wanted to take the bus but he was delayed. While waiting, I took notice of a young man that was drawing a sketch that was very detailed and well made. I asked him about it and he told me he wanted to write stories on Fimfiction.net, telling me about his ideas, one of those ideas were those 3 ponies, he called them the Eternal Knights, a unicorn named Fletcher Fray, a Pegasus named White Wolf and a bat pony named Midnight Blade. In one of his stories, they were supposed to be bodyguards severing under Princess Luna’s command. They were the OCs of three friends of him who helped him on his stories. He seemed...a little self-conscious of his hobby. I suppose it's not every young man that's into My Little Pony, or at least its fan-works, but everyone needed an outlet.

Due the shutdown of the website, his stories could never be published. So, to honor his work and also as tribute, I designed those 3 drones after the Eternal Knights, his work had potential.

I also had a gift for him planned but lost contact before I could give it to him. If I meet him again, I’ll give it to him, provided he’s still alive after Russia and Ukraine, signed a ‘mutual interest pact’, cutting off all oil and natural gas trade with Western Europe in August last year, creating a dying economy.” Archer let out a sigh.

“I’m sure you will, Archer. If you don’t mind, what was the present?” Tyler asked curious. The lead scientist let out a weak smile.

“A photo of my work with a special package I made.”

“Regardless Gentlemen, you all did great work.” The General praised them before he leaved. Tyler left too, satisfied with their success. Archer on the other hand looked at the drones that had deactivated, their heads lightly lowered, their eyes all black from it. He seemed to have what appeared to be a guilty expression before he walked out, the eyes of all drones lighted up for a short moment before shutting down again. That was the end of the recording.

“Wow.” Scotch Tape was speechless.

“Okay…If I could, I would like to meet my creators.” Fletcher was completely confused.

“Me and me both.” Scotch Tape replied, wondering if there was more about Project Horizons. From the console, she was able to access the cameras around the base. There were three storage rooms for the drones. The first showed the drones that resembled her friends and father. They were standing on their hind legs in rectangle platforms on the wall, outwards, the filly assumed it where charging stations, it reminded her of the Borg alcoves from Star trek. There were 9 drones of every version, six-squared in order, 36 in total. The second room contained the Wonderbolt and Derpy drones, also six-squared, 36 in total, 4 of every version. The third room stored the Eternal Knight drones, again six-squared, 12 of every version, the Midnight drones were hanging upside down, a cable connected to their back. Only now, both ponies noticed that only one drone of every version had a normal Cutie Mark, all others had Cutie Marks with an almost geometric look, as if it's a gem design imprinted into them rather than a pattern on their coat showing that those were probably produced after the ones with normal Cutie Mark

“It looks like they were never used, still waiting for their first mission.”

“I guess so.” Fletcher replied, finding something interesting in Archer’s terminal. “Scotch Tape, take a look at this.”

He trotted over to him. It appeared to be a diary entry from Archer, regarding Project Horizons.

Project Horizons was a major success but...it came at a price. A horrible price. I can't do this again, I can't. Never should have in the first place. I hope they can forgive me.

“Doesn’t sound so well. I wonder what could have been the price.” Scotch Tape said after she read it.

“Trust me, some things stay better undiscovered.” Fletcher replied with a neutral voice but a light hint of disgust was in it.

“Well, I would like to see them up close.” Scotch Tape couldn’t help it but feel curious.

“If you like. But we better be careful.” Fletcher had nothing against this idea but was a little bit suspicious about the drones.

They walked to a door that side “storage room 1”. Inside, they saw the drones that resembled Blackjack, Scotch’s father, Morning Glory and Lacunae.

“Impressive, they resemble them in every detail. I wonder if they still work.”

“That is a good question. Now, it makes me wonder why the emergency power was still running. I get the distinct feeling that Archer wants my attention. Congratulations. You have it. You might not be thankful for it.” Fletcher Fray looked at the LP-9s, he was really impressed at the detail but didn’t showed it.

“Voice recognized. Initiating activation.” A female voice echoed through the room.

“What did you do?” Scotch Tape asked in alert.

“I did nothing but talk!” Fletcher countered, looking around to see what would activate.

The charging station of one of the Blackjack drones lighted up, the drone’s eyes “opened”, glowing red. She stepped out on her hind legs before getting on all fours.

A white light emitted from the metallic horn, scanning them.

Scotch gulped, fearing it would see them as intruders, Fletcher didn’t even think of drawing his bow, not wanting to make the drone hostile.

“Species…pony, male and female.” It spoke with its cybernetic voice.

The both ponies looked at each other, wondering how the drone would react.

“Greetings, I assume you are lost?” It asked worth a friendly voice, much to their confusion.

“Uh, yes?” Scotch Tape asked, not sure how to react.

“Why are you asking?” Fletcher asked dumbfounded.

“My programming is to never hurt a civilian under any circumstances and help them when in need. The scan showed, that you were scared of me at first and had no intents to steal or tried enter this base on purpose or carry weapons. Friendly.”

“O-kay… Carry weapons, I guess my bow doesn’t count?” The unicorn raised an eyebrow.

“While it is technically a weapon, it’s used for sport too, so I calculated you weren’t a threat. Your voice was also what activated me, as your voice is identical with the Sniper LP-9 and we can activate each other when needed.”

“I see. Shouldn’t your Al be confused about two talking ponies?” Fletcher asked in return.

“My Al is state of the art, and I’m based on the same ponies where you come from. 'That was the most likely outcome.”

“If you say so. Mind if you lead us around, you easily can get lost in this place.” Scotch Tape asked. The drone smiled.

“Sure, follow me.” It wondered both how the LP-9 was able to show emotions. It was fascinating that the base was not fallen into disrepair, still looking as if it had been built yesterday, as the drone leaded them around, showing rest and bath rooms, cafeterias, sleeping quarters and so on, still clean and intact. While Scotch Tape and Fletcher were amazed by that, they didn’t notice a part of the floor that actually was fallen in disrepair. It collapsed as Scotch Tape stepped on it, she fell into a lower level with a scream, landing on her back.

“Scotch Tape? Are you okay down there?” Fletcher called down.

“I’m good.” She got up patting the dust off her.

“You are on the lower levels now. Don’t worry, I’ll join you shortly.” The drone assured.

“Okay.” It was dark, so the filly turned her flashlight on as she walked aimlessly the endless corridor. “Looks like this part fell into oblivion.”

She walked along the corridor, wondering what happened here.

In the distance, she saw a blinking red light. “What could that be?”

Coming closer, she saw what appeared to be one of the drones, but the outer shell was missing, and the insides were visible, apparently damaged, unfinished, or faultily assembled, she assumed. It was leaning with the side against the wall, the blinking light came from it’s eyes. From the size, it was one of the models that were not the Alicorn but wings and horn were missing, so she couldn’t really tell.

“Die!” It yelled in a distorted voice, Scotch Tape covered her head from the expecting bullets.

*click click click click*

“Dang!” the turret complained, causing Scotch Tape to uncover herself.

“Oh, come ON! Oh, this is ridiculous!” The turret seemed out of the bullets. “I, uh... don't have any bullets. Are you gonna give me any bullets? Are the bullets up there?” The filly let out a snorted laugh.

“No, sorry, I can’t give you any bullets.” before walking past the drone.

“Oh, this is ridiculous!” She heard the drone calling out.

Continuing down the hallway, she saw an assembling line to her right. “Must be where they got produced. Explains also the defective drone.” Then she saw 2 lights in the distance, represented by two yellow bars. “That must be Fletcher and the Blackjack drone.”

The wall next to her right got teared apart, she screamed in fear, falling on her back. A drone came out of the created hole. It was an Earth pony, the head was sparking, eyes glowing red, the “fur” was torn from the back onwards, only the chest had cream color with red zebra stripes and red mane, resembling Rampage, the hooves were outfitted with spikes.

“Destroy….destroy… Intruder….terminate…” It spoke in a distorted and broken voice, Scotch Tape crawled backwards as it closed in on her in a zombie-like manner. A metallic clang ringed in her ears, an arrow had penetrated the back of the drone, the tip sticking out of the chest, the robot stumbled. Fletcher charged at it with a spear, ramming it through the chest of the malfunctioning mechanic pony. It sparked more, it’s voice glitching as it dropped on his knees.

The Security pony beheaded it with its retractable blade, the detached head and neck sparkled too before the Rampage drone fell to the ground, twitching.

“Are you hurt?” Fletcher asked with concern. It took the filly a moment to calm down, getting her breathing under control.

“I’m-f-fine.” Fletcher levitated her on his back.

“I hope there aren’t more of this drone.” He turned to the security robot.

“I assure you, this was the only model ever made. Due a malfunction, this drone was only a prototype. The restoring of the main power must have reactivated it.”

“Watch out!” the filly warned as the beheaded body swinged one of it’s spikes before finally shutting down, Fletcher ducked, Scotch Tape covered her head. As she opened her eyes, something landed in her fore hooves. A head. She let out a yelp, it was the head of the Blackjack drone, the neck of the body sparked.

“Would you be so kind as to give me my head back?” the head asked.

“Uh, sure.” She gave it to the body who held it’s fore hooves outstretched. It took the head, attaching it to the neck, spinning it around like a screw. When it came to a stop, the eyes spun around for a few seconds before the security LP-9 shook itself.

“Much better. Thanks to our hive mind, we can still function without problems after getting beheaded or detached from our bodies. Besides, don't think you get rid of me that easily.” The female robot said the last sentence in a jocular tone. That caused Scotch Tape to laugh.

“Wasn’t planning it.” The drone leaded them to an elevator. Riding it up, they were at the same level where the storage and control room were.

“So how did you get here?” The drone asked curious.

“It’s kind of a long story. Scotch Tape replied, telling how she got here and so on, Fletcher too. Both hoped the memory of the Blackjack drone could process everything.

“My condolences. I recommend we take action at once.” She leaded them back to the control and tipped on the console. The screen showed a camera that was moving on a runway, a UAV took off, flying to the last known position of the US Convoy. Bodies of KPA soldiers were scattered around the checkpoint, the Humvees abandoned.

“Looks like they managed to escape.” That gave Scotch Tape hope. The camera detected smoke from a nearby city. Flying over it, the 3 saw that the surviving Us forces were fighting a losing battle, getting slowly pushed back as the KPA had tank and air support.

“That doesn’t look good.” Fletcher watched with worry. Worrying for Jackson, the filly pleaded in despair to the drone,

“We need to save them!”

“We understand.” The drone acknowledged with a emotionless monotone, walking back to storage room 1, Fletcher and Scotch Tape followed her as they wondered what she was about to do. The robot pressed some buttons on a console near her charging station, the other charging stations lighted up, the other drones walked out in union, turning in their direction, also in union. Hearing multiple powering up sounds, Scotch Tape walked to storage room 2, Fletcher to 3. The filly saw how the Wonderbolt and Derpy drones powered up, Fletcher saw how the Eternal robotic Knights powered up. The bat pony drones landed elegant on all fours, the eyes of the unicorn drones glowed blue as they booted up before becoming hazel. The drones walked in formation down the corridor.

“Looks like we got ourselves a small army, Fletcher.” Scotch Tape commented.

“Uh, yes. Shall we join you?” He asked the security drone who was now wearing armor.

“We know to appreciate your battle experience, Fletcher Fray, but for Scotch Tape’s safety, stay here. I have prepared the control room for you.” With that she joined the others. The two ponies walked to it, noticing that the monitor was now displaying what appeared to be a strategic map, the console was for giving orders. The US forces were displayed in blue, the KPA in red. Eventually, the Koreans surrounded the US soldiers.

“Don’t move! Surrender, we have you surrounded, there is no escape!” A KPA officer yelled, training his weapon on them. The Americans raised their hands, the Asians disarmed them. Jackson feared that he would never see his beloved family again as they took him and the others away, the KPA would either admit them into labor camps or kill them.

I hope you could escape, Scotch Tape. He prayed as the situation was lost.

“Incoming! Move! Move! Move! Scramble all squads, repeat, scramble all Squads! Head to high cover and wait for our positions!” the KPA soldiers moved into cover, leaving the Americans confused. They lowered their hands.

“It’s Scotch Tape.” Tanner grinned.

The Wonderbolt drones flew towards the KPA planes and helicopters that moved to intercept.

“Go straight at them! Don't let these dogs scare you!”

“Copy that.”

“We're with you, Spitfire.” The drones acknowledged to their leader as they engaged.

The infantry fired their weapons into the sky, trying to destroy the enemy UCAVs but the mechanic Pegasus had no problem taking out the enemy aircrafts, killing the guards that surrounded the prisoners with their MGs, having pinpoint accuracy, not harming their allies at all.

“Quick!” Tanner and the others grabbed their weapons, firing on the enemy infantry.

An enemy plane tried a strafing run on them, but the leading Spitfire drone intercepted it, flying on towards it, firing a missile that send the KPA plane burning to the ground. Jackson watched how the Wonderbolt drone shot down 10 more aircraft and 3 soldiers in 17 seconds. He couldn’t hold his excitement anymore as the drone flew overhead him.

“That's one hell of a UCAV!” A Z-10 Chimera got shot down and crashed to the ground, the flames and smoke blocked the view to a street behind the US forces.

“Hey, something’s coming through the smoke!” A US soldier yelled, not able to see what it was exactly.

“Spread out, find cover!” Tanner ordered and his men took cover behind a wall. “Get ready to fire!”

Jackson saw two Silhouettes. “What is that?” The soldiers stared when the Silhouettes were fully visible. Two drones an Alicorn armed with a Gatling gun, an armored unicorn with a shotgun. The Alicorn held its weapon into the air before lowering it into a firing position.

“The Goddess judges, I act!”

The armored drone did the same with the shotgun. “No more fooling around. It's time we get serious.” The soldiers ducked behind cover as the drones opened fire. The Americans heard several bodies hitting the ground. Turning around once the fire stopped, they saw several dead KPA soldiers, the ones that were still alive retreated in almost a panic manner.

“We are on your side! Let’s push them back!” The armored drone said as several others formed behind it and the minigun wielding drone. Several 718s were not impressed or cowed by the drones, charging at them, only to be killed by sniper shots, another group advanced, only to suddenly freeze on the spot, twitching, then collapsing. The US soldiers looked behind themselves, seeing a Pegasus Mare and a bat pony landing, a knife on the mare’s hoof, a blade on the bat pony, covered in blood, a sniper glint on a wall on a building next to them. A hook grabbed the ground and a Unicorn Stallion with a Sniper rifle landed on where the hook was placed, then retracted into his hoof. The soldiers looked at each other, impressed but not sure what to say.

“Tanks!” Another soldier yelled as 3 T-99 moved in at the other end of the street. Multiple hoof steps came through the smoke, four blue Earth ponies armed with missile launchers moved in, taking aim. “I'm on it! Move now! I've got him!” They fired at the tanks, with a large fireball, the T-99s exploded, leaving only burning wrecks. As they were destroyed, several Pegasus pony drones with medical equipment landed next to the amazed US soldiers.

“Where are the wounded?” the leader of them asked, Tanner pointed to a tent behind him, the medical drones assisted the medics.

“Sir, we’re running short on ammo!” A private reported.

“Did somebody say ammo?” A grey Pegasus drone asked, dropping supplies before flying back to base to get more supplies.

In the base, Scotch Tape and Fletcher were impressed by it.

“Very impressive for their real first combat action.” Scotch Tape commented.

“Agreed.”

“We are all awaiting your command.” The voice of the Security drone sounded through a radio next to the console.

“B-but I’m no commander!” She replied, not believing what she just heard.

“Scotch Tape, we are fully capable of fighting on our own but having a human commander would make us more effective.”

“Shouldn’t that be Fletcher?” She asked in a scared voice.

“After all you did, we are convinced that you can do this! Besides, don’t you have friends that you don’t want to get hurt?”

“Amy…” Apart from Jackson and Chung, seeing Amy getting hurt by them made her blood boil. The US forces needed every man they could get if the battle of San Francisco shall be a success. Failure could mean they could invade the still free east, getting revenge on the civilians, her sister who suffered already so much.

I won’t let that happen!

“Okay... I'll... I'll try.” She replied with determination.

“You can do this, Scotch Tape. When I first became a commander, I was also scared of failing but I managed to overcome this fear.” Fletcher encouraged her too.

“All US forces, intelligence reports that the enemy has set up MG positions throughout the town. You are instructed to find these positions and remove the threats.” An American reported on the radio. The strategic map showed the drones in a green color.

“Since the Midnight drones are made as Scouts, I would advise that you use them to find those MG nests. My counterparts with their scope can do this task too.” The Eternal Knight gave tactical advices due his experience. She selected all Scout drones.

“Yes?” The leader asked. She moved the camera down the road, giving the command to scout ahead. “Copy that, we’ll find them!” Then she selected the other combat drones.

“Ready.” The Blackjack drone reported.

“Heavy Assault ready!” The Heavy weapon drone acknowledged.

“Grenadiers reporting!” All drones that resembled her father were selected.

“Sniper here.” The Snipers were ready to go.

“Wolves ready for everything!” The counterparts of White Wolf replied.

Scotch Tape commanded them to move up, they got in formation, the Gatling guns and Shotguns were taking the lead, the Snipers were second followed by the Grenadiers and finally the US soldiers while the Medical drones stayed with the wounded.

“Scouts reporting in, first MG position is at the end of the street.” The bat pony report reported in. A half destroyed building was marked on the map, the scout drones kept their distance to avoid alerted the enemy soldiers in it.

“I suggest you order one of the Snipers to eliminate the soldier manning the MG, then a Grenadier uses smoke to cover the attack, the heavy assault provide covering fire while the others clear the MG nest.” The Eternal Knight suggested.

“Sounds like a good plan.” Scotch Tape gave the orders further.

“A prudent course of action.” The robotic squad leader commented, having a light hint of pride in his voice.

The filly selected the first Sniper drone. “Sniper here.” Then she gave the attack order on the MG. “Taking the shot.” The drone took aim, with one shot, the KPA MG gunner was dead.

“Sniper!” the others yelled, scrambling to cover. That was the signal for the Grenadiers to use smoke to cover their advance.

“Suppressing fire!” Tanner ordered, he, together with his soldiers and the Alicorns fired their weapons on the building, pinning the enemy down. The leading Blackjack drone, along with the Scout and Fenrir, so was the name of the White Wolf drones, stormed the building. Scotch Tape and Fletcher noticed that all drones fought with great efficiency, like well experienced veterans.

“For their first battle, they fight like they have done this plenty of times.” Scotch Tape was impressed yet found this strange.

“I suppose this has to do with what Archer meant he could never do this again.” Fletcher replied suspiciously, watching how the light assault drone killed a few enemies with one shot, while the bullets bounced off her armor, the Scouts and Wolves fought either with their melee weapons or SMGs until no enemy was left.

“MG nest cleared!” The leader drone reported.

“The other two must be further down the street.” Tanner suspected.

Before he could ask Scotch Tape, she already gave the scouts the order to look for the other MG nests. They moved down further the road, careful of their surroundings. A squad of the 718 firing from a building to their left, the Gatling guns forced them into cover, the grenades of the Grenadiers took care of the rest, the explosions tore the wall apart.

“Target down!” Tanner yelled.

“Second MG next is dead ahead.” The leader of the bat ponies reported to the filly.

“There is no cover, a attack on open ground is too dangerous. The Grenadiers can take it out from a safe distance.”

“You’re the expert, Fletcher.” Scotch Tape took his advice.

The Grenadiers fired all their missile launchers at once. The house fell apart from the combined blast. “I got that one!” The leading drone of her father exclaimed, attempting to load the rocket in tip-first before realizing his mistake, then simply tossed the rocket in.

“I guess even a state of the art Al can make mistakes.” Scotch Tape assumed.

“Something tells me it’s something different.” Fletcher commented, not believing that an Al would do such a mistake.

“Last MG nest is just down the road.” The bat pony scouts reported.

Like with the second MG nest, it covered open ground, so Scotch Tape had an idea, having an evilly grin. She selected all Grenadiers, then gave the attack order on the house, the MG nest was located in.

The blue robotic stallions raised their Grenade launchers into the air, unleashing a rain of grenades on the MG nest, the explosions leaved nothing but rubble and ruins.

“City is secure!” Jackson was relieved.

“All US forces within range of this transmission, instructions are to assemble at the center of the town and await further orders.” The radio operator informed.

“You heard the man, why don’t you join us?” The leader of the light assault drones asked Scotch Tape and Fletcher Fray on the radio.

“You sure about that?” The filly asked with an anxious voice.

“The town is secure, I calculate that it will be highly unlikely that the KPA will counterattack after they saw us.” The drone replied.

“Okay, I trust you. What about you, Fletcher?”

“I’m impressed by their efficiency. I come along.”

“Don’t worry about the base, the aerial drones will defend it from intruders.” The drone added. Looking on the map, Scotch Tape saw that it would took some time to reach the town by walking.

“It will take some time to get there.”

“It won’t, Scotch Tape.” Fletcher looked for something in his saddlebags, she hadn’t noticed before. It amazed what she saw. Two mechanical wings, the unicorn attached them with a set of belts and straps. The wings were black in color, two thin steel panels atop it folded out and set to its sides like an open book, both with large slots at the ends.

He kneeled down.

“Climb on and hold on tight.” She did as told. “Oh, before I forget. Here.” He gave her what appeared to be pilot goggles, he also set on a pair of goggles. The stallion galloped outside, towards the fields, his horn started to glow. The filly was fascinated as the steel panels extended, producing new panels, each at a slight angle, building up what looked like a crescent, it twisted, its two points tilting up and down, then flapped and the Eternal Knight climbed into the sky. The filly couldn’t help but smile, it was a great to feel the wind brushing against her fur.

“That feels amazing! Why do you have those wings?”

“Glad to hear it. My friend made them for me, got to keep up with Midnight Blade and Wolf somehow. And it’s a nice feeling, the wind brushing against your fur.” He explained as he flew with high speed towards the city. They reached in with a few minutes, he landed and she got off once the unicorn came to a stop. The Humans looked stunned and impressed at the Eternal Knights, the drones had rather proud smiles.

“May I introduce: Fletcher Fray.” Scotch Tape introduced her new friend, who saluted the soldiers.

“Greetings.”

“Likewise. I’m Sergeant Tanner, this is Private Jackson.” They returned the salute, unsure how to react.

The Medical drones joined up, the now treated soldiers behind them.

“Okay, we’re now at full strength.” Tanner was glad that the wounded had survived.

Scotch Tape walked over to a soldier to help him removed some debris.

“T-99!” A US soldier yelled. A barricade exploded, an enemy T-99 moved in. where the filly was. Scotch and the soldier next to her retreated as the tank came to a halt. He fired his MG, a bullet hit the foal in her right hind leg “Ah!” She fell to the ground, incapacitated. The soldier noticed her cry of pain and came back for her.

“I have them in my sight!” two Korean soldiers fired at the soldier as he tried to pick up the filly. The bullet caught him straight in the chest, blood splattered from it and his body fell forwards on her, pinning her down on the ground, helpless.

The tank started to move towards her. “Oh, Celestia! Oh, Celestia!” Scotch tried desperately to get the body off her. “No!” she screamed as the tank came closer.

Author's Note

Looks like she found herself an ally and friend. Fletcher Fray is a OC I and Purple Patch created for one of his stories. White Wolf and MIdnight Blade belong to Whitewolf_Stormrunner and 6samuelb respectively. If you read this, I hope you like Wolf's and Blade's appearences. The Project, is based on a dream I had once where the US militaty made drones that resembles ponies from the show.

Chapter 11 Scorched Earth

Chapter 11: Scorched Earth

Scotch Tape tried everything to get away, it was in vein, the body had her completely pinned down.

The tank track was only inches away from her.

She closed her eyes, expecting the excruciating pain from getting crushed by a T-99.

Her life flashed before her eyes.

Her heart was beating fast from fear and adrenaline.

The vibration of the track was just next to her ear.

Then, something very loud like an explosion, caused her ears to ring.

Opening her eyes, her vision blurry, the tank was in flames, destroyed, barely an inch away from her.

Looking up, she saw how one of the Grenadier drones had his LAW raised, having destroyed the tank. Fletcher and a medic drone ran over to her.

Her hearing returned, as the drone got the body off her. “Don't worry my dear, I’ll have you fixed up in no time! It's not too bad, okay?” The robotic Pegasus said in her calming voice. The filly slowly calmed down, but she got weaker as if she was about to black out. “Stay with me. You're going to be fine. Just stay calm.” She heard the female say in a worried tone.

In the moment Scotch Tape could see fully again, the pain in her hind leg grew stronger, and she fought back tears.

“I have to remove the bullet. Can you calm her down?” The robot asked the Unicorn.

“I can do more than that.” His horn lit up, his aura surrounded the wound. “A sedative spell, you will feel less pain.” True to his words, the pain became less as the drone got a pair of tweezers.

“This might be sting a bit but I’ll make it as painless as possible.” The filly struggled and screamed as the medical drone pushed the tweezers into the wound, Fletcher gently held her hoof, whispering comforting words.

The pain was great but soon her screams of pain became cries through gritted teeth as she calmed down.

The robot had finally found what he was looking for, tightened the tweezers and slowly pulled back.

The Earth pony let out a final scream as the drone removed the tweezers from the wound and held up an almost 7.62mm MG bullet.

“See? All better now.” The drone bandaged the wound.

“You are very brave for a filly of your age.” Fletcher added with a smile.

“T-thank you.” She replied, trying to stand up, painful but possible.

“Since I’m designed to be behind the frontline, it would be better for her safety if I carry her.” The drone suggested.

“If you insist.” Fletcher levitated Scotch Tape on the back of the leading Morning Glory drone.

The metal was cold but she quickly got used to it. She also took notice how the Eternal Knight picked up a PWS Diablo SMG from a fallen KPA soldier with his magic, making sure it was loaded, putting spare mags from the body into his saddlebag.

“Do you need a quick lesson in firearms?” Jackson asked, unsure.

“Look buddy, I'm not interested in the features. I'd use a staple gun if it would help me. Just give me cover so I can refocus.”

“Heads up, enemy infantry!” A fellow soldier warned as more 718s moved in.

“Watch yourself, Fletcher! These guys are crack shots!” Jackson warned him.

Scotch Tape could swear she saw a smirk on his lips. “So am I.”

What she saw next fascinated and impressed her, as well as the soldiers.

In a blink of an eye, the unicorn fired 3 arrows at the same time at three hostiles standing close together. All arrows were headshots. A brave (or more like foolish) Elite soldier charged at him, his bow transformed into a spear, with a swift strike, the enemy soldier fell dead to the ground. Another charged at the Archer bit in a flash, Fletcher vanished and reappeared behind the enemy, stabbing him with his spear before killing another 718 to his right with a clean headshot with the SMG before he could react or pull the trigger.

I guess basing the Sniper drone off him was a wise choice by Archer. Scotch Tape thought impressed.

“All units within range of this transmission, a tank unit is en-route to assist. Orders are to meet up with them to receive additional orders.”

“Okay, let’s move, keep your eyes peeled!” Tanner ordered.

The street was defended by 718 troops, the light and heavy support drones forced them to cover, only to be flanked by the Scouts and Wolfs, getting sliced by their knives and blades, while others were killed by grenades from the grenadiers, and the stragglers got defeated by the US troops. A 718 managed to hide, charged at a Blackjack drone, punching her, only to hold his hand in pain. “Ha!” The drone let out a taunting laugh before knocking him out with a punch to the chest. The US soldiers with their new allies pushed through without trouble.

“So much for the famous 718 Division!” A soldier commented, taunting them as they broke through any defense the KPA threw at them.

Those L-9 drones are really effective. Fletcher thought impressed.

Scotch Tape wondered how long it would take for her leg to heal as a wall behind her collapsed and an enemy LAV broke through, firing at the drone that was carrying her.

“Hold on tight!” The drone warned as she jumped into the air to avoid the shots from the cannon, briefly running along a wall, the bullets behind her as the gunner couldn’t keep up before it get destroyed by a Grenadier.

Scotch Tape yelped at this action before “Morning Glory” landed elegant on the ground.

“You okay?” She asked her young commander.

“Y-yes.” Scotch Tape replied, slightly stunned from this move.

They came to what appeared a large marketplace. “There are too many ambush locations here. I suggest the scouts give us a sitrep of the enemies ahead.” Tanner was suspicious.

“Roger, they can’t hide from us.” The bat ponies moved out.

After a few minutes, the scouts reported in. “Several Snipers and MGs are covering the area.”

“They would cut us down in seconds if we attack them directly. There must be a way to flank them.” Tanner tried to think as the leader of Fletcher’s counterparts stepped forward.

“Sir, we may be able to help. We can take out the Snipers and MGs without being detected.”

“Very well, do what you can. Fletcher, you should join them, that sound like a task where your talents can shine.” Tanner was impressed by his marksmanship.

“As you wish.” He prepared his bow.

“Be careful, Fletcher.” Scotch Tape was worried for him, as she cared for him.

He smiled at her. “Careful is my middle name.”

He then followed his counterpart into a high building where they had a perfect view of the area. The sniper drone placed a Claymore at the entrance and the stairs. “Better safe than sorry.”

The Eternal knight overlooked the area. The MGs had a crossed line of fire in two buildings, there were about 6 snipers in different buildings overlooking the market place, not seeing him. He could find them thanks to the glints on their scopes and their orange ghillie suits that didn’t help in an urban area.

“I suggest we take the snipers out first, then the MG crews. That way we can avoid the troops on the ground being alerted.”

“I was thinking the same, Commander Fray.” His leading counterpart replied, putting a silencer on his rifle.

The unicorn saw how a Fenrir sneaked behind and stabbed one of the snipers, then prevented the body from falling off the building and alerting the others. A bat pony drone did the same with the second sniper on another roof.

Then the 2 drones quickly yet quietly took positions behind the next two snipers, Fletcher understood why. There was a high possibility that the snipers could fall forward when shot. “After you.” The Sniper drone left the two up to him.

He quickly shot two arrows, both headshots. The snipers stumbled, the two drones took care of them. His counterpart took care of the last sniper once the Wolf drone was in position. “Nice shots, commander. We should take out both MG gunners at the same time.”

He could help but grin. “My thought exactly. The one on the right is mine.”

“Ready when you are.” His counterpart took aim.

The unicorn took aim, and in the moment he breathed out he fired. The drone had excellent timing, both gunners were down. “An excellent shot, commander. Your reputation is well earned.”

The Knight blushed at the compliment. “Oh please…”

The US forces used this to move up. “No point in being quiet now.” The robot removed the silencer as the KPA forces opened fire.

The two snipers gave support, despite the height, Fletcher could keep eye on Scotch Tape.

The drone carrying her was staying in cover but still, he was worried about her safety.

On the ground, the drones pushed the KPA back. A small group of enemy soldiers surrounded the medical drone, she threw the filly into the air, Scotch Tape yelped.

While she was into the air, it was like in slow-motion, the drone spun elegant around, firing her MP5 at the hostiles, killing them with headshots. Blood splattered, and the Koreans fell lifeless to the ground before the drone caught the filly. “Gotcha!”

That was an impressive move. Fletcher thought.

Eventually, the market place was secured. An explosion rang in the Eternal Knight’s ears, a Korean had set off the claymore.

Alerted, the two aimed at the door, waiting for more enemies. A 718 came through the door, the drone grabbed him by the neck, throwing him off the roof. “I’ll see you in hell!”

Then they moved down the stairs, meeting up with the others. “Great work! The Tank unit should be just down the street. Let’s go!” Tanner made a sign to move.

True to his word, Scotch Tape and Fletcher saw a T-99 and infantry engaged with three M1A3 Abrams across a bridge. “Sergeant! We have Korean armor firing on the bridge. We need you to take out their tank!” One of the tank commanders yelled via radio.

“They got a T-99 dug in straight ahead!” Jackson pointed it out.

“Not for long!” The leading Grenadier fired his LAW at the rear, the tank exploded, leaving only a burning wreck.

“Good hit.” Tanner complimented as the tanks moved across the bridge.

“We're clear. Coming through.” The tanks drove to the marketplace.

Tanner looked at the sun, it was getting late and the soldiers showed signs of fatigue. “Let’s rest overnight. Tomorrow, we will push forward.”

His men unloaded the supply crates on the tanks, building up a small camp. Scotch Tape tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn.

“Looks like our young friend is tired. You should catch some sleep Scotch Tape, you earned it.” The Pegasus drone brought her to one of the cots, gently putting her down. “Goodnight. Sweet dreams.” The robot walked out and Fletcher joined Scotch Tape climbing onto the cot next to her.

“Sleep well Fletcher, you did great today.” The filly wished him a goodnight.

“Thank you, you too.” He replied before both fell asleep. The soldiers got some rest too, as the drones took the night watch for them, patrolling tirelessly, never letting their guard down.

While both ponies were sleeping well, they both wondered what Archer could mean in his log that he could never do this again.

In the morning, Scotch Tape yawned and stretched herself, seeing that Fletcher was gone. Then she heard hoof steps as he brought her breakfast. “Morning, kid.”

“Good morning, Fletcher. Early riser I see.” They breakfasted together.

“What can I say, I’m a light sleeper, I like to watch sunrises, they’re beautiful.” He replied smiling.

“Makes sense for an experienced soldier like you.” The filly tried to get up, only to let a grunt of pain as she tried to walk, but it was more limping.

“Let me help you.” Fletcher levitated her on his back before walking out.

The soldiers were also awake, Tanner did a briefing.

“Okay, orders are to push the KPA out of this city. They got a rally point at the other end of the city, if we push them back to it, they’re done for.”

Both ponies noticed that the drones were still online, making them wondering how long they could function without recharging their power.

“Morning, I hope you both slept well.” The female squad leader greeted them with a friendly voice.

“I did. Don’t you need to recharge?” Scotch Tape asked the Blackjack drone.

“Well, by standard, we can operate several days without a recharge but we carry 3 battery packs that enable us to operate a few weeks without recharging.” She pointed to her back, 3 blue glowing small cylinders were mounted on it, barely showing any sign of being drained.

“Despite our advanced design, we are very energy efficiency.”

“That was a very smart idea of the science team.” The filly liked the idea.

“Enemy infantry moving in!” Jackson warned, firing his M4.

Fletcher quickly got Scotch Tape to cover before returning fire with his bow, the Gatling guns of the Alicorns made the KPA soldiers scramble for cover, the light Assault drones flanked them but the Koreans weren’t even thinking of giving up.

They fired at the drones, not caring that the bullets bounced off, going down fighting rather than surrender.

That scared Scotch Tape. She had expected the 718 to be fanatical but not the regular soldiers.

“Counterattack parried, now let’s move!” Tanner ordered after the enemy was defeated.

“One of them is still alive!” Jackson yelled as he saw a KPA soldier slowly getting up, his hands raised in surrender.

“I surrender!” he yelled in English, it sounded…scared, tired.

Two US soldiers weren’t very happy with it, angrier with it. “You expect us to show mercy after everything you have done to us, our country, our people?!” One of them hit him with the butt of his M4, making him fall on his back.

“You killed civilians and children! Killed our comrades mercilessly when they tried to surrender!!” The other aimed his rifle at him, the Korean covered his head.

“Stop!!” Scotch Tape yelled, getting their attention. “Killing him in revenge does you not make better than the KPA soldiers who kill civilians. Think about it. What have you gained when you killed him? Nothing. Because you would be like the brutal Koreans, not better than them. My friend Chung is a good example. He follows orders to protect those he loves, yet tries to spare the innocent as good as he can.”

“Hey, Commander Fray, why don’t you teach her some discipline?” the first soldier countered.

“Yeah, this is our business, not hers! If those drones are really on our side, they should have killed him!” the second added.

This enraged the Eternal Knight. With a dark look he trotted to them, looking into their eyes. “I have honor unlike you! I will not hurt unarmed people or prisoners! If you kill an unarmed prisoner, you have no honor! You are a disgrace!”

“And we are programmed to never hurt a prisoner under any circumstances and make sure they are treated well. If you hurt him, we are forced to act against you.” The Security drone replied, her shotgun slightly aimed at them.

“Stand down, men!” Tanner shouted at the two soldiers. “We don’t shoot P.O.W.s. Let him go, that’s an order!”

With guilty expressions, the two privates obeyed. “Thank you! You won’t regret this!” The KPA soldier left.

Jackson smiled at Scotch Tape, making a thumbs up to show he liked what she did. “You can be proud of herself, that’s the right way.”

Fletcher had also calmed down, putting her on his back again.

“Okay, move out!” The sergeant ordered, the tanks took the lead.

They advanced down the road, using the tanks for cover as the KPA fired from the buildings to the left and right.

“Fire!” The tank commander yelled, the M1A3 Abram fired into a building to the left, making Fletcher and Scotch Tape experience a high-pitched shell shock for a few seconds.

“The firepower is impressive.” Scotch Tape saw how the building collapsed.

“They're in the bank! Right side!” Tanner pointed some 718s out.

“Right, in the bank!” The commander gave it further to his gunner, who destroyed the bank with one shot, bringing it down.

They pushed forward. “Move up! Push forward!” Tanner fired at any stragglers that the tanks oversaw, but thanks to the drones, there were only a few left.

“Enemies in that building! Attack!” The leading tank fired another round into a building.

Soon, they had passed the bank, almost reaching the enemy rallying point. “We're almost there! Let's go! C'mon!” Tanner ordered.

To Fletcher’s and Scotch Tape’s surprise the Koreans retreated. “They're falling back! Press the attack!” Tanner was sure of victory.

“Something tells me that…”

Fletcher couldn’t finish as an explosion on a very tall building to the left knocked him and Scotch Tape down, she let out a cry of pain as she landed hard on her pack. The explosion blew off the columns of that building and a car was thrown towards the filly, missing her by a few meters. The building collapsed across the entire street and crushed the tanks, generating a large cloud of dusk. A piece of debris hit near Scotch Tape and she temporarily blacked out.

Scotch woke up shell-shocked and looked at her hooves which have sustained major injuries, bloody cuts. Everything she heard was muffled and echoing. Her overalls were torn and her PipBuck was damaged but still functioning.

The filly saw some of the allied soldiers stumbling around before either passing out or sitting down on the ground stunned. Fletcher almost walked like a zombie, his expression empty, emotionless. He recovered quickly, shaking himself. He gasped at what happened.

As her hearing recovered, she heard saw him moving to her. „It's an ambush, we've got to get the hay out of the kill zone! Move! Move! Head for the building!” He levitated her on his back, Jackson joined them as more debris were fell down, missing them by meters.

“Sergeant, we lost contact with the tank commander. What's the status on the ground?” A General Commander asked on the radio.

“This is Private Jackson, the Sergeant’s dead! The tank column is down and we're getting overrun! This A.O is lost!”

“Missed your last, Private. Say again.”

“They dropped a damn building on us!” The soldier yelled.

“Private Jackson, advice to immediate pull back to rally point.”

“Acknowledged, we’ll try to get there!”

They moved through the collapsed building, some floors still intact, but it rumbled.

“They must have rigged the building to blow if our tanks got this far...” Jackson mumbled.

Fletcher felt how Scotch Tape trembled, trying to process what happened. “Th-that’s insane!”

“I know, I trust the 718 to do something like this but I never thought that the KPA would use the Scorched Earth tactic this far.”

They passed two destroyed tanks, Scotch Tape wondered if the crew got killed by it or survived. The building rumbled again. “This thing's going to come down on us any second.” Fletcher realized.

After that they moved across a particularly destroyed floor with plenty of gaps. „Easy, easy.”

Once were at the other side, the building rumbled, again and a large beam fell down towards Fletcher. Scotch Tape screamed.

The Knight quickly dived out of the way, but Scotch Tape lost her grip and fell off him. Then she saw the bar heading towards her eye, with only a second to spare, Jackson pulled her away before the beam hit the ground.

It tore a hole into the floor along with debris falling down, creating a barrier between them and Fletcher. “Fletcher, are you okay?” Jackson called out to the other side.

“I’m fine. I can’t get through here, I’ll find another way out of here. Keep her safe.” It was lightly dimly lit due the debris.

“I will, Fletcher.”

“Be careful.” Scotch Tape added, still in shock.

“I will. Good luck.” His hoof steps got quieter, The American gently took the trembling filly on his arm.

They continued through the destroyed building, trying to find an exit.

“W-what happened with the drones?” Scotch Tape asked as she realized that she hadn’t seen them after the building had collapsed.

“A large debris separated them from us, they said they would find another way.” The US soldier patted her in an attempt to calm her down.

Fortunately, they found a still intact exit at the bottom. Jackson gently dropped her, then carefully opened the door.

It wasn’t booby-trapped and it lead outside to the other side of the building. The young pony took a deep breath, calming down. “Finally we’re out of here!”

“Yes. Wait…” He pressed himself against the wall, Scotch Tape too as two 718 soldiers moved past, not noticing the two.

“That was a close one, they almost had us.”

“Yes but we stopped them by blowing up the building, that will keep them busy for a while.”

“Yes, that’ll teach them not to mess with the GKR!” The two Koreans shared a laugh.

“Those guys are just crazy.” Jackson commented as they moved out, looking at the outskirts of town as a KPA convoy moved out.

“That must been the rally point. We were so close.” Scotch Tape said.

“Yes. Command, come in. We got out of the rubble.” He spoke into his radio.

“Good, survivors found an alternative way out. Orders are to meet up with another battalion at the mountains, not far from here.”

“Copy that.”

They saw said mountain in the distance. “Doesn’t look like it’s far from here, we should get there within fifteen minutes if we walk.”

He picked her up again due her injury and they walked towards their destination.

They encountered no enemies on their way, yet Scotch Tape was worried about Fletcher. “Do you really think he made it?”

He patted her. “I have no doubt about it, we both know he’s very capable, so I believe he found a way out.”

The filly let out a sigh. “I hope so too.” She cared for him.

The two came to a small camp of the US Forces and two soldiers lead them to their commander.

“Do you need medical attention?” He asked them, seeing the cuts on Scotch Tape’s hooves, but apart from that and being covered in dust, they were fine.

A medic disinfected her cuts. “You were both really lucky that you survived this at all.”

“I know. What are your orders?” She wanted to know how she could help.

The medic pointed to what appeared to be a fort in the distance. “We have orders to capture this fort, it would provide us with valuable supplies we can use for the liberation of San Francisco. There are two Battalions for this task. The first Battalion, which Jackson will be part of, will capture it. The other Battalion, which you could help in, will support the attack by targeting anything that is targeting the attacking forces, a support role.”

“I’ll help in any way I can.” She replied with determination.

Another soldier fixed her overalls, until it looked as good as new.

It didn’t take long until the order to move out . Scotch Tape hugged Jackson. “Be careful, I don’t want to lose you.”

“I will, Scotch Tape.”

They moved out. The filly made a quiet prayer for him to be safe.

“Okay, orders are to capture a church held by the enemy. Stay behind me and I’ll keep you alive,” The medic said in an honest and promising voice as the order to attack came.

The KPA had fortified it, two heavy troopers were the first line of defense, forcing the US troops into cover.

Peeking from her cover, Scotch Tape noticed that the MG gunners were wearing some sort of backpacks that seemed to provide them with power.

Using the trenches for cover, she sneaked behind them, firing a few shots with her pistol on the backpack of one Heavy Trooper. It sparkled and the trooper stumbled from the hits before it exploded, killing him and every soldier near him.

“You’ll pay for this!” The other MG gunner yelled angry fired at her. The filly quickly dived to cover as bullets flew past her. This gave Scotch Tape’s allies the chance they needed to take the Heavy trooper out, firing on his backpack until it exploded, taking him out.

Scotch Tape looked on her PipBuck, all that was left after the Heavy Troopers were 18 foot soldiers. After that, the church would be theirs.

“Flashbang out!” An American threw a flashbang in before they breached, taking the blinded KPA soldiers out quickly.

Scotch Tape followed them inside, helping the medic to carry his supplies for treatment of the wounded.

Artillery hit nearby, causing the ground to shake and dust and small wooden blanks fell down, making the filly cover her head but nothing hit her.

“There is an Artillery gun shelling us and the attacking Battalion. We have to destroy it.” The medic said to her, she nodded, Jackson had to make it to the fort.

As they moved down the street to a farm, the artillery smashed into the road, the medic picked his little friend up, dodging the explosion as he made a sprint to the farm. Once inside, he gently put her down as two Troop transports moved in and KPA soldiers jumped off.

The farm made it possible for the medic to flank them while his comrades kept them busy, they had no chance to react.

As the medic reloaded, he flinched at a pistol shot. Turning around, he saw that the barrel of Scotch Tape’s M9 was smoking, a dead 718 soldier lying with his back against the wall, his head down, his rifle lying next to him. “He tried to kill you in his dying moments.” She explained.

“Thanks. Now let’s take out that artillery gun.” They all moved up the hill, Jackson and the entire US offensive were in danger as long as that artillery gun remained, they had to take it out.

Two mounted MG behind sandbags were the first line of defense, Scotch Tape and her new friend used a large rock for cover.

Seeing a glint in the distance and a flash, they noticed that the gunners got taken out by a US sniper, the Koreans fell forward on the guns with blood splattered across their heads.

A Heavy trooper was the second line of defense, but by aiming at his backpack the US Soldiers quickly took him out, advancing towards their goal along the trenches.

The Artillery gun was in sight, built on a concrete plate and controlled from a bunker built into the hill.

The only way to ensure the other men were safe was to blow up the gun itself. “I’ll go in and place C4 on it, you blow it up when I get out.” The medical soldier gave her the detonator.

“Okay.” She watched how he moved in, several flashes of gunfire before he ran out and she pressed the detonator once he was far enough away.

The explosion destroyed the artillery gun, leaving only an open concrete plate. That explosion was one of the sweetest sights of the war for the US soldiers.

But there was no rest. Scotch Tape saw an anti-aircraft gun over the next ridge, taking out US planes. “Take out that AA gun!” The squad leader ordered.

The filly saw an allied plane getting shot down, diving into the ground in flames until it was out of sight.

The defenders were noticeable fewer than with the other defensive lines, getting overrun quickly.

The weapon crew got surprised by them, the AA gun had two long barrels, mounted on a truck.

“Great work, men and especially you, Scotch Tape!” The squad leader praised her.

But then she heard a noise that she would never forget. Looking up into the sky, she saw an entire squadron of Korean bombers.

They were targeting Jackson’s battalion below her, so she did the only thing she could do.

The medic manned the gun, she loaded the ammo.

It was them against entire bomber squadron, firing the AA gun on every bomber they saw. The escort fighters fired on them but their shots missed the emplacement.

They had no reinforcements. If those men were killed, their advance would be completely halted. And she would have lost Jackson.

After the first few went down, they started targeting the AA position. Scotch Tape had to stand her ground.

They shot down then more bombers.

But then the planes veered away. The filly looked after them before an explosion behind her knocked her down. The bombers bombed the mountain, creating a landslide, burying all of them on the ground.

One of the escort planes got hit by the debris crashing towards her and the US soldiers.

They tried to run as the plane hit the ground in what seemed like slow motion for them. The noise of the impact was loud, deafening and the force of impact was so strong that it blasted Scotch Tape away, making her briefly wonder if she would survive this before everything went black.

Author's Note

This battle is lost, or isn't it?

Chapter 12 Desperate act

Chapter 12: Desperate Act.

Scotch Tape awoke with a gasp, panting heavily. When she got up, she thought she had died and gone to Tartarus. They blew up the mountain. They buried the Americans. They buried themselves.

Getting up with a grunt of pain, she looked around. The crashed plane was next to her, still burning, it was night and raining, small fires were scattered around the area.

Looking on her PipBuck, she saw there were no survivors of the Battalion she had supported, as no yellow bars were around her. She could see some body parts poking out of the rubble, but they all were buried, the filly never got the medic to tell her his name.

She wondered if this was a desperate act by the enemy to stop the offensive, or just crazy.

Jackson! She remembered that he was in the Battalion down there.

She had to find him – so she went into that hell. It was her only choice.

Scotch Tape had to find Jackson. He could have been anywhere. If he survived this massive rock-slide at all.

She prayed he was still alive, he hadn’t deserved to die like this.

Moving down to a trench system, 3 red Bars appeared on her EFS: soldiers of the 718 Division.

“That must have stopped them for sure!” One of the Koreans said, sure of victory.

“Yeah, but it also took a lot of our men with them.” Another replied, unsure what to think of it.

“Sometimes, you have to sacrifice some men to save another or to reach a goal.” The first replied.

“Besides, the Colonel-Commandant knows what he’s doing, if you doubt our capable commanders, why did you even join the 718?” The third asked with a hint of disappointment.

“I just care for my comrades, that’s all.”

They were distracted by their conversation, so Scotch Tape could easily sneak past them. When she had the trenches behind her, she heard gunfire in the distance and screams as the fog cleared. Some US soldiers had survived, pinned inside lodges. She needed to help them, Jackson could be among them.

Walking towards the source, she could saw that the lodges were damaged, the Americans stood their ground, managing to defeat the attacking infantry as she reached them.

“Scotch Tape, you’re alive!” One of the US Soldiers said relieved.

“Yeah...fortunately.” She replied before a sound of engines could be heard in the distance. Armored vehicles came from the enemy fort.

3 LAV-25s of the KPA arrived and soldiers got out.

“There are crates with KPA weapons in the lodges, we scavenged them when we advanced!” The soldier yelled, using a stone wall for cover.

The filly ran into one of the lodges, checking the crates, she found rifles, LMGs and SMGs. Due being still a foal, she could only use light weapons like her M9, a SMG could maybe work for her. Yet nothing that could destroy the APCs.

Until she checked the last crate: it contained C4.

Jackpot!

It was risky but there was no other way to destroy them. “Cover me!” She yelled, running towards the first vehicle, the gunner seemed to ignore her, either overlooking her or seeing her as not a threat. Either way, it turned out to be a fatal mistake.

The filly placed some C4, then dived to cover before detonating it. The explosion leaved only a burning wreck. The second LAV was right next to the wall, allowing the young pony to quickly take it out too.

The last one was at the other side of the lodges, having identified her as threat, firing its cannon at her, pinning her down.

“I can’t move!” She yelled as bullets flew past her.

“Die!” A 718 soldier lunged at her, a knife in his hand. He threw her to the ground, trying to stab her into the chest, she grabbed the knife, struggling against it.

Scotch Tape fought with all her strength, but the Korean was stronger, she had a painful expression as her hooves got weaker, the knife closer to her heart.

No! Please…

“Not on my watch!” An American shoved the KPA soldier off her, drawing his pistol, shooting the enemy several times into the chest, the 718 flinched, getting thrown back with every shot, until he fell with his back against a tree.

“You okay?” He asked, concerned as he helped her up.

“I’m fine.” She replied before another bullet flew past her, the APC was still active.

Carefully peeking out from cover, the filly spotted a US soldier climbing up the LAV to the turret, opening the hatch, throwing a grenade in before jumping off, diving to cover.

With a dim explosion, smoke began to came out of the hatch, the turret ceased fire.

“Enemy APC down!”

Scotch Tape looked on her PipBuck, there were no red Bars remaining.

They had taken out the KPA’s firepower and the lodges were safe.

“Is Jackson here?” She asked with hope.”

“Unfortunately not, his unit had made it further up before the Mountain came down.” One of the soldiers explained.

“Anyone there?” A new voice spoke on the radio. The filly recognized it, it was the Security drone.

“Yes, we have a few survivors. Scotch Tape is with us.” The man spoke into his radio.

“Can’t say how relieved I am to hear that. We got a bit delayed but we are on our way. Expect us shortly.”

“Copy that.”

“I won’t stop until I have found Jackson.” Scotch Tape was determined to find him.

“Our orders are to take the fort, it is highly likely he is doing the same. Follow me!”

After a short walk the fort was in sight, defended by mortars and MG positions.

Looking around, she saw another trench system to her left.

She could hear English yells from it, knowing that they were trapped, she went into it where they were connected to a small bunker where the screams were actually coming from.

The door was not locked.

Once inside, she looked around and what she saw was horror.

While the bunker served as storage for supplies and some weapons, it was also filled with the bodies of Jackson’s unit, only a few were still alive, huddled against the wall, crying, completely shocked, no longer able to fight. The bodies were bloodied, scattered everywhere, the stench terrible, hard to bear, causing her to cover her nose but it didn’t help. She couldn’t even look at the bodies, fearing he might be among them.

None of the survivors or dead looked like Jackson, the still living soldiers were too shocked to be talked to. Most of them were wearing goggles, so she couldn’t identify them but she knew that Jackson wasn’t wearing goggles at all. While he had black hair and green eyes, the dead and survivors had brown hair, blue eyes, brown eyes, blond hair, some had either his eye or hair color, leaving only one possibility:

He had to have made it to the fort.

Walking towards it she saw how two Heavy soldiers got taken out by her allies.

She started to run to evade the mortars until she got to the trench at the outer wall of the fort, looking for another entrance as the front was impossible to reach. Walking to the left side of the trench, she found what seemed to be an underground tunnel.

The soldier who had taken care of the 718 soldier that had tried to stab her joined her. He also was wearing goggles concealing his eyes, but she could see blond hair under his helmet and his name tag showed that his name was Davis, armed with a M4.

“You shouldn’t go alone, Scotch Tape.” His voice sounded caring.

An enemy soldier had spotted them from the inside, Davis took aim, a short, controlled burst, and blood splattered from the Korean’s head as he fell backwards to the ground and a puddle of blood formed on the ground.

“Stay behind me.” The soldier ordered, taking the lead.

Inside, he took 3 more soldiers out. A red bar was still there as they moved past sleeping quarters to their, a 718 rushed out to melee the US soldier, but it was a bad mistake.

Despite being not as trained or being an elite soldier like the 718 was, Davis shoved the edge of his knife into the Korean’s jugular vein. The Korean grabbed the American’s chest in shock. The 718 got shoved backwards and spun around as the US soldier forcefully pulled his knife out.

Scotch Tape had watched everything slightly shocked herself but knew it was in self-defense, Davis had no other choice.

Coming to the stairs, a group of enemy soldiers held them back, Davis threw a grenade to clear the way.

Finally at the top, they saw how the other soldiers got through storming the fort with them.

But the KPA had one last reserve they threw in.

One of the doors got swung open, an entire group of Heavy Troopers came out, firing at the US troops who scrambled for cover.

As Scotch Tape tried in cover to find a way how to take them out quickly, she an idea that could work. Having one last C4 left, she waited until the group came into range, then threw it between it, detonating it.

They staggered from the explosion, making easy targets for the US soldiers, getting defeated in a few shots.

“The fort’s ours now! Great work everyone, especially you, Scotch Tape.” Davis praised her.

She smiled. “Thank you.”

She didn’t know how, she just knew that Jackson wasn’t here.

She walked to the door where the enemy group used to get it, opened and walked outside.

At the exit was a path, littered with dead US soldiers. She checked the bodies, none of them was Jackson.

It gave her hope that he had survived.

And then…

“No! No!” She yelled as she saw Jacksonlying on his side on the edge of a rocky patch, galloping over to him, checking him for a pulse.

Nothing.

Overcoming with grief, she mourned the loss of her friend, a hoof wrapped around him as she collapsed beside him, tears leaving her eyes.

He would never see his beloved family again, which he hadn’t seen for two years, she didn’t wanted to imagine in how much pain his wife and kids would be when they would get told he was dead. The filly knew how much Amy had suffered from the loss of her father.

Suddenly, she felt a hand around her.

Slowly opening her eyes, she felt that Jackson was…breathing.

It was his hand she was feeling. “Jackson?”

“I’m alright…” He couldn’t finish as she hugged him tightly.

“I thought you died!” Tears of joy were now leaving her eyes.

“Just knocked out, sweetheart.” He patted her back.

Davis joined them, relieved to see that his comrade was still alive. “I’m glad to see that you’re still alive, my friend.” He carefully lifted him up and carried him to a Black Hawk for medical treatment.

Once placed inside the helicopter, Jackson said to her, “I owe you one, Scotch Tape. Without you, I had never made it this far.”

“Save your strength, get well soon!” She replied before a medic closed the door and the chopper took off.

She was very happy, Jackson had survived and could see his wife and kids again.

“I never thought we could make it this far alone!” one of the soldiers chatted with Davis.

“You and me both. At first, I thought we would need the drones for that.”

“Me too. Speaking of them, why are they taking so long?” His comrade asked him.

“I don’t know.”

“Hey, look!” Scotch Tape called out, pointing into the direction of the lodges asa great number of yellow bars appeared on her EFS.

It was dark, but they could see that this was the small army of drones, marching in formation, with Fletcher taking the lead.

There they are. About time.” A soldier commented.

A loud mechanic groan came from the sky, Scotch Tape looked up in fear, hoping it was not that was she feared it was.

“No! Anything but…”

A KPA Airship.

It sprayed out green gas, in a blink of an eye, it surrounded the entire fort. “Gas! Quick, Gas masks!” Davis yelled as he coughed violently, having been exposed.

Struggling not to collapse, he saw how all comrades tried the same, all had failed to get their Gas Masks on in time.

Scotch Tape’s eyes watered and burned, her lungs burned, barely able to breathe, her entire body cramped in the worst pain possible as she collapsed, her nose was running and she vomited.

In her painful vision, she witnessed how the soldiers struggled not to collapse, some vomited before falling dead to the ground, others tried to make a run for the exit, staggering before vomiting and dying.

Then she saw Davis.

He was trying to overcome the pain, trying to use the wall as guide, touching it with his hands, moving along it to the door. He abruptly stopped, vomiting against the wall before trying to grab it, falling forward as he died.

The filly thrashed wildly from the excruciating pain, no longer incontrol of their bodily functions.

In her blurry vision, she spotted a light coming closer to her. Was she dying, was this the sign for heaven?

It wasn’t a sign for Heaven, it was one for help.

The light came from Fletcher’s horn, as a green shield surrounded him. When he reached her, he closed his eyes and exhaled, the glow of his horn going brighter.

With a powerful blast, the gas got thrown away from the fort, clearing the area completely of it.

The Unicorn looked at the filly with great worry, her eyeswere swollen, her chest barely rose as a small hint she was still alive but close to death.

“Scotch Tape!” He yelled, almost desperate.

She whimpered, starting to shake.

Fletch…”she said weakly. “Hurts.”

“Hold on, the medics will fix you up!” His voice changed to one of panic as he looked at them, they checked for other survivors, shaking their heads to signal that there weren’t any survivors.

The leading medical drone galloped forward, checking her over. “She’s dying, we must act fast!”

“We never reach the next hospital in time by walking! She’ll die before the doctors could stabilize her!” Fletcher exclaimed.

“We got this!” The leading medical drone lifted Scotch Tape on her back, making a waving gesture into the sky.

The Eternal Knight wondered why until he saw what appeared to be another airship, right over them, it was dark he couldn’t see it exactly, but it was differently formed than the KPA airships. A door in the middle opened and several ropes were dropped from it.

The drones grabbed them, the ropes retracted, bringing them on the airship.

There was also one rope for Fletcher, and without hesitation, he grabbed it too, getting onboard.

He was slightly impressed at the furnishing and equipment of it. The corridors were mostly metal but there were also charging stations for the drones, sleeping quarters, a cafeteria, and even a medical bay where the drones transferred Scotch Tape.

After a few minutes, the first created Blackjack drone came out. “How is she?” Fletcher asked, worried.

“We could stabilize her once we return to our base to treat her. It will only take a few minutes to get there.”

He let out a sigh. “That’s a relief, I thought we would lose her.”

True to the drone’s words, the airship reached the base in only a couple of minutes, and a large gate opened, allowing it to land in the underground base.

The medical drones, as well as all leader drones brought Scotch Tape into the operating room, she was apparently in anesthesia, an oxygen mask over her mouth.

Fletcher Fray waited outside, worried if Scotch Tape would make it, he cared for her.

Not only because he liked her or enjoyed her company but also due a horrible event during the Civil War. The Eternal Knights cared for a filly that got killed despite their attempts to save her.

That memory was still stuck in his head, and as such, he sworn to himself to help any foal in need and keep them safe until they were reunited with their family.

But at the moment, he could only pray that she would make it.

Scotch Tape awoke as she felt great pain, she wanted to scream but she couldn’t as her entire body was numb. Her vision was completely black. Despite the pain and the numbness, she could faintly hear a voice but the last word cut off.

“It looks like a... Walks like a... and sees like a...”

Author's Note

I think you can imagine what happens to you, don't you?

Chapter 13 A father's worry

Chapter 13: A father’s worry

P-21, Blackjack, Morning Glory and Lacunae teleported with the Alicorn’s magic on a heavily damaged Borg cube, drifting around Equestria’s atmosphere, visible as a small object in the sky from the ground.

At first, some sort of green portal appeared in the sky and the heavily damaged vessel came out, causing every pony to look at it in fear and awe, wondering what it was.

Then, several creatures covered in grey/ black armor appeared on the ground, outfitted with strange looking cybernetic implants, kidnapping ponies, Scotch Tape was among them.

So, her father and friends decided to save her, P-21 had once read when he was her age that the Borg were fictitious enemies in a human TV show called Star Trek, he couldn’t believe they were real.

P-21 was not the name he was given at birth, but being a male in the by mostly female inhabited Stable 99, his name was taken from him when he reached adolescence, he couldn’t remember his birth name. Among with the other Stallions, he should make sure the population would stay at 500.

While never having any direct contact with his daughter, believing that he wasn't fit to be a dad, he still cared greatly for her.

As such, he prayed the Borg hadn’t assimilated her yet.

As they didn’t wanted to alert the Borg, they teleported into an area of low importance.

It was a small room with a single alcove and a single operation table for Assimilation.

“Alright, stay calm, we don't want that they see us as threat. That means you, Rampage.” Blackjack made sure the safety of her shotgun was on. “With any luck, Scotch Tape hasn't been assimilated yet. Ok now were is she being held again?”

Morning Glory smiled at Blackjack “The assimilation chamber.”

The Unicorn facehoofed. “Of course it's in the name!”

“Yeah, yeah.” The immortal earth pony mumbled.

Morning Glory looked at a Borg drone that regenerated in an alcove in a corner in front of her.

”..That blank stare...can't tell what they're thinking.”

“As best as I can sense, they're intent on repairing their ship and don't consider us as threat.” The Alicorn said, able to hear the hive mind via telepathy.

The exit was blocked by a green force field, it flickered.

“If we’re going to move on, we’re going to have to drop that force field.“ Rampage looked around, seeing a box with a green circle in the middle, mounted on the wall, sparks came out of it.

“Destroying this disnode should deactivate it.” Glory suggested, Rampage swinged her hoofclaws at it, the disnode exploded, the force field as well as all Borg drones in the area shut down, falling lightly for- or backwards, their arms loose in the air.

“Alright, let’s move.” Blackjack took the lead, they walked along a hallway, past a human Borg that tipped on a terminal, ignoring them.

They came to an open hallway, containing several Borg alcoves, some of them empty, some others occupied by a drone, regenerating. There was an open view to the other side, a deep Abyss, separated this hallway from the other side, it stood several meters high.

“Wow, this place is huge!” The Pegasus commented, impressed.

As the white mare walked past an occupied alcove, the drone activated, stepping out and walking towards the group in a steady walk.

They aimed their weapons at the drone. “He’s coming right at us! Should I take him down?” The Alicorn asked, her Gatling gun trained on the drone.

“Stay down.” Blackjack replied, watching the drone’s movement.

The drone stopped as it as next to Rampage, giving her a glare, it’s red laser pointed at her head for a few seconds before moving on. The unicorn could swear that Rampage had gulped as the drone had glared at her.

At the end of the hallway, a blue force field shielded the doorway.

“A high security force field… I will attempt to override it.” The Pegasus mare tipped on a terminal, it did not respond. “This terminal is malfunctioning… P-21, take out that generator.” She pointed to a cylinder mounted at the wall next to the doorway, he placed explosives on it.

“Take cover!” He yelled as the explosives were placed, taking cover behind a support beam where another terminal was placed next to it.

Several flashes of green appeared in the room as Borg drones beamed in. “We got company!” He yelled, having his grenade launcher ready.

He counted two at the entrance, two on a platform above them and two to their left.

He noticed that those drones weren’t aliens or humans but some of the ponies the Borg had kidnapped, all three races, Earth ponies, Pegasus and Unicorns.

They all were covered in this grey armor, their manes’ gone, their expressions empty, one eye replaced by an eyepiece, their cutie marks hidden by the armor, their coats pale grey.

The horns of the unicorns and wings of the Pegasus were also covered in the armor.

He then took notice that the drones at the entrance, one Earth Pony and a Pegasus, as well as the two Pegasus on the platform, had got replaced their right fore legs with some kind of weapon.

“Wait, they’re just standing there…”Morning Glory found it strange, the former ponies were doing nothing, just staring empty into their direction.

“They must not consider us a threat.” Blackjack remembered them.

The Pegasus in the doorway raised it’s new ‘leg’.

As the unfeeling creature's eyes glowed with aggression, so too did its firearm. With a sharp 'thrum' of activation, it discharged with force a bolt of glowing green energy, compacted into a ball that rocketed across the room.

As it hit the wall behind them, barely missing the crew, it splashed like a pack of liquids, spraying the grate with a luminous, lime-colored substance that fizzed and crackled like acid, billowing smoke and steam.

P-21 sucked his teeth with dread as the Borg's rifle 'thrummed' again, its user picking out a fresh target.

“Well...” he sighed that’s new...”

The Earth pony raised its weapon too.

The Borg was armed with a weapon that, like most Borg weaponry, was unlike anything he'd ever seen before.

It was shaped almost like a pair of tongs with a flickering energy charge between the two heads, capped with battery packs at the base and, fitting in with much technology designed by its insidious culture, adorned with an untidy brace of fleshy wires leading all over the guard's body.

With a sharp, eerie hum, a thin, shimmering jet of bright lilac shot from the blank-faced guard's weapon. As it stretched forward, it curved with a misty trail, seeking a living target.

A tracking shot.

P-21 flung himself flat on his belly as the shot narrowly missed his head, almost singeing his mane, slamming into the wall in a small lighting cloud.

“They’re shooting!!!” Blackjack exclaimed, firing her shotgun at the two drones in front of her, hitting the Earth pony, it twitched from the shot, Morning Glory finished it off with a hit into the chest from her AER-14 Laser Rifle. The Drone fell onto his knees, then on its stomach.

The Pegasus had no chance against the Gatling gun, getting thrown in its back from the brutal force.

Rampage decided to took care of the two Unicorns on the left, they had no weapons, only their Assimilation tubes, closing in on her.

She kicked one of the Unicorns with her hind legs into the gut, it got thrown against the wall from the powerful kick, sparkling from the claws, falling on its stomach.

She lunged at the other with her forelegs, punching it several times.

The unicorn held his gut as it collapsed.

The blue Stallion aimed at the two Pegasus on the platform, firing a grenade, causing the drones to be blasted of it, landing defeated on their chests.

“Since when can the Borg shoot?!” Blackjack asked in disbelief as she reloaded her shotgun.

“They're obviously been isolated from the collective for some time, they must have adapted.” Morning Glory figured out.

“Great.” P-21 commented as the dead drones disappeared in green lights, dissolving.

“Well, good for us that they can’t adapt to projectiles. Or can they adapt and we haven’t seen it?” Blackjack commented on the Borg’s ability to shield themselves from energy weapons.

“I don’t know but I modified my rifle so that it changes frequency with each shot, so they can’t adapt to that.” The Pegasus mare replied proudly as they moved on.

The group walked down the hallway. P-21 walked past an alcove occupied by an assimilated Earth pony, it activated, stepping out as he was next to it.

He quickly hit it with his grenade launcher into the neck, it sparkled and spun around before dissolving.

The unicorn took the lead, walking down a ramp taking a left turn, coming to several assimilation chambers, their entrances protected by yellow force fields.

They stopped at the first chamber to their left.

“Look, it's Scotch Tape! We have to save her!” Glory exclaimed as she saw the poor foal.

The filly was restrained on what appeared to be an operation table. Her skin was lightly mottling, her mane was gone, her left eye replaced by an eyepiece, her still organic eye was weeping constantly. She screamed in pain as a drone surgically worked on her body.

“I’m on it!” P-21 exclaimed determined.

Seeing how the force field on the last chamber on the right deactivated, he made a run for it, a human drone was operating the chamber, raising it up, another was working on a terminal, ignoring him, so he jumped on the next platform in the other assimilation chamber, pressing the terminal to raise it.

“Hold on, Scotch Tape! Daddy’s coming!” He called out, galloping to the other side of the upper levels of the chambers, stopping with a screech as 3 Pony Borg drones activated from their alcoves.

The first in the middle seemed to be a bat pony, his eyes completely grey, no pupils or anything, a circle formed eyepiece replaced its right eye, connected with several tubes leading to its back, the right fore hoof replaced by this tong looking weapon.

To his left was a Pegasus, with what P-21 found strange, fangs in the upper and lower jaws. It had no weapon but a rectangular eyepiece replacing the left eye.

And to the right of the bat pony was a unicorn, having also completely, grey pale eyes and the right fore hoof was replaced with that energy beam weapon and the same eyepiece as the bat pony had on the right eye.

“Halt, intruder.” They spoke in a monotone voice.

“You will be assimilated.” The bat pony’s laser was pointed at P21.

“You must comply.” The Pegasus stared at him.

“State your intent.” The unicorn pointed its laser at the stallion’s head.

“Resistance is futile.” They spoke together before the Pegasus moved at a rapid speed towards the unassimilated pony, while the unicorn and bat pony raised their weapons.

P-21 dived to cover as they fired, pinning him down, in a flash of green, the Pegasus had teleported in front of him, grabbing his throat, causing him to gasp for air as its Assimilation tubes came out of the left hoof, getting closer to his skin.

Spotting his grenade launcher next to him, he kicked the Pegasus, causing the drone to stumble, and letting go. In the moment the Borg had recovered, the blue pony fired a grenade, due the short distance, it didn’t explode but the direct impact knocked the Pegasus against the wall, it fell over, staying motionless.

Peeking around the corner, P-21 took notice how patient the Borg were, quickly going back to cover as another beam almost hitting his mane.

“Hurry, they’re almost done!” His Pegasus friend warned.

Seeing what seemed to be a loose plate over the Unicorn, the Earth pony fired an indirect shot after having calculated the trajectories for it.

The grenade bounced off the wall, exploding above the plate, it fell on the Unicorn drone, it struggled helplessly to get free before shutting down.

Knowing that time was running out, seeing that the drone was standing next to the platform he needed to lower to get to his daughter, he decided to take it head on.

Running in a zigzag course, the Borg drone had problems to get an aim on him, he rushed at it, delivering a powerful strike to the throat, knocking the pat pony down.

It twitched and sparkled before it died.

P-21 smiled in satisfaction.

“Too late!” He heard Morning Glory’s voice in his ears.

“No…” Frantic, he lowered the platform, having to realize that Scotch Tape’s assimilation was complete, as the platform she was on, had been raised into a separated upper floor.

In a feeling of sadness and failure, he pressed a button on a terminal to deactivate the force field, so he could join the others.

“I failed…I failed!” He stomped the metal floor in anger.

The security mare instantly hugged him to calm her friend down.

“You have at least tried it, P-21. It was worth a try.”

Getting calmer, he asked, “What about the others, can we at least save them?”

The Pegasus used the terminal P-21 had used to deactivate the force field. “Sadly, no. Scotch Tape was the last pony to be assimilated, we took out every single one of the other assimilated ponies.”

Letting out a sigh, the male pony said, “Let’s get out of here, there’s nothing more we can do here.”

Lacunae’s horn started to glow and they vanished in a white light.

As P-21 opened his eyes, he found himself not on the ground, but still on the Borg vessel, the room had 4 Borg distributions nods in each corner on small platforms, protected by yellow force fields, there was also what appeared be a catwalk in the middle of the room.

“Uhh…Lacunae, what happened? Where are the others?” He asked.

“They are save back on the ground. There was some interference with you, so I had to send you back to the Borg vessel.” Lacunae replied telepathically to him.

“WHERE in the Borg vessel?” P-21 asked, not liking where he was.

“The Borg Central Plexus. Avoid alerting them to your presence, and I get you out shortly.”

He heard a humming sound, turning around, he saw that a blue force field had activated at the entrance, trapping him. “Too late.”

Steam came out of the middle of the room, an elevator got activated and the stallion grabbed his weapon, ready to face whatever would come to stop him.

To his horror, it was Scotch Tape, now a Borg Drone, her mane gone, her left eye replaced by an eyepiece, her coat grey, covered on exo-plating, her right foreleg replaced with a weapon that seemed to be a combination of both firearms of the Borg, her expression empty. She took a step forward.

“We are the Borg. Existence as you know it is over. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile.” Her voice was cold, emotionless, monotone.

She raised her weapon, firing an energy beam, her father ducked to evade it.

I can’t kill her! There must be something to take her out without killing her!

Then he got it.

The distribution nods!

Making a run for the distribution nod to his left, remembering that it deactivated the drones, if he could destroy them, it could deactivate the Borg Drone that was his daughter, so he could reserve what the Borg did to her.

She fired a shotgun like shot with the beam, but he was far enough that the spread created a gasp he used to evade it.

As he reached the first one, he smashed the terminal controlling the force field, deactivating it in the process.

Let's see how well you adapt without these.

He placed explosives on it and detonated it, the nod exploded in a small but dazzling blast, scattering chips of machinery, the platform raised up, the drone froze in the spot, twitching, making her open to attack.

P-21 went close, using direct impacts in the hope of knocking her out. The result was different from what he expected.

Scotch Tape collapsed on one knee with a grunt of pain and anger, a part of her exo-plating fell off, the fur of her knee of her left hind leg and her now grey fur on her gut was visible.

“Resistance is futile. You will be… …assimilated.” Her voice glitched.

That showed the stallion that his tactic seemed to work, so he went for the next adaptive node, evading a tracking shot by using the platform as cover.

After lowering the force field and destroying the node, the filly twitched again, leaving her open for more direct impacts.

This time she fell on her butt with another grunt of pain and anger, plating on her left foreleg and her right shoulder fell off.

“Futile is…Assimilated…You will be…resistance.” She glitched more.

The drone teleported on the catwalk, firing from there on her father, he avoided her shots, destroying the next distribution nod.

After hitting her two times, the filly teleported back to ground level, holding her head as she grunted again, the plating of her left foreleg fell off, the weapon too, leaving loose cables, parts of the armor sparkled from the damage.

“Assim…Resist…futile…”

This time, she tried to teleport behind him, trying to ram into him.

He made a sprint for the last one, destroying it too.

The filly drone sparkled and fell on her knees, defeated.

P-21 wasted no time, running over to her, gently holding her.

“Scotch Tape, can you hear me?” He asked worried, hoping she was still alive, as her eye was closed, the exo-platting made it difficult to check for breathing or a pulse

“Da…Daddy…” Her voice was weak, her eyepiece was blinking, showing that she was hurt pretty badly.

“Shh, save your strength. We get you out of here and reverse what they did to you.” He spoke gently.

A single tear leaved Scotch Tape’s normal eye. “I’m sorry…. Hurting you.”

“Don’t be, that wasn’t you. I don’t blame you.”

“I…love… you…Daddy…”

“Stay with me! You’re gonna be alright!” He yelled desperate, not wanting her to die.

Her eyepiece stopped to blink, her body went limp

“No…NO!” P-21 screamed, not believing that his daughter had died before his eyes.

Tears leaved his eyes as he mourned her, his beloved daughter, everything he had left after Stable 99 got destroyed, she had been everything for him.

“You killed our daughter!” Dusk Tape’s voice echoed in his head.

“No, I tried to save her!” He defended himself.

“You killed her! Our daughter! She died because of you!” Scotch Tape’s mother yelled, screeching in his eardrums, utterly berserk.

“I…I…” Only now, he noticed that his hooves were covered in his daughter’s blood.

He had killed her.

“I’m… so sorry...” he blamed himself, he had tried to save her, only to achieve her death.

P-21 gasped, breathing heavily, cold sweat running down his face as he awoke from his nightmare.

“S-Scotch Tape…” He buried his face in his hooves, crying himself to sleep.

After the young filly had vanished, the worry about her was keeping him awake at night or made him having terrible nightmares about her wellbeing.

In the next morning, he woke up with guilt feelings, sadness, having no longer self-confidence, not even wanting to get out of the bed of the new home Blackjack had required some time ago in the Chapel for herself and her friends, it was the former home of the founder of the Crusaders who had unfortunately died also some time ago.

There was a knock on the door. “Go away!” He yelled.

It opened anyway, Blackjack walked in.

“I’m fine.” The Stallion looked at her with tear filled eyes.

“P-21, I know how worried you are about her, we all are, hope is what we need now.” She gave him a friendly hug to cheer him up.

“It’s just…I don’t want to lose her. She almost died once, I can’t take it if she…”

“We both know that that young filly is very brave for her age and quick to learn, so I’m sure she’s fine. Sometimes, she’s like a daughter to me. And we’re doing everything we can to find her.”

“Thank you, Blackjack. Sometimes, I wonder if Duct Tape had been proud of me, or if she had been ashamed.” He returned the hug.

“I think, given what happened in Stable 99, forcing us to go, that she would have it wanted so, that you keep her safe.”

“You really think so?”

She smiled. “Yes. Maybe you should catch some fresh air to make you feel better.”

Yeah, I should. By the way, I appreciate what you think of my performance as father.”

“You’re welcome, that’s what friends are for.”

As P-21 was about to walk out, he saw Morning Glory, Rampage and Lacunae in the living room, the former 2 stretching themselves.

“Morning, P21.” The Pegasus smiled at him.

“Morning.” He returned the greeting.

“I want to let you know, if Scotch Tape is hurt, I’ll do anything I can to fix her up. I’m behind you.” She stretched her hoof out for a hoof bump, which the blue pony returned.

“And anypony who dares to hurt her has to mess with me!” Rampage exclaimed, showing how she cared for the young filly.

“And I will let you know first when I got news about her whereabouts.” Lacunae promised.

“I appreciate it. All of you.” He really liked that they all cared for her, helping where they could.

As he walked through the Chapel, the Crusaders greeted him, giving their condolences, he thanked them in return.

The Chapel was not a bad place to live, he liked it here a lot, it was better than Stable 99 in many things and the Crusaders helped each other no matter what.

It was only a few days since Scotch Tape had vanished, it was the same day she got her Cutie Mark, it had filled him with pride.

I wish you had been there to see this, Dusk Tape.

He had no doubt that Scotch Tape’s mother would have been also proud of her daughter getting her Cutie Mark. Dusk Tape, unlike other mares, actually treated him well, having a good relationship with him. While she died in an accident during work, leaving Scotch Tape to do her tasks, P-21 knew that Duct Tape would be forever alive in his and Scotch’s hearts.

He walked past the Crusader store, known as Charity's; Where We Ain't! run by the de-facto leader of the Crusaders, Charity.

A unicorn filly that was a very shrewd business pony, but lived up to her name when the situation called for it.

He decided to get in to see what she got in store, also saying hello to her.

“Welcome, how can I help you?” She asked friendly behind her counter, noticing it was P-21. “Good morning, P-21!”

“Morning, Charity.”

“Sorry for what happened to Scotch Tape. Here, take this Sparkle-Cola, I managed to buy for a discount. It’s on the house.”

“Thank you.” He enjoyed the beverage, It didn't do much to change his mood but the thought was appreciated in any case.

“You should be proud of Scotch Tape. She has achieved many things, you should be proud of, especially her Cutie Mark and improving our living conditions, If I may say so myself. For us Crusaders, she’s a special member.”

“Of course I am proud. Why shouldn’t I?”

“Good morning, Charity.” Another young voice sounded behind, it was Precious, adragon/pony hybrid and a good friend of Scotch Tape.

“Good morning, Precious.” The unicorn gave Scotch Tape’s friend also a Sparkle-Cola.

“Morning, Mr. P-21, I’m sorry to hear what happened to Scotch Tape.”

“P-21 is just fine.” She smiled at her.

“Okay. For me, your daughter is a friend anypony could ask for.”

“Glad to hear it.” It pleased him to hear this compliment.

“Have a nice day!” Both called out as he left.

Despite having a better mood, he still felt worry and a little bit anger.

Stupid Alicorn! Why did it have to fire that spell?! If it hadn’t, she would be still here, celebrating with us! Scotch Tape, my dear, sweet daughter, I can only pray you’re fine.

Suddenly, there was a cramping pain in his chest, like he had a heart attack.

He held his chest in pain.

What’s wrong? He wondered.

I…love… you…Daddy… echoed in his head.

His pupils went small in shock.

“No…NO!” He collapsed, tears leaving his eyes.

“SCOTCH TAPE!”

Author's Note

Poor P-21 lost what he loved and cared the most, it's never easy. His nightmare is based on the old game Star Tek Yoyager Elite Force, good game for it's time. I apologize if I got Charity wrong here, I based this on a thought how she would react to such a event.

As for Scotch Tape's mother, this is based on what P-21 said about her in chapter 40 of Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons, but only Somber knows the truth.

Chapter 14 Dark Words And Darker Deeds

Chapter 14: Dark Words and Darker Deeds

Scotch Tape’s hearing slowly got better, but while she heard clear again, her vision was still black. “Then it must be a drone.” It was the voice of the Blackjack drone. The pain subsided a little bit.

D-drone? She was confused. Finally, her vision returned. It was still blurry but became clear after a few seconds.

She looked the Blackjack drone in the eyes. The robot had a sad expression. “You're awake. I thought we couldn’t save you anymore.”

The foal got up and asked, “What do you mean with-“ She cut herself off as her voice sounded different. It was cybernetic. “What is wrong with my voice?” In shock, she looked at her body. Instead of her green fur, her body was not organic anymore but cold, green metal. Even her mane and tail were metallic in her color. Frantic, she looked into a mirror. She looked like one of them, only her right eye was still organic. “W-What have you done?” she asked, shocked.

The medical drone stepped forward. “Scotch Tape, your internal organs were so seriously injured that this was the only option to save you.” She had regret and pity in her voice but it didn't matter to the filly.

“I-I...I can't believe what you did to me!” She tried to run away, but not yet used to her cybernetic legs, she tripped and fell.

“Please, Scotch Tape, let me explain...” Her father's counterpart tried to comfort her by rubbing her back. While she could feel nothing, it was somehow nice. As comfortable as it was, Scotch Tape was still upset and jerked herself away from his grasp.

“Leave me alone! I hate you!” She ran away, having trouble keeping her balance.

She made it out of the operation room and tried to find the exit, but tripped again. The filly’s brain was so much in an information storm, that Scotch Tape didn’t even try to get up. A small tear rolled down her check, but she didn’t feel it, only noticing it as it dropped on the floor. Realizing that she couldn’t even feel her own tears, the foal broke down, crying. Then, she heard normal hoof steps. “S-Scotch Tape? W-what happened to you?” It was Fletcher Fray, shocked to see her like this, unable to process it.

Without warning, she jumped towards him and slammed right into his stomach, nearly causing him to lose his balance. Her hooves wrapped around his abdomen as she cried into his chest. He rubbed her back. “Shh, calm down.” As his hoof was on her new body, he noticed something strange. He could swear that the metal felt warm, like Body heat. He could also faintly hear a fast heart beat from her metallic chest.

It made him wonder, in shock, how much of her organic body was left, if she was forced to be like this forever.

The sound of metallic hoof steps entered his ears. Looking up, the first produced drones came into view, having guilty expressions but it didn’t matter for the Eternal Knight, his anger was taking control.

“How could you do this to her?!” The unicorn yelled at the robot ponies while rubbing the filly’s back who was crying her heart out.

“You must understand, she was dying, we had no other choice.” The Blackjack drone tried to explain but this enraged Fletcher even more.

“Choice?! You were meant to heal her! Not turn her into a weapon! You used her injury as an excuse to create another killer...like you!” Fray shouted in anger.

His counterpart stepped forward, his expression neutral. “I am a droid. I do not have the ability to think before killing. You, however, have all the thought and choice your kind are privileged to, yet you go into battle and kill regardless. By that logic, which of us is the living weapon, the creature crafted for war? I had no choice but to be the way I was designed. But you could spare every life you have taken if you had simply chosen to. Yet you didn't. I am curious to know...What made you a killer?”

I...Uh…” The green pony was lost for words.

“As I suspected. Besides, our brains and hearts are just like yours.”

That confused Fletcher and Scotch Tape. “What do you mean?” the filly asked, not able to understand.

“Let us show you our secret.” The female unicorn drone replied, the metal on her forehead and chest removed, it happened on the other 6 drones as well, revealing something that shocked both ponies.

In the heads of the drones was a human brain, protected by a glass box filled with water, small cables and tubes connected to it.

In the chests were human hearts, also in glass boxes, beating and several tubes were also connected the box and heart.

“You…You are…cyborgs?” Scotch Tape couldn’t believe it.

“Yes, Scotch Tape. We were once humans, US soldiers fighting in the Oil war. I was a Sergeant with the name Katie Brown. And the other first produced drones were my squad mates.” The Blackjack drone explained.

“How…can you be alive?” Fletcher was lost for words at this.

“It’s a long story. Our organs are fed via the charging stations and improved by nanobots in our new bodies, and to supply our bodies, too. The hive mind allows us to communicate to each other telepathically, also controlling the other drones that are not cyborgs, but only normal drones.” Katie explained.

“O-okay…H-how did this happen to you?” Scotch Tape asked, not able to process what she just heard.

“We can show you it, by temporary connecting you to our hive mind if you let us do that. There’s nothing to be afraid of, Scotch Tape, it won’t hurt a bit.” The former medic explained to them.

“I would like to know. What about you, Fletcher?” The filly asked him.

“I guess it would make it easier to understand.” He replied, his voice had a slight hint of disgust.

“Follow me” The Pegasus drone took the lead, Scotch Tape tried to walk, but she tripped again.

“Let me help.” The Eternal Knight levitated her on his back.

They followed the medical drone to a sleeping quarter, pointing to two beds.

The green unicorn gently placed the filly on one bed before climbing into the other bed.

“Now that you are comfortable, let’s begin.” The robotic Pegasus attached a small circular object on Scotch Tape’s forehead, then one on Fletcher’s forehead.

“Don't be afraid, Scotch Tape. We're here to help you. Open your mind to our thoughts, and concentrate on getting well. Hear our voices. Open your mind to our thoughts. Our collective strength can heal you. You're safe with us. Feel the connection. We're with you. See who we are. Know us. You're not alone. Our strength is your strength. We can overcome your pain. We welcome you into our thoughts. There’s nothing to fear. We won't let you die.” The drones spoke together in a monotone voice, Fletcher heard the same before everything went black.

As the filly’s vision returned, she found herself in the body of a female US soldier, seeing everything with her host’s eyes, it felt strange for her. Her friend found himself in the body of a male US soldier, also feeling strange about it.

The soldiers were in a US base in a sandy environment, checking a map.

Fletcher saw that Katie had brown hair with matching eyes, armed with a shotgun, Scotch Tape looked at his host, a sniper having the same eye and hair color as Fletcher, his nametag showed that he had the name Klaus Baker.

“Reporting Sergeant, everything’s quiet.” A new voice sounded in their ears.

Turning around, they saw the rest of the squad. The demolition expert had brown hair and blue eyes, armed with a grenade launcher and a M4 with attached grenade launcher. The filly could feel how Katie’s heartbeats increased, making her wonder if they were lovers or married, as Jeff Jones, so said his nametag, had an amorous expression.

Fletcher could see two other soldiers, one male, the other female, both armed with SMGs. The male soldier had black hair and green eyes, with the name Joseph Lopez, the female soldier had blue eyes and brown hair, with the name Grace Stone.

“At ease. The enemy seems to have captured an outpost near the camp. Our orders are to recapture it.”

Scotch Tape got a good look on the rest of the squad, two female soldiers. The first was the medic of the squad, recognizable by the medic bag she was carrying and a red cross on the uniform. The medic had green eyes and blond hair, her name was Mia Mason. The other one was the support gunner, armed with a LMG, having ammo belts on the uniform, and had the nametag Ava Thompson.

“Yes, Sergeant!” They all saluted before getting into two Humvees and moving out.

They kept their distance when the outpost was insight, before getting out of their vehicles.

“Okay, Klaus, find a good position for sniping, Joseph, Grace, scout ahead and report.”

“Copy that!” All three acknowledged the order, moving out.

The Sniper moved on a hill, placing a Claymore behind him, so hostiles couldn’t ambush him easily. Aiming down the scope of his M21 sniper rifle, he spotted three Iranian soldiers, one manning a MG. “I got a visual on three Tangos, over.”

“Copy that. Take them out.” His squad leader ordered.

“Roger. But be not thou far from me, O my strength, haste thee to help me.” Klaus spoke before taking the MG gunner out, and the enemy fell backwards, blood flowing down his head.

The other two hostiles got taken out by Lopez and Stone before they could raise an alert.

“Nice work, we’re moving up.” Katie spoke into the radio as they joined the SMG gunners.

“Okay, now let’s get this outpost back!” The Sergeant exclaimed as the other enemies were unaware.

Grace grinned. “I love straightforward!” Then she stormed head first towards the enemy, firing her MP5, the rest of her squad mates followed.

“She really makes her role as vanguard all honor.” Klaus commented as he fired on every target he saw or Grace was firing at, with amazing accuracy, always headshots.

“And she always comes out without a scratch.” The Medic added, staying back and in cover due her role.

“By the way, Sergeant, even at this distance, you still look beautiful.” Klaus was known for his jokes and calm personality, even in the heat of battle.

“I know.” Katie replied, moving from cover to cover to get close to make her shotgun effective. She was a caring person, trying to get civilians and especially children out of danger first, also very caring for her soldiers, an experienced commander.

“And that’s why I love you.” Jeff replied, using his grenade launcher whenever an enemy tried to hide behind cover.

“We can see that.” Ava forced the enemy with her M249 into cover, so her comrades could take them out easily. She was mostly quiet, focusing on her task on suppressing the enemy.

“Wait, Sargent, they have prisoners up ahead!” Klaus warned.

“Copy that. Squad! Cease fire. We can’t endanger the lives of the prisoners.” The officer ordered and they carefully advanced as no enemy was insight.

In the middle of the outpost, they saw several women and children tied up and held at gunpoint by some hostiles, the child cried or looked at the soldiers in fear.

“Not on my watch.” Katie said with a dark tone, her expression one of disgust. We need to act fast, Jeff, smoke grenade.”

The Grenadier fired one with his grenade launcher, the Iranian soldiers coughed and the Americans moved in, quickly eliminating them.

The civilians looked at the US soldiers with fear. “We’re here to help.” The female officer said in Arabic to calm then down as Jeff defused a booby trap connected to the prisoners, showing that he was an expert with any kind of explosives, also caring for civilians and comrades, always carful of his surroundings, being Katie’s lover, having great respect for her, while it also showed that Katie was a caring person, trying to get civilians and especially children out of danger first, also very caring for her soldiers, an experienced commander.

One of the kids cried in pain and held it’s left leg, causing Mia to approach it. “Let me take a look.” She spoke in a calming voice as he disinfected and bandaged the wound. It made it clear to Scotch Tape and Fletcher that the medic was a skilled surgeon and doctor, capable of providing emergency care in the field and probably surgery as complex as organ transplants, having a good heart, managing to calm every patient she treated.

“Thank you.” One of the women smiled, hugging her child, letting out a sigh of relief.

“We only do what is right, now get to safety.” Katie replied.

“Incoming!” The vanguard yelled as another enemy squad arrived, and charged at it in an aggressively manner.

Grace was an aggressive and reckless fighter, often charging into battle without caring for her own safety but always managed to get out of most situations unharmed yet cared deeply for her comrades. She was very skilled in melee combat, especially using a knife. A hostile tried to charge at her, but it was a mistake. She swiftly blocked it, before slicing him then several others in quick succession.

Joseph, the scout of the squad, was able to go deep into enemy territory and scout the enemy out without being noticed, often tricking the enemy in the process. Like Grace, he was skilled in melee combat, lunging at hostiles that were close for melee attacks. Despite this, he was caring for his comrades, yet very quietly.

“Enemy in the window!” He pointed a hostile soldier out.

Klaus had no clear shot, a support beam blocked the view. But he had an idea. Firing at the side of the window, the bullet ricocheted off, hitting the target into the head, falling out the window.

‘Impressive.’ Both ponies thought, looking in awe at how efficient the squad was fighting through the outpost.

“Great work, squad, all hostiles are eliminated and the area is secured.” Katie reported to HQ after the outpost was recaptured.

“I love it when a plan comes together!” Katie cheered afterwards.

Another squad arrived, relieving them.

Back at the base, a general praised them. “Great work, you all did a great job for your country. Enjoy your leave, you have earned it.”

The soldiers saluted. “Thank you, sir.”

They get into a Black Hawk, flying to the next US base with an airport to bring them home.

“I really can’t wait to get home, I invite you all to a drink!” Klaus was happy to get home again.

“Appreciated but you don’t have to, my friend.” Jeff replied.

“Nonsense! We must celebrate this!” The Sniper insisted.

“If you want to do it, I won’t stop you, I really miss the bars back home.” Katie replied.

An explosion went off in the distance, all soldiers shielded their eyes to avoid witnessing the brightness of the detonation. When they were able to look back, they were shocked to see what had happened.

A Nuke had been detonating right in in the Green Zone of Riyadh, where their base was.

The mushroom cloud rose into the air as the shockwave destroyed everything in its path.

“Everyone, hang on!” Katie shouted before the shockwave reached the helicopter, causing it to spin out of control.

Fletcher saw that Klaus was sliding out of the chopper due to the G-forces caused by the spin, Katie lunged and grabbed him by the hand, trying to pull him back in, but the force was too strong and his hand slipped, falling out of the chopper.

Fletcher’s vision went black on impact, Scotch Tape’s host tried to hang onto the seats, then her vision blacked out upon impact.

“Poor things.” Scotch Tape and Fletcher had sympathy for them.

They shared Katie’s vision as the woman came to with great pain in the wreck, looking at her hands, the gloves were torn, cuts everywhere.

Severely injured from the crash, the soldier crawled out of the wreck, gasping twice, hearing her heartbeat.

She fell out of the wreck, hurting herself mildly. Getting up was painful, Katie looked around the darkened city. A massive white mushroom cloud was rising in the horizon from the nuclear explosion. Radioactive dust blew all around her and the city. To her right were the corpses of Ava, Grace and Lopez.

Mia was lying on the ground, losing her breath,coughing up blood before dying, Jeff was limping towards the mushroom cloud before collapsing, crawling, and then finally dying. Moments after, the officer collapsed, and looked up, her vision whiting out before dying from radiation poisoning.

As both ponies could see again, they were transparent, finding themselves next to the bodies. Several men in Hazmat suits arrived, checking the bodies. “They're still alive down there. Get them out of there, quickly!” one of them said before the bodies were brought away.

The image of the destroyed town faded, and the foal and unicorn found themselves in what seemed to be an operation room.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.” A man in doctor’s clothes spoke as the bodies of the deceased soldiers got brought in.

Both ponies knew what would happen know, Scotch Tape looked away, Fletcher covered her eyes. “Don’t look.” Both couldn’t bear the sounds of the bodies being opened, the Knight cringed at the “pop” sound as the occiput of Katie got opened.

Then, the scene changed to a house, they saw Katie and Jeff dancing together to a relaxing and nice song, while two children, a girl with brown hair and blue eyes and a boy with brown hair and matching eyes, danced too.

“I guess that was a dream of Katie that sadly, never became reality.” The filly figured out.

“I guess so.” Fletcher agreed.

“Katie…” Archer’s voice echoed, the dream faded, changing to a room in the base, the ponies saw that the scientist was looking at a Blackjack drone in a charging station, it was…smiling.

“She’s still dreaming.” Wyatt watched the woman’s brain currents on a monitor.

With a guilty expression, Archer replied, “Time to wake her up.”

Wyatt pushed some buttons, the drone’s eyes became red.

“What’s happening? Where am I?” The cybernetic voice of the robotic Unicorn asked confused.

“You were caught in a nuclear explosion, Katie. Y-you’re in a hospital.”

“Where are the others...Where are my friends?” Katie asked, her voice was a mix of confusion and desire to know.

“Calm down, listen to me, you’re okay, your squad is fine.”

“Who are you?” The woman asked, trying to understand.

“I’m Dr. Archer. I’m treating you.” The scientist introduced himself.

“Heartrate rising.” Wyatt warned.

“I can’t move.” Katie took a breath. “I can’t move.”

“I want you to relax.” Archer turned to his colleague. “Unlock her.” Wyatt did as told.

After the locks opened, the cyborg looked at her hooves and herself, trying to process what happened to her. “What… am I?”

“I-it’s you, Katie. This was the only option. We are here, to make you whole again.” Archer wasn’t sure how she would take it as her expression was neutral.

“I want you to walk. I know you can do it.” Archer continued.

The drone hesitated before slowly taking a step forward, creating a metallic sound.

Then she took a few more steps around the room. “This feels so real. I can feel all of this. But why am I in a body of a fan character of a kids show?” Katie asked confused, being a fan of the show, having read Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons.

“It’s…hard to explain. You have to understand, this is reality, no dream. The enemy detonated a nukein the Green Zone of Riyadh, killing over 200,000 U.S. troops. You and your squad are unofficially the only survivors. This ‘new’ body is part of a project that was created to balance those high losses out. Project Horizons.

“I…understand. What’s left of my original body?” Katie asked curious, wanting to know.

With a sad and guilty expression, Archer replied, I’m afraid not much. Take a look for yourself.” He pointed to the charging station, the woman walked in, a mirror was placed in front of her.

The metal on her forehead and chest removed, showing her brain and heart, both protected by glass, connected to tubes.

“No…Holy Christ…Holy Christ…Holy Christ, there’s nothing left!” The woman exclaimed in shock, her expression horrified.

“Your body may have gone, b-but you’re still here.” It was not easy for the scientist to tell this all to her.

“That’s not even my organs!” Katie spoke disgusted, seeing the tubes.

“W-we had to repair the damaged areas but we didn’t interfere with your emotions or your intellect, understand me, Katie, you’re in control.”

“I’m in control?” Katie asked in disbelief.

“Yes.”

“If I’m in control, then I want to die. Just unplug whatever it is keeping me alive and end this…nightmare.” Katie replied, not able to process or bear what happened to her.

“Let's say I did that, which would be almost impossible for me, what do I say to your friends, your squad?” Archer asked hypothetically.

The Sergeant thought for a moment. A tear left her right eye. “That it didn’t work. You tried. Something went wrong. You did everything you could but…I died.”

“So after all you went through, all the pain. All the hope restored, we just ripped that away. Jeff loves you, they all care for you. For your great service to your country, it gave you a second chance. I need you to take that chance.” Archer tried to give her a reason to live.

“I… understand. What is the purpose of Project Horizons?” Katie wanted to know.

“As I said, to balance those losses out. This project also uses a new technology we designed.” He explained.

“Which is this body, I assume? Cyborg technology?” Katie asked in return, not sure what to think about it.

“Yes. We were instructed to create drones that should assist human soldiers or replace them in very dangerous situations. But even the most advanced Al would be never able to do this, so, as you can see, we combined machine with human. You and your friends got selected as you are the most suitable candidates for this.”

“Makes sense, how is this supposed to work?” Katie was curious.

“Well, the body you have is the first produced one; there are 8 more. Those are normal drones. Through a…hive mind, you can share your battle experience with them, seeing what they see, making them as effective as a human.”

“That sounds very…interesting.” Katie didn’t know if she could believe this.

“You can try it out for yourself if you want.” Archer suggested, the other drones walked in, armed with shotguns, dressed in riot gear.

“Okay, I’ll give it a try.” Katie also equipped a shotgun and armor, walking to the simulator. Several enemies appeared, the HUD marked the positions of potential shooters, tracking them as they moved into position. Katie thought of using her standard tactic, moving from cover to cover to get close.

In the moment she thought, the information got preceded by the other drones, copying her tactic with deadly efficiency, she was also able to see with their eyes, enabling her to shoot without even having to physically look at the target. “This is incredible!” She was fascinated after every target was down.

“So, what about my friends?” She asked with a hopeful voice.

“I warn you, you will not like the current state of your loved one to be a comfortable sight.” He stepped aside, showing that there were 6 different drones in charging stations, 3 that resembled P-21, Morning Glory and Lacunae, while the other three looked like OCs.

Katie looked at the blue mechanic stallion, somehow knowing that Jeff was in there. “Is he…”

“I can assure you, he is alive and shall remain as such unless you would wish otherwise. But...it's not a good life, probably goes without saying. The way he now is, he will be unable to interact with you or even feel your touch. He will see and hear you but...well, it's complicated, the human psyche. He may not even be strong enough to reply to you. It will be quite unpleasant for you and worse for him...That is why I wish to consult you on an alternative solution. Now, what I'm about to suggest may be quite troubling for you to imagine...But it may be the closest chance either of you have of regaining the life you once had together.” Archer felt very guilty as he explained the situation.

“And…that is?” She asked, afraid of Jeff’s condition.

“Well, every one of you is in the ‘body’ of the suit that corresponds to your skills and abilities as soldiers. Like with the drones, you can communicate via this hive mind and see what they see. You can be work together as squad once again.”

“Can…Can I be alone with them? Katie requested.

“Sure, take as long as you need.” The two scientists left the room.

The white drone walked up to the P-21 drone. “Jeff…I don’t know if you can’t hear me and I…know this is very difficult but I…still love you. And I always will, no matter what, even in this…new body. I hope…you understand. I don’t know if Archer informed any of you of this before me but I want you to let you know, you are my friends and squad mates, my comrades. And I will always be by your side.” It was hard for her, not knowing if they could take it, she could do it due having a strong sense of duty and she'd persevere for those beside her, knowing that however hard she'd find her current state, it would be worse for her friends to deal with her death.

“Katie…honey…” Jeff’s voice sounded weak in her head, she knew it was the hive mind and not her imagination. “I will always love you…even in this…however you could call this. My love towards you is what drives me, keeping me alive.” The Stallion formed slowly a smile.

“I love you too.” She couldn’t help but kiss him on the lips, the feelling of joy for it… was still there.

“...How do they...” Wyatt was lost for words, not believing what he just saw.

“I don't know, nor wish to find out. Let’s have them enjoy this moment.” Archer replied, slightly smiling.

“And we…are your friends…Katie. No matter what…friends stay together, helping each other. Together…we can make it through this.” The others replied in her mind together, still needing to get used to it.

Scotch Tape and Fletcher had sympathy for them, yet were impressed how they helped each other to get through this.

Then they saw how the former soldiers tested out their new abilities. “Oh man! Flying is so fun!” Grace did a loop with her wings, smiling.

“Yes it is.” Mia replied, practicing her flying, yelping as a hook missed her by inches.

“My bad! I still need to get used to this thing!” Klaus apologized.

Then the two saw how the soldiers fought together in a simulation, seeing with each other’s eyes, fighting with an efficiency they could only dream of.

After that followed the demonstration they had seen as recording.

After the scene faded again, an alert rang in their ears, seeing a blood stain on the ground. Following it, they saw a dead scientist, the Rampage drone, who was covered in blood, making her name appropriate, to Scotch Tape’s and Fletcher’s horror.

Security teams fired their weapons on it, the bullets bounced off, dealing no damage before the drone lunged at them, killing them one by one. Katie with a group of security drones arrived, throwing a grenade on it; said grenade exploded in a blue magnetic field, the drone glitching before shutting down.

“Threat neutralized.” The former officer reported.

“I want that thing to be scraped at once!” The same general from the recording yelled at Archer.

“Of course, sir. We take care of that right away.” As the general walked away, the scientist let out a sigh. “I told them it was a bad idea to design a drone after Rampage, but did they listen?”

Wyatt put a hand on his shoulder. “Relax, thanks to the quick response of Katie and her ‘security team’, it had one dead and a few wounded, could have been worse. But tell me, why did you create this one again?”

“Because someone in the department of defense complained that the White Wolf drone wasn’t ‘effective enough’ in melee combat, saying we should replace with a more deadly version, wanting that we should design it after Rampage.” Archer explained.

“Ah, yes, I remember. Good thing that we only made this prototype, Al only like with the Wonderbolt and Derpy drones.”

“Yeah. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

“Sure. Any idea how it could have malfunctioned?” his co-worker asked.

“No idea. And to be honest, I don’t want to know.”

As the base faded, they found themselves in storage room one, the soldiers in their charging stations, “sleeping.”

The two scientists were overlooking them with sad and guilty expressions. “It’s very impressive and surprising that they could adapt to their new life so well.” Archer commented.

“Yes. We did the right thing.” Wyatt replied, his guilt was not hidden.

“I’m sorry to interrupt gentleman, but I have bad news for you.” A new voice came from behind.

The general that got shown the project by them walked in, his expression half serious, half sorry, his tonefrank but uncomfortable.

“General, how can we help you?” Wyatt asked him, surprised to see him.

“We got rid of the malfunctioning drone. You have nothing to worry about, general.” Archer assured him.

“I’m happy to hear it, Mr. Archer but I’m here for a different reason.”

“What is it, general?” Wyatt asked.

“Well…as I said, I have bad news and I’m terribly sorry to say this to you, if not very sorry…I appreciate all your work, I’m a great supporter of it but…”

“But what?” Both scientists asked in union.

“This project got cancelled.” The general informed them.

That message surprised both. “Why? Project Horizons was apart from that small incident a success.” Archer could not follow.

“Yes, but due the financial crash and the crumbling of U.S. infrastructure, the founding for Project Horizons got cut.”

“You…you can’t be serious!” Wyatt couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“I am serious. But despite the economic struggles of the country, I will still support you as well as I can. I still have a lot of money on my account.

“Thank you sir, we appreciate it.” They walked out, and Archer gave the former soldiers a last look of sympathy before leaving the room.

Scotch Tape and Fletcher gasped as the flashback, memory, or whatever they could call it ended, trying to process everything.

Scotch Tape took the first word. “I’m so sorry for what happened to you.”

“And I…must apologize for calling you…” Fletcher felt very guilty for insulting them.

“It’s fine, you couldn’t know that, Fletcher, and don’t be Scotch Tape. It’s been a long time, it doesn’t bother us anymore.” Katie replied.

“Okay…How does that keep you alive? And what happened to the support the general promised?” Fletcher asked, trying to process it.

The former medic stepped forward. “As we told you nanobots are inside our new bodies, taking care of our organs, similar to your nanomites. The Charging Stations are feeding our organic parts while we are in a mental state similar to that of sleep, but remaining semi-conscious. As such, we were aware of what happened outside, the collapse of our country, the invasion of the KPA, everything. We just waited for the perfect moment to strike, and that moment came, thanks to you. As for the support, Archer tried to support us financially, but the economic and energy crisis made it very difficult less and less money came in, then it stopped entirely when the KPA invaded the USA. But we managed to supply ourselves, that’s why the emergency power was running.”

“W-what about me? I-am I forced to live like this forever?” The filly asked, afraid if she had to spend the rest of her life like this.

“It’s…difficult to explain. Please…try to stay calm. The Gas…has severely damaged your body, you can’t survive without it.” It wasn’t easy for Mia to tell her this.

“N-no…” Scotch Tape was about to cry. Fletcher hugged her in an attempt to comfort her.

“But unlike us, it isn’t permanent, Scotch Tape.” Mia replied.

That surprised the filly. “W-what do you mean?”

“You see…Your body is sealed inside to protect it from more damage, also keeping you alive. Also, nanobots inside you work tirelessly to repair your injuries but it will take some time.”

“O-o-o-okay.... Why do I have this… cybernetic eye and what happened to my PipBuck?” She wanted to know.

“Your eyes…The nerve gas damaged them so severe that you are actually blind. The cybernetic eye we gave you, allows you to see normally with your eyes, despite being blind. Your PipBuck…it was a bit difficult, but we managed to seal it too. You can access it still by thinking of it. We didn’t interfere with your emotions or your intellect, you have my word as a doctor.” Mia swore.

“How…how long will it take?” Scotch Tape asked, afraid it would be months or even years.

“If everything heals well, I-d say 3 weeks. Until then, I would suggest you use the time to rest and get used to your new body.”

“O-okay b-but…where do I sleep?” The filly asked, trying to process everything.

With an unpleasant expression, the medic replied, “I’m afraid, you have to use a charging station like we have to use. We already have that covered.” She pointed to it on the wall, next to the bed where Fletcher had been lying on, in her size.

“I see… What time is it?” Scotch Tape asked the former soldier.

“A little after midnight. Get some rest. You both need it after this bloody battle.”

“How does this work?” Scotch Tape asked, not sure how she should “sleep.”

“Simple. Step in, stand upright, facing outwards. It begins as soon as the connection with the station is made.” Mia explained.

“Okay. Can you stay with me, Fletcher?” The filly asked her new friend.

“Sure thing, Scotch Tape.” He replied with a light smile.

“That’s the reason why we set it up here.” Katie explained, knowing that Scotch Tape felt better if Fletcher was with her.

Scotch Tape tried to walk forward, only for her legs to wobble, tripping again. Fletcher helped her up, assisting her to get in. The moment she faced outwards the connection was made, and Scotch Tape heard an almost unnoticeable powering up sound, and then she suddenly felt tired, closing her eyes.

“We see you tomorrow, Fletcher. And don’t worry about the food, I’m a way better cook than Morning Glory.” Mia left with her friends for their charging stations.

“Good to know.” He spoke, unsure what to think of this before getting into bed.

He looked at Scotch Tape, the faint sound of her charging station didn’t bother him at all. While he could use the spell that would bring him home without problem, he couldn’t leave Scotch Tape alone, not after this. He wasn’t an expert in emotional support but he had to help her through this, staying by her side until she could go home. Just leaving her would be dishonorable.

Also, the loss of the troops at the fort was a severe blow for the US Military and the upcoming battle of San Francisco. Not to mention that this would delay them. But her recovery was more important at the moment.

With a sigh, he fell asleep, hoping that White Wolf and Midnight Blade wouldn’t be too worried about him. But he knew they would understand why it would take so long for him to return.

As he was an early riser, Fletcher got early up in the morning, noticing that Scotch Tape was still “asleep” but her normal eye was twitching.

Must have had a nightmare. He thought, knowing how hard it must be for her.

The station stopped humming, the filly opened her eyes, and then the unicorn noticed that her cybernetic eye was glowing red, not green, wondering if it was malfunctioning.

“Scotch Tape, are you-“

“Let me out!!!” she screamed, slashing around, Fletcher tried to calm her down, avoiding her punches as good as he could.

“Scotch Tape! Calm down!” He yelled but the filly didn’t respond, still screaming and slashing.

The former soldiers sprinted in, pinning Scotch Tape on the ground, Mia injected a sedative and the filly calmed down, stopping to struggle. “It is as we feared…” the medic muttered with a sad expression.

“What is happening to her?” Fletcher asked, concerned about Scotch Tape’s wellbeing.

“She has psychiatric problems to adapt to it, close to going mad. Given that she’s still a child, her body and mind are still developing. It was a risk we had to take to save her.” Mia let out a sigh. “We had also psychiatric problems to adapt to it at the beginning, that’s why we regretted having to do this to her.”

“Is there anything we can do to help her get through this easier?” Fletcher wanted to help Scotch Tape in any way he could.

“Except for trying to talk to her, giving emotional support, I don’t see another way to help her to get used to it.” The medic explained, seeing no other option.

“I understand.” He gently levitated the knocked out filly on a bed, and the soldiers left while Mia prepared breakfast for their guest.

Fletcher couldn’t complain; it tasted good. “Where did you learn to cook so well?” He asked Mia.

“Well, I learned from my mother, who was a cook, I got my medical skills from my father.”

“I see, they both taught you well.”

After that, the unicorn decided to check on Scotch Tape, walking towards his room.

Quiet weeping greeted his ears as he entered, seeing that the filly was crying, sitting on the bed, her head lowered.

“Scotch Tape, I know it’s hard, but you have to keep going.” He gave her a hug to show his compassion.

“It’s just…I’m scared how my will friends react when they see me like this, if they will accept what became of me. I can’t…live like this.” She trembled slightly.

The stallion thought for a moment. “I know your feeling, Scotch Tape. Back in the civil war, I was in many hopeless situations, but I never gave up hope. Wasn’t there anypony you know who suffered a similar fate like this?”

This made her think of Blackjack. The mare had suffered major injuries, having lost her limbs and more, it got replaced by multiple cybernetic organs and limbs that saved her life. “Blackjack. She was a cyberpony, having her limbs replaced after getting severely ill and other things. It saved her life and she’s just fine.”

“See? If she made through all this, you can too, Scotch Tape. Believe in it, have hope.” Fletcher replied, slightly smiling, knowing that this raised her spirit.

“You are right. Thanks, Fletcher!” The filly hugged him happily.

“You’re welcome. If you’re ok with it, I’d say you should try to walk, to get used to your new legs.”

“Sounds good to me.” Scotch Tape tried to stand, her legs wobbled again, like a baby trying to make its first steps, collapsing, only to try it again. The child collapsed on the ground in the moment she got up.

Those little setbacks didn’t stop her from trying. Sometimes she could stand, but tripped once she made a step, falling over once again.

Scotch Tape, with support from Fletcher and the former soldiers, focused on trying to walk for the rest of the first week, it always ended when she lost her balance, falling on the ground with a grunt of pain.

“It’s hopeless…” a tear left her right eye. “I can’t feel my legs. How am I supposed to walk like this?” Her cybernetic eye became red again.

“Scotch Tape, calm down, nothing’s hopeless. Keep trying and you will succeed, we know you will.” Katie spoke for her friends.

“Scotch Tape, listen to me, please. Your life is not worth giving it up on. You are young, you have your life yet ahead of you. What would I tell your father, your friends when they arrive? You want to see them again, don’t you?” Fletcher asked her.

Scotch Tape sniffed, and her eye became green again. “Yes. I want to see them again.” Her voice was quiet but there was a slight hint of determination.

“I don’t know your father, but I’m sure he would have wanted you to survive, making it through this.” The Eternal Knight added.

“Yes, he would. I can’t give up, I have to try. For my friends! For daddy!” Scotch Tape exclaimed raising a hoof into the air.

“That’s the spirit!” Fletcher and the former soldiers said in unison, happy that they could raise Scotch Tape’s moral.

Yet, this was only the beginning of her recovery and it would be a long way.

Author's Note

The secret is reveiled. Poor filly but we all know she can do it. Right?

Chapter 15 Progress

Chapter 15: Progress

The first week had passed. Scotch Tape couldn’t feel that anything got better of her injuries but she was confident it would.

She tried again to walk, her legs wobbled again. “Okay, here we go.” She spoke. Trying to move her hoof forward, trying also not to trip.

The filly slowly, shakily moved her first hoof forward, praying not to fall over again.

The hoof touched the ground, slowly followed by the other 3. “I did it!” Scotch Tape exclaimed happy of making her first step.

“I knew you could do it!” Fletcher praised her, smiling, the former soldier smiled too, proud of the young filly.

The young pony tried it again, able to walk a few meters before tripping. She got up with a smile, trying it again, the same result. “I can’t tell how happy I am to be able to walk again!”

“That’s the sound of progress.” The Knight was happy for her.

“If I may make a suggestion, why don’t you take a walk through the base? That way, you can practice walking and get a bit more known with it, Scotch Tape.” Mia suggested.

“Great idea! Come on, Fletcher!” The filly ran off happy before tripping after a short distance.

The Unicorn chuckled. “I like your optimism but you should take it slowly, my dear.” He helped her up.

“Sorry, I…I got just overwhelmed by my joy of be able to walk again.” Scotch Tape was a bit embarrassed about it, blushing, looking down.

“Totally understandable.” The Stallion replied, enjoyed her company.

They decided to explore the lower levels, the former humans had already repaired the floor that had caused Scotch Tape to fall into it.

“Could it be that this was where the Rampage drone malfunctioned? Would explain why this part of the base looks like it fell into oblivion.” The foal suspected.

“Could be. I wonder what they have made of the drone after I and Katie destroyed it.” Fletcher replied before he stopped abruptly, seeing something written on the wall, apparently with graffiti. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a storage room for something bigger.

C-SCAD-US

Fray instantly realized what that meaned, rolled his eyes and sighed. “Really? They made a drone of him?! That's just asking for trouble!”

“Who do you mean with him?” Scotch Tape asked confused.

This made Fletcher realize that he shouldn’t have said this. With another sigh he said, “Like Downriver. But it is best you don’t know. Trust me.”

Hearing how serious his tone was, Scotch Tape just replied, “I believe you that. I hope his counterpart won’t come out and attack us like the Rampage drone did.” She shivered at the thought.

“I hope so too. We should talk with Katie and the others about this, something tells me there are more secrets we haven’t discovered.” Fletcher was suspicious about this.

“Agreed. How long do you think takes it to build one of those LP-9s?”

Fletcher thought for a moment. “I don’t know but I’d say a few weeks, the creating with the hive mind and such must have been months, I suppose.”

Then he noticed that Scotch Tape was sniffing. He hadn’t to ask, it was obvious why. “You miss your father and friends, don’t you?”

The filly turned her head, a tear left her normal eye, falling to the ground. “Yes. I miss them so much. Whenever I felt sad, daddy and my friends tried to cheer me up. Boo would play with me, Rampage playing pranks and Lacunae tried to cheer me up with flying by levitating me.”

That gave Fletcher an idea, with a smile, his horn glowed, levitating Scotch Tape into the air.

“Huh?” She wondered what was happing, then laughed as she got it. “Hey! Put me down, Fletcher!”

He did as told, chuckling. “I know its hard Scotch Tape, I know that feeling too well.”

“You do?” The filly asked, titling her head.

Taking a deep breath, Fletcher said, “I lost my parents when I was a colt, having earned my Cutie Mark on the same day. Did I cry over my loss? Of course I did. Crying is normal behavior, mourning over the loss I had suffered. I had to leave my home town as it got attacked. Like you, I got homesick, missing my parents but deep in my heart, they’re still alive and with me. And no matter how long it will take for your friends to find you, I’m with you.”

“Thank you.” The filly said in a quiet voice and hugged him. “Say, do you think your parents would be proud of you if they would be still alive?”

With a smile, he replied. “Of course they would be proud of me. And I’m sure your mother would be proud of you too.”

Scotch Tape smiled. “Yes she would.”

“If I may say so, you are one of the most talented and bravest foals I have met so far.”

“Oh, please…” the filly looked down in embarrassment, before twitching.

“Are you okay?” Fletcher asked with concern.

“I’m fine, it’s just…I feel pain in my entire body. Every then and now, I feel like this is my actual body, not this metal case. And in my hoof tips occasionally when walking.” The filly explained, looking at herself.

“Sounds like phantom pain. Your brain remembers your actual body. I also had such an experience before.” Fletcher remembered something.

“You have?”

“Yes. The same friend, who developed the nanomites, was sometimes making me a bit uncomfortable. I can still faintly remember that he had to operate on me once, giving me an anesthesia.” The unicorn formed a smile. “When I woke up, my skeleton was missing and the good doctor was trying to implant a rabid ferret launcher into my chest...I only went to see him about a sprained fetlock! He hadn't even glanced at my foreleg!”

Scotch Tape gasped. “Really?! How could how even be alive back then?”

Fletcher scratched his back. “To be honest, I can’t remember but the phantom pain I felt after waking up is what I still remember.”

The filly stared at him, eyes wide. “O…kay. I think we should go back, not that Katie and her friends worry about us.”

“Yeah, we should.”

Back on the main level, the former soldiers greeted them. “Welcome back.” Katie smiled.

“Katie, were there other drones than only the Wonderbolts, Derpy and your friends?” Fletcher asked, curious after having read the letters.

The unicorn drone had a light surprised expression before looking down, trying to get up with an answer. “Well, yes and no. There were several others planed, like Boo, Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Flurry Heart, just to call a few, even one of… you know who. But the cancelling of the project never made this possible. Archer mentioned this in his journal, but there exist no plans of them.”

“That…relieves me. If you don’t mind me asking, do you have sometimes…”

“Phantom Pain?” Katie finished for him. “Yes. At the very beginning of our new lives, it was hard to bear, as we still felt our real bodies. After getting used to it, we still feel occasionally pain, even after all those years.” She explained with a sad expression.

“So, you can still feel?” Scotch Tape asked with curiosity, having a hint of guilt for asking in her voice.

Katie’s expression changed to a weak smile. “Yes. Our emotions are still there. Our bodies are very well armored to protect our remaining organs but we still feel pain when getting hit. Our hive mind allows us to suppress the pain, allowing fighting without losing efficiency. I can’t tell you how painful it was when the Rampage drone beheaded me.”

“Speaking if it, what did you with the remainings and…if you are cyborgs, then how much of the programming you mentioned is true?” Fletcher was uneasy to ask this.

“We recycled the remains of the drone for spare parts. As for the programming I mentioned…It’s hard to explain. I actually lied to you, there is no programming, we are completely in control. Archer knew we would never hurt a civilian, it’s a matter of honor for us. But we have a fail-safe that locks our weapons in case of a civilian at risk.” She explained in detail.

Fletcher thought for a few minutes trying to process everything. “So, you…”

“Acted, yes, waiting for the moment to reveal my secret.” The former officer finished.

“Do EMPs affect you and what about the Wonderbolt and Derpy drones?” Scotch Tape asked.

“It does affect us, shutting everything but our life-support down. Yet, our systems reboot shorty after getting disabled.”

“Sounds like very advanced technology.” Scotch Tape was fascinated by this.

“Yes, Archer’s combination of cybernetic and bionics is very advanced, ahead of its time. Sometimes, I wonder how he could develop this advanced design with the economy going down the drain.”

“It’s a good question. If you don’t mind me asking, how was your life before this all happened?” The Knight asked, hoping it wouldn’t upset Katie.

With a light smile, she replied. “I had a good life, being the daughter of a married couple. My father was a marine, so I joined the military to make him proud, and he was very proud of me. Jeff and I got to know each other I school, having a crush on each other.”

The blue Stallion smiled at her. “Indeed. My father was in a bomb squad, so I inherited his skills of disarming explosives, which led that I became the demolition expert of Katie’s squad.”

“That’s nice to hear.” Scotch Tape commented before having to yawn.

“You both should get some rest.” Katie said as it was getting late.

“Yeah, we should. Goodnight.” Fletcher went with Scotch Tape to bed, wondering if it really was already so late.

The watch on the wall proved it was 9PM. “Goodnight, Fletcher.” Scotch Tape tore him out as she stepped in her charging station to “sleep.”

Smiling, he replied, “Goodnight, sweet dreams.”

It took some time until he was asleep, as he wondered if what happened to the soldiers would have happened to him, Wolf and Midnight, if they could have process it, or had gone insane. While the Eternal Knights didn’t fear death and were very loyal to Luna, it would be also a heavy burden for them to get along with something like this, he had no doubt about it.

In the morning, he woke up with a yawn, stretching himself, seeing that the filly was still “asleep”, peacefully, as her eye wasn’t twitching.

Still a bit sleepy, the green stallion walked to the cafeteria for breakfast, the former medic had already prepared his breakfast. “Good morning, Fletcher, I hope you had a pleasant night sleep.” She greeted him.

“Good morning and yes I had.” He enjoyed his breakfast. “Almost forgot, if the Wonderbolt and Derpy drones are completely Al controlled, how can they be so effective?”

“Well, while having no experience in flying airplanes, our battle experience is also shared with them, converted into the tactics they need. Archer had never explained how this works.”

“I see. Why did you become a medic in the military, rather than a normal hospital?” Fletcher asked curious.

Smiling, Mia replied, “I've learned from experience that the place to save lives is in the field, not an office. And sometimes the only way to save a life, is to take one. I used to work as a normal doctor, but the many injured from the civil unrests made it clear that I had to get out saving people.”

“Makes sense. Are the others awake yet?” Fray asked.

“No, we two are the only ones awake so far. Can’t leave you starving, can I?” The woman asked in return.

“I guess so. What do you in your spare time?” The Knight was curious.

Mia thought for a moment. “Well, in my free time, I used to study medical stuff. After I and my friends became cyborgs, our daily routine is to maintain and clean this base, informing ourselves about what was going on in the world and train every day.”

“I see. I better check on Scotch Tape, looking if she is still sleeping.”

“Good idea.” The medic followed him.

Inside the sleeping quarters, the filly awoke just as the two entered the room. “Good morning, Scotch Tape.” Fletcher greeted, seeing that her cybernetic eye stayed normal.

She smiled. “Morning, Fletcher.”

The other soldiers checked on her. “I trust this morning finds you well?” Katie asked the child with a smile.

“Of course it does!” Scotch Tape grinned.

“Glad to hear it.”

The rest of this week went smoothly, Scotch Tape practiced to walk, slowly but surely, getting better with her new body. She still tripped but lesser than in the last week.

She and Fletcher were talking with Ava as they took a break. “So Ava, may I ask how your life was before this all happened?” The filly asked.

The Alicorn shrugged. “There isn’t much to tell. I became a fan of action films at a young age, so I thought I could kinda live the dream by becoming a support gunner. And given that a portable Gatling gun is only seen in movies, I kinda live the dream.”

“Uh-huh. What about you three?” She asked Joseph, Grace and Klaus.

The bat pony spoke first, “I come from a family that severed it’s country for many years in every branches of service, police, fire department, military, and so on. I, Grace and Klaus worked together in a police special unit. Once we were undercover. We did time. We had to deal drugs. We even had to kill. And we were so good at it that, it got us a promotion.” He formed an almost evil smile, scaring Scotch Tape a bit.

“And I guess this promotion was the US military?” Fletcher putted the pieces together.

“You got it. Back then, I was the leader and scout using the weakness of electronics to my advantage. The more crutches you have, the more it hurts when they're kicked out from under ya.” He extended his blade. “If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that a six inch blade never loses reception.” He finished, retracting it.

“As for me, I got never to know my parents, growing up in an orphanage, having to be resourceful in order to get what I wanted, getting very sneaky through this. I also got into a lot of fights, which is why I am so skilled in melee combat.” Grace explained.

“And I was the son of a German immigrant. I was an Artist in my spare time. I also was in a gun club, shooting for sport. Do you know what an artist and a sniper have in common?”

Fletcher shook his head at Klaus’ question.

“Details. Like when a touch of color is out of place. When a shadow does not match with its surroundings. Or when a shape is not where it is supposed to be. The only difference is the stakes. Mine are higher.”

“I believe you that. What had you planned for today?” The green pony asked his counterpart.

“Close-combat training.”

“Want to train with us, what do you say?” Grace asked Fletcher, her voice was one of eager.

Realizing what Grace meant, Fletcher smirked. “Think before changeling me, Grace.”

“Then beat us! If you can.” The Pegasus led him to the simulator.

In the simulator, the former soldiers equipped their melee weapons, while Fletcher transformed his bow into a spear which fascinated Scotch Tape.

“Just as reminder, this is a simulation, you can’t really get hurt, neither can you hurt us.” Klaus reminded him.

“Thanks.” Fletcher replied before Wolf struck first, using two knifes in her forehooves. Fletcher reacted quickly, blocking it with his spear, leaving him open for an attack of his counterpart, who dashed at him. Fletcher narrowly blocked this too with his spear, ducking to avoid the attacks of the Pegasus. Joseph saw this as his chance, bringing down his blade at the unicorn. The Archer rolled away, blocking the scout’s attack in the process. Klaus used this with Grace to being down their blades on the stallion, who managed to block all 3 at once with his spear, taking effort into it.

While the cybernetic limbs made the former soldiers stronger than a normal human, they were surprised as Fletcher slowly pushed them back before he threw them back with a strong and powerful throw, causing them to fall backwards.

Catching his breath, Fletcher said, “Not bad. You are all worthy opponents, like White Wolf and Midnight Blade.” He sounded impressed, they were very similar to the Eternal Knights in melee combat.

“Thanks. It’s been a long time since we had such a good fight.” The scout retracted his blade as he stood up.

“You’re very impressive yourself.” Klaus added, while Grace just nodded.

“Better luck next time.” Fletcher said to her with a smile.

Scotch Tape had watched the fight in awe. “You did all fight well!” She was also impressed.

“Thanks, kid.” Klaus appreciated it.

As they all walked back, Mia checked Scotch Tape’s injuries. “Good news, your recovery is going well. If it stays that way, we can remove the case within the next week.” She sounded very optimistic.

The filly smiled happy. “Yes! Finally! Did you hear that, Fletch! In just seven more days I'll be okay again!” She hugged the doctor.

Fletcher smiled at the filly, glad to hear it. Her recovery was going well, soon, she could get out of this…metal suit, able to be the filly again she was.

Author's Note

Slowly but steady.

Chapter 16 The Day Is My Enemy

Chapter 16: The Day Is My Enemy

The second week had passed. Scotch Tape felt much better than last week for some reason, she couldn’t explain why, she just felt it. As such, she practiced her walking.

“Okay, one step at a time.” The filly spoke to herself, slowly bringing her hoof forward again.

Again, the hoof made contact with the ground followed by the other 3, this time, none of her legs were wobbling anymore. Then she managed to walk a few meters, steady and without tripping at all. “Better and better!” Scotch Tape cheered happy.

“I can’t say how happy I am to see that you improve, Scotch Tape.” Fletcher smiled warmly at her.

The filly walked again a few steps, like before, steady and without tripping. “This is wonderful!” She exclaimed in joy.

“It appears my diagnosis is correct, if your condition stays that way, we should be able to get you out of this case within the week.” Mia said to her, making the filly grin.

“I cannot wait any longer!” Scotch Tape exclaimed.

Katie chuckled. “I believe you that. It’s getting late, you two should get some rest.”

The green unicorn yawned. ”Yeah, we should.” He and Scotch Tape walked to the sleeping quarters, climbing into the bed while Scotch Tape got into her charging station.

“Goodnight Fletcher, sweet dreams.”

“You too.”

The next day, Scotch Tape “woke up” seeing that Fletcher was still asleep.

While having no need for food, she decided to make him breakfast, walking to the kitchen, seeing that Mia was also already up. “Good morning Scotch Tape, how are you?”

“I’m doing well! And Fletcher’s still asleep, so I thought I make him breakfast.” The filly smiled at the medic.

“Good idea, I just made him a toast and some juice.” The Pegasus pointed to a tray where said breakfast was on, the filly picked it up, carrying it to Fletcher’s room.

She heard a yawn as she opened the door, Fletcher just woke up. “Good morning Fletcher, I made you breakfast.”

He smiled upon seeing the toast and glass of juice. “Thanks.” He enjoyed it clearly as he ate his breakfast with a smile. “That was delicious.”

“Glad to hear it. Let’s enjoy the day, shall we?” The filly sounded cheerful due being able to be normal again soon.

“Of course.” He replied with a smile.

As they walked out, the filly realized something. “If the KPA had discovered this base and the drones…they could have changed the war in their favor.” She didn’t want to imagine what could have happened instead.

“Most likely, Scotch Tape. But thanks to you, this never happened.” He sounded proud, the filly smirked.

“Hey, if you haven’t been there, the battle in the city could have never changed in favor of the US troops.” She reminded him of his part. “All those men...Dead in a single day...I can't imagine what Jackson must feel every time he remembers.”

“Yes. I have seen many bad things in the war but nothing like that before. As such, I’m really relieved that you survived. No foal should suffer such an agonizing death.”

The filly hugged him. “And I’m grateful that you saved me.”

“You have your life yet ahead of you, I couldn’t let you die.”

“You know, I wonder why Archer designed an airship for the soldiers and the other drones and not a helicopter or a plane.”

Fletcher putted a hoof to his chin. “That’s a good question. We should ask Katie about this. Reminds me, I own an airship myself, it belonged to my father.”

“You do?” The filly wondered.

“Yes. Piloting airships solo is rarely ever easy. Hooves can be ungainly and using magic can prove very volatile. It took me whole decades to learn properly.”

Scotch Tape chuckled. “I can imagine that. If you don’t mind, how was your father?”

Fray smiled. “A father anypony could ask for. He cared for me and my mother like a good father and husband would. My father was one of the best archers in the world and, in my experience, one of the best ponies in general.”

“I believe you that. You are one of the nicest ponies I have met.” The young foal grinned at him.

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Later that day, the former soldiers got Scotch Tape some colored pencils, which she used to draw something. “Look Fletcher, I drew you!”

The picture showed him together with Scotch Tape, both smiling, the words ‘best friends’ under them.

“Looks very nice, Scotch Tape.” He liked it.

“Thanks! I hoped you would like it!” She exclaimed in joy.

He putted the picture in his saddlebag.

“I wonder what will happen if the US military is successful in taking San Francisco. It’s the supreme headquarter for the Korean forces in the USA but I can’t imagine that this would end the war outright or that the KPA would give up.” The filly wondered.

“I guess we will have to wait and find out. It’s not my war but if that is the only way of seeing your 2 friends again, I will fight by your side, Scotch Tape.” He said to her, his voice honest.

Scotch Tape smiled. “Appreciated. You did pretty good back there in the city.”

“What can I say, I have experience from the civil war, having fought in many battles and experience can be the best teacher sometimes.”

“Indeed. How did you earn your Cutie Mark?” She was curious.

Fletcher was silent, trying to get up with an answer as this was a very…dark theme. “Well, you see, while I was a colt, Equestria wasn’t so safe as it is today, can’t say if it could be counted of being as dangerous as the wastelands in your Equestria are. Anyway, at the age of 11, I saved an orphanage against some nasty creatures with my bow, this is how I earned my Cutie Mark.”

The green foal was impressed. “Wow, I guess you must been a hero for the orphans!”

Slightly blushing, he replied, “Yes I was. While running home to tell my parents about my Cutie Mark, I could hear the orphans cheering my name and some fillies calling out they loved me.”

Without warning, the foal hugged him. “And you are my hero. And a good pony.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Now, let’s meet up with the others.”

As they joined the former soldiers, the officer greeted them, “Hello again, I hope you are doing well.”

“Of course we are doing well. If I may ask, what was the cause for the airship to be constructed?” Fletcher asked Katie.

“Oh, that? Well, It was clear that we needed some means of transportation and Archer got inspired by the airship you have, Fletcher. The reason was simple: A plane can’t hover in an area, a helicopter can’t transport as much troops as a plane can. While outdated, the airship can both if modified correctly. Since the drones were designed to work together with normal soldiers, the airship got equipped with sleeping quarters, cafeteria and such for a human crew.

Based on your airship and those from the First World War, our airship is heavy armed with AA guns for defense against jets and helicopters and to attack ground targets, it has bombs and MGs. Of course it is also well armored and can withstand a lot of damage but is vulnerable to enemy AA fire. At such, our tactic to deploy ground troops from a safe distance to eliminate those threats, then give air support.”

“That’s very impressive.” Scotch Tape commented in awe.

“I agree with that. I guess the big storage room was for him?” Fletcher asked the woman.

“Yes, it was constructed before everything got scrapped. But we found still use in it.”

“Really? How?” The unicorn got curious.

“In this room is now a drone we built ourselves for base defense. It is not Al controlled, instead it is controlled by an operator from the control room.”

“Sounds like an interesting idea. How do you deploy troops from the airship?”

“Simple. They rappel down, while the Pegasus drones can jump out like paratroopers.”

“Smart design, I give Archer that.” The Eternal Knight was impressed.

“Indeed, it was an idea that is very unique, it’s a pity he wasn’t here to see his masterpiece in action.” The female unicorn replied sad.

“Did you know what happened to him?” Scotch Tape asked.

“Sadly no, if he survived the riots and the Knoxville Cough, he was most likely killed during the invasion or captured by the KPA. We tried to find out if he’s still alive or not but we couldn’t find anything so far.”

“That's a real pity. Did you know Amy’s father?”

The former Sergeant smiled. “Yes I did. Despite being in the Marines and he being in the Army, we were good friends, he was a very good soldier and a good father, as well as a good husband. He really didn’t deserve to die. But, given what you told me, I can tell that Chung would make a good father for Amy and a good husband for Kate.”

The filly blushed. “He's a nice guy. He looks out for his family...for his friends...for everyone he can. He deserves better than what he has right now.”

“Completely understandable. And we are with you until the end, Scotch Tape. We will not rest until you are reunited with him and reunited with your father. And until we have driven out the invaders of course.” Katie swore to her.

“I appreciate that. What do you think could happen after San Francisco is taken from the Koreans?”

“Hard to say. It would definitely throw the enemy forces into chaos, forced to retreat and regroup I suppose. Even if the KPA would be driven out of the USA, the US military doesn’t have the resources to invade Korea and even if we would be able to do that, it could result in a nuclear war, which must be avoided at all costs.”

Scotch Tape shivered at the thought, not wanting that Amy had to grow up in a wasteland. “I hope it can be avoided.”

“We hope so too. The consequences would be catastrophic, not to mention the nuclear winter.”

It would be very difficult to survive this, would it happen, they all had no doubt about it.

While Fletcher also hoped this wouldn’t happen, there was a high probability that this could happen. “Given how you described the leader of the Greater Korean Republic, Kim Jong-un, I think he would both fight to the last man and destroy everything rather than to surrender should he lose the war.”

“Yeah, as he is a dictator, this cannot be ruled out, Hitler is a good example, destroying his country because he refused to surrender. Such people are unpredictable.” Katie pointed out.

Fletcher shivered at this. “What’s wrong?” Scotch Tape asked concerned.

“It’s just…in the civil war, one of my enemies was like this, rather fighting to his last breath than to surrender. Still haunts me to this day.”

“Sorry to hear that.” The filly gave him a hug to cheer him up.

He returned it. “It’s alright. It’s in the past now. Given how terrible the civil war was, I’ll do anything I can to prevent that Equestria would have another terrible war.”

“Makes sense. You suffered already enough.” The foal had sympathy with him.

“Yeah, I have seen a lot of bad things in my life. But that’s also the reason why I do anything I can that others won’t suffer like I did.”

The green filly giggled. “I think you and my father would make good friends.”

Fletcher smiled. “Maybe. And I guess Wolf and Rampage would make good buddies, they have some things in common. Midnight, I would say either Blackjack or Lacunae.”

“Could be. I think that you and Chung would also be good friends, Amy would like you too, I have no doubt about.”

The unicorn looked away, blushing. “Too kind. I am looking forward to meet them once this is over.”

“I’m sure they will like you!” Scotch Tape exclaimed confident of it.

The rest of the week passed very quickly, Scotch Tape felt better every day, walking normally as she was used to her temporary new body.

At Sunday, Mia checked her condition. “Good news, your injuries have completely healed, we can remove the case now.”

“Finally! Just 2 questions. Will it hurt and what about the nanobots inside of me?” She asked a bit afraid.

“Don’t worry, you won’t feel a thing. We had to act fast as we tried to safe you, so we couldn’t give you another anesthetic as we put you into the suit. As for the nanobots, we can’t remove them but they won’t interfere with your emotions or anything, rather improve your healing and reflexes.” The doctor explained.

“Okay.” She was still a bit unsure about this as she got on the operation table while Fletcher waited outside until it was done. After the anesthetic was given, Scotch Tape drifted away.

“Let’s get this over with.” Mia mumbled as they started the procedure.

After half an hour to an hour of waiting, Katie walked outside. “I’m happy to say that the operation was successful. You can see her if you want.”

“Nothing more than that.”

Inside, the stallion was happy to see the filly sleeping peacefully on a hospital bed, no longer wrapped in steel, finally herself again, her chest raising and lowering.

As he sat down next to her, a small tear of joy escaped his eye. “It’s so nice to see you again in flesh and blood, Scotch Tape.”

“F-Fletcher?” The filly awoke, still dazed from the anesthetic. “I see you twice.”

“A side effect from the anesthetic, it should soon wear off.” Mia explained, also happy for her. It did wear off after a few minutes and Scotch Tape climbed out of the bed, stretching herself.

“I can’t tell how nice it is to feel again!” She exclaimed happy.

“Glad to hear it, Scotch Tape.” The Eternal Knight smiled at her.

“Now, we should join up with the US Forces as quickly as we can to assist them at San Francisco.” The filly quickly planed ahead.

“Of course, the airship is already fueled and ready for takeoff.” Katie reported as suddenly an alarm went off in the entire base.

“What now?” Fletcher wondered, getting his bow and SMG ready.

“We are under attack! Follow me!” Katie led Scotch Tape and Fletcher to the control room, pressing some buttons on the console. KPA forces were attacking. “You two stay here, we hold them off!” The soldiers prepared their weapons.

While Scotch Tape understood that it was for her own safety, Fletcher did not. “Wouldn’t it be better if I join you?”

“While we appreciate your fighting skills, it would be better if you stay here with Scotch Tape in case the Koreans break through and to control the drone I mentioned.”

“Okay. I just hope this thing can be better controlled than automaton glider drones.” He mumbled as the others leaved, sitting down at the control panel, seeing how the camera switched on, revealing 2 cyan glowing eyes in the dark room.

The silhouette of an Alicorn in armor got slowly visible, having a black coat, and a blue violet mane.

“Nightmare Moon?!” Fletcher exclaimed in shock, while Scotch Tape looked at it in awe.

“Yes, made for base defense and remote controlled, you’re the lucky one to test it.” Katie spoke over the radio.

“System online.” A female computer voice spoke, the camera switched to a POV of the Alicorn drone.

The stallion calmed down, taking a deep breath. “Okay…here we go.”

The blast door slowly opened and a song started to play, the display showed the name: The Day Is My Enemy.

The Eternal Knight commanded the drone to move out of the room, a squad of 718 and regular soldiers ran down the hallway opening fire on the Alicorn drone, the bullets bounced harmlessly off. “Let’s see what offensive capacities this thing has.” Fray pressed a button, a Gatling gun mounted on the back started to rotate, mowing the enemy down in seconds, blood strains everywhere.

“Wow…It has a lot of firepower.” The young filly was impressed.

“Indeed.” Fletcher replied still a bit uncomfortable about it as he steered the drone further down the corridor, taking out every enemy he saw, some soldiers fired sniper rifles but even that seemed not to damage the mechanic Nightmare Moon at all.

At the end of said corridor, a group of enemies came close to the drone, Fletcher pressed the melee button, causing the drone to slam it’s forelegs to the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the KPA soldiers flying against the wall.

Another enemy squad came, the soldiers stood close to each other, so Fletcher used the stun attack, the drone fired a shotgun like Taser from a second weapon on the back, the soldiers let out random gibberish, twitching, before falling over.

“All enemies are neutralized on this floor, move to the next floor.” Katie radioed in.

“Roger that.” Fletcher replied, having a slightly giddy look on his face, making Scotch Tape a bit worried about him.

“Please Fletcher, don’t enjoy it too much.”

“I'm not ashamed...at all.” He said to her as he moved the drone to the elevator, seeing that the doors were broken up, as the KPA had used the cables to get down here. “Who needs elevators?” He activated the wings of the robotic Alicorn, flying to the upper floor where he caused chaos under the enemy troops. “Run, the eternal night is coming for you!”

The filly sighed. “You're not supposed to name it. Once you name it, you start getting ATTACHED to it!”

The unicorn blushed. “Sorry, it’s just so much fun!”

The foal rolled her eyes. “You are getting way too into this, Fletch.”

“I know.” He sounded embarrassed about it as he took care of the remaining enemy troops who seemed to retreat.

“Hey, they are running!” The filly noticed.

“Yes they are! Katie, what’s the situation on the surface?”

“We hold them off so far! The enemy is retreating, the area is secure.”

“Good to hear. Now let-“

Quick as lighting, there was a blue flash, the camera flickered before it shut down, along everything else that was electrical, even the lights went out, only red emergency lights remained on.

“What’s going on?! Katie? Katie!” Scotch Tape spoke into the radio but there was no response.

“Damn it, the attack was just a ruse! Stay behind me!” Fletcher got his bow ready as he hard several boots in the distance. While Katie had told that the drones would reboot shortly after getting deactivated with an EMP, it could take several minutes to do so, enough time for the KPA to use this to their advantage.

The filly hid behind a console, slightly trembling as the sound of boots came closer. “Death before surrender. The words of heroes and villains alike.” The unicorn spoke, knowing he had to protect Scotch Tape at all cost, he was the last line of defense.

The Eternal Knights didn’t fear death, they had seen it too many times already and he was ready to die to keep her safe.

The door opened and a cylinder was thrown in, it exploded in a white flash, then eight more in fast succession, effective blinding both. “My eyes!” Scotch Tape held her eyes, her eyes ringed, everything was white, she stumbled.

“Ah! Damn it!” Fletcher cursed as he held his eyes too, unable to see or hear anything. Normally, the nanomites and his magic allowed him to recover from flashbangs and similar things very quickly but eight of them at once were even too much for him to handle.

In the moment his vision returned and the ringing stopped, something hard hit his head, causing him to fall backwards, not knocked out but incapacitated.

A squad of 718 soldiers moved in, one of them grabbed the still stunned filly, another held Fletcher at gunpoint.

She recovered, noticing what was going on, starting to struggle as she got brought away. “No! Let me go!” He tried to bite her captor but he shrugged it of thanks to his heavy armor.

“Nothing personal but orders are orders.” The elite soldiers said as his finger slowly went for the trigger of his rifle.

In the moment the soldier carrying Scotch Tape was out of sight, the unicorn heard her yell, “Fletcher!”

Author's Note

Controlling the Spider tank in Watch Dogs 2 was so much fun! And this song suits NIghtmare Moon perfectly.

Chapter 17 Escape

Chapter 17: Escape

There was nothing Fletcher could do to prevent being killed by the 718 soldier, all he could do was closing his eyes, accepting it.

Wolf and Midnight would mourn him, but that was unlikely to console them completely.

A single tear escaped his eye, feeling guilty for failing to protect Scotch Tape, but he had tried. His life flashed before him, from the day he got his Cutie Mark, to several battles in the Civil War and afterwards.

He had seen death so many times, it didn’t matter anymore for him, becoming routine.

Then, there was the shot.

It took minutes for him to realize…

He wasn’t dead.

Slowly opening his eyes, he saw that the Korean soldier was fallen over, a hole in his head, blood flowing down, Katie behind him, the barrel of her pistol was smoking.

“Just in time. Are you hurt?” She helped Fletcher up, he grunted in pain from the hit to the head he had taken.

“No, I’m fine. How did they find us?” He wondered.

“I don’t know but it doesn’t matter now, we have to find out where they took Scotch Tape.” The Sergeant sounded determinated to find the young filly.

“I agree with that, there’s no time to lose.” The unicorn paused for a second to think.

“But they could have brought her anywhere, how can we find her fast enough before it’s too late?” Fletcher asked worried, not wanting to imagine what they would do with her.

“Do I have to remind you that we have very good scouts and Spies? They will find her in no time.” The woman reminded him, heading out of the room, the stallion close behind. It made him wonder why they took only her and not him. Sure, a talking filly was one interesting thing, but a talking, magic casting unicorn was far more interesting.

“Due the ongoing war, we suspect that they must be transported to one of the captured US bases somewhere in the West of the USA. If that’s the case, we can find her, if they managed to bring her out of the country, then there is nothing we can do for her.” Katie explained as she joined with the rest of her squad.

“I hope so too. I have already lost someone that was like her and I won’t let that happen again!” The Knight exclaimed.

The robotic unicorn looked at him with a weak smile. “Don’t blame yourself, you did what you could.“

He returned a weak smile of his own. “Appreciated. How long do you need to reboot?”

“Pretty fast, within a minute, so we can resume fighting as soon as possible.” The officer explained.

“Good to know. I feel kinda embarrassed about it but I owe you one for saving my life.” Fray blushed, looking at the ground.

“You owe me nothing, Fletcher, soldiers work together, helping each other.” She replied.

“Don’t worry Fletcher, I won’t rest until I have found her.” Joseph assured with an honest expression as the other bat pony drones assembled, ready to move out.

“Glad to hear it.” He was really happy that he could count on them, that they would help him to find her and free her.

The stallion took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, there was still hope they could find her in time.

He didn’t want to imagine how Scotch Tape’s family and friends would feel if he had to bring the news that she was dead.

That, however, was one of the many reason they had to save her, she didn’t deserve such a fate. One thought that popped in, was that they would experiment on her, which all hoped would not happen. For Fletcher, this case would cross the line.

“I swear, if they only harm one hair on her, they will pay!” The Eternal Knight exclaimed in anger.

He then helped to inspect the damage on the base, apart from the broken up elevator, there was no damage and helped to dispose the bodies.

The entire time, he couldn’t help but feel worried about Scotch Tape, hoping she would be alright and that the scouts would quickly find her.

The young filly had already suffered too much here and she didn’t deserved to die here, but to be reunited with her father save and sound.

The foal had told him how brutal the KPA was towards the civilians, executing them for the slightest suspicion of any relation with resistance movements on the spot without trial.

I will never forgive myself if anything happens to her.

But, he had to think positive, that they would find and save her. Other than that, there was nothing he could do than to hope for the best.

While Katie told him he shouldn’t blame himself, the guilt wouldn’t leave him, rather making him feel depressed about having failed to protect her. Still, even if he had managed to recover from the flashbang and fought back, they probably had overrun him anyway and had taken her away.

This realization made him feel a bit better, swearing he would save her or die trying. He owed this to her.

Wolf and Midnight had done the same would they have been in his place, he had no doubt about it.

The unicorn wondered still how the Koreans had discovered their location. A spy? A bug? So many possibilities but that had time until after they had found and rescued the young foal. Still, there was the danger of a counter attack or that the KPA might attack them again before they could find Scotch Tape. It made him also wonder why they hadn’t destroyed the base after kidnapping Scotch Tape. Maybe, they wanted to test the Eternal Knight. Then again, the former soldiers may have taken the Koreans out before they could destroy it.

A day passed, maybe 2, Fletcher had lost track of time, it felt like weeks for him.

Then Joseph returned. “Good news! I have found her!”

“Finally! Where is she?” Fletcher asked, not wanting to waste time, hoping it wasn’t too late.

“In an Airbase in Colorado, the KPA captured it when they invaded the USA.”

“Great work, Joseph, let’s move out!” Katie ordered, her comrades saluted.

Fletcher knew getting her out wouldn’t be easy, neither would get in undetected. But nothing was impossible.

Hold on Scotch Tape, help is on the way!

The filly came to with an aching head, groaning in pain. Ugh, where am I? Scotch Tape looked around, finding herself in what seemed to be a cell.

“…She’s still a child, she wouldn’t survive this kind of procedure!” An elderly American voice ringed in her ears, seeing a yellow bar and a red bar on her PipBuck, out of her sight, the American sounded very angry, arguing with someone.

“Mr. Archer…Why are you so reluctant to serve your country in its time of need? You must take heart in what patriotism can bring you. Our glorious leader, Kim Jong-Un, only wants to teach you to unlock your country’s natural resources. Bringing prosperity to all. It is our gift to you.” The other voice was English with a Korean accent, the foal recognized it. Colonel-Commandant Jeong, the same KPA officer who took her away from Kate and Amy back in Montrose.

“What has that to do with this?” Archer wanted to know.

“A talking pony like her could open new possibilities for your country, for our glorious leader. You should feel honored to study such a rare specimen.” Jeong’s voice was cold.

Scotch Tape gulped, they would experiment on her, maybe even do an autopsy on her. But she knew, Fletcher, Katie and the others would save her, she was confident of it.

The Korean stepped into her view, his expression neutral. “We meet again at last. Scotch Tape, right? I remember you, you were with Kate Carter and her daughter Amy.”

She didn’t look at him, rather looking at the ground. She was scared, trying not to show it, being silent

“Nothing to say, child?” The officer was a bit surprised. “I thought you would at least ask what happens to you or beg for mercy. Not that it matters anymore.” He made a sign, a soldier with a syringe in his hand walked into the cell.

Scotch Tape started to struggle, it was in vain as the soldier managed to inject her and she felt suddenly very tired, drifting off.

On board the airship, Katie and Fletcher were working on a plan to get Scotch Tape out. “The Airbase is heavily defended and locked up tight. A direct assault would be suicide.” Katie analyzed the defenses.

“I agree, the AA guns would tear the airship apart, we have to sneak in.”

“Agreed. I and the others have already thought of something.”

“And that is?” Fletcher wondered.

“You will see.” Was all Katie replied to him, leaving him wondering what she had in mind.

Scotch Tape regained awareness of her surroundings, hearing the sound of an ECG and a muffled clashing of metal, finding herself in an operation room.

Her entire body was immobilized, not able to turn her head or saying anything but a strongly increasing pain was in her torso.

She couldn’t scream, only endure this agonizing level of pain, her heartbeats getting faster, panicking, trying to move but she had no feeling in her hooves at all.

Faintly, there was a voice yelling to stop, before everything slowly started to fade. Maybe it was the drugs they had injected or she was dying, even near comatose, yet only one thought went through the delirium.

I will...get out...You can't...hold me...I'm not your...your...toy...

Then she fainted.

“…She almost died, how can you do this to her?” Again, she heard faintly a voice, but she saw only black.

“Thanks to you, she didn’t die. As such, we keep the restrains.” The other voice replied.

“She fell into a comatose for Christ’s sake!”

“But she awoke. As soon as she’s stable, continue.”

Due her faint hearing, she couldn’t hear out the emotions of the 2 voices.

She couldn’t feel anything but slowly, her vision and hearing returned. She could only move her eyes, seeing that she was in some kind of infirmary/experimental laboratory, her four hooves restrained, lying on a table. Her chest was bandaged, it looked bloody, like it was not long ago, or freshly changed.

That was very painful… The filly remembered it, her chest was still aching a bit as the door opened.

Her visitor was an elderly man in a white lab coat, his hair was greying and his eyes green. “You are awake, I thought you would never wake up.” He sounded very relieved and very sorry.

The foal tried to speak. “W-where a-am I? W-what h-happened? Her voice was weak and dry.

“In the infirmary of the Airbase. They…forced me with a KPA doctor to cut you open. As I had feared, it was too much for you to take, you almost died and fell into a comatose for a few days.” He felt guilty for it.

“You…are Mr. Archer, the master…mastermind…behind… Project Horizons…” the filly managed to say.

The man was surprised. “How did you know?”

“A…long story…” Even though she was much weakened, she managed to tell him who she was, where she came from and how she discovered the project.

The scientist was impressed. “I’m a bionical engineer, my field is bionics, that’s the reason why project Horizons was possible at all. It pleases me to hear to hear that they were successful in battle.”

“They…don’t blame you…for doing this…” Scotch Tape paused to breathe. “What happened to you…?”

“Well, Wyatt fell victim to theKnoxville Cough, only I survived.

As the invasion begun, the KPA captured me, forcing me to work for them. Their airships, Seeker and Wolverine drones are all my work. Work I hated to do. As for you, the Korean doctor, which I see more of a madman with a medical license, damaged your somatic nervous system and the anesthesia was very strong, that’s why you lost your ability to feel and move.” He told her, having sympathy.

A tear left her eye. “It…It is…”

“No, I managed to prevent permanent damage, you should soon be able to regain your sense of feeling.”

“G-glad to…to hear it.” The foal managed to form a weak smile.

“You don’t deserve this, Scotch Tape. I’ll do anything I can to prevent that they hurt you again. Promise.” He returned the smile as the door opened and the colonel walked in.

“Mr. Archer, please leave us, I would like to talk with our young guest.” His voice was cold.

The American walked out of the room, worried for Scotch Tape.

“You…won’t hold…me here…” The filly was not scared of him.

“You are restrained and there are guards patrolling this base, there is no escape. Still you struggle, never giving up, never backing down. You would have made a good Korean. Of course, the Americans have this sentiment too but the difference is...it doesn't work for them...as I intend to prove.”

“We…will see…” The foal taunted as the officer walked out.

She knew that she had to get out but in this condition, there was no way, she could.

"Scotch Tape, can you hear me?" Katie’s voice echoed in her mind.

"K-Katie?" The pony wondered.

"Yes, it’s me. You and Fletcher are still connected to our hive mind, a side effect of when we showed you our past. It will be only temporary.Don’t worry, we get you out of here."

"Yes we will. With a little…friend." Fletcher added in her mind.

It made her wonder what he was meaning, as suddenly, the vent on the celling next to her opened and a drone jumped out, it’s design resembled somepony that she never expected the last to see.

Herself.

The drone removed the bonds. “Is that…me?” The filly asked confused.

"Well, yes, it was planned for maintenance work, the blueprint still exists, we based your case on it." Katie explained slightly embarrassed.

“I can’t move.” The filly still had no feeling in her body, her counterpart placed her gently on its back in response.

The robot had no problem to lock-picking the door, gently opening it. A guard was walking past the room, not noticing the two. “Shh.” The robot putted a hoof to his mouth, the foal nodded.

After the guard was far enough away, the drone silently walked out of the room, taking a right turn into a corridor to another room, where a syringe was on a tray. “That should do it. Nothing like a little digoxin to fix you up.” Scotch Tape’s counterpart injected her with it, she hissed from the pain for a second.

Slowly but steady, she could feel her body again as the robot sneaked down the corridor, on the celling was a red sign saying “exit.”

At the end of said corridor, the drone peeked with the filly around the corner, seeing another exit sign and a yellow sign saying “restricted area.”

The pony noticed a guard walking towards the yellow sign, stopping to face the chest-level window.

Scotch Tape also saw that this guard wasn’t a KPA soldier, as he was wearing a blue uniform with security written on the back. “Buzz me out, Carter.” The guard said with an American voice, probably a collaborator.

“Where’re you going?” Carter asked, having also an English voice.

“I need some air, those Korean doctors give me the creeps.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, they brought in a prisoner and I got told the entire base is locked up tight.” Carter replied before he buzzed his co-worker through.

Scotch Tape’s counterpart sneaked under the window and into the back to some lockers.

In one locker was her overall. Now, having enough feeling in her hooves, the drone placed her gently down and she putted her overall on, seeing how the drone took a Taser out of an internal holster, knocking Carter out, then pressed the button to open the door.

After passing through, they hid in an alcove as another American guard was approaching the intercom. “Hey Carter, I’m on in five, buzz me in, would you?” He asked before getting hit with the Taser by the robotic pony to avoid sounding the alarm.

Taking a right turn, they had to hide in another alcove as a KPA solder walked past, only to get knocked out too.

Seeing no other yellow and red bars on her PipBuck, the foal and her friend made a dash for the exit.

Scotch Tape couldn’t believe it, she was almost out of here!

I owe you one once I’m out of here.

“Alright, hold it, kiddo! Stop right there!” Someone ordered in English behind her, the filly turned around, holding her hooves up in surrender, her robotic counterpart just stayed still.

She recognized the man, it was the same guard that got buzzed thorough a minute ago, having black hair and brown eyes, a M9 trained on her.

“Please, they will hurt me if I stay here, I’m innocent.” She tried to explain.

To her surprise, the guard holstered his weapon. “You’re right, you’re no prisoner. Over here.” He led her and the drone to a window. “I overheard this KPA colonel, they plan to kill you. You can get out here.” He opened the window.

“Thanks.” Scotch Tape was glad that he helped her.

“If you’re trying to get to the airfield, it’s southwest of here. I’ll check in with the security office and cover your absence as long as I can. Good luck!” The guard explained.

“You’re taking a huge risk, guard.” The filly was concerned for him.

“I took an oath to uphold the law, I’m no traitor, they all forcibly recruited us. You don’t have much time. Good luck.”

“Thanks again.” Scotch Tape replied as she and the robot climbed through the window, not thinking she would ever see him again.

"Katie, Fletcher, are you still there? I’m out of the infirmary." The foal reported.

"Good. I got good news and bad news. Good news: You’re not far from getting out of here. Bad news: The only exit is in a lab complex on the other side of the base. From there, you can get out, I explain once you got there."

"Okay, on my way." Scotch Tape noticed it was night, making it easier to remain undetected.

The two sneaked through an alleyway taking a right and left turn at the corners, coming to a parking lot with two KPA trucks. One of the trucks drove away, the drone took a lone KPA soldier out that that was patrolling the parking lot.

They got into another alley, climbing on a box to get on the other side of the wall, landing on the ground with a thud. “Did you hear that?” A soldier asked his comrade.

“Hear what?”

“I thought I heard something, I gotta check it out.” Knowing that a soldier would check the sound out, the 2 hid behind another box, seeing a KPA soldier using a flashlight to investigate, then turning his back to them as he was about to walk back to his post, allowing the drone to knock him out with the Taser. They climbed on some boxes to get past the other soldier that was blocking the way, her counterpart hit him with the Taser too to make sure he wouldn’t sound the alarm.

The foal and robot sneaked down the corridor into a hanger, seeing another truck driving past.

They followed the route the truck was driving, coming to another hanger on the left, a Korean was guarding the exit, having his back to them.

After the robotic pony had taken care of him, the filly saw the lab on the other site, the entrance guarding by 2 KPA soldiers.

“Doesn’t seem like the front is an option.” Scotch Tape said to her counterpart.

“It’s the only way in. Hmm…” The drone spotted a parked truck, having an idea. “Watch this.”

Scotch Tape saw how the robot walked up to the truck, starting the engine.

“What the hell?!” one of the guards exclaimed as the truck reversed.

“Look out!” the other warned, the truck crashed into a building.

“Help!” a third guard called out and the others leaved their post to help, the distraction Scotch Tape and her counterpart needed.

Once they got in, Katie informed the filly, "There should be a vent to your left. Climb into it."

As told, Scotch Tape saw the vent, the drone helped her in and they crawled through until they came to what seemed a lab for chemicals.

“Okay, where do we need to go now?” She asked.

"Follow the vents, I guide you through." Katie replied as suddenly an alert went off.

“What the?” The foal wondered, fearing it might have blown her escape attempt.

"Damn it, they know you’re escaping! Time for plan b! Don’t worry, we get you out of here!" Katie promised as Scotch Tape spotted a Korean in heavy armor, he was wearing it from head to toe outside the room.

He fired a few rounds from his SMG at the window, it was bulletproof. “Get this door open, now!” He shouted in English.

Another soldier entered the room through another door, firing at the foal that dived for cover, he hit accidently one of the vials on the table, blowing himself up, Scotch Tape coughed from the smoke. Her counterpart helped her up. “Follow me!”

The drone led her through the door the guard had come through into another lab where a vent was. It led out of the room to the corridor.

Scotch Tape followed the drone to the left, the robot came screeching to a halt. “Back up, back up, BACK UP!” it screamed as bullets flew past, meaning that this direction wasn’t an option, so they took the right side, coming to another lab with a vent.

This vent led to a cold storage room. “This room is used to storage bodies of the nerve gas victims. We are almost out.” The drone explained, opening another vent.

“In there!” A Korean fired some rounds into the vent, they missed, the filly by inches, she could hear the hisses in her ears.

This vent led to a locker room, the door opened and a squad of armored soldiers moved in. “Stop or we will open fire!”

“Don’t shoot!” Scotch Tape surrendered, knowing there was no way out.

And I was so close of getting out… She thought in defeat, her head lowered.

“Nobody escapes the Greater Korean Republic, you-“

An explosion cut the soldier off, Scotch Tape raised her hooves to protect herself from splinters, coughing from the smoke.

Once it cleared, she saw Jeff, he had caused the explosions as the Koreans were lying dead on the ground, being blown away by the blast. “The ABS armor may be protecting from bullets but not from explosives. Come on!”

He climbed first through the vent, fired a round from his grenade launcher on another KPA squad, the bodies were still burning as he lowed himself to let the child and drone climb on him “Hold on tight!”

He galloped down the corridor, firing another round on another soldier that tried to intercept him, the explosion sent the guard flying towards them, the grenadier ducked to avoid that Scotch Tape would get hit by the flames before moving on.

Taking two left turns, another guard appeared, only to be blasted by the former soldier before climbing through another vent, the corpse was completely burned, black.

4 KPA operatives ambushed them from all sites, Jeff took then out quickly one by one with his grenades, the explosions made Scotch Tape’s ears ring, the bodies were coal black and on fire, getting blasted away, some of them still burned. “Almost there!” He yelled as he walked to the security office of the labs as another soldier rolled into the doorway, firing at the mechanic stallion.

Jeff punched the soldier, thanks to the cybernetic limbs, he could easily knock his opponent out, despite the heavy armor.

Then he used the terminal, so Katie could override the security locks main doors.

“The power has been cut but you should be able to open the doors manually.” His commanding officer said on the radio.

“Copy.”

“Watch out!” Scotch Tape warned as one guard came from behind, Jeff reacted quickly firing a grenade before the guard had a chance to fire, the explosion threw the body towards them, Jeff sidestepped to avoid it. While the young foal had seen many times how her father used explosives, she really hoped that those soldiers had a quick death instead of burning alive in their armor.

After that he opened the door, Scotch Tape saw a Humvee driven by Kate stopping in front of them, Fletcher was manning the minigun. “Get in!” The woman shouted.

After Scotch Tape, her counterpart and Jeff got in, the Sergeant drove towards the exit while Fletcher fired at KPA Humvees that chased them, taking either drivers, gunners, or the entire vehicles out until they exploded in flames, leaving only burning black wrecks.

Scotch Tape couldn’t believe it, she was really getting out! She could already see the checkpoint that was the exit.

Looks like I’m getting out of here after all! She was very glad.

KPA trucks moved up, blocking the checkpoint. “They blocked our escape route!” Fletcher shouted but the robotic unicorn didn’t think of stopping, spotting a few explosives barrels on a shelf next to the checkpoint.

“Shoot those barrels!” She replied and the Knight did as told, the explosion created a ramp. “Hold on!”

Katie drove towards the ramp, the IMV flew over the wall, the landing was a bit rough, making Scotch Tape grunt in pain but they had made it.

“Let’s see how they want to follow us now!” Jeff taunted as they left the base behind, driving into the woods.

“No enemy forces in pursuit. Success! Now, we got an airship to catch!” Katie shouted triumphed.

After their successful escape, the KPA soldiers were running around, trying to put out fires and cleaning up, Jeong just quietly turned to Archer, who's looking very calm. “Dr. Archer...”

“Colonel Jeong?” Archer asked in return.

“Who was that?” The colonel asked.

“As far as I know, that would be Fletcher Fray. He's from wherever the filly's from or thereabouts. He's been tasked with taking her home.”

The Korean officer paused for a moment “...You...mention...this...now?”

The scientist shifted around with faux-shame. “Well...be honest, Colonel, if I told you, sincerely, that there was a talking, green unicorn with a flying bow and arrows running around Occupied Philly...would you have believed me?” He asked.

Jeong’s Face was devoid of emotion but Archer noticed fury in his eyes before the colonel looked at one of his men. “Private.”

“Yes, sir?” The soldier saluted.

“Do you think we can believe this man?” His hand slowly went to his holster.

“Uh, yes sir, thanks to his work we-“

The soldier couldn’t finish as the officer drew his M9 on Archer. “I don’t think so. We should execute him on the spot as traitor.”

Archer stayed calm. “If I die, my research does with me and I don’t think your glorious leader would like that.”

Jeong did not reply, his expression neutral, the pistol still trained on the scientist for what seemed minutes,then swiftly, he pointed the gun away, not even looking where pulling the trigger, the private had an expression of surprise and horror before the bullet went through his head, blood splattered from it, the body hit the ground, forming a puddle of blood, 2 other soldiers dragged it away without saying a word.

“Do not test my patience, Doctor.” Jeong walked away.

Once the officer was out of hearing range, Archer mumbled, “I can't very easily test something that doesn't exist.”

Back on the airship, Mia checked Scotch Tape for any further injuries. “I owe you all something. I don’t want to imagine what else those doctors had done to me.” The filly shivered at the thought.

“You owe us nothing sweetheart, we did only our job and friends help each other.” The medic smiled at her.

“Wait, what about Archer, we can’t leave him behind!” The young pony was worried for his safety.

Katie and Fletcher walked in. “Don’t worry, Grace and Joseph are getting him out as we speak.” The Sergeant assured her in a calming voice.

“As for that Korean colonel…we deal with him another time.” Fletcher sounded slightly angry yet his emotion was neutral.

A beeping noise ringed in the room. “Ah, there they are. As I expected.” Katie commented with a smile as the door opened, the two soldiers and the scientist walked in. “Welcome aboard, Archer, It’s nice to see you again.” She greeted friendly.

“It’s nice to see you too after all those years. I’m impressed, proud and touched that you managed to finish what I could not, even improving it in ways I never thought were possible.” Archer replied, happy to see them too.

“We took take of ourselves once your support stopped.”

“Ah yes, I remember. I could never have one single benefactor, otherwise the whole thing would be a dead giveaway. There had to be small payments from multiple investors. It started with the new victors in this desperate new age. Dubai, Rio, Helsinki, Johannesburg, Manila, all had fairly decent and very clever men ready to move up in the world. After them came...less savoury folk. Gangsters in Moscow, slum lords in Amsterdam, sheiks in the Sahara, tribal kings in the Congo, even some whack-nut dictator in Slovakia who genuinely thought he was Emperor Caligula. I had to take money from men I would rather shoot in the face...Can you imagine what that's like? Knowing you are that desperate?” He asked them.

“I am Fletcher Fray.” The Eternal Knight introduced himself, offering a hoof shake which the elderly man returned with a smile. “I can imagine how hard it must have been for you back then.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too and yes it was hard for me. It’s quite exciting to meet you in real life.” Archer admitted a bit embarrassed.

“It’s fine. I’m quite impressed about the efficiency of your work.” The unicorn replied.

“Yes it is, I was quite impressed myself when I saw how effective it was. Which reminds me, the KPA airships and drones you encountered in Philadelphia, Scotch Tape, those were only tests.” He explained.

“Tests? What is their actual purpose then?” She asked, fearing the worst.

“To reinforce San Francisco against the upcoming attack of the US forces.”

Fletcher and Katie had the same thought upon hearing this. Looks like our work isn’t over yet, cut out for us.

Author's Note

It's not over yet.

Chapter 19 Golden Gate

Chapter 19: Golden Gate

The young pony took a deep breath. She really had come this far. There was no turning back now. At first, Scotch Tape couldn’t believe it that she had really come this far, but she was now here.

She was about to take part in the battle that could turn the war, probably even make the US military win it, driving the KPA out, reclaiming what was once theirs. Their home, their country.

“I really can’t believe we made it so far, after all we went through, we’re finally here. Can you believe it?” She asked her friends.

“We can’t believe it either, Scotch Tape. But we all have come this far, thanks to you and Fletcher. You’re the ones to credit.” Katie told them with a proud voice.

They both blushed at this compliment. “Thank you.” The foal replied.

“Now, let’s join them, shall we?” The female officer suggested and they nodded in return.

As they moved down to the FOB, they saw several US soldiers doing different tasks, like discussing tactics on a map, doing maintenance work on their AH-64 Apache helicopters or watching the bridge with binoculars.

One soldier greeted them. “You’re the child and soldiers everyone has been talking about?”

“Yes we are.” Fletcher replied.

“A great job taking those airships out for us. We wouldn’t be here now had they made it here. And just in time, the fuel trucks should arrive any minute.”

Just as the US soldier had said this, 3 KPA fuel tricks escorted by an AH-700 Scout helicopter pulled up, showing to Scotch Tape that Boone’s plan had been successful.

And she also saw her old friends, Jacobs, Conner, Rianna and Hopper again, smiling happy. “Hello, It’s nice to see you again.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Scotch Tape. We also heard what you achieved in Philadelphia and destroyed the KPA airships. Quite impressive, you can be proud of yourself.” The woman was proud of her.

“I guess. Everyone? This is Fletcher Fray?” She pointed at him. “Fletcher, those are Rianna, Jacobs, Conner and Hopper, members of the Colorado resistance from Montrose, or what’s left of it.”

He raised his hoof for a shake, smiling. “Pleasure.”

“I couldn’t believe what I heard about a talking unicorn until now. Or the reports about drones looking like ponies.” Conner commented a bit awkward about it.

Katie smiled at him. “Conner Morgan, you haven’t changed a bit, even after all those years.”

That confused the former Marine. “You know me? Wait…Katie? Is that you in there?”

“Yes, me and my squad. It’s a long story though, it has time until this is over.”

“Agreed.”

2 US soldiers walked up to them. “Hey! You guys Colorado resistance, the crew from Montrose?” One of them asked

“What’s left of us, yeah.” Rianna replied.

“Hell of a job getting us that jet fuel. Now our troops can get their air support.”

“Yeah, but first we gotta knock out those AA’s.” The other soldier added, leading them all to several AH-700 Scouts, being ready for takeoff.

“Hey! We good to go?” The first soldier asked his co-pilot who nodded, then turned to their new allies. “You two, the kid and unicorn with me.” He pointed to Conner and Jacobs to show he meant them.

“You two, follow him.” He said to Rianna and Hopper, getting into his chopper along the passengers. Katie, Jeff and Klaus got into the other helicopters, while the others used their wings.

“Rotor check. Throttle to 70 percent. Avionics are a go.” The pilot checked the instruments.

“Raptor, this is Warpath, you are cleared for takeoff. Happy hunting.” The Central Command radioed in.

“Raptor 1-1 copies.” The pilot of the chopper Scotch and Fray were in replied.

“2 solid copy. Keep the beer cold for us.”

“Hope you all don’t mind a little music.” Raptor one turned the radio on, playing a song as the helicopters took off into the skies.

The song was sitting as the US military could finally turn the tides of the way, Scotch Tape and Fletcher enjoyed it.

“This is Warpath, be advised: We have additional chopper from the 160th inbound, over.”

“Raptor copies all. Joining formation.”

“Fight’s already started for the bridge.” Rianna commented as AA fire could be seen above the bridge.

“It’s about time.” Conner added.

“Raptor, this is Stalker 6-1. Snuggle up and keep a low ceiling. We’re gonna come in right under those guns.” One pilot of the 160st Special Operations Aviation Regiment radioed in, consisting of Apaches.

“Uh, we got a couple of unidentified aircraft headed toward your position. Does anyone have a visual?” Warpath informed.

“Here they come!” Raptor 1 warned as KPA fighters intercepted the US choppers, 2 choppers got destroyed, Raptor 2 got damaged, smoking from the engine.

“You’re alright, Raptor 2?” Stalker 6 asked.

“I got clipped pretty bad, losing hydraulic pressure, fire in the engine compartment…I can’t keep her in the air; gonna put her down near the convoy.”

“Don’t worry about us, we’ll see you on the bridge.” Rianna assured.

“Eyes on a couple of RPG teams on the bridge.” Stalker 6-1 warned as missiles flew past the choppers.

“Confirmed, multiple launchers from the upper deck. Hold on to something!” Raptor 1 shouted as another AH-700 got hit, spinning out of control.

“I’m hit. 1-4 is going down. 1-4-“ Raptor 4 crashed into the side of the bridge, exploding, the wreck falling burning into the water.

“Raptor 1-4 is down. I repeat: 1-4 is in the water. Over.” Raptor 1 reported.

“Copy that, sending search and rescue.” Warpath replied, Scotch Tape and Fletcher didn’t thought that anyone had survived this crash.

“RPGs on the scaffolds. We’re going guns hot.”

“Take them out, use the grenade launcher!” Conner yelled to Jacobs as the chopper flew past the RPG teams, the former pilot fired the grenade launcher on his ACR, the KPA soldiers fell down screaming to their death. Scotch Tape prayed Chung wasn’t along the regular soldiers Jacobs killed.

“This is Raptor 1-1. The LZ is too hot, over.” The pilot said as there were too many RPG teams.

“Copy, Raptor. Hang on a sec…Raptor, your new LZ is the lime point lighthouse. You need to secure the area before we roll in the heavy guns, over.”

“I copy. We got five dismounted infantry and a T-99 at the base of the north tower. Fifteen plus and two RPG teams on the road. Ten seconds.” Raptor one landed at the street leading to the lighthouse with another chopper. “Touch down.”

The 2 resistance fighters and ponies jumped out, the other chopper got destroyed by an RPG. “RPG on the balcony!” A US soldier yelled, pointing it out.

Fletcher spotted it, switching to his bow, aiming for the head of the RPG soldier, firing an arrow, hitting him between the eyes. “Bull's-eye!”

Jacobs got Scotch Tape behind a barrier for cover. “Raptor 1 providing close air support.” The pilot shouted before getting shot down by another RPG.

The enemy forces consisted of mostly 718 division soldiers with a few regular soldiers, an air raid siren was sounding. “Push up! Push up!” A US soldier yelled as they pushed the KPA slowly back, Fletcher made every shot count with his SMG, Scotch Tape pointed out enemy positions with her PipBuck, seeing that the US soldier had the rank Sergeant, his name Keyes.

“Keep moving!” A private with the name Hernandez shouted as they moved up, clearing the checkpoint. “Area’s clear!”

“Form up! South gate! Hernandez, get that gate open, now!” The Sergeant ordered.

“Yes, sir!” The private did as told, there were no enemies in sight after the gate, making the 2 ponies suspicious.

They all held their position in the court yard, four soldiers scouted ahead as a T-99 broke through the wall on the left, killing them in one shot, blasting the bodies back. “Tank!” Hernandez pointed it out.

“We need to get our hands on something to kill that tank.” Conner moved with Jacobs and Fletcher out as the tank reversed, Scotch Tape stayed with the soldiers in cover.

“Circle around to the right! Through those barracks! Follow me!” Conner took the lead. “I’ll go first, cover me.”

In the barrack, a group of 718 blocked the way, Jacobs threw a grenade to clear it. Seeing that the tank was distracted by them, the American officer ordered, “Into the next building! Go! Go!”

The soldiers and foal sprinted from cover to cover, the tank missed them but still, Scotch Tape’s ears ringed.

In the second barrack, Fletcher used his Shadow strike ability, quickly taking the 718 squad out one by one, seeing a RPG on a table. Jacobs grabbed it, he loaded it.

The tank was turning his turret into their direction but the former pilot was faster, pulling the trigger, blowing the tank into pieces. “Hoo-ah! Warpath, enemy T-99 is scrap metal!” Keyes reported cheering.

“Copy, prepare to receive additional elements from 40th Id.”

“Form up! We’re gonna set up a new command post in the quad.”

They got outside as Rianna radioed in. “Conner, where are you four? We’re making our way toward the bridge with the 185th and the drones.”

“We got blown a little of course. We’ll see you up there.” He turned to Jacobs and Fray. “We’re gonna have to fight our way up the tower. Scotch Tape, stay behind us.”

“Of course.”

They moved up a ladder where the scaffolds were, stocking up on ammo. 2 red bars appeared on the filly’s PipBuck. “KPA soldiers ahead.” She pointed out.

“He’s mine!” Conner sprinted around the corner, throwing one 718 off the ledge, Jacobs took out the other with a clear headshot.

Another 2 soldiers came down the scaffolds. “Enemies on the overhead!” Conner pointed out as a squad of regular soldiers rappelled down to support the 718 soldiers.

Fletcher took them all out with well-aimed shots, showing his accuracy as they moved up, he took the lead.

“Seal team one popping victory smoke. Alcatraz has been secured. I repeat: We have taken the rock.” A Seal commander reported his success on the radio.

Getting up a ramp, a 718 rushed at the Eternal Knight with a scream, Fray quickly switched to his spear, impaling the Korean into the chest. “Not fast enough, buddy.”

They fought their way up a staircase, bullets flew past at the exit, as 718 soldiers fired from a scaffolds on the other side below the bridge deck.

An AH-700 Scout arrived, doing a strafing run on the KPA soldiers. “Hold your fire! That chopper’s one of ours!” Conner warned as the chopper cleared the way but got shot down by a Korean SU-47.

As they moved up, a US unit radioed in. “Firebase Bravo, this is Sierra Actual. Fire for effect, then rounds, hard target, Grid 5Q VJ four five niner, over.”

“Copy, Sierra Actual. DPICM in effect, ten rounds. Shots out.”

The artillery fire could be heard in the distance as they fought another 718 squad, assisted by regular soldiers rappelling down, Jacobs and Fletcher quickly picked them off.

“Adjust fire, direction 750, add 50, right 75, over.” Sierra Actual told Firebase Brave as the group moved up.

“Adjusting.”

The men and 2 ponies came to an entrance of another staircase. “Toss a grenade in there.” Conner told Jacobs who did as told, the explosion, blasted a 718 member out and over the scaffold.

“Bravo, end mission. Angel Island Communications Station destroyed, estimate 15 plus casualties, out.” Sierra Actual confirmed the destruction of the target, as Scotch Tape got up the stairs with her friends.

“Warpath, this is Romeo 4-4, our position has been overrun. The LT is KIA, multiple wounded. We need CASEVAC immediately, we cannot hold the bay bridge.” A US unit reported in.

“Nearly there.” Conner said as they were now under the bridge deck.

“Five navy destroyers have broken through the san Diego blockade. The USS John Paul Jones and Milius are en route to secure the bay.” Warpath informed the attacking forces.

“Hostiles on the catwalk!” The former marine fired in 718 soldiers. “Eyes on top! They’re roping down off the deck!” He spotted regular soldiers rappelling down to assist their comrades, but got killed midair by Jacobs and Fletcher. “Push up! Just a little further and we’re on the bridge.”

As the 3 soldiers took care of the remaining 718s on the catwalk, Scotch Tape took a deep breath, glad they had it made that far. I hope the others are doing well on the bridge.

At the ladder, Fletcher checked his ammo, having still enough. Due the PWS Diablo being used by US and KPA troops, ammo wasn’t really a problem as Conner climbed the ladder up first. “Rianna, we’re at the bridge!”

“Hopper, the drones and I are at the entrance. The convoy’s just behind us.”

“God damn, that’s a long way up. We got them flanked! Lay down some fire!” He ordered as the rest got up too, being on the left flank of the defenders.

Due being distracted by the attacking US forces, the KPA troops got caught off guard by the small group, getting slowly taken out. “Convoy is in position and cleared to engage.” Warpath informed as the T-99 got destroyed by a M1A3 Abrams moving up, followed by 2 LAV-25s and 2 Humvees.

“Warpath, the enemy armor is down.” Conner reported.

“Move it up!” Sergeant Keyes ordered, the soldiers and resistance members regrouped at the checkpoint gate.

“Good to see you guys again.” Rianna and the cyborgs smiled at the foal.

“Likewise.” Conner replied.

“You all with us! We’re clearing this bridge! Everyone back away from the gate. We’re gonna bust it down.” The Sergeant warned as the tank drove forward, pushing the gate out of the way, getting destroyed by an RPG, causing Scotch Tape to cough from the smoke. “Warpath, we just lost our lead armor. We’re moving in on foot.”

Fletcher and Scotch saw now that the KPA had damaged civilian vehicles piled up to create a series of defensive lines along the length of the Bridge.

“We take care of this!” Jeff said as he and the grenadier drones fired grenades into the air, unleashing a rain of grenades which nobody could survive, clearing the way for the convoy.

“Convoy on the move! Form up! Push forward!” Keyes yelled, Fletcher and Scotch Tape used the LAVs as cover, the convoy took care of any stragglers that had survived.

“Light armor inbound!” The officer warned as a KPA Humvee came to a stop, getting instantly blown up by the LAVs. “They’re down, hell yeah!” Keyes cheered.

“Push up! Push up!” The private yelled.

The convoy stopped next to a troop transport as the filly heard a whirring sound from the next checkpoint. “Sentry towers! Get to cover!” Hopper warned as they opened fire.

Jacobs, Fletcher and the young foal took cover behind the transport as the Sergeant pointed into the sky. “Attack chopper! Fall back!”

The Z-10 Chimera fired missiles, blasting the 3 off the bridge. “Jacobs, Scotch Tape! No!” Rianna yelled in shock.

In the moment Scotch Tape was about to scream, Fletcher yelled, “I got you!” having her grabbed with one hoof, and having grabbed the railing of a catwalk with Jacobs, pulling himself and her up.

“What happened?” Conner asked over the radio.

“They went over the side! We have to-“

“They’re gone! We’ve gotta keep moving!” He replied to the woman as the 3 saw how the truck they had taken as cover fell into the water, along with a car and an unlucky US soldier.

“Let’s get back on the bridge.” Jacobs took the lead, a few 718 soldiers rappelled down to deal with them and the chopper made a strafing run with its 30mm cannon, forcing them to cover.

After the chopper flying up, the Eternal Knight had one Elite soldier in his sight, pulling the trigger, the hits throw him back, falling over the railing, the same happened with another soldier Jacobs took out.

As they moved across, the chopper made another pass, firing his MG as they were in cover before flying up once more.

“We have to move across the broken beams, don’t look down, Scotch Tape.” Jacobs said, she nodded.

They could hear on the radio how Hopper tried to explain the sentries to the Sergeant, getting cut off by Rianna, “Hopper, not now!” and Conner trying to push forward without success as they reached the ladder at the other side, hearing the scanning sounds of the turret.

It led right behind the checkpoint where the towers were, 3 elite and one regular soldier defending them, distracted by the convoy.

The pilot threw a grenade under the first sentry, the explosion knocked the regular soldier over. “Hey, one of the sentries is down!” Hopper noticed.

“Who took it out?” The woman wondered.

“Who cares! Push forward!” Conner replied.

The stallion and man managed to take out 2 718 soldiers, the last one charged at them, beating Jacobs into the face, knocking him down, then very aggressively lunged at Fletcher, knocking him down too, punching him several times, stunning both.

Scotch Tape attempted to draw her pistol as the Korean lunged at her but was to slow, he hit her into the gut, knocking the air out of her, then grabbed the filly as the 2 soldiers got up. “Stay back! Or your young friend regrets it!” He yelled, she tried to break free but his grip was too tight.

“You wouldn’t dare!” Jacobs shouted in rage, Fletcher stayed calm, waiting for an opportunity to take the KPA soldier down.

“I love it when they say that.” The soldier said sadistic and cold, grabbing the foal’s right foreleg, there was a loud crack, followed by a painful scream of Scotch Tape as her captor had broken her leg.

The KPA soldier felt something hard hitting his head, falling to the ground, dropping the crying filly.

“My leg! It hurts! Make it stop!” Scotch Tape cried out in pain, tears leaving her eyes.

Jacobs and Fletcher saw that the regular soldier had taken out the 718 soldier from behind, kneeling down to the crying foal. “Shh, let me take a look.”

“C-Chung? This that you?” She asked pain.

“Yes, it’s me. Don’t worry, I have you fixed up in no time. “He carefully examined her leg as Jacobs destroyed the other tower, along his fellow resistance members and soldiers to advance.

“They’re alive!” Rianna was relieved not able to believe her eyes.

“Jacobs? That's like, the fifth thing you've fallen off of and lived!” Hooper commented.

“You are the luckiest man I’ve ever met.” Conner added.

Mia assisted Chung in fixing the child’s leg. “Good news, it’s only dislocated, we can put it back in place.” He said as Fletcher casted his sedative spell, gently holding her hoof for comfort.

“On three. One, two…”

Another loud crack followed, causing Scotch Tape to scream in a pain, then slowly noticing that it became less. “Thank you.” She was glad the pain slowly stopped as Fletcher levitated her on his back.

“Chopper’s coming back around!” Keyes warned as the same Chopper that had blasted the 3 off, started another attack, Chung pointed to a FGM-148 Javelin launcher on a crate, Jacobs took it, aiming at the chopper and fired upon having a lock on.

The Chimera got hit, burning but was still flying, Fletcher reloaded the launcher and Jacobs fired again, this time the chopper crashed burning into the sea, spinning out of control.

“Don’t move!” the sergeant yelled as Chung held his hands up in surrender. “Keep an eye on him.” He told one of his soldiers.

“The anti-air guns that are keeping our birds out of the sky are behind this gate. This is the battle, right here. Make it count.” Morgan gave a moral speech as the US soldiers were about to open the gate, Fletcher and Scotch Tape could hear the AA fire behind the gate.

“Stand back! We’re opening the gates!” Keyes warned.

In the moment the gates opened, gunfire came from the other side, killing the soldier that was guarding Chung, an RPG got fired, deafening the foal’s hearing for a moment.

Fletcher spotted the RPG user in the guard tower, firing an arrow in his direction before he could fire another shot, the young Korean took the M4 of the dead American, joining the fight on the US side, firing with hate at the 718 soldiers.

However, the defenders were well dug in, keeping the US troops at bay, even the cyborgs couldn’t break through.

All of the sudden, a squad of 5 regular KPA soldiers started to fire on the 718 soldiers, effectively clearing the way for the US forces. “I’m lieutenant Mino, we’re surrender.” The officer said, lying down his weapon, his men were Yun, Lim and Gim and Puma, were also lying down their weapons.

The filly saw now that the AA guns were the same she had seen on the mountain, the noise from them was deafening.

“Reinforcements rolling in!” Conner pointed out.

“Everyone onto the platform! Pick your sector and drop every Nork that steps into it. There’s no falling back! Hold the line!” The sergeant shouted.

“Let us help!” Mino grabbed his weapon, firing with his men on the 718 soldiers, not caring if he would die. If he would do down, he would go down for the right side of this war.

As everyone was on the platform, holding the line, Hopper had an idea. “Wait! Those guns have automated IFF. I can re-wire it to recognize our aircraft as friendly.

“In English?” Rianna asked.

“We turn their own guns against them.”

“You’ve got two minutes. Then we blow them.” Keyes replied.

While her leg was still aching a bit, Scotch Tape helped Hopper to re-wire the AA guns, covered by her friends.

They defended the platform against waves of infantry for several minutes. “How much longer?” Conner asked.

“Buy us a minute! We just need a password!” Hopper replied. “Come on, come on…this connects to…”

“Hurry up!”

“There done! Bingo! System’s rebooting!” Hopper cheered in success.

“Warpath, we’ve captured the battery! The guns are ours! Get those jets airborne!” Conner shouted into his radio.

“Copy that, scrambling fighters now.”

The airship and Wonderbolt drones also joined the fight, firing at the KPA jets.

Still, the KPA was still coming, as if they had limitless troops. “There’s too many of them!” Rianna got desperate.

“They’re coming from everywhere!” Private Hernandez yelled.

“There’s a friendly UCAV on site. Patching you through. KPA armor column headed toward your position. Advise you to use the UCAV.” Warpath informed the troops, Jacobs called it to destroy the armor.

“Good kill, good kill. Still some enemy armor down there, mop ‘em up. That’s another down, good shot.” Warpath commented on Jacobs kills. “UCAV is at bingo fuel. Returning to base.”

The destruction of the armor column left some fires, a few KPA soldiers screamed in pain as they stumbled out of the fire, dying a painful death, Scotch Tape felt sorry for them, noticing that Fletcher trembled. “You okay?” She asked concerned.

“Just not a big fan of fires.” He replied with a shaken voice.

“We need to get out of here now!” Conner realized that they couldn’t stay here, spotting an undamaged KPA Humvee at the gate. “I’m driving. Jacobs, man the gun!”

Ching saw a second Humvee next to the first. “I drive this one, Fletcher, you’re the gunner!” He got in with Scotch Tape, wanting to get her out of danger, Mino and Moon joined them.

“We hold the position with the US forces. Good luck!” Katie called out.

Together, they took 3 Humvees of the Korean troops out as they drove to the next gate where another Humvee blocked the way.

In the moment it got destroyed, a drone broke through the gate, having the Humvees in its sight. “Goliath!” Rianna yelled.

“It’s one of theirs!” Hooper pointed out.

“Reverse! Get us out of here!” Rianna shouted, Conner did as told, Chung did the same while Jacobs and Fletcher fired on it, using the countermeasures to avoid it’s rockets.

After a few meters, both drivers hit the brakes, the Goliath drove past them but with a terrifying roar it chased them, burning from the damage, not giving up it’s pursuit.

Chung and Conner tried their best to avoid the wrecks of cars, driving in slalom. “Conner, can’t you drive straight?” Rianna shouted.

“I’m trying! Don’t you see all this junk in my way?” The Goliath overtook the Humvees but the 2 drivers were keeping up. “It’s not getting away that easily.”

“You’re chasing it?!” Rianna couldn’t believe it.

“Damn right.”

The Goliath got stuck near an abandoned tanker truck, Fletcher and Jacobs focused their fire on it but the explosion of the tanker blasted the Goliath towards the Humvees, knocking them over.

Scotch Tape’s and Fletcher’s visions were blurry, yet they could see an enemy armor column moving in as they came to.

“This is Conner Morgan. Enemy armor column rolling in from the south. Request immediate airstrike at the mouth of the bridge.”

“Negative on the airstrike. Friendly units are danger close.” Warpath replied on the radio.

“You need to hit them now!”

“Negative! We don’t have an solid ID on hostile targets.”

“Ahh…Screw it! Warpath, fire on my position! Look for the flare!” Conner ran towards the enemy with a flare in his hands.

“Repeat that? It sounded like-“

“Drop the biggest damn bomb you got on the flare!” Conner yelled, Scotch Tape and Fletcher tried to get up but were too weakened by the explosion earlier.

“Affirmative, Airstrike inbound.”

“No! Conner, wait!” Rianna shouted in shock.

“Strike leader, confirm you have a visual.”

“Eagle 1 has eyes on the flare. Package away.” 4 F-22 Raptors dropped bombs on the enemy column, a big explosion occurred, everything was covered in smoke, making it unable to see anything.

“Conner! Can anyone see him? Conner!” Fletcher and Scotch Tape heard Rianna yell before everything went black for them.

Author's Note

This may be where the game ends but not the story, What do you think could have happened after Golden Gate ingame?

Chapter 20 Aftermath

Chapter 20: Aftermath.

Scotch Tape couldn’t remember much. She awoke with a groan, slowly opening her eyes, hearing a ECG, the filly found herself in a hospital room, Chung and Fletcher in beds next to her.

“Scotch Tape, we’re glad to see you awake.” Fletcher said, sounding very happy.

“How long was I out?” She asked him.

“A couple of days, and so were we, having waken up just a few minutes before you.” Chung explained.

There was a radio in a table next to her bed. “This is Europa News, in London. The underground ‘Voice of Freedom’ network reports that American resistance fighters have joined U.S. Military forces in a major offensive at the Golden Gate Bridge. The coordinated attack may prove to be a turning point in America’s guerilla war against the Korean Occupation. Meanwhile, the EU Defense Council has called an emergency session to debate support for our Allies across the Atlantic.”

“That voice reminds me of Purple Patch.” Fletcher commented as a nurse entered the room and turned the radio off.

“Ah, you all have woken up. How are you feeling?” The nurse asked them.

“Apart from an aching body, good.” They all replied in union.

“Good to hear.” The woman pointed a light into their eyes for a few seconds. “Pupil reacting normally, very good. You got a lot of visitors.”

As the nurse had said this, Amy, Kate, Chang, Scotch Tape’s friends from Philadelphia, Archer, the former soldiers and the Montrose resistance walked in. “Scotch Tape! I was so worried for you!” The young girl hugged her with tears of joy.

The foal returned it. “I missed you too. But I hadn’t made it so far if it hadn’t been for my new friends.” Scotch Tape smiled at Fletcher and the cyborgs. “May I introduce Fletcher Fray to you?” She asked.

“Thank you for keeping Scotch Tape safe!” The 4 children exclaimed grateful.

With a warm smile he replied, “There is no need to thank me, children, I only did what was right.”

Then the filly noticed that Conner wasn’t along them, fear build up due not knowing what happened to him.

“W-what happened?” Scotch Tape asked, Rianna stepped forward.

“Well, Conner…” Her expression was sad. “…sacrificed himself to save us but we won the battle, San Francisco is liberated from the KPA. And as you have heard, we are about to get support from the European Union.”

That hit Scotch Tape like a brick. Conner had been a good, caring man, despite his aggressiveness, determined to free his country. She may have been known him for only a short time but she still had seen him as friend. Boone’s death had been already a tragedy. Yet, his sacrifice had saved her, Fletcher’s and Chung’s life.

“Glad to hear we have won but pity about Conner though. At least his sacrifice wasn’t in vain.” Scotch Tape said with sadness about Morgan.

“Yes. With the help off the EU, we will drive the KPA out. Don’t worry Chung, you and your friends can stay, we took care of everything.” Archer assured him.

“Thank you. Scotch Tape, I have also heard how you helped the US military before and I’m proud of you.” The Korean smiled at her.

Blushing, she replied, “Glad to hear it. I did it to find you and to help Amy and Kate.”

“And you succeeded. The entire journey was a very brave act of you, Scotch Tape.”

Now the foal was lowering her head in embarrassment, her face red as a tomato.

“And by the way, the doctor said you should be able to leave as soon as you wake up.” Mia added.

Scotch, Fletcher and Chung were happy to hear this, after they got released from hospital, they all celebrated the liberation with the crowds on the streets.

The battle was won, but the war was not over yet. Still, this coordinated attack demonstrated that the U.S. military west of the Mississippi was not eliminated as an effective force, as had been previously thought. The operation, despite incurring losses, showcased American aircraft, warships, heavy armor, and troops from all four services in an operation reminiscent of the great American military of years past. What had only previously been considered a defunct organization, the U.S. military demonstrated their continued power and relevance. The battle of San Francisco was not only the turning point of the war, but also the end of the KPA Occupation and collapse of the New Korean Federation of Occupied America due the loss of its occupational HQ.

After the celebration, Scotch Tape returned to her home in Philadelphia, Fletcher stayed with her until her real family could find her.

The US troops had already decontaminated the gassed yellow zones and restored law and order. The Eternal Knight liked Ashgate, befriending also Scotch Tape’s friends.

He also deployed a like for the video games the kids showed him, enjoying them, also having to laugh at the Lego video games and proved to be a good driver in the Need for Speed game, racer and cop alike.

In the next days, the European Union were sending troops to assist, yet it would take some time for them arrive. The loss of San Francisco had broken the back of the KPA, losing control over their territories in the West of the USA, being in full retreat.

It looked like this war would be over soon. Chung, Chang, Mino and his men were granted asylum for the time being, thanks to the actions of Archer, the former soldiers and the resistance, the residents of Ashgate treated them with respect, due their relation with Scotch Tape and good will they had shown while serving in the Occupational Forces.

While Amy, Collin, Alex and Emily were young, they still wanted to know how Fletcher’s time with Scotch Tape was.

“It was quite…exciting. It’s been a very long time since I took part in such a big battle and felt so much adrenaline. And my time with Scotch Tape when not in battle was very pleasing, although I admit I was first shocked and confused upon hearing what happened in the Equestria she came from and when I saw my drone counterpart.”

“We believe you that.” The children said in union.

After this chat, they all had a party in the garden, Scotch Tape danced happy together with her sister and friends, the adults all watched with smiles.

“Despite all the pleasant time we had with her, I hope that her father finds her soon, they have been separated for so long.” Kate said with a sad expression, looking at the dancing foal.

“I agree, I enjoy her company too, but this isn’t her home.” Chung replied, hoping it wouldn’t take too long.

Then there was a knock on the door, they both answered it.

To their surprise, a unicorn with white coat, red eyes and a red and black mane, a stallion having light blue coat with a dark blue mane and blue eyes, a Pegasus with Violet eyes, a Bright Violet mane and a grey coat, and a Alicorn with also Violet eyes, a night blue mane and a dusk coat stood before them.

“Sorry to bother you, but we are looking for my daughter, is she here?” The stallion asked with concern, yet hope.

Both humans shook their heads and closed their eyes, believing their imagination was playing tricks on them but the ponies weren’t vanishing. “Yes, she’s here.” Chung replied before calling out, “Scotch Tape, someone wants to see you!”

The foal wondered who it could be as the 2 led their new guests into the garden, as she saw them, she smiled overjoyed. “Daddy!”

“Scotch Tape! You’re okay!” The daughter and father hugged each other with tears of joy, while the other ponies smiled happy at them.

“Thanks to my new friends I made!” Scotch Tape exclaimed, pointing to all her friends.

“I see you made quite some friends.” Her father was surprised, then saw his drone counterpart. “O-kay…” He sounded pretty disturbed, the Pegasus shared his reaction, the unicorn looked rather worried at her counterpart, while the Alicorn stayed neutral.

“I know it looks strange daddy, but I can explain everything, though it’s a long story.” She explained.

“If you allow me Scotch Tape, I could use a spell that makes things simpler.” The Alicorn suggested, the filly nodded and the Alicorn touched Scotch Tape’s forehead with its white glowing horn. Her father and friends could see in a dream-like sequence what the foal had experienced.

“Oh my… You truly went through a lot, Scotch Tape, but I’m proud of you. Mr. Chung, Mrs. Kate, I thank you for keeping my daughter safe, you all have my thanks.” Her father was grateful before noticing something. “How rude of me, I’m P-21, and those are Blackjack, Morning Glory and Lacunae.” He introduced himself and his friends.

“Pleasure, your daughter is quite brave for her age.” Fletcher replied, P-21 looked at him in what appeared to be confusion.

“You look familiar…”

“You seem to confound me with somepony else.” The Eternal Knight cut him off.

“Most likely, you look like somepony I saw in a dream. Coincidence I guess. Anyway, since we interrupted your party, mind if we join you before going home?” The blue Earth pony asked.

“Not at all.” Kate replied.

And so, they all celebrated happily together, Scotch Tape danced happy with her father, Blackjack with Morning Glory, while Lacunae danced alone but still had fun.

The party went until the sun was setting in the evening.

“Well, it was a nice celebration but we have to go home. Still have to celebrate your Cutie Mark, Scotch Tape.” P-21 said to her.

“Of course, daddy. Goodbye, Amy. I wish you good luck for the future. You all were good friends to me.” She hugged her sister one last time, it turned into a group hug with the other children.

“Goodbye, Scotch Tape. Thank you for everything.” Amy started to cry.

As the filly walked over to her father, he said, “Farewell. Thank you all for keeping my daughter safe.” Lacunae lightened her horn up and the group vanished in a white light.

“Well, it’s time for me to go to. Farewell. Live long, and prosper.” Fletcher said goodbye, preparing the spell that would bring him home, hoping he would get it right.

“Wait, Fletcher!” Katie exclaimed, tearing him out, “I thought we give you a souvenir, so your friends will believe you.”

“What kind of souvenir?” He asked confused as several hoof steps reached his ears, seeing something he never expected to see.

3 small drones, about the size of a foal, the first resembled a unicorn, the second a Pegasus and the last one like a bat pony. It took him a few seconds to realize that they resembled him, White Wolf and Midnight Blade in every detail. “Aww, soo cute!” Amy and Emily’s hearts melted at the sights.

Fletcher blushed. “You...you can't be serious…” He looked at the ground, embarrassed.

“I am serious. How else would you prove what you have experienced to your friends?” Katie countered.

“Guess you have a point, but…why those?”

Archer took the word. “Well, if you’re remembering my mentioning of this gift in the recording? It was supposed to be plushies but Katie thought it might be better this way for you.”

“Okay…Thank you very much for this gift.” Fray was a bit disturbed by this as the 3 “foals” gathered around him for the spell.

Where am I gonna' put all these? He thought as he lightened his horn up for the spell home.

The Eternal Knight vanished in a white light too. Amy sniffed. “It’s sad they that they are gone now.”

Chung gave her a hug. “It’s sad indeed, but they’re finally back home, where they belong.”

They all watched the beautiful sunset. Chang spoke up “This all is thanks to Scotch Tape and Fletcher Fray. But the war is far from over.”

The unicorn awoke slowly with an aching head, groaning as he opened his eyes, finding himself on a bed in the infirmary of his, Wolf’s and Midnight’s home, the Sunless Isle, letting out a breath of relieve, glad that it had worked, yet couldn’t see the foal drones anywhere.

The door opened, a very happy Pegasus mare came in, hugging him tightly with tears of joy. “Fletcher, you’re okay!” White Wolf exclaimed overjoyed.

Smiling, he replied, “I missed you too, Wolf.”

Midnight Blade joined them, also happy to see Fray again. “I’m also glad to see you again and safe and sound. I don’t think I could take it losing any of you after Saracen and Domino went missing.”

“Same here. How long was I gone?”

“A few days passed in Equestria. And of course, we aren’t the only ones who were worried about you.”

A green Earth pony with a blond mane and blue eyes walked in, followed by another Earth pony having a bespectacled purple and white patch-patterned coat, a long messy mane of indigo and silver streaks and matching eyes, wearing glasses and freckles on his face.

“Fletcher, I can’t say how happy I am to see that you are alive and well.” The green pony hugged him, Fletcher returned it.

“I’m glad to see you too, Wagensroll.” Wagensroll was the only relative of Fletcher’s family, despite being distant relatives, they cared for each other like brothers. “Anyway, it’s been a couple of weeks where I landed.”

“Couple of weeks? Where did the spell bring you?” The other Earth pony asked, Purple Patch, an expert in the field of Pre-Alicorn Studies, a very obscure field of study at the Royal Canterlot Academy, being Wagensroll’s friend and co-worker.

“Believe in or not, I landed on Earth, in the human world.“ Fletcher explained, surprising everypony.

“Y-you mean it...It actually exists?! This proves so much!” Patch jumped with excitement. “The stories of Megan the Mysterious a-a-and the Heartstrings Studies, th-th-the final campaign of Catseye the Conqueror, th-the Upright Ape sightings in Yakyakistan and...”

“Yes, yes, alright Patch. Remember to come up for air.” Wagensroll reminded him, causing him to stop with a blush from embarrassment.

“Yes. It was quite an eventful time.” With that, Fletcher told them all what he had experienced. It took his friends a moment to process everything.

“So...you mean to tell me...that humans in another dimension turned our world into a kid's show...” Midnight slowly putted the pieces together.

“That somehow inspired an entire worldwide fan base of all-ages and cultures that made art, literature and toys of us. In one of which, we and our adventures were featured...” Wolf tried to understand.

“Then...a paramilitary weapons designer designed automatons based on these characters from fan works which were in turn based on a kid's show, to fight a world war...” The bat pony continued.

“And now these drones have come across the characters they were inspired by, between both our dimension and theirs...” Wolf finished.

“That is, basically, how it looks, yeah.” Fray confirmed.

There was silence for a few minutes.

“Well...” Wolf shrugged. “Nope, I got nothing.”

“What can we say under these circumstances? I don't think there's any part of this situation that makes sense and yet what we see is what we have.” Fletcher replied.

“This is indeed a strange world we live in.” Midnight figured out.

“Say, those drones you brought with you, do they belong to this project too?” Wagensroll was curious.

“Well, yes, I got them as present and to proof what I had experienced. Speaking of which, where are they?”

“After you arrived, they brought you to this bed, then went into another room to build what looks like 3 charging stations if I saw that correctly.” Midnight explained.

In the moment, he had finished his sentence, said drones walked in, smiling at Fletcher.

Patch seemed visible disturbed by them. “Um...kids, don't take this the wrong way but...I'm going to run from you as fast as I possibly can...” With that he ran out of the room.

Wagensroll looked rather calmly at the drones. “Well, I sometimes tried to imagine how it would be like to have a little brother. The detail is quite fascinating.”

“I'm not cleaning up after them.” Wolf said, her expression neutral.

“..They're drones. What are they going to leave?” Fray asked, not able to understand what she meant.

“No clue but whatever it is, I'm not cleaning it up.” The mare replied in a stubborn tone.

“I know it was an accident but maybe you should stay away from the human dimension for now, Fletch. You seem to come back with something we don't know what to do with. And more importantly…” Midnight paused for a moment, trying to get the right words. “How...Shall We...Explain This...To Luna?” He wondered.

“I’m pretty sure we can think of something, right?” The unicorn asked his friends.

“Of course, dad!” The 3 drones exclaimed in union, having young, robotic voices.

“Did they just call you dad?” Wagensroll couldn’t believe his ears.

“Seems so, I guess it’s part of their programming. We should get up with names for them.” Fray suggested.

“I suppose. Makes me wonder what names they…” The Pegasus mumbled.

“Mother?” The drones asked Wolf, completely surprising her.

“Did they just… Ah, father always told me I could be a mother one day, never thought it would be that way.” Wolf mumbled in surprise.

“Uncle?” The drones looked at Midnight.

“Given that I took care of Luna when she was a foal, uncle sounds fair.” The bat pony mumbled slightly surprised to being called uncle by them.

“Has somepony called my name?” A new voice asked, princess Luna walked in, followed by a scared Patch, the Alicorn gasped and squeed. “Who are you, you adorable foals?” She asked with glee, hugging them.

“I see you already like them, princess. Fletcher brought them with him from his… accidental journey.” Midnight explained, the princess caught herself.

“I see. There’s no need to talk, Fletcher Fray, save your strength.” Luna said and casted a memory spell on him, allowing everypony to see his experiences. “Oh my…I must say Fletcher, your caring for others honors you. I’m proud of you and you can be proud of yourself. Now rest, you have earned it.” The princess leaved.

“Thank you, your highness.”

“Well, while I’m not a fan of technology as you are Fletch, I’m must admit I’m impressed at the detail and efficiently of them. My counterpart sure can fight like me. And the personality of Grace also is close to me.” Wolf admitted impressed.

“And Joseph, he sure understands his job. It’s a pity though what happened to them, I don’t think I could bear it, waking up in a drone body with only my brain left.” Midnight shivered at the thought. “Anyway, get some rest, Fletcher. You better stay away from the human world for now.” They all leaved, leaving him alone.

Still, he had a strange feeling he couldn’t describe. “Something tells me that won’t be the last time I will go to the human world.” The unicorn spoke to himself as he closed his eyes.

Later, they got up with some names for their foal counterparts. “I name my drone Fletcher Junior.” Fray announced.

“Very creative, I must say.” Midnight liked it.

“I'm gonna name mine Wolf Cub.” The Pegasus said proudly.

“Am I the only one here who's got a shred of creativity?” The bat pony asked with embarrassment.

“Well, what did you name yours?” Fletcher wanted to know, his friend stayed silent.

“I'm Mid-Mite.” Midnight’s foal drone introduced himself, causing the unicorn and Pegasus to break out in laugher.

“It’s not that funny!” Midnight exclaimed, blushing in embarrassment.

Back on Earth

A week passed since Fletcher and Scotch Tape had leaved, and things couldn’t go better. Chung and Kate lived happy together, the Korean was no longer a soldier, he worked together with Rianna and Elizabeth in the hospital, enjoying his new job. Chung worked as policeman. With the help of the European Union, the KPA got completely driven out of the USA and uprisings in the GKR’s member states weakened Kim Jong-un’s position as leader, eventually getting replaced by a new, more diplomatic leader, wanting the bleeding to end, offering a truce.

Katie and her squad continued their duty as soldiers, being the first cyborg soldiers in the US military. Archer got chosen to be the representative in the negotiations, using the airship as transport, the cyborgs, Hopper, Jacobs, Puma, Aiden, Moni and his squad being its crew.

It would take a few years to rebuild the red zones and damage the KPA did but it looked like the economy would recover.

Chung and Kate were cleaning the house as a young voice called out, “Mommy, daddy, I’m home!”

“Welcome back, Sweetie, how was school?” Chung asked, pleased to see Amy happy.

“Great!” Emily and the others invited me for some ice cream!” The girl exclaimed, dropping her school bag and left, the 2 adults watched after her until she was out of sight.

Chung turned the radio on. “May I have this dance?” He asked and they danced happily together.

Thanks to Scotch Tape and Fletcher, they could finally live a happy life they never thought may be possible. The war was not over yet, but it looked like it would be over soon.

They all looked into an uncertain, yet hopeful, bright future.

Author's Note

And so it ends, thank you for reading.

Chapter 1 Another beautiful day

Chapter 1: Another beautiful day

They were told they would “Liberate” the Americans from the lies of the corrupt government. That the Greater Korean Republic would “help” the American workers "experience the most life" they can afford. “Help to restore” the American economy and “experience the joys” of the Juche Idea.

All nothing but Propaganda. After the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il, died on January 2nd, 2012, his son, Kim Jong-un, took his place, uniting North and South Korea in 2013 as the Greater Korean Republic, reuniting Korean families, industry, and economies.

Also, the outdated North Korean military was integrated into the existing South Korean military structures, in which many North Korean officers were discharged and demoted, posted under South Korean officers in order for the Korean government to seek talented generals. Because of this military integration, mandatory military service was eliminated, causing many South Koreans to react positively towards it, as military service in South Korea was compulsory but unpopular.

By 2015, Kim Jong-un, as the increasingly popular President of the GKR, made great strides in modernizing the Korean People's Army, KPA for short, replacing and scrapping most of the Soviet-era ordnance and upgrading the Army's training in an accelerated program.

By 2017, the KPA was outfitted with trained special operation teams and was supposedly made as a worldwide peacekeeping force.

In 2018, the modernized KPA first saw combat in Japan after the Greater Korean Republic went to war with the said nation. KPA forces successfully conquered Japan after having captured 26 Japanese nuclear power plants that were near metropolitan areas and threatened to destroy them following the destruction of the Chugoku nuclear power plant. Thereafter, the KPA further served in annexing much of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Brunei, East Timor, and Singapore into the GKR; apparently some countries, such as Malaysia, joined voluntarily and for purposes of economic cooperation in an era of global economic decline.

The KPA further participated in several peacekeeping operations in northern Iraq alongside the Iranian Coalition's forces in 2020[and successfully intervened in the ethnic violence in Nigeria in 2023. By the latter year, the KPA was lauded by ambassadors and officials worldwide for its actions in Nigeria, along with aid missions to Sri Lanka and hurricane relief efforts in Cuba, greatly improving the GKR's international image. As of 2023, the KPA had grown to 25 million personnel, thanks largely to contributions from GKR member states. Becoming the largest standing army in the world, the KPA includes an Expeditionary Force of more than 5 million troops that was dedicated to "helping countries torn by conflict create a lasting peace.

The United States of America had many problems back then.

In 2012, the United States began to lose its military prestige following its withdrawal from Iraq and later from the former South Korea that reintegrated with North Korea. Subsequently by 2017, influenced by a worsening recession, the U.S. was forced to withdraw all their troops from Asia and other overseas countries. Because of the absence of American military presence in Asia, the newly created Greater Korean Republic saw this as an opportunity to expand their territories in spite of U.S. diplomatic protests.

Because of the recession, the U.S. economy did not recover and caused America to lose its status as a global superpower. The results were a substantial rise in gasoline prices, especially affected by the Oil Wars occurring in the Middle East, to be implemented under a rationing system, deterioration in infrastructure including highways and superhighways being costly to repair, severe cold fronts that led to the creation of Federally-sponsored "National Heating Centers" and a stricter interstate border control, and a reduction in military spending By 2017, major cities fell into civil unrest that forced the government to enact Martial Law.

In 2021, the United States was badly affected by the “Knoxville Cough” pandemic that led to the deaths of six million Americans and becoming one of the major contributing factors of America's decline. The pandemic led to Mexico closing its borders to American refugees in 2022, in an attempt to prevent the contagion from spreading across the nations. The Greater Korean Republic offered on several occasions in the last two years to help the United States with material and military support, but the United States, while accepting continued assistance from Canada and Mexico, flatly rejected all offers of aid from outside North America.

By 2025, America's currency was so devastated by economic issues that the country's military and economy might have collapsed. What was once the most powerful nation on Earth was then no more than a corrupted and vulnerable shadow of her former self.

It was the perfect time to strike.

In the same year, the GKR launched their latest communication satellite, claiming it would bring a message of peace to the world. It was just a ruse.

In reality, it contained an EMP that wiped out much of North America's power grid, allowing the KPA to easily seizing Hawaii, conquering Los Angeles in four days, San Francisco in two, and San Diego in eight hours, securing all U.S. military bases in California and capturing much of their technology, beginning their occupation of the United States.

During the next two years, the Korean military had essentially seized all of the United States west of the Mississippi River forming the New Korean Federation of Occupied America, while the east was still under control of the remaining US forces. Or better said what was left of the USA.

To prevent the US forces from crossing the river, the Greater Korean Republic created a barrier irradiating the river.

But 2027 would be the year where everything would change.

Late August, 2027

Colorado, Montrose, New Korean Federation of Occupied America

Chung Joon, a KPA soldier at the age of 28, was patrolling through the streets of Montrose, downtown. It was raining. It didn’t bother him at all, as he liked the rain.

Born in South Korea and being of American descent, he never believed in Kim Jong-un’s messages. He liked children and hated it to see how his comrades were very violent to the civilian population and were known to execute children as young as five years old. Chung would never harm a child.

He actually felt sorry for the Americans due his descent. His mother was a doctor, he had great medical knowledge, while his father was a mechanic, so the KPA soldier had also some Mechanical knowledge.

He had no choice but to be a soldier of the KPA. The KPA's policy allows citizens of the GKR that are joining the military to gain entrance into the GKR's ruling party and secure special privileges, such as unfettered travel among member states and additional fuel rations. Additionally, all family members are guaranteed employment while any one of them is serving in the Republic Military. The latter was what made him join. To support his parents.

The young man wore, like all soldiers, a desert camouflage uniform and helmet with a beige bulletproof vest and a red handkerchief covering his mouth and nose. As primary weapon, he had a M4 Carbine. It was taken from a U.S. armory during the invasion and, as he was a member rear guard troops tasked with pacifying the conquered territories, it was easier to supply them with captured American firearms, as the primary rifle of the KPA, the T3AK rifle, was reserved for frontline troops and U.S. Naval attacks on KPN supply lines made it difficult to ship this rifle to the troops in America. Plus, it was once stated by a drill instructor, “Americans make the best weapons, and we want only the best.”

As sidearm, he used a M9, also taken from the Americans.

His best friend since school, Chang Nim, was with him. Chang was a member of the Occupational Police Force. The policeman wore a uniform similar to SWAT teams and used a SCAR-L rifle, featuring a burst fire mode. His father was a policeman.

He let out a sigh. “Does that rain ever stop?”

“Doesn’t look like it will stop soon.”

“How are Kate and Amy?” the policeman asked his friend.

“They are doing well.” Chung lived together with Kate and Amy in Montrose. Kate was an American young woman who lost her husband during the first days of the invasion. He was a US soldier. Amy was her 12 year old daughter and everything she had left.

Chung cared for them deeply and by allowing him to live with them, they got spared from the violence of the KPA.

“I wish I had a T3AK instead of the M4. Due my descent, I have an interest and like in American weapons, culture and such, but the high rate of fire wastes too much ammo for my taste. The T3AK fires slower, but it results in slower ammo consumption, so you won’t run out so fast. But the M4 is a reliable weapon, like the M9.”

Chang chuckled. “You and me both. About the rate of fire and ammo, that’s why I use the SCAR-L rifle. The three-round burst makes it accurate, controllable and saves ammo.”

“But that makes you very vulnerable if you miss or if an enemy gets into close range with a high rate of fire weapon.” The KPA soldier replied, knowing a lot about American guns.

“That’s why I keep my distance.”

They both had many things in common and also, they both disliked violence towards civilians and especially children.

Now, the Koreans walked past an alley. Chung heard a sound. “Do you hear that?” It sounded like crying and came out of the alley

“Yes I do. Let’s check it out. Sounds like a child calling out for his father.” It made the policeman sad.

“Yeah, I won’t let a child freeze out here in the rain.” They walked into the alley. “Hello? Someone there?” He called out as it was dark and no one could be seen.

Then, Chung spotted a shadow. He couldn’t see what it was but it was shaped like a foal. That’s what he suspected given the low light. Must be my imagination.

While having night vision goggles on top of his helmet, the young Korean didn’t want to scare the child. His friend used a Flashlight. Looking around, the light shined into the eyes of a foal with green eyes and coat and a blue mane. It shielded its eyes from the light.

At first, they thought it was a child in a costume but as they saw that the foal was wearing what looked like a blue overall and some kind of miniature, portable, Terminal-like device on the left foreleg, they shook their heads, not able to process.

Suddenly, the foal saw them and panicked. “P-please, don’t hurt me! Where am I? Who are you people? How...how do I get home?” It sounded terrified, appeared to be shocked from something. Also, it voice was in English. Both soldiers could speak English, it was easy to learn and they could talk with the Americans. Plus the KPA soldier could speak English fluently and without accent due his descent.

Now, the brains of the humans crashed and tried to reboot. A talking foal? Impossible! They were shocked, trying to understand.

After pulling himself together, Chung shouldered his rifle and knelled down.

“We won’t hurt you. Here.” He reached in his pocket to give the foal some chocolate.

“Thanks.” The filly let out a smile before looking on the device on her hoof and letting out a relieved sigh.

“You should take her with you, not that she catches a cold in this rain.”

“Right, Chang.” He offered the child his hand, she hesitated for a moment before she took it.

Gently, he picked the green filly up and noticed that some kind of Tattoo was on her flank. A compass and set-square over parchment. What could that mean?

“I don’t want that you catch a cold out here.”

“T-thank you.” The filly replied slowly recovering from the shock.

The streets were deserted, making it easy to keep the foal hidden.

At the house of Kate and Amy, Chung called out, “I’m back! And I have a guest!”

Kate walked out of the kitchen, having brown hair and eyes.

“Welcome back, Chung. Oh, hello, Chang.” She and Amy were also good friends of him.

She was confused as she spotted the filly. “Why do you carry a foal with you?”

The soldier took a deep breath. “Long story, but to make it short, it’s a child and you know that would never leave a child behind.

As the young woman saw the device and that the foal was wearing clothes, she got it. “I understand and that’s what I like about you. What’s your name, my dear?” She asked polite after Chung had sat the filly down while Chang got a towel.

“Scotch Tape, Ma’am.” Scotch replied.

“That’s polite from you but Kate is just fine.”

“I’m Chung Joon and this is my friend Chang Nim.” He introduced himself and his friend as he dried Scotch.

“Nice to meet you.” The earth pony looked around. “Nice place you have here.”

“Thank you.”

“Where’s Amy?”

“Upstairs.” The American noticed that Scotch Tape was slightly trembling. “Are you cold? Let me make something to warm you up.”

Kate walked into the kitchen and made a hot chocolate.

Chung helped Scotch on the chair. She enjoyed it clearly. “That was refreshing! But where am I and what are you?” she asked curious yet confused where she was.

“On earth, in the United States of America, in a town named Montrose in the state Colorado. Or better said what’s left of it.” Chang explained.

“H-humans? Where I’m coming from, they’re only a myth. I read of them in books.”

“Chung!” Amy interrupted them, hugging him happy. He stroked her hair. The girl had black hair and green eyes.

“I’m glad to see you too. May I introduce Scotch Tape to you?”

Amy was at first confused. “Uhh, does my brain play a joke on me, as I a pony wearing clothes?”

“No, my dear she’s real.” Her mother replied.

“O-okay….”

This is awkward.

The human girl thought but took a deep breath and stretched her hand out for a hand/hoof shake. “I’m Amy, pleasure to meet you.”

Scotch Tape returned the shake. “Likewise.”

As it was evening, Kate had already prepared Dinner, she always made more, in case she had guests. Potatoes. “So, Scotch…want to tell us more about you?” She asked with an unsure voice, fearing it would make Scotch Tape sadder.

The foal nodded after she had taken a bite which she enjoyed. Chung and Chang had taken their headgear off. Chung had brown hair and blue eyes due his decent, his friend black hair and brown eyes.

She cleared her throat. “I come from a nation called Equestria. Here, Earth ponies, Pegasus and Unicorns lived together in Harmony. The Alicorns, Princess Celestia and Luna were the rulers of it. Unicorns can use magic, Pegasus can fly and manipulate the weather, while he Alicorns can fly and use magic.

But one day, a war known as ‘the great war’ broke out. Over the years, Equestria and the enemy deployed new technologies, including the ‘Megaspell’, a weapon of mass destruction, originally used as a meaning of mass Healing. Both nations destroyed each other with it, making Equestria a wasteland.” She took another bite.

It’s like combining WW1 with the nuclear weapons of the cold war. Both Koreans thought before the filly continued.

“But the technology megacorporation, Stable-Tec, had built the Stable, a bunker you can say, designed to withstand a nearby Megaspell detonation and still function self-sustainably. They can each hold at least 300 ponies and, paired with a near-everlasting spark generator and water talisman, can function and sustain life nearly indefinitely. Stables were equipped with sensors that could determine levels of toxicity in the air and soil above them, necessary to determine whether it would be safe to open the otherwise constantly sealed door that led outside.

I was born and lived in Stable 99 in Hoofington, as you can guess from the number on my overall. My mother was a member of the maintenance team. One of the rules was that a resident's child should take over her role once their parent died. My mother died while doing her work and I took over her role. I had difficulties at first, but got better with the time.

I never directly knew my father until later. One day, a terrible incident happened, and the head of Security, a unicorn named Go Fish, or Blackjack as everypony calls her, took me with her to save me from having a terrible fate. I, along with my father, an earth pony like me, a Pegasus called Morning Glory, and an Alicorn called Lacunae, had then a lot of adventures with her during our travel through the wasteland. Later, an Earth pony warrior named Arloste joined us, but due her deadly skills, we mostly call her by her nickname Rampage.

If you’re wondering about Lacunae being an Alicorn, they were artificially created during the war. And that,” she pointed to her flank, “Is my Cutie Mark. Cutie Marks represent the special talent of a pony. My Cutie Mark represents my skill in construction and design, although I suspected it would be a toilet, as I’m also skilled in plumbing.” She blushed.

“And what is this on your hoof? A watch?” Amy asked curious, pointing to it.

“It a PipBuck. It’s issued to every inhabitant of a Stable once they are deemed old enough to start work, typically coinciding with a pony getting their cutie mark. They are worn on a foreleg, just above the hoof, and consist of a metal cuff with a screen. A blend of late-war magic and scientific advances, a PipBuck is able to monitor the wearer's health, personal inventory, and correspondence, and can be used as a reference when building, repairing, or attempting to interact with equipment or technology.

PipBucks also have limited magical functions, such as the E.F.S. (Eyes Forward Sparkle), S.A.T.S. (Stable-Tec Arcane Targeting Spell), and the ability to automatically scan the wearer's surroundings to determine threats or terrain. It also includes a lamp, radio receiver, Geiger counter, and a short-range transponder that can be used to track its location. They’re incredibly durable and can also record audio. It’s very useful for many things.” Scotch Tape explained.

“Fascinating. How did you end up here?” Chang asked.

Scotch Tape took a deep breath. “Well, shortly after I got my Cutie Mark, my friends, father and I got attacked by a purple Alicorn. Purple Alicorns can teleport. While my friends could defeat it, in her dying moments, it fired a teleport spell that hit me before anypony could react and…I found myself in this alley.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Kate felt sorry for the filly.

“It’s alright, I’ve survived worse things. Can you tell me more about the United States of America and yourself?" The green foal asked the soldiers.

“Of course.”

Chung told her that he was from Korea and what happened from the founding of the Greater Korean Republic in 2013, the Economic downturn of the USA and how it got invaded by the Greater Korean Republic in 2025.

The foal was shocked. “Oh my…Similar to the Great War.”

“Yes, but you have nothing to fear of me or my friend. We are both from South Korea and never believed in the propaganda. And you should know, soldiers of the Korean People's Army have been known to execute children as young as five years old. Our comrades had killed you without mercy, had they found you. But we would never do something like this.”

The green filly gave the soldier a weak smile. “And I’m grateful that you helped me.”

“You’re welcome.” Chang had finished his meal.

“May I show you my room, Scotch Tape?” Amy offered after she had finished her meal too.

“Of course.” Scotch had also finished and went upstairs with the girl.

Amy’s room was very cozy. A bed with a nightstand, a TV with a PS3 and PS4, plus a shelf with video games to the right of it, an armchair on a carpet in front of the TV.

Scotch’s eyes went wide. “Wow. You got a nice room. Is that a TV? As far as I know, only the Pegasi have anything like this. Even my stable didn’t have TV. I just read about them in books.”

“Yep. We use it to watch movies and such but the Korean propaganda is so boring. I’m getting tired of those propaganda films. Make America great again here, the Greater Korean Republic wants to help you there, boring and lies!” Amy exclaimed before calming down. “But I still have my video games. Want to try one?”

Scotch smiled. “I can give it a try.”

“Make yourself comfortable while I start it.” Amy offered as she selected a game.

Scotch Tape climbed into the armchair and leaned back. It was very comfortable.

“Here is an old classic game my father used to play. Syphon Filter. A game from 1999.” The cover showed several men in a park, everything was green like viewed through night vision.

Amy turned the TV on but accidently pressed a button that played a video.

At first, Scotch Tape was confused but then get it that it was a kid’s show and couldn’t help but sing along the lyrics with Amy.

Here's a little lesson in trickery

This is going down in history

She tried to suppress her snickering at the funny parts of the video.

When I say go, be ready to throw

Go!

Throw it at him, not me!

Ugh, let's try something else

Now watch and learn, here's the deal

He'll slip and slide on this banana peel

Ha ha ha, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?

Both children hat a very good time, laughing and singing together.

“That was fun!” Scotch smiled.

“Yep, now, back to the game.” Amy turned the console on and selected the game.

The menu showed up, playing the title theme.

“You may watch the training video before starting the first mission.” Amy selected the training video with the controller.

“Ok, I think I get it.” Scotch Tape took the controller after the video was over. The magic of Equestria allowed ponies to grab things with their hooves but it was limited.

The mission was about eliminating a terrorist named Erich Rhoemer and his allies.

The game loaded and the mission briefing appeared on the loading screen.

Washington DC: Georgia Street.

Agency Directive:

Our FBI informant has pinpointed the terrorist viral attack in the DC subway system. Our contact within US defense and Interpol confirms the identities of the terrorists. We will drop you in after CBDC (US Army Chemical and Biological Defense Command) operations begin.

Your targets are Rhoemer, Kravitch, Aramov and Girdeaux. SATCOM has intercepted coded microwave traffic. Rhoemer must have an uplink station in the area. Assist CBDC if needed. Avoid collateral casualties if possible. Check your objectives onsite for more information.

The briefing Cut scene played.

“When will the operation begin?” Markinson, the director of The Agency asked.

“Our intelligence within the FBI was not clear, but Rhoemer's men are already inside the subway.” Benton, Deputy-Director of the Agency replied.

“Is it the same virus?” Lian, the female partner of the player character, Gabriel Logan asked.

“Yes, enough to eliminate everyone within a hundred miles or more.” Benton confirmed.

“Procedure?” Gabe asked.

“Standard intercept and eliminate. These are from our contact inside Interpol. Jenkins team is already on search and diffuse. You are the trigger.”

“I recognize Anton Girdeaux and Mara Aramov. Who's the other one?” Lian asked as a video feed of a camera in the subway showed the terrorists.

“Pavel Kravitch. Rhoemer's communications expert. When you eliminate him you'll also have to destroy his comm uplink. You'll be dropped into the strike zone when the fire fight begins. You'll have an hour to find your targets and take them out.”

As the cutscene ended, the in game scene showed two men wearing yellow full-body protective suit with black face-mask complete with a backpack advancing, the first rushing into battle, the second carefully crouched behind his comrade. They were armed with rifles. Shots were fired, the camera didn’t show who it was, a police car exploded by the gunshots as the camera focused on Gabe.

“I've got an I.D. match for Rhoemer on level 1. Girdeux is on level 2...no location yet for Kravitch and I don't see any signs of Aramov.”

Copy. I'm on my way.” After Gabe said that, Scotch Tape took control of him, the music was intense.

“The men in the yellow suits are CBDC agents and your allies,” Amy explained.

“Got it.” She moved the field agent around the corner and spotted the enemy. They wore a pair of dark-tan pants equipped with combat boots. A sort of black vest worn over a white t-shirt, almost appearing like suspenders. They also had a signature ski-mask, with a white lining along the eyes which looked like some form of goggles.

They killed the first agent but had relatively low accuracy as their skills with firearms were rather low. Checking her inventory, Scotch Tape saw that Gabe had a flashlight, a pistol, a Taser and a Sniper Rifle as starting weapons.

Taking aim, she fired at the terrorists with the 9mm. While she didn’t like the thought of combat, she understood it was just a virtual game, not reality. After some more bad guys jumped down from a wall at the other end of the street, the music switched to a calm tone after they all got killed.

The foal told Gabe to collect the rifle of the fallen agent. The HUD said it was an M-16. She opened the description

“This weapon is lightweight, accurate, and has very low recoil. The preeminent assault rifle in the world, it was developed by the US Army in 1965, and has since become a mainstay for armed forces, police, and personal defense enthusiasts.”

“I recommend using the M-16 as it is a dependable weapon with a great magazine size and ammo is plentiful and easy to find due to many opponents using the same weapon.”

“If you say so, Amy.”

The other agent shouted,” We need more backup! Where's our damn backup?!”

“I’m your backup. Now where should I go next?”

“Go back to the starting point, there’s an alley.” Her friend advised. “And if you want to save ammo, use the Taser.

“Ok.” Scotch switched to the Taser and walked through the alley.

She came to another police car. “On the rooftops!” Amy shouted as enemies fired from the roof on Gabe.

As she hit one bad guy with the Taser, he wiggled from the 500,000 volts, then burst out into flames and screamed in agony. Shocked, Scotch Tape released the fire button and the now dead enemy fell from the roof.

“Oh my…”

“Don’t feel bad, it’s just a game. You know, the Taser is popular with fans due exactly that reason, setting the enemy on fire. But I only use it when trying to save ammo or in certain situations.”

“…Right…”

The green foal gave Gabe the order to eliminate some more enemies on the roof before walked to a bank around the corner.

A CBDC agent tried to get into the bank, a terrorist was about to blow two crashed police cars up to kill him, but Scotch Tape was faster and burned him with the Taser before he could do so.

Inside the bank, she saw a little rocket with a green circle on the top, black and yellow stripes on the sides. Another agent, armed with a 9mm instead of an M-16, ran to it and knelled down. “Cover me!”

She got it. It was a bomb and she had to cover the agent while he disarmed it.

Equipping the M-16, she and the other agent took care of any enemies that tried to stop the disarming. “Bomb disarmed!” the agent yelled as he got up and finished a bad guy with his pistol off.

Then, she leaded Gabe into a dark room. Using the Flashlight, she found an ammo crate with grenades in it. They will surely come in handy later on.

While getting back to the starting point, she took out more enemies on the rooftops, collecting ammo for the M-16. Yep, ammo is really plentiful. This will be my weapon of choice. She thought smiling.

Back at the starting point, she assisted CBDC agents against more terrorists.

“Now, where I need to go?” she asked Amy who was impressed.

“Into that bar that says, ‘The place.’ You’re really good at this for someone who never saw a TV or played a video game before.”

The foal blushed at the compliment. “Thanks.”

In the bar, a bad guy with an M-16 was hiding in a small room, blocked by boxes. She looked at her human friend with a smirk. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Amy just nodded, smirking.

“Surprise!” Scotch threw a grenade into the room, the terrorist died in the explosion, having no chance to get away.

Gabe vaulted over the box into the room and through the window, entering the backyard of the bar. Gunshots ringed through her ears as at a cinema, a firefight between terrorists and agents started. “Show em off!” One of her allies yelled.

The agents fired from the rooftops, the bad guys were behind burning police cars, so she used the Taser to save ammo. After that, she opened a crate with ammo for the Sniper Rifle, although she hadn’t used it yet. There was also a crate with a Flak Jacket but because of the bad aim of the enemies, she hadn’t suffered any damage.

Back at the backyard, Gabe called an Elevator to reach the switch that allowed him to access the subway.

Back on the surface again, Gabe got attacked by an enemy on a fire escape on the left but was quickly killed.

Seeing an ammo crate on the fire escape, Scotch told the agent to climb up a crate to get to it, killing another two terrorists while doing so. In the crate was an M-79 Grenade launcher.

“You found the M-79. Nice! But ammunition is rare and only found in ammo boxes, so use it sparingly.”

“Thanks for the tip.”

Scotch Tape made Gabe moved deeper into the bar, spotting Kravitch. The HUD showed that he was wearing a Flak Jacket.

He shouted something the foal couldn’t understand. “Eto Kravitch, my pod ognyom, prishlite pomoshch'!”

He was looking like a standard enemy and moved out from cover to shoot then went back to cover. Like with the other bad guys, he was a bad shot.

The filly tried to get a headshot. “Hold still!”

As if he could hear her, Kravitch taunted, “Ty nikogdye nye poymayesh' menya, Logan!” but then got killed by her.

“Gotcha!” Behind the bar, she took a shotgun from a crate and used it against three goons that come to help their leader but the shotgun killed them quickly, causing them to land hard on their backs. Now I get it why Blackjack likes those kinds of guns so much.

On Level 1, she took out any hostile she saw and tagged the bomb that was planted there. The sounds of the trains were deafening, making a loud “WROOOORR” whenever they passed the station. It was also frightening.

Yet, she made it to level 2. The Terrorists weren’t aware of Logan, so she told him to sneak around. “Be careful not to make a sound, shh.” She and Amy sang in union.

Scotch surprised the terrorists from behind. The last bad guy was wearing a Flak Jacket and was guarding the bomb.

Being careful with her aim, not to hit the bomb, she scored a headshot. “Target down, now let’s disarm that bomb.”

The end cutscene played.

“Wait! This one is different from the others! It has a shorter time and…” The countdown was at 3 seconds and Gabe started to run.

“Gabe, that’s not viral!”

“Too late!”

The explosion destroyed the station and the trains derailed. The Level ended.

“Wow. Never expected the first level would end like this.” Scotch Tape was impressed.

“Yep, back in 1999, it was very unique to have an ending like this. Daddy was also impressed by that back then.”

Amy then noticed that her friend sniffed and looked away with closed eyes. Scotch Tape struggled not to cry.

She missed her father and friends. She was homesick.

I won’t cry. I won’t.

I have to be strong for daddy.

Still, a small tear leaved her eye as she felt something warm around her.

Opening her eyes, the filly saw that the girl had wrapped her arms around her. “It’s alright Scotch Tape, I understand that you miss them. I know this feeling. My father was a US soldier that was killed during the first hours of the invasion.”

Now Scotch realized that they didn’t told her about Amy’s father and Kate’s husband before. “Sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay. I miss him but in my heart, he will always be alive. Chung is sometimes like a surrogate father to me.”

That reminded Scotch Tape of Blackjack. For some reason, she was a surrogate mother for her sometimes. “Guess we have something in common. Thank you.”

“That’s what friends are for. Now, let’s start mission 2, shall we?” The child gave her the controller.

The briefing appeared.

Washington DC: Destroyed Subway

Incoming from Benton

You’re lucky to be alive. Ten square blocks of Washington DC just sank 20 feet into the ground. It looks like Rhoemer had the entire subway wired to explode as cover of his escape plan.

It’s likely you’ve cut his time table short. And that he’s still down there with you, Aramov and Girdeux also remain unaccounted for. Don’t let Rhoemer escape that terminal. And be aware that you’re now completely cut off from all reinforcements.

The camera showed burning train wrecks as it focused on Gabe who could save himself on a platform on the side of the track near the bomb's original location, surrounded by fire.

“Gabe! Gabe!? Are you there?” Lian asked worried that he had died in the explosion.

He was coughing, “I'm here. I'm alright…”

“Oh my God Gabe! I thought you'd been killed!”

“Not yet. Get on the wire and tell Benton that the subway is a decoy. The main bomb is somewhere else…Where's Rhoemer?”

“My video feeds are dead. My last visual had Rhoemer moving towards level one. Girdeaux was moving through the main tunnel just beneath the street.”

“The ramps down here have collapsed. I'll have to find another way up.”

Taking control of Logan, the green earth pony leaded him to the right where a Flak jacket was. She saw no need for it as she had not taken damage on the first mission.

The music was exciting, like something could happen any second now.

Getting over the track and taking a left, she got surprised, as a terrorist ran out of the flames towards Gabe, lit ablaze, screaming in terror.

“Ah! Aah! AAAAAAH! AAAAAAAARGH! AAAAAAAAAARRREEEEGH!!” The music changed to action.

Scared by that, she moved Logan backwards not able to press the fire button, as the Flaming Enemy came closer, only to collapse and die, with the fire extinguishing itself shortly thereafter, a few meters before the agent.

Recovering, Scotch commented, “Didn’t see that coming.”

“Me and daddy got scared by that too when we first encountered this poor guy.”

Walking forward to the right, two bad guys, one on the ground, the other on a burning train opened fire but the shotgun killed both in one shot.

Unlike their comrades from Georgia Street, they wore a tan-camouflage uniform with a black vest over the chest. The vest itself appeared to have various pouches for munitions, with what appeared to be a spot for a name tag. A black belt could be seen worn over the pants, with a holster-and-strap equipped to the left leg just above the knee. A pair of black combat boots and gloves was worn in conjunction with the rest of the outfit, while a black ski-mask with open eyes covered each member's face.

Climbing on the train to get past the fire, Lian radioed in, saying that CBDC couldn’t reach the bomb on Level 1 as debris blocked the entrance.

Getting down, she spotted 3 terrorists, two with M-16s, one threw a grenade. She evaded it by pressing the circle button, rolling to the left. All three had Flak Jackets but a light went on in Scotch Tape’s head. She let out an evil giggle. Just like daddy.

She equipped the M-79, poked out from cover and fired a round, taking all three out.

Then she switched to the M-16. Taking C4 from a crate to clear the debris and taking another bad guy out, Gabe was told by her to climb on a toppled cola machine, jumping on an edge sticking out of the wall.

An Enemy fired on Gabe where the C4 was but the M-16 made short work of him.

Climbing some more ledges up, she was back on Level 1.

“Okay, now where is that…” the bomb she was looking for, had landed on its side on the track, completely undamaged.

“Ah, here it is.” Having found the bomb, she planted the C4 on the blocked passage, so that CBDC could move it.

After the passage was cleared, a CBDC agent came through. “Cover me!”

Only 3 bad guys attacked which Scotch eliminated with the trusty M-16 before the agent yelled, “Bomb disarmed!”

Before she entered the tunnel that leaded to the Main Subway Line, she shut the gas mains off, just to be safe.

Climbing onto a train, she avoided another flaming enemy and took a bad guy out that came from behind.

“You’re almost there, Scotch.” Amy told as Scotch took the last enemy that had spawned on the second train ahead of Logan.

“Hehehe, Logan...” a female voice said as Gabe pursued Mara Aramov in the end cut scene.

“I and daddy used to hate the third level because of the trains.”

“In that case, wish me luck, Amy.” Scotch Tape took a deep breath to be prepared for whatever expected her in the next level.

The briefing loaded.

Washington DC: Main Subway Line

Incoming from Benton

Logan, Intel indicates Rhoemer has fled the scene. Jenkins is meeting heavy resistance in the Washington Park area and DCPD reports fifteen officers down. We fear an agency leak has given his position away.

Mara Aramov’s identity has been confirmed by Interpol. Do not let her escape. Caution: FEMA is using the Eastbound tracks to shuttle emergency personnel: Do not use any explosives in the tunnel or you will cause a derailment.

The camera showed Mara running away with a laugh on the tracks before focusing on Logan.

While taking the normal enemies out was not a problem, the trains caused Scotch to get nervous, shaking a little bit.

They came either on the left track or the right track. She used the roll button frequently to get under the beams, her heart was racing.

Then, she barely avoided getting hit by a train and got Logan into a small alcove.

She tried to catch her breath. “My heart is racing…this is exciting.”

But seeing that Mara was in the next alcove filled her with determination to finish the level.

Switching to the shotgun and getting between the tracks, Scotch fired at the woman until she fell to the ground. The cut scene showed that Mara was still alive.

“Where's Rhoemer? Where are the other bombs?”

“You're too late Logan!”

"We'll see…”

“Congratulations! Next level is the park. Daddy and I were stuck here, as we could never find the last bomb.” Amy smiled at her.

“Let’s see if I can change that.” Scotch Tape’s heart had calmed down.

The briefing loaded.

Washington DC: Washington Park

Mission Redirect: CBDC has requested direct intervention and assistance. Your new orders are to locate viral bombs, plant homing beacons, wait for the arrival of CBDC, and provide covering fire. The bombs are set to detonate within the hour.

Terrorist resistance is heavy. Agency Intel reports that Anton Girdeux is leading the park operation. Exercise caution. We have lost all communication from Jenkins’ team.

The cut scene showed Logan running towards the park, a few police cars could be seen driving by at the end of the street. It was raining, a thunderstorm.

“Lian, I'm on my way to the park. Have Benton send a team to pick up Mara Aramov. I left her wounded and unconscious in the Fifth Avenue tunnel, but chances are she's already on the move.”

“Copy.”

”…and if he hasn't alerted FEMA, he better do it soon. Rhoemer's going to trigger the main viral device whether or not the government meets his demands.”

“I'm already on it. Did you get any information on the operations in the park?”

“Tell Jenkins the smaller viral bombs are hidden throughout the park. Girdeaux has the main one…” Gabe evaded a police car with a roll, the driver honked the horn.

“Logan, this is Benton. I have a mission redirect. Jenkins' team has been eliminated. I'm putting you on locate and recon.”

“Benton, what's going on?”

“CBDC's getting slaughtered. We need you to track down the viral devices and provide covering fire while CBDC Agents come in and disarm them.”

“Copy that. I'll give them cover as long as I can. Lian, how much time until the main device detonates?” Gabe climbed the wall up.

“Less than an hour.”

“Okay, let's do it.”

The cut scene ended, as the camera focused on the player character, Lian told him, “I've set the pickup frequency for your beacons to niner-four-seven. CBDC is standing by.”

A timer above the map showed that Scotch Tape had 20 minutes to find the bombs. The rain made it intense and the music filled the foal with tension.

Starting to move forward, Gabe took out a guard a few meters away from his starting position with the shotgun, then another one that stood on top of a stone structure. He dropped a night vision rifle which Scotch Tape picked up.

A third bad guy came from the left out of the entrance but was no match for the shotgun. The weapon he used was a .45. The in-game Description:

This tough, durable gun has been in production for almost a century. It has tremendous stopping power, and in spite of its strong recoil and heavy slide and bolt, it is a deadly weapon in the hands of a seasoned professional.

“I recommend using it, as ammo plentiful in the park and it’s an incredibly powerful handgun capable of dropping most unarmored enemies in 2-3 shots, or a single shot at close enough range.”

“If you say so, Amy.” Scotch switched from the shotgun to the.45.

She saw a flashing blip on the map. It was the first bomb. Pressing the Triangle button, Gabe placed the green flashing beacon and a CBDC agent arrived. “Cover me!”

The music went into action as three enemies attacked. The .45 was very loud, echoing through the park but took every hostile down with one shot. “Bomb disarmed!”

“One down, three remaining.”

Collecting ammo for the .45, the foal leaded Logan to a Police Memorial where Lian informed that CBDC has a hostage situation in a tennis court deeper within the park and that this became her second objective.

The second bomb was at the Memorial. Using a beacon, a CBDC agent arrived to disarm it. “Cover me!”

She met more resistance but the powerful pistol had no problems to deal with that. “Bomb disarmed!”

“Half of the bombs are disarmed, great work, Scotch Tape!” Amy praised her friend.

“Thank you.” She appreciated it.

Looking at the timer, 17 minutes were left, enough time to find the other two bombs.

Traveling deeper into the park, Lian informed about a satellite uplink dish hidden somewhere in the park. If Gabe could connect her, she could locate the triggerman.

The way was dark, so the pony equipped the night vision rifle to see any enemies before they could see her and took them out.

Scotch Tape came to a building where the third bomb was. Placing a beacon, another CBDC member arrived. “Cover me!”

Scotch licked over her lower lip. “Alright, terrorists, show me what you got!” she exclaimed.

As they could hear what she just said, the bad guys came from all sides. Rhoemer seems to have sicked the whole army of his henchmen on me. Scotch Tape thought as she fought them.

She stood her ground until the agent had finished his work. “Bomb disarmed!”

Checking the map, the final bomb was way back where Logan came from, Scotch traveled all the way back.

At a wide path lined with plants, she found the last bomb. “Neither I or daddy could find the last bomb,” Amy commented.

“Pretty clever and mean to hide it back there.” Scotch placed the beacon, the CBDC agent arrived. “Cover me!”

The last bomb was fairly easy compared to the third bomb. “Bomb disarmed!”

“OK, now let’s free our allies!”

At the tennis courts, she saw from a distance how a bad guy stood ready to execute the hostages, while two patrols watching each entrance of the tennis court.

She silently took the patrols with the night vision rifle out, then switched to the Taser.

“That’s for taking my friends hostage!” The terrorist screamed in agony as he burned.

She followed the agents to an odd structure. Climbing up it, she reached the Satellite Uplink Dish and made the connection.

Lian said that the triggerman was Jorge Marcos.

Jumping down, Gabe came to a hedge maze. Fighting several terrorists armed with shotguns, she found Marcos.

He was a young Spanish man appearing to be in his late 20's to early 30's with mid-length wavy brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a tan sweater over a black shirt and black gloves, featured with black pants and combat boots. Around his waist he had a silver belt likely for ammo and a similar attachment on his left leg high up on the thigh.

He had a .45 and a Flak Jacket, trying to retreat by using fire-and-run tactics to find cover within the maze. Despite such cowardly action, Marco had surprisingly good accuracy, forcing Scotch to find cover to avoid getting hit.

“Get back here and fight, coward!” She exclaimed as she lost him.

“Calm down, anger won’t help you.”

The young Earth pony took Amy’s advice, leaned back in the chair, closed her eyes and breathed calmly for a few minutes.

Having found inner peace again, opening her eyes, Scotch Tape let Gabe crouch to avoid being detected by Marco.

Looking around, she found him in a corner, not aware of Gabe, she equipped the grenades she found in the bank in the first level. “I got something for you!” The grenade took him out and Lian told that he was ghosting an entire frequency and that she found Girdeux. He was at the Freedom Memorial.

“Ok, let’s move.”

Leaving the maze, she came to ramp going down into a ravine of sorts.

Four bad guys, all wearing Flak Jackets, were the last line of defense between her and the entrance to the memorial.

Switching to the M-79, Scotch took them out. “That’s all you got?” She taunted.

Then she got to the entrance and the next briefing loaded.

Washington DC: Freedom Memorial

Forwarded from agency Intel:

Spysat has completed a detailed Analysis of Girdeux’s body armor. It is impervious to all conventional weapons, our armor specialists are working on it, but your agent may have to improvise to find a weak spot.

Our demolition expert has noted that the use of any explosive device will trigger the viral bomb.

This cut scene showed a Caucasian man with blue eyes and blonde hair. His attire was that of an unique Kevlar armor impervious to all standard firearms. He had a dark, green camouflage jacket with brown pants and black combat boots, as well as black protective gloves to hold his flamethrower. On his back he's equipped with a fuel tank, which provided him the flame gel to fire out of his flamethrower. His face mask was silver, with an orange visor. He was sitting on a statue with the head knocked off.

“Anton Girdeux, I hope Rhoemer's paying you enough to die for him.”

“Gabriel Logan, always the optimist! Look around, Logan! This hall contains a mosaic depicting the entire history of your country's wars and aggressions. We are about to make an addition to it!” Girdeux had a French accent, making it unique to his character, sounding lively yet intimidating and worthwhile.

“I don't think so Girdeaux. It ends here!”

The scene ended.

“Gabe, Girdeux’s wearing full body armor. You've got to find a weak spot!”

Taking control, Scotch took cover behind a pillar to get up with a plan as Anton searched Logan. “Where did you go, Logan?”

“While I never finished the last level, I know that his French accent along with his quotes are well-known amongst the fans, many speaking in his tongue.”

“Interesting but would could be his weak spot?” Scotch wondered until she spotted the fuel-pack on his back.

As he had his back to the field agent, the young filly equipped the shotgun and fired a shot after leaning out from cover.

The Frenchman let out a small cry of pain as he got hit with small flames coming out of his fuel-pack for a few seconds.

Scotch Tape threw a hoof up into the air, Amy a hand. This was doing the trick!

The boss looked for Logan but didn’t find him as Scotch moved from cover to cover to avoid getting seen.

“You can't hide forever!” He yelled aggressively. “There's nowhere to run!” He added as the foal had sneaked up on him and scored another hit on his weak spot.

Pressing the circle button to roll, she waited for the moment to strike as her enemy taunted, “You can't win, Logan!”

Getting behind him once again, she took aim as he asked, “Where are you, Logan?” before he got hit again.

As she tried to flank him, he noticed her. “Hold still!” But he was too slow as she made another roll.

“I'm not as easy to beat as you think,” she muttered, her tongue now permanently sticking out of her mouth.

This shot however hit his body armor instead of the weak-spot. “You're going to need a bigger gun!”

Not wanting to be burned, she escaped once again. Having him in her sight, she fired. “Say goodbye now!”

The end scene showed Girdeux burning from inside of his armor and despite his agonizing screams, Gabe walked away without looking back... calling in CBDC to deal with getting the bomb out, as well as now extinguishing the fire.

Amy turned the game off. “That’s enough for today.”

“Yes. Not a pleasant death.” Even if it was just a game, Scotch Tape felt a little bit guilty.

There was a knock on the door. “Come in.” Amy said as Kate and Chung came in.

“I see you two had much fun. But bedtime now.” Kate looked on the watch, it was 9PM.

Scotch Tape protested, “But I’m not *yawns* tired.”

“Only with rest, you can be so good at games.” Chung smiled at her cute yawning.

She blushed and scratched her back. “Where can I sleep? I’m, uh… incontinent.” It was a lie to conceal that she wet the bed out of fear in the Equestrian Wasteland.

“You can share my bed with me, Scotch Tape. It’s big enough for us.” Amy offered.

“That’s nice from you but don’t you have a guest room or a sleeping bag?”

“Scotch Tape, there’s no need to be embarrassed, I can change the sheets without problem,” Kate replied.

“Alright, fine.” The young woman tucked her to the bed. She was too tired to resist.

“Goodnight.” Chung extinguished the light, smiling as Scotch Tape was asleep fast, Amy too.

“Aww, don’t they look like angels?” Kate’s heart melted.

“Indeed. I see you tomorrow.” Chang left as his friends went to bed.

Both Children were actually still awake. “It’s okay, I had this problem too when the invasion started, fearing for my daddy’s safety and having nightmares,” Amy whispered in the foal’s ear, as she could tell the real reason behind her friend’s problem.

“Thanks.” Both fell asleep and Scotch Tape hugged unconsciously Amy’s teddy bear in her sleep, hoping that her friends and father wouldn’t be too worried but had faith that they would find her.

Author's Note

Another story, this time set in the Homefront games with Scotch Tape from Fallout Equestria: Project Horizons, my favorite character of this Fallout Equestria story. I'd like to thank Kkat for creating Fallout Equestria, Somber for allowing me to use her and for helping me with the characterisation of Scotch Tape in this story and Nightmare Darkness for proofreading. Somber, if you should read this, it's an honor for me and I hope you enjoy this story should you read it.

If any of you would like to know more about homefront, click here

For any who know Fallout Equestria: Prokect Horizons and wonder about the timeline, the incident with the Purple Alicorn happened in chapter 51.

Shyphon Filter 1 was one of my first game, never came past the fourth level as i could never find the last bomb. I thought i give it a tribute by Scotch Tape playing it.

Chapter 2 The past and a nice evening

Chapter 2: The past and a nice evening

Scotch Tape ran for her life in a wasteland of a destroyed city. She was chased by some kind of 6-wheeled machine. The streets were littered with destroyed cars and other debris but the machine just drove over it as those obstacles weren’t here.

Knowing that she couldn’t outrun that thing, she managed to take shelter in a destroyed building, out of sight of the machine. She hid under a couch, looking nervously on her PipBuck.

The red bar, which displayed the machine, was very close to her. Peeking out of her hiding place, the filly held her breath as the machine stopped next to the building, a scanner came out of its turret and did a 360 view scan.

She let out a relieved sight as the scan ended and the machine drove past the building.

Okay, now let’s get… The machine rammed through the wall of the building, a red light from the scanner shined on her.

Scotch Tape tried to run but the machine’s front opened and a cable shot out of it, grabbing her left hind leg.

The green pony struggled and tried to hold on something as the machine dragged her closer.

She screamed as the mechanical mouth swallowed her.

At that moment, Scotch Tape woke up from her dream with a loud gasp. She breathed heavily and cold sweat was on her forehead.

Amy was awoken by this. “Did you have a nightmare?” She asked worried and hugged her friend.

Kate and Chung came in, worried about the children. “We heard a scream, what’s wrong?” the woman asked worried.

Seeing how Scotch was trembling, both adults knew that she had a nightmare. Kate scooped the filly in her arms. “Shh, it was just a dream. Please calm down.” She spoke in a calming and motherly tone, before she wiped out a few tears out of Scotch Tape’s eyes.

“You can sleep with me.” She carried the filly to her bed, Amy followed to make sure that their young guest would feel safe. Taking a deep breath, Scotch Tape fell asleep again, Kate had wrapped her arm around her and Amy.

“Sweet dreams.” The Korean went into the guest bed again, his heart melted at the cute sight.

Kate woke up in the morning, yawning. She smiled seeing Scotch Tape and Amy sleeping peacefully. Careful not to wake them, she got out of both to prepare breakfast.

The sun shining on the filly’s face woke her up. Due the cloud cover, a massive amount of clouds covering the sky and keeping the sun from shining on the land below, made by the Pegasus after the Megaspell destroyed the country to protect their remaining cities and to keep them safe from the horrors below, it was rare to see the sun in the wasteland.

The filly yawned and stretched herself, enjoying the beautiful sunrise.

She noticed that Amy was already up. As she also noticed that she was holding Amy’s teddy bear, she couldn’t help but blush. Oh, I hope that Amy didn’t mind that I used her plushie.

The young girl walked in, a bowl of oatmeal, mixed with milk and cocoa in her hands.

“Good morning, Scotch Tape. I made you breakfast. I like oatmeal that way, thought you might to try it.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you.” The foal enjoyed every bite. “That was delicious!”

“Glad to hear it. I don’t mind that you are using my teddy bear. Since you are in a familiar Situation as I was, you can keep it.” Amy smiled.

“Amy, I can’t accept this.”

“You know Scotch Tape, you’re already like a sister for me. And I will do anything I can to make your stay comfortable. My parents taught me always to be friendly towards guests. Your story reminds me when my father died.”

She hugged her to cheer her up as she cried a little.

“Thanks, I needed that.”

“No need to thanks, that’s what friends are for.”

They walked into the kitchen where the two adults had breakfast. Kate had made a glass of juice for her young guest. “Good morning.”

“Good morning.” Scotch replied and drank her juice. The radio turned on.

“Good morning Montrose. You're listening to KPAR 88.3 FM.” A male DJ said before a female DJ repeated the sentence in Korean.

“A beautiful day in the Colorado territory with highs in the mid-to-upper fifties and strong winds expected from the east. That’s for the weather, as for the news, due to increased activity of a local insurgent group, curfew has been moved up to 1800 hours to ensure the safety of the citizens. Let’s start the day with…” Amy turned it off.

“I can’t hear this anymore!" The girl exclaimed. “For every action the Resistance does, they punish us!”

“Calm down, sweetheart.” Her mother hugged her.

“Sorry mommy, I just want it to end!” Amy sobbed

“It will end, someday.” She stroked her daughter’s hair.

“What’s the resistance?” Scotch Tape asked confused.

Chung cleared his throat. “Well, the American Resistance is an underground guerrilla movement that fights against the Korean occupation of the United States. It is made up of American civilians fighting to break the occupation. For the past two years of the occupation, many Resistance cells used guerrilla tactics, salvaged weapons, years of training, stealing Korean technology, and joined side by side to take back the mainland hoping to free their nation.

But as Amy said, the attacks of the Resistance are usually met with severe reparations, bringing more violence to the civilian population and the creation of stricter laws. Plus because of this, many civilians have a negative view of them.

As I live together with Kate and Amy, they get spared from the violence.”

“Terrible. What kind of weapon do you use?” Scotch asked curious.

“That’s the M4 Carbine, the main assault rifle for the U.S. Armed Forces. High rate-of-fire and low recoil make it a balanced choice for outdoor and close-quarters combat. 30 round magazine, excellent accuracy and high range. But the high rate of fire means that you can burn through all of its ammo quickly.

The T3AK rifle is actually our primary rifle, but as U.S. Naval attacks on KPN supply lines make it difficult to ship this rifle to the troops in America and as it’s reserved for frontline troops, not rear guard troops tasked with pacifying the conquered territories like I am, we are supplemented with captured American firearms, acquired from civilian gun shops, US armories and captured from the US forces.

As sidearm I use the M9, the standard issue pistol for many branches for the United States Armed Forces, also captured from them. My friend uses the SCAR-L rifle, a lightweight, modular rifle, featuring a burst fire mode that delivers three rounds for each trigger pull. Slow rate of fire but high accuracy and range. The three-round burst allows to save ammo but make you very vulnerable against an enemy with a high rate if fire weapon. But as a drill instructor said once: ‘Americans make the best weapons, and we want only the best.’

The primary rifle, the T3AK, is a Chinese-manufactured assault rifle based on the AK-47. It fires slower than the M4 but it results in slower ammo consumption.”

“Uh-huh. Blackjack used to be the head of Security in the Stable before the incident. She used a baton and later a pistol while on duty. She likes shotguns but also uses rifles for mid-range combat.

My daddy is the demolition expert of our group, using grenades and a grenade launcher.

Morning Glory is our field medic and an expert with energy weapons, while Rampage is an expert in hoof to hoof combat and Lacunae is the Heavy weapons expert. Almost forgot, in the group is also a pony named Boo. I know, strange name. She can detect danger before it is visible.

I used a pistol for self-defense, only when necessary. I had putted it away while doing work.”

Speaking of that, I must go to work, bye!” The KPA soldier collected his gear and left.

Just as he got outside, Chang greeted him. “Morning Chung. How’s Scotch Tape?”

“Doing well. Amy befriended her immediately, she even sees her as sister.”

The policeman chuckled. “And you as father. What do you think about Scotch Tape?”

“A cute and polite filly I must say. She had just the misfortune to be at the wrong place to the wrong time.”

“I agree with that. I just hope that Colonel-Commandant Jeong or worse, the 718 Division doesn’t find her.”

“Me too.”

Colonel-Commandant Jeong was a well-known officer in the in the Korean People's Army, executing orders without question and brutal in his methods sometimes.

The 718 Division was a Special Forces Unit that was part of the Korean People's Army. Their symbol was a golden East-Asian style dragon. Soldiers of the 718 were known to be extremely violent toward prisoners, with one detainee warning they would “just as soon kill you as look at you.” They were the KPA's version of the USA's Delta Force, wearing heavy body armor and were primarily equipped with the ACR rifle or SCAR-H LMG.

Chung and Chang deployed a deep hate for them for their violently. While they were doing their patrol, a broadcast started.

Kate, Amy and Scotch Tape ignored the broadcast. She trotted into the living room and saw three pictures.

The first showed the wedding of Kate and her husband. The Second showed them with a newborn in Kate’s arms. They were smiling. Scotch Tape knew from her mother, how this was such a beautiful moment. The last one was a Family picture.

Noticing that Kate was sobbing, she said, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It’s alright. We need to move on. Still, there's not a day goes by we don't think about him.”

“I understand, I have to think of my mother too sometimes. May I ask how you became such a good friend to Chung?”

Amy smiled. “It all began shortly after Daddy was killed in action…

After the EMP wiped out the entire power grid, literally and completely darkening the United States and the Greater Korean Republic attack started on 15th January 2025, Amy and Kate prayed for the safety of their other family member.

Kate and her husband survived the “Knoxville Cough” pandemic and the economic collapse without problems, as they worked together reassuring each other they would make it through it.

The US Forces got quickly pushed back across the Mississippi River as well as across the border into Canada, where they seemingly staved off the Koreans with aid from the Canadian military. But captured soldiers were either admitted into labor camps or killed, which made them more worried about him.

There was a knock on the door. Kate opened it. It was a US soldier. “Kate Carter?” He asked.

“Yes?”

“I have something to tell you about your husband.”

Kate felt a lump in her throat and her legs started to wobble. She wanted to collapse on the ground and cry at what she just heard.

“I’m sorry to tell you that he was killed in battle. It was quick and painless.”

After he left, Amy broke out in tears, crying uncontrollably.

“No…NO! No! DADDY!” Her mother hugged her.

“At least he’s in a better place now.” She cried too over their loss.

Both were depressed after his death, Kate cared deeply for her daughter, she didn't wanted to lose her too. They mostly stayed inside, spending their time together to get over their loss.

As the KPA reached Montrose on January 25th, they imprisoned the citizens in the labor camp to be used for slave labor to mine, as the mountains around Montrose were rich in shale deposits, giving the GKR incentive to start mining operations in the area.

Luckily, Kate and Amy weren’t taken yet. But they were told that they must allow a KPA soldier to live with them, to stay in their home.

As he knocked on the door, Kate said, “I did anything you want but please, spare my daughter.”

But to her surprise, he said in a calming tone in English, “I won’t harm you or your daughter. I’m just here because I need a place to stay.”

“You can have my bed.”

“You can keep it. I sleep on the couch.”

Kate didn’t expect that the Soldier would be so nice to her. She had seen how other KPA soldiers were rude to the citizens of Montrose.

“I lost my husband, my daughter is the only thing I have left.”

My condolences. Kate Carter, right? I joined the Korean People’s Army to support my parents. I never believed in the message of Kim Jong-un. I’m just glad when this is over as you are. My Name is Chung Joon.” In an attempt to cheer her up, he hugged Kate and patted her back.

“Thank you, mister Joon, I needed that.

“Please, Chung is just fine.”

To keep Kate and Amy happy, Chung helped them in the house, defended them when it was necessary and went shopping for them. Even when Amy or Kate was sick, he helped them. He told Amy bedtime stories and played with her.

After a while, he introduced them his friend Chang, who was also kindly to her. Chung also told them how much he liked kids and how much he helped them or anyone in need. They talked to each other in English. This was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

“That was great!” Scotch Tape exclaimed happy.

“Glad to hear it. Want to dance? I have an interest in classic music, not only modern.”

“Sure why not.”

“Have fun. I clean the house in the meantime.”

Amy got with Scotch Tape into her room. The song she selected was Ain't That A Kick In the Head- Dean Martin. Old but still gold.

Scotch Tape danced with her friend, enjoying the song with a smile.

The next song was Bobby Darin - Beyond the sea.

The last song was Ritchie Valens - Come on let's go.

They had so much fun with dancing that they didn’t noticed how Chung entered the room.

Surprised, Scotch Tape spoke, “W-we dancing…”

The Korean smiled warmly, took his gear off and replied, “No you’re not.”

They danced together and it reminded the foal of a similar situation she had once.

Kate smiled from the doorway. She was happy that her daughter and Scotch Tape were so good friends. All friends Amy had before were taken into the labor camps or taken away by the KPA and never seen again.

After that, Scotch Tape laughed happy. “That was fun!”

“Indeed it was. Want to start a pillow fight?” the young girl asked, Scotch nodded.

Amy grabbed a pillow. “Scotch Tape, always the optimist! Look around, Scotch Tape! This room contains a mosaic depicting the entire history of your country's wars and aggressions. We are about to make an addition to it!” She tried to make a good French accent.

“I don’t think so, Amy. It ends here!” Scotch Tape smiled with determination.

She threw a pillow at Amy who dodged it with ease. “Nice try! But I'm a pillow fighting champion! You'll never beat me!” Amy taunted.

The girl threw a pillow at the filly. Scotch simple stepped aside. “We’ll see about that! You’re going down!”

The green earth pony proved to be an equal opponent as she threw more pillows at the human child, which had a hard time to dodge so many pillows successively.

Tring to catch her breath from that, she was too exhausted to dodge the next and got hit into the face and fell over. Her opponent walked over and said victorious, “I don't want to kill you if I don't have to,” referencing to Blackjack’s motto.

Amy smiled. “It’s been a long time since I had such a good pillow fight!” Scotch Tape helped her up.

After lunch consisting of a vegetarian sandwich, Scotch Tape studied the “subject’s Guide From Your Glorious Occupiers of the New Korean Federation”, a booklet issued by the Greater Korean Republic to Americans located in GKR-occupied New Korean Federation of Occupied America.

Inside contained a guide that would help the Americans understand what the Korean's daily life is. Citizens had to always carry this or they would face a tribunal. The foal studied it just in case she would need it later.

On the front page stood:

SUBJECT'S GUIDE

FROM YOUR GLORIOUS OCCUPIERS

OF THE

NEW KOREAN FEDERATION

LIBERATION ASSISTANCE BUREAU

"THE OWNER OF THE LIBERATION IS THE MASSES"

Glorious occupiers, my butt! Who would believe that? She thought disbelieving as she read the backside.

ALL CITIZENS MUST CARRY THIS BOOKLET

ON THEIR BODY AT ALL TIME. ANYONE UNABLE

TO DO SO WILL BE SENTENCED BEFORE

THE LIBERATION MILITARY TRIBUNAL.

While I’m not technically a citizen of the New Korean Federation of Occupied America, better safe than sorry. Scotch Tape read the first two pages.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted by the New Korean Federation. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means of stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission from the New Korean Federation.

All offenders will be sentenced before the Liberation Military Tribunal with the charge for high treason against the Brilliant Comrade.

People's Pan Asian Publications Exchange

24 Sokyuk Jongno-gu

Seoul, New Korean Federation 110-266

NKESBN – 9781859642146

NEW KOREAN FEDERATION OF OCCUPIED AMERICA

LIBERATION ASSISTANCE BUREAU

"BRINGING AMERICA BACK TO GREATNESS"

More the opposite. She thought as she continued with page 3 and 4.

FOR:

"FIVE GENERALS OF MT. PAEKTU"

ETERNAL LEADER KIM IL-SUNG

NATURAL MOTHER KIM JONG-SUK

SUPREME LEADER KIM JONG-IL

RESPECTED MOTHER KO YOUNG-HEE

AND MOST BRILLIANT COMRADE

KIM JONG-UN

OATH OF LOYALTY TO THE NEW JUCHE REVOLUTION

AND THE NEW KOREAN FEDERATION OF OCCUPIED AMERICA

I HEREBY AFFIRM ON OATH, A LOYALTY TO THE NEW

JUCHE REVOLUTION AND THE RIGHTEOUS CREATION OF

THE NEW KOREAN FEDERATION OF OCCUPIED AMERICA

TO DEDICATE MYSELF TO THE STRUGGLE

OF THE SUM IN PURSUIT OF THE NEW REVOLUTIONARY

THOUGHT OF THE GREAT CHAIRMAN,

COMRADE KIM JONG-UN AND OFFER MY HIGHEST

LOYALTY TO THE AUTHORITY OF

THE GREAT CHAIRMAN, COMRADE KIM JONG-UN.

FURTHER I DENOUNCE AND REJECT ANY

DEVOTION TO THE STATE OF WHICH I HAVE HERETOFORE

BEEN SUBJECT. I MAKE THIS OATH FREELY AND BY

MY OWN BURDEN AND NOT IN SUBMISSION TO ANY

OUTSIDE INFLUENCE.

_______________________

NKFOA CITIZEN SIGNATURE

(written signature)

KIM JONG-UN

Well, better learn that by heart in case somepony asks me about it.

The next two pages were about that Kim Jong-un had blessed the American people and that they must do the best for him, and about the "Ideas of the New Juche Revolution.”

NEW JUCHE

KIM JONG-UN HAS BLESSED YOU

WE MUST DO OUR BEST FOR HIM

IDEAS OF THE NEW JUCHE REVOLUTION

JUCHE PLACES DESTINY IN YOUR HANDS

I WILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE JUCHE

IN IDEOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY, CULTURE AND

ASSIMILATION

OUR REVOLUTION COMBINES JUCHE AND MIGHT

RICH NATION, STRONG ARMY

"THE NATION CAN BECOME PROSPEROUS ONLY WHEN

THE BARREL OF THE GUN IS STRONG"

WORKING TOGETHER WILL SET US ALL FREE

EVERY MAN A BROTHER, EVERY WOMAN A SISTER

WORK AS ONE MAN

LET'S QUICKLY BUILD IT UP

SELF-CONTROL IS THE GATEWAY TO HAPPINESS

MAINTENANCE OF ONE' S KIBUN (SPIRIT) FOR INNER PEACE

METICULOUS DETAIL LEADS TO GREAT TRUTH

REALIZE YOUR SOCIAL OBLIGATION

TO FAIL IS TO LOSE CHEMYEON (FACE)

KIM JONG-UN HAS BLESSED YOU AND WE MUST DO

OUR BEST FOR HIM

HUSBAND AND WIFE SHOULD HONOR SEPARATE FUNCTIONS

LET'S MAKE THE COUNTRY'S MOUNTAINS AND FIELDS GREENER

Nopony would believe that.

The next pages were interesting for her, as the seventh and eight pages were about the Civilian Rights and Rules.

WE ARE HERE

TO HELP YOU

YOU HAVE SUFFERED, NOW WE ARE HERE, YOU WILL BECOME BETTER.

Nope! She thought in disagree.

CIVILIAN RIGHTS AND RULES

CIVILIANS JUCHE RIGHTS

CIVILIANS SHALL BE TREATED AS PROTECTED PERSONS

ENTITLED TO RESPECT OF THEIR PERSON, SPIRIT, FACE,

HONOUR, FAMILY AND TRADITION. THEY SHALL BE TREATED

HUMANELY AND NEVER BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST.

CIVILIANS LEGAL RIGHTS

CIVILIAN INTERNEES ARE PROTECTED BY THE

INTERNATIONAL LAWS OF POW (PRISONERS OF WAR)

TREATED HUMANELY WITH FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS.

EVACUATION RIGHTS

FORCIBLE TRANSFERS OF CIVILIANS FROM GIVEN

AREA MAY OCCUR IF SECURITY OF THE POPULATION

OR URGENT MILITARY REASONS DEMAND.

CIVILIANS WHO HAVE BEEN EVACUATED SHALL

BE TRANSFERRED BACK TO THEIR HOMES AS SOON

AS HOSTILITIES IN THE AREA HAVE BEEN RESOLVED.

BIOMETRIC RULES

CITIZENS MUST CARRY THEIR NKFOA BIOMETRIC ID

ON THEIR BODY AT ALL TIMES. CIVILIANS ARE SUBJECTED TO

RANDOM SEARCH AND AT ID CHECKPOINTS. VIOLATORS WILL

BE SENTENCED BEFORE A LIBERATION MILITARY TRIBUNAL.

FOOD, WATER AND GAS RATIONS RULES

OFFICIAL LIBERATION RATIONS ARE ACCEPTED AT ALL STATE

AUTHORIZED SHOP MARTS AND GOVERNMENT FUELING

AND WATER DISTILLATION STATIONS.

NATIONAL CURFEW ORDINANCE

NINE O' CLOCK (9:00) PM UNTIL SIX O' CLOCK (6:00) AM

THE FOLLOWING DAY. INSTILLED TO BEST INSURE YOUR SAFETY

AND THAT OF YOUR FAMILY. VIOLATORS WILL BE SENTENCED

BEFORE A LIBERATION MILITARY TRIBUNAL.

Who would believe that? The KPA, save for Chung and Chang don’t respect the civilians a bit!

Page 9 and 10 were about the holidays.

WORKING TOGETHER DELIVERS US THE FRUITS OF HAPPINESS!

HELP YOURSELF BY HELPING YOUR OCCUPYING BROTHERS AND SISTERS

LEARN THE HOLIDAYS OF YOUR GLORIOUS

OCCUPIERS OF THE NEW KOREAN FEDERATION

THE DAY OF THE SUN - APRIL 15

KIM IL SUNG' S BIRTHDAY APRIL 15, 1912

FEBRUARY 16

KIM JONG-IL' S BIRTHDAY, 1942

JANUARY 8

KIM JONG-UN' S BIRTHDAY JANUARY 8, 1982

SEOLLAL

FIRST DAY OF LUNAR MONTH

LIBERATION DAY - AUGUST 15

FREEDOM FROM JAPANESE OCCUPATION, 1945

INDEPENDENCE DAY - SEPTEMBER 9

FOUNDING OF THE DPRK, 1948

VICTORY DAY - JULY 27TH

VICTORY OVER AMERICAN IMPERIALIST IN 1953 - FREEDOM!

UNIFICATION DAY - NOVEMBER 17

UNIFICATION OF THE KOREAN PENINSULA

AND FOUNDING OF THE NEW KOREAN FEDERATION, 2013

DAY OF THE BROTHERHOOD - NOVEMBER 8

NEW KOREAN FEDERATION' S VICTORY OVER JAPAN, 2018

NEW AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY - JANUARY 16

NEW KOREAN FEDERATION' S LIBERATION OF AMERICA, 2025

Yeah, yeah, new American independence day…most stupid thing I’ve ever heard!

Page 11 and 12 had a list of contact numbers

YOUR NEW JOB: LET'S GET IT ON THE TRAIN!

DON'T LET YOUR NATURAL RESOURCES ROT IN THE GROUND. PEOPLE NEED IT!

IMPORTANT CONTACT NUMBERS

NATIONAL LABOR-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM

To Participate Please Call 619.573.4438

NATIONAL GUNS-FOR-FOOD PROGRAM

To make an exchange call 619.573.4286

Or visit an Exchange Depot at one of your local

Occupational Police stations

RELOCATED PERSONS DIRECTORY

For information about the whereabouts and new duties

of relocated friends or loved ones Call 619.573.6423

ENEMIES OF THE LIBERATION HOTLINE

If you have information concerning any criminal or resistance activity that may jeopardize the Occupational Forces liberty efforts to rebuild a better America call the Enemies of the Liberation Hotline at 888.788.4134

All calls are anonymous, helpful tips will be reward.

Well, could be useful.

The last two pages featured a list of “Helpful Words and Phrases”, a translation of common American words/phrases into Korean.

HELPFUL WORDS AND PHRASES

HELLO MY NAME IS.......................

/ann-young jae ee-reum-eun/

THANK YOU SIR.....................

/gam-sah-ab-nida

I AM READY TO SERVE YOU...

/dangshin-aegae bongsahal joonbiga dwaessuhyo/

THE WAIT WILL BE......

/gi-da-ril-gu-shim-ni-da/

YES SIR.........

/al-gaes-seum-ni-da/

I'M SORRY SIR......

/joie-song han-dae-yo/

I HAVE YEARS OF SERVICE....

/goondae-gyungryuk-eeh _nyun ee-seum-nee-da/

WHERE IS THE..........

/_un-di ee-seum-ni-kka?/

I COME FROM..........

/juh-neun_eh-suh wasseum-ni-da/

WELCOME TO MY HOME.......

/jibae oh-shin-gurl hwan-young-hab-ni-da/

CAN I HELP YOU?......

/do-ool soo ee-seul-kka-yo/

I WILL OBEY........

/nan-yoon bog-jong-hah-gaes-seum-ni-da/

IMMEDIATELY DONE SIR........

/jeuk-shi ha-gaes-seum-ni-da/

While the magic of Equestria allowed ponies to passively understand and speak other languages, they weren’t able to read other languages without learning it. Still, thanks to that, Scotch Tape learned Korean pretty fast.

I’m pretty sure that will come in later.

After her study was done, it became quickly evening and Chung came back from his shift.

“Scotch Tape, how was your day?” He asked with a smile.

“Good, Chung.” She replied.

The KPA soldier patted her and couldn’t help but standing on her hind legs, closing her eyes with a happy smile. The Korean’s heart melted at the cute sight.

The filly upon realizing what she did, blushed in embarrassment. “Sorry. Whenever mum was feeling down, I'd tickle her then she'd tickle me and I'd end up doing that. It always made her much happier.”

“Don’t be, it’s completely understandable.”

Kate made vegetarian lasagna for Scotch Tape as Dinner. “That was delicious! You’re a good cook, Kate!”

“Thank you. We were planning a movie evening. Want to join us?”

“Of course! The green earth pony exclaimed.

Amy had made a bowl of popcorn for herself and her “sister”.

Getting comfortable on the couch together, Kate started the movie. Star Trek: First Contact. An elder movie from 1996 but despite is age, it was still a good one.

The movie was set in the 24th century where the captain of a starship, Jean-Luc Picard, had to stop the Borg, a pseudo-species of cybernetic beings, or also called cyborgs, from changing the past.

The two children shared their popcorn. While never watching TV or a movie before, Scotch Tape enjoyed it, despite some…disturbing scenes.

“That was a nice movie!” Scotch Tape exclaimed before she had to yawn.

“Indeed. Old but still gold. Now, bedtime for you. Resistance is futile.” Kate joked as they tucked the children in. “Goodnight. Sweet dreams.”

Chung smiled. I don’t know why, but I’ll enjoy every minute with her.”

“So do I.”

The filly was fast asleep, snuggling with Amy, unaware that tomorrow, things would change.

Author's Note

What could happen? Anyway, don't you agree with her that the subject’s Guide is just stupid? For me it is. Star Trek the first Contact is one of my favorite movies, old but gold

Chapter 18 Friends In High Places

Chapter 18: Friends in High Places

Scotch Tape couldn’t believe what she just heard. The KPA ships and drones in Philadelphia were just tests? If was Archer had said was true, then the offensive of the US forces would be lost before it could even begin.

“We have to stop them! The entire US offensive is in danger if we don’t stop them!” She exclaimed, remembering what happened at the fort, not wanting that it would repeat.

“Calm down, Scotch Tape. I know you are worried but we need to find it first and you should get some rest after what you went through.” The medic advised.

Suddenly, the filly felt weaker, struggling not to collapse, Fletcher caught her. “Looks like the digoxin is wearing off. Save your strength, eat something.”

He carried her to one of the beds, Mia brought some food and water. The filly now noticed how hungry and thirsty she was, gladly taking it.

“It’s getting late, catch some sleep, we take care of it.” The medic tucked her in.

“Okay.” She understood that she should try to rest and recover, sleeping peacefully, yet hoped that the KPA reinforcements could be stopped in time.

As they had no problem to destroy the defenses in Philadelphia, it was clear that they would have no problem to destroy the US forces at San Francisco. She knew what was at stake, the USA could finally turn the war in their favor, probably even winning it. Scotch Tape helped the US troops not for herself but for Kate and Amy. They had already suffered enough, helping the US troops to win this war would end their suffering and Chung could probably live happy together with them.

Even if they would find the Airships in time, question would be how they could destroy them all. Sure, the drone Airship was heavily armed itself, enough to take on a KPA Airship, but they didn’t know how many Airships were out there, probably heavily defended.

It would be a hard battle, there was no doubt about it and most likely they had only one try. A high risk they had to take, it could be crucial for the USA’s success at San Francisco to destroy those airships.

As the young pony was sleeping, she dreamed that she and Amy played together with their friends on a Meadow, Kate and Hoang watching them with smiles, the USA’s economy going up again, free from occupation.

A dream that could come true, if they would have success in their upcoming mission.

Scotch Tape didn’t wanted to imagine what would happen if the KPA would win instead, yet wondered what would happen after this war would be over.

The others had the same thought that night, thinking about the aftermath of the Korean-American War.

Archer had to think the most about it, he had been forced by the Koreans to help them in their invasion, there was a possibility that he would be seen as traitor, getting executed for treason.

Still, his friends would help him out, he was confident of it. And he could make up for his collaborator work by helping to free his country. Wyatt had wanted it so, would he be still alive. The scientist was sure of this.

A few days passed, the former US soldiers and scientist worked tirelessly to find the airship base.

During the night, Scotch Tape and Fletcher were doing maintenance work on the engines as Joseph reported in. “We found the base, it’s hidden in the mountains of Utah.”

“Good, could you find out how many airships they have?” Fletcher asked, knowing they needed every Intel they could get for this.

“We counted 4 airships being refueled at the hidden base, if we move out now, we should be able to get there before they take off.” The scout reported.

“Question is how are we gonna destroy the airships? Only anti-air weapons can damage and destroy those things.”

The scientist joined them. “Since they got designed by me, I also know their weak points. You can destroy their engines from the inside.” Archer explained.

Neither the Eternal Knight nor the foal liked this idea. “That is too risky, it will be hard enough to infiltrate the base undetected.” Scotch Tape told with concern and doubt.

“I understand your concern but we have the darkness of the night on our side, plus the element of surprise.” Kate replied.

Fletcher thought about it. “In that case, our chances might look good. Let’s do this.” He kneeled down, so Scotch Tape could climb on him.

“For Chung! For my family and friends! Hi-Ho, Fletcher! Away!” She exclaimed, Fray cleared his throat in response. “Please, Fletcher, just give me this?” She asked with an innocent smile.

The unicorn sighed. “Fine.” Then he neighed, galloping away, the others watched with smiles.

And there goes my dignity but it doesn’t matter if it makes her happy. He thought at this.

“Archer, you and the other drones have the bridge while we are doing this.” Katie trusted him as they prepared to move out, he nodded in response, feeling honored to be trusted with something like this.

At the ramp, Fletcher asked the foal, “Do you still have the goggles I gave you?” as he putted his own on.

“Yes, why?” She asked confused.

“They have night vision, I recommend you use it too.”

The filly spotted a small button on her googles, activating them for a moment, seeing everything in green before turning it off. “Is it turned on?” She pointed to his googles.

“No, I don't normally need it.” The Eternal Knight replied.

“So why do you wear them?” The Earth pony wanted to know.

“To protect my eyes.”

“Yeah but why Night-Vision Goggles?”

Fletcher grinned. “Because Night-Vision Goggles are cool. Simple.”

As the airship was near the base, it stayed out of radar and AA gun reach, the group rappelled down.

While Scotch Tape was no soldier, she could still be useful in the field with her technical skills. The group consisted of her, Fletcher and the former soldiers, the smaller the group, the easier it would be to sneak in.

“We have built-in Night-Vision for operations at night or dark areas, so this isn’t a problem for us.” Katie explained as they moved out to a hill where they could overlook the KPA base.

Even at night, it was heavy guarded by soldiers, there were snipers and 3 checkpoints throughout the base with many searchlights. At the far end was an elevator that led to the platform where access to the airships was possible.

“Won’t be easy getting in there undetected. Do you have a plan, Katie?” Fletcher asked her.

“Of course I have one. There’s a guard post near the entrance of the base with a tank parked at it. We can use it to infiltrate the enemy without him suspecting anything.”

“Sounds good to me.” Scotch Tape liked it.

Quietly moving down the road to the guard post, they saw the tank parked, only 3 soldiers were posted at the guard post. The Sergeant made a sign for Joseph and Grace to silently take them out, they nodded in acknowledgement.

In the moment the Koreans turned their backs away from the group, the vanguard and scout grabbed them by the mouth and plunged a blade/knife through their backs, hiding the bodies.

“Okay, Scotch Tape, you drive, Fletcher, you’re the gunner, I take the commander seat.” Katie sad to them but the filly had doubts about it.

“Wait a minute, you want me to drive this thing? I don't know how. Like, at all! I've never even been inside one of these. I mean, I try to avoid ever getting close to one, really.” She protested in surprise.

“Scotch Tape, I know it sounds impossible for you, but I know you can do it. First try for everything. Trust me, it isn’t that hard.” The woman smiled at her with confidence.

“I hope so.” The filly replied unsure as she climbed into the tank on the driver seat.

“Just like old times with the steam tanks in the civil war.” Fletcher commented as he got into the gunner seat, barely having enough space for his horn.

“What about the others?” The young earth pony asked the officer.

“They will sneak their way in while we use the tank to get in.” Given that the others were able to fly and Klaus able to camouflage himself, it made sense for both ponies.

The filly looked around, there were pedals for gas and breaks, a wheel for steering and buttons to start the engine. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the button and the engine came to life.

“Okay…I got this.” She spoke to herself as he grabbed the wheel, moving the tank slowly forward.

Heh, that’s easier than I thought!

The sound of magic tore her out, noticed that the Eternal Knight was casting a spell on the cannon of the T-99. “I thought it might prove useful to increase our firepower.” He explained with a grin.

“I’m sure it will come in handy. Scotch Tape, get this tank moving.” Katie ordered.

“Yes, ma’am!” She obeyed, steering the tank towards the base entrance.

It was guarded by 6 soldiers, one of them a sniper, standing on a platform with a searchlight scanning the area.

They let the tank pass without trouble.

The next area was larger, several searchlights were scanning the area, a sniper watching too on a guard tower, on the right side was a depot with 3 parked tanks, a Gunship was patrolling the sky.

“They don’t suspect a thing, once we’re through the second gate, there’s only one gate left and we’re in the refueling station.” The Sergeant was glad her plan worked so far. “Looks like we get through without having to fire one shot.”

“Which I prefer over having to fight through every soldier.” The Eternal Knight commented before an alert went off. “Guess I spoke too soon.” He added with disappointment.

“Do you think they have discovered us or that something else has caused the alert?” Scotch Tape asked Katie with fear.

“Attention, troops! This is Colonel Jeong, this T-99 is under enemy control. Take it out, I want them alive!” A PA system echoed through the entire base, alerting the guards.

“So much for sneaking in. Fletcher, take down that chopper!” Katie yelled as the Z-10 Chimera turned into their direction.

“Consider it history!” He aimed at the gunship and fired before the pilots could react, the tail rotor got blown off, the chopper spun out of control, exploding in a fireball as it hit the ground.

Katie climbed up, manning the MG on the commander's cupola to deal with the infantry. “Keep driving, don’t stop!” She called to Scotch Tape.

Seeing that some soldiers attempted to man the parked tanks at the depot, Fletcher turned the turret at the depot. “On the way!” The shot hit the parked tank in the middle, apparently hitting the ammo as the depot exploded in a giant explosion, taking every soldier with it that was too close to it.

“You should have become a tank gunner!” The Sergeant praised him.

“I can be many things when it comes to aiming.”

The others joined them, taking positions around the tank as the filly steered it towards the gate, half there as there was a strange mechanic sound coming from the engine and the tank stopped abruptly.

“What was that? What happened to the tank?” Katie asked as she fired on every soldier she saw.

Scotch Tape took quickly a look, seeing the problem. “The motor has stalled out. Just give me a moment.”

“Keep this tank running! We can’t afford a breakdown now!”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

“Fletcher! Engage all enemy vehicles coming down the road, we take care of the infantry!”

“Acknowledged!” He fired on KPA transports and Humvees bringing in more soldiers, blowing them to pieces and APCs that were easy targets for the tank.

Katie and her squad prioritized Koreans that moved in with satchel charges over the normal infantry, knowing if they would immobilize the tank completely, everything was lost. Due the capture order, using RPGs would be too risky to use for the KPA, which was one less thing to worry about.

The Eternal Knight took 5 more transports out and another IMV and IFV as Scotch Tape yelled, “Ready! Starting engine!” and the tank roared to live again.

At the gate, a hostile T-99 moved up, only to be destroyed by Fletcher with a well-aimed shot, blowing the turret off, leaving a burning wreck.

The entrance to the fueling station was insight after having passed the final gate, coming to a small urban area, the filly carefully maneuvered the tank through the streets. “Great work, we almost made it!” Katie praised her and Fletcher.

Halfway through, the engine started to smoke. “Scotch Tape! Engine status?” The officer yelled down, wondering what was wrong.

“Tank engine is failing!” The filly coughed from the smoke. “Starter one down.”

“Damn it! Get it fixed! Quickly!”

“I knew that went far too easy.” Fletcher deadpanned as he took out another tank.

“Checking manifold pressure!” The young pony worked as fast as she could, knowing that time was short, they had to reach the station before the airships would take off.

More infantry moved in, trying to flank the tank. “We need smoke cover! Fletcher, launch a smoke barrage! Quickly!” Katie ordered, he did as told, using the smoke grenade dischargers.

While the Koreans couldn’t see through it, the cyborgs weren’t hindered by it at all, having an easy time against the hostiles.

“Exhaust clean.” Scotch Tape reported, making progress with the repairs.

The unicorn destroyed another LAV as the foal had found the problem. “Here it is. Clogged fuel filter! Just give me a minute!”

“Hurry!” The robotic mare yelled as she fired at the infantry.

Fray had another tank in his sight, firing as the young filly yelled, “Ready! Starting engine!” The engine roared up a second time, moving towards the fuel station.

Reaching their destination, the soldiers cleared the entrance from every hostile they saw until it was clear.

“Clear!” Katie, Fletcher and Scotch Tape climbed out of the tank, Ava provided covering fire with her Gatling gun as they moved to the elevator, suppressing the defenders.

The filly breathed heavily from the adrenalin as they reached it and got in, moving up.

The young squad leader smiled at her lover. “You wanna, you know...”

Jeff grinned. “Ha!”

Katie now grinned. “That's a nervous chuckle. Either your computer side gets the joke or your human side likes the way I look at you.”

“Or a little of both perhaps.” He replied.

“Hey. I'm not judgin'. I'm just a good lookin' mare.” Katie countered.

Scotch Tape could imagine that Blackjack and her father could have such a talk, giggled at it.

“Hey, Fletcher, did you or Midnight ever tried that joke on White Wolf?” Klaus asked him in a joking tone.

The Eternal Knight chuckled. “If you’re really like me, you should know that this would backfire on her.”

“Yeah.”

Once the elevator doors opened, the soldiers scanned the area, it was clear, Scotch Tape didn’t saw any red bars on her PipBuck.

“Let's take them out!” Grace yelled, ready to take anyone out that would stand in their way.

“Not If I do first!” Klaus countered with a grin.

“Cut the chatter, or you forget to cover me.” Joseph reminded them as they moved down the hallway.

The foal tapped Fletcher on the shoulder. “That would be a conversation I could imagine happen between you and your friends.”

The unicorn chuckled again. “Maybe.”

Just as he had said this, red bars appeared on the filly’s PipBuck and a squad of 718 soldiers came around the corner, the grenadier fired a grenade, the explosion caused some small fires, the soldiers getting blasted out of the windows. “Watch your fire, one wrong shot and the station blows up and we with it.” Katie warned.

The defenders tried their best to keep the intruders from advancing, it was in vain as the attackers pushed further and further, reaching the first airship. “Okay, we go in and plant explosives at the engines, that should destroy the airship, the fuel should do the rest.” The officer explained, a KPA officer ran out of the airship’s door, firing his pistol at the drones and ponies, missing his shots though.

“That’s the Colonel! I’ll deal with him!” Fletcher exclaimed, going after the Korean.

“Just get out in time!” Katie shouted after him before he was out of sight.

Grace and Joseph entered the first airship, the crewmen fired with pistols and SMGs at them.

Both former soldiers dodged the bullets with ease, switching between their firearms and melee weapons in their fighting style, eliminating the KPA crew one by one.

The last one walked backwards until he was trapped in a corner, his eyes filled with desperation. “Die! Die! Die!” He fired with pistol until it made only clicking noises, Joseph moved threateningly closer, his blade extended.

Scotch Tape noticed that the Korean started to shake, fear taking over, seeing it in his eyes, dropping his pistol. “P-please…I surrender…. Let me live…” He begged as the scout moved his blade at his throat.

Scotch Tape stared at the man.

He couldn't have been older than nineteen. Most of his face was covered but his eyes were wide and teary with fear.

She thought back to all Joseph had lost. The hatred he felt towards the KPA, the hunger he had for vengeance.

She stared at the blade on his leg, catching the light, ready to lunge forward and slice open the boy's throat.

Please don't do it, Joe, Her heart was thumping against her chest, This isn't how you win!' The woman, along with the others, just looked neutral at their comrade.

They can’t have become cold towards the KPA! Scotch Tape feared, staring in shock at Joseph who still held his blade at the Koran’s throat, the Asian closed his eyes.

The filly was about to protest as the Scout retracted his blade. “Get out of here if you want to live.” He said to the Crewman who was relived and grateful.

“T-thank you!” he ran out of the airship, the bat pony turned to Scotch Tape.

“You really thought I would kill him?” He asked before another crewmember came around the corner, firing at the scout, he went to cover and returned it, forcing the KPA member to cover in return.

As the Korean soldier reloaded, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his forehead, his eyes went small in shock before becoming limp.

Blood flowed down his head as Grace had rammed her knife through his forehead, retracting it, the body fell to the ground. “Target neutralized.”

“Go, go!” They moved down to the engine room, Scotch Tape helped to place the explosives.

“C4 is primed.” She said after the last charge was placed.

“Okay, let’s get out of here. Fast. Fletcher, the explosives are set, what’s your status?” Jeff asked over the radio.

“Go on, I’ll join you shortly.” He replied as they made their way out of the refueling station.

In a different part of the station, the KPA Colonel known as Jeong ran through the base as his men were mostly wiped out, finding the carpool devoid of functional vehicles, all of it burning and smoldering as Fletcher Fray emerged from the flames, his face emotionless.

The officer gulped, trying to stay calm. “Mr. Fray...is it? Listen, we're both soldiers, we're both men who serve our nation till the last. These insurgent scum are pouring poison in your ears! They'll sell you out as soon as they're finished here! You think these trigger-happy fools can run a country?! You can't...”

The Eternal Knight raised a hoof to his lips. “Shh...” Quietly, he continued, “Don't talk...This is about Scotch...and what you did to her...Pick up a weapon and fight me...That's all that's going to help you now...” He raised his bow.

Jeong stared at him for a minute before he sighed and drew his sidearm. “Very well...The world's chaos will not end with us, Mr. Fray...You should hope to be gone by then...”

“Trust me, I will be long gone by then.” He said before the officer fired a shot but missed, charging at Fletcher, tackling him to the ground, making him unable to use his bow.

The Korean punched him twice in the face, Fletcher blocked the third punch and used his magic to draw Jeong’s knife from his belt, stabbing him into the side.

The Colonel let out a scream of pain, the unicorn shoved him off to the side.

As the officer clenched his wound with a painful expression, trying to pull the knife out, Fray said, “I hope you got my message. Pray that we won’t meet again.”

An explosion greeted his eyes, causing him to turn around, seeing how the refueling station exploded in a giant fireball, the airship increased the explosion.

As he made his way to safety, he saw that Jeong got caught in the blast, not thinking anyone could survive this.

Scotch Tape couldn’t help but look at the explosion in awe after they were at a safe distance, never having seen such a big explosion before. “Better than the fireworks on the 4th of July.” Jeff commented on it with a grin.

Fletcher joined up with them. “I took care of the Colonel. Let’s get out of here.” He suggestion, seeing the base in flames, smaller explosions went off, he also noticed that the sun stared slowly to rise, showing that the day was about to begin.

“Agreed. What’s that noise?” Scotch Tape looked into the sky upon hearing a strange metallic noise. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw what caused the noise.

While the airship they had boarded was in flames, a burning wreck, the other 3 raised from the smoke, apparently undamaged, flying towards San Francisco. “What?! This can’t be! This explosion should have been strong enough to destroy everything!” She exclaimed in shock.

“The only possibility I see is that they pumped out the fuel once the alert went off.” Jeff suspected.

“Still, we have to stop them!” The filly now panicked.

“Calm down, Scotch Tape. We can still stop them.” Katie calmed her down. “Archer, we managed to destroy one airship but the others are still intact and en route towards San Francisco.”

“Acknowledged, I already alerted the US military, they send F-22s to assist us in intercepting the airships.” He replied through the radio.

After that, they got back to their airship, discussing their next move. “Our Intel says that the KPA airships are escorted by Duster drones and Su-47 Berkuts. Our airship and the Wonderbolt drones can match the drones and fighters but the KPA airships will be tough.” Katie analyzed the situation.

“Indeed it will. I guess we can only coordinate the guns and drones in the fight?” Fletcher asked her.

“I’m afraid so. Still, there could a possibility but it’s very risky.”

“And that is?” Scotch Tape wanted to know.

“Well, like our ships, the KPA versions are also armed with AA guns and MGs. One AA gun is on the rear of them. We could transport you over there, so you could take over it and fire on the other airships.” She explained, sounding unsure about it.

Fletcher and Scotch Tape thought about it. “It’s risky yes, but we have to try it. It might be the only way to stop them.” The unicorn figured out.

“Agreed. There’s no time to waste!” The filly exclaimed, knowing that this might be their only chance.

“Scotch Tape, leave it to me, it’s way too dangerous to you.” Fletcher was worried about her safety.

“We don’t know if the AA gun is operated by a gunner or by radar, if it’s the latter, I can hack it.” She countered.

“I guess you’re right.” He replied in defeat.

“We are closing in the current position of the airships.” Archer reported as he saw explosions in the distance.

“Looks like the Air Force as already engaged them. Let’s give them a hand.” The officer suggested.

“Of course.” Fletcher levitated the foal on his back, moving with the Wonderbolt drones to the ramp, Mia joined them.

“I bring you to the closest airship.” She offered, kneeling so the 2 ponies could climb on her back.

“Are you sure I’m not too heavy for you?” Fletcher asked unsure.

“My body was designed to carry wounded out of danger, it’s no problem, just hold on tight.”

“Okay.” He climbed on her, feeling a bit awkward about it.

The ramp opened, the Wonderbolts jumped out, activating their wings in flight. “Geronimo!” The medic yelled as she jumped out too, activating her wings.

The Pegasus drones had no problems in dogfighting the KPA drones and fights, providing cover for Mia to get close to the leading airship.

Scotch Tape could get a look on the AA gun, it was operated by a gunner, getting provided with data via his helmet visor. Despite this, the former medic proved to be a difficult target, being too fast for him.

“You call that aiming?” She taunted before the gunner hit her left wing, causing her to crash on top of the airship, the two ponies blacked out for a moment.

Scotch Tape groaned in pain as she came to, Fray helped her up. “You okay?” He asked.

“I’m fine. Mia?” She asked, seeing that the left wing was damaged, sparking and twitching.

“Apart from my damaged wing, I’m okay. We need to take out that flak gun! I got your back!” She pointed towards it, being on the other end.

Fletcher and Scotch Tape saw how the air battle was raging around them, the airship had taken damage, parts of the hull were torn open, and it was slightly burning but still flying.

“Don’t look down, alright?” Fletcher asked her, trying to keep her calm.

“Alright.” This scared her a bit, being Celestia knows how high in the air with planes fighting each other.

Bullets missed them by inches as they moved towards the gunner, the filly could see him in the distance as they were halfway there. “Watch out!” The woman yelled as one Berkut crashed burning towards the airship, ripping the hull, causing the foal to fall on a catwalk into the airship's interior.

“You okay?” Fletcher called down with concern.

“I’m good, I’m okay!” She replied.

“Find a way back up top! We’ll head around to the flak gun!”

The filly drew her pistol. “Okay, I’ve got this-man.” She spoke to herself.

Moving through it, she saw that some of the tanks had fallen out of their mounts, some parts of the hull were damaged, making her feel the wind brushing against her fur.

At the end of the catwalk was a dead crewmember lying with his back against the wall and bullets ricocheted off the tanks, causing her to raise her hooves for protection.

Taking a left turn, the filly noticed that some parts of the interior was on fire, seeing after a right turn how a crewmember tried to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher at the end of this catwalk.

Upon getting closer, he noticed her and turned around, aiming the fire extinguisher at her.

“Freeze!” He shouted before noticing his mistake and an explosion occurred, killing him, blasting his body of the catwalk.

“That was close.” Scotch Tape commented as she moved on, the hull to her left was turn wide open, making it possible for her to see the raging battle and feel the wind as she walked past.

“We got problems with the starboard ruder, repair team 2, move out and take a look.” An intercom buzzed through the damaged airship. “Weapon team 1, reinforce the front guns, reinforce the front guns.”

Taking a right turn and a left turn, she could see that the away leaded only forward, the AA gun straight ahead due the hull being damaged, having opened the way to it.

A hiss sound flew past her ears as 3 Crewmen fired at her, the filly dived behind a crate for cover. “You won’t escape us! Surrender!” One of them yelled.

The pony took a deep breath, using her PipBuck’s targeting system to quickly take them out with headshots. She really disliked it to kill, but there was no other way to reach the AA gun.

The gunner got killed by a bullet to the head, probably from one of the drones or US fighters, Scotch Tape took his place, firing at the KPA fighters and drones before she turned her attention to one of the remaining airships that pulled up to her left.

Bullets from it and the enemy drones and planes flew past her, missing her by inches as she fired on the airship until it exploded in a fireball, falling out of the sky.

In the moment the filly was about to focus on the planes and drones again, a crewman ambushed her, knocking her of the gun, she struggled against him.

Fletcher came from behind, grabbing the Korean, taking his helmet off, dragging him away from the filly. “I got your back!” Fray wasn’t as good as Wolf or Midnight in melee combat but could still hold his own in a fist/hoof fight, keeping the soldier busy with Mia as the other airship came into view of the right of Scotch Tape.

The AA fire tore the hull part, catching fire as Scotch Tape fired on it. The explosion of it threw her back.

This caused another problem. “Wow! What the hay?” Scotch Tape stared in awe and shock at what she had done, the destroyed airship was now a gigantic burning wreck, beginning to crash into the airship she, Fletcher and Mia were on.

“Fletcher! Mia! We have to go!” She yelled, her friends turned around, their expressions becoming fearful upon seeing the burning airship, the Korean stared also in shock.

They all wasted no time jumping of the KPA airship. But now, they were falling.

“Do you have a plan out of this?!” Scotch Tape screamed to Mia.

I wasn’t thinking that fear ahead! I hope they reach us in time!” The woman yelled back, making both ponies and the Korean wonder what she meant.

Quick as lighting, 4 Wonderbolt drones caught them swiftly, the filly was caught by a Soarin drone, Fletcher by Spitfire, Mia by Misty and the Korean by Surprise.

“T-thank you!” The foal said very relieved as the drones flew back to their airship, seeing that they were above a forest area, the KPA airships burned in the sky.

“With those airships destroyed, we will have a big advantage against the invaders at San Francisco. Thank you for the help.” The leader of the F-22s thanked them before the jets returned to their base and the battle was over.

The others already waited at the ramp for them. “With those airships out of the way, we can join up with the US forces in Sausalito, they have a Forward Operation base there.” Katie explained their next step.

“Watch out! incoming missile!” Archer yelled as a heavily damaged Berkut fired a missile at the still open ramp before going down.

It missed the ramp, exploding next to it, but the shock blasted Scotch Tape off the ramp, Fletcher tried to grab her hoof but was too slow. “Scotch Tape!” He yelled as the Soarin drone dived after her.

Scream.

There was nothing she could do but scream, it felt so natural as she fell to her death, it was impossible to survive a fall from this height and her life flashed before her as the ground came closer and closer.

A part of her couldn’t believe she would die like this, after she had come so far, never seeing her father and friends again.

“Got you!” The drone exclaimed, having grabbed her just inches from the trees, trying to pull up, hitting some boughs along the way.

One bough damaged his right wing, stumbling a bit, eventually losing control, the foal cried in pain as she got scratched by the doughs, hitting the ground with a scream of pain.

Everything ached and her vision was blurry as she saw somebody coming closer before everything went black.

Slowly, warmth returned to her numb body. I am alive? She wondered, slowly opening her eyes.

Scotch Tape found herself at a warm campfire, her injuries patched up, noticing it was evening.

“Ah, you’re woken up.” A new voice said, sounding very glad about it. Getting up, the filly looked a KPA soldier into the eyes, sitting opposite of the campfire.

“Hey, I know you. You are the soldier back in the town that surrendered.” She recognized him.

He smiled. “Yes, I am. Private Park Puma. I owe you my life.”

“Scotch Tape. I guess we are even now. What are you doing here?” She asked him.

“Well, after you convinced the Americans to let me live, I tried to join up with allied troops. After I was successful with that, I got deployed to various locations to repel the US forces, getting forced to retreat every time. But this time, the squad I was in got wiped out, only I managed to survive. I found you when I was travelling through the woods. I had heard of you, how you assisted the US forces and took command of those drones, quite impressive for your age, Chung can be proud of you.” He said to her, again smiling.

“Do you know him?”

“Yes. We went to school together. Originally, I wanted to be an engineer but the KPA's policy made that impossible for me, getting drafted into the military.” He sounded sad.

“Sorry to hear that. How’s the LP-9 drone?” The foal looked around not able to see it anywhere.

“It took quite some damage from the harsh landing. With the right tools we could repair it. I loaded it into the Humvee I use to travel.” He pointed to it, it was parked right next to them.

The Korean let out a sigh. “I’m actually on the run. After managing to retreat to safety as my squad got wiped out, I ran into a squad of the 718s who said I was a traitor, deserter, coward for not dying in battle. I could escape them. To be honest, for the KPA, the situation is becoming very bad. If the US manage to free San Francisco, we would be forced to conserve resources across the occupied territories, due relying on constant aerial and maritime reinforcement and resupply from Asia.

Kim Jong-un knows that. It is said in the news that dismantling the Demilitarized Zone and peacefully united the Korean peninsula under the Greater Korean Republic earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. Ha! In reality, he’s as ruthless as his father, continuing his country's traditional practices of censorship, oppression, and religious and political persecution whilst simultaneously maintaining the facade of a democratic Korea.

The loss of San Francisco would weaken his power and even after 15 years, there are still South Korean people who seek the old days as democratic state.”

“I see, a coup d'etat could be highly possible if he loses the war.” She figured out.

“You got it. I wouldn’t mind getting rid of him, I’d like to live in freedom like in the old days, not in fear and oppression. And I keep you save, I owe it to Chung.”

“Appreciated.” Scotch Tape replied before yawning, becoming tired. “I catch some sleep. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

As the filly fell asleep, she hoped that Fletcher and the others weren’t too worried about her.

In the morning, they traveled along the road, not encountering any KPA or US forces towards their journey to San Francisco until they saw a lone 718 standing on the road, making a stop gesture, Park stopped the Humvee.

Scotch Tape wondered why as she saw several yellow Bars on her PipBuck, captured US soldiers got led to a truck by several other 718 soldiers, 2 troop transports with regular soldiers stopped at the other side of the road. One of the prisoners tripped, falling to the ground.

“Take him!” One of the Koreans pointed to the truck parked at the roadside. “Quickly!” He added as a comrade kicked the prisoner and hit him with the butt of his rifle, preventing him from getting up.

Scotch Tape couldn’t watch this, the American was defenseless and possible weakened. It reminded her of Jackson. She got out of the car. “Leave him alone!” She yelled at the soldier, walking towards him, he just shoved her back, then grabbed her by the collar, making her cry in pain.

The private also got out of the Humvee, aiming his pistol at the 718 soldier. “Leave her alone!” One of the 718s hit him from behind with his rifle, causing Puma to fall over with a cry of pain.

The leader of the 718 soldiers executed the prisoner with his pistol, startling the young child, flinching. “Hang him!” He pointed at Park.

The sound of MG fire startled everyone, coming from one of the transports, the KPA soldiers dismounted the transports and an officer yelled, “Nobody will hang Koreans! Step back!” His soldiers took aim at the 718 soldiers.

Both, Scotch Tape and Park wondered what the regular soldiers were trying to do, the silence seemed like hours as the Elite soldiers just stared at the regular ones.

“This is revolt! Court-material!” One 718 soldier protested.

“Take the body away!” The 718 officer ordered, giving the regular officer a cold glare. “We’ll find you!” Then drove with the prisoners away into a side street into the woods.

“Are you okay?” Puma helped her up.

“I’m fine.”

The officer walked up to them, saluting Park, he returned it. “I’m lieutenant Mino.”

“Private Park. Thank you very much for your help.”

Scotch Tape was happy to see him again, spotting Yun, Lim and Gim along his men, they all smiled at her.

“It’s nice to see you again, although I hoped we would meet again under more pleasant circumstances.” The officer said to her.

“Same here.”

“I hope that you won’t have any trouble because your actions against the 718?” Park asked him with worry.

Gunfire and explosions echoed in the distance. “I don’t worry, my unit will drive to the front. As you can hear, front is near. American bullets are more dangerous than 718. I wish you good luck that you will meet Chung again.” Mino saluted before he and his troops got into their transports, driving off, Scotch Tape didn’t thought she would see any of them ever again.

The foal and soldier continued to travel down the deserted road, stopping for supplies at a deserted outpost of the KPA. “They scramble anything they can get to defend San Francisco, abandoning unnecessary bases like this outpost. High command knows what’s at stake.” He said to her as they loaded what they had found into it.

“It will be a hard battle, no doubt.” She replied, knowing even with the drones, it wouldn’t be easy. Several yellow Bars appeared on her PipBuck.

In the sky was the airship, Fletcher and the soldiers rappelled down. “There you are! Glad to see you’re still alive.” Fletcher was very glad that she had survived.

“Well thanks to the Wonderbolt drone, which suffered some damage from the harsh landing, and a new friend of mine.” She pointed to Park who seemed very nervous, which was understandable.

“Private Park Puma, I’m very grateful that you helped me to get the Americans to spare my life.” He saluted, trembling.

“It’s nothing. You should get going.” Fletcher said to him.

“Yeah, I should.” The Korean saw how 2 Wonderbolt drones took their damaged comrade out of the Humvee, bringing it back on the airship for repairs. “Looks like our ways divide here. Good luck, Scotch Tape.”

“Thanks, you too.” She replied as he stepped into the car and drove away.

“If you wondering how we did find you, you are still connected to our hive mind. And don’t worry, we freed the prisoners on our way to you.” The Sergeant smiled at her.

“Good to know. They don’t deserve to suffer like this.”

“Agreed. The KPA crewman we saved provided us with some Intel. They gonna reinforce the bridge with troops, the convoy is passing through here. Perfect for an ambush. Before you ask, we gave the Korean to the US troops as POW.”

She nodded before they prepared everything, Jeff placed mines on the road with the grenadier drones, Fletcher, she and Klaus went into position on a hill where they had a perfect view and line of fire, Archer brought the airship out of sight.

“I can see the convoy. Are you ready?” He asked over the radio.

“We’re ready. Wait until they are in position.” Katie said to her squad and friends as the convoy moved in, consisting of 4 troop transports transporting 718 soldiers, 2 Humvees and 2 LAV-25s, one of them being the last vehicle of the convoy.

The leading truck drove over the mine, exploding into pieces, Jeff fired his LAW on the LAV at the end of the convoy, destroying it, trapping the rest of the vehicles. “Go, go, go!” Katie ordered, opening fire on the elite soldiers.

As Klaus started to fire, Scotch Tape and Fray blinked, not believing what they just saw.

Next to Klaus was a ghost or more a spirit, looking exactly like his human form in uniform, imitating his actions of firing a sniper rifle.

It wasn’t only him.

Both ponies looked how the Sergeant was punching a KPA soldier, next to her was a spirit of her human form, imitating the same action.

The other former humans had also spirits next to them, imitating their actions.

Fletcher and his young friend shook their heads, thinking that this was only their imagination but the sprits weren’t vanishing during the entire fight.

They couldn’t get up how this was possible, maybe this reminded the soldiers of their past experiences in the oil wars? They couldn’t tell.

“You okay? You look like you have seen a ghost.” Klaus asked them with concern, tearing them out of their thoughts, they now noticed that the battle was over, all vehicles of the convoy were destroyed and burning, the Korean soldiers dead, scattered around, lying in their own blood.

“We’re fine.” Both replied in union, having recovered from their shock.

“Now that the reinforcements are out of the way, we can join the US offensive at San Francisco” Katie was satisfied with their success.

They got back onboard their airship, en route towards Sausalito, the young foal was laying in one of the beds, lost in thought. She had been through a lot but never had taken part into something like this. It was very risky for her.

“Scotch Tape, something on your mind?” The Eternal Knight walked in, having noticed her trance.

“I’m just nervous about the upcoming battle, that’s all.” She replied, getting up.

Fray sat down next to her, wrapping a hoof around her. “I know your feeling, I’m nervous too. I’m battle proven but still, sometimes, I’m nervous before a battle, wondering if I’m going to survive or not. While I have been fighting since I was a colt, my first battle in the military was nothing I’ve ever experienced before. But I stay with you until the end, Scotch Tape.” He smiled at her, showing he was honest.

“I know to appreciate that, Fletcher.” She returned a smile of her own.

They couldn’t get off directly at the FOB, having to walk to it, coming to a hill where they could overlook the city and the Golden Gate bridge. Scotch Tape turned the radio on, the Voice of Freedom had one final report.

“Once upon a time in America, our military was a well-oiled, well-funded machine capable of projecting massive power anywhere in the world. The crumbling of our nation, finished with the hammer blows of a cunning enemy, changed all that. But this country's strength has never been solely weighed by its guns and treasure. Two hundred and fifty years ago, farmers and shopkeepers, printers and blacksmiths fought an almighty empire, armed with little more than courage and a dream of freedom. Today, a new generation of civilians will join our armed forces to tear San Francisco from enemy hands. I am the Voice of Freedom, but you are its terrible, swift sword. This is a war of the people, by the people. Let freedom ring.”

Fletcher and Scotch Tape looked at Katie and her squad, seeing confidence in their eyes, the end of the KPA in the USA. Was it only a mirage? Perhaps. But on that day, in this city, their blood ran hot with dreams of victory.

Author's Note

This is it. The battle that decides the fate of the USA