The Horrors Of War

Edward tossed the burnt out cigarette and sighed. Things had gone wrong so fast.

The platoons were dragged to this whole new world, and suddenly ambushed by Japanese. And the deaths of innocent ponies, as strange as it sounded, were on their hands.

Edward opened his pack and took out a life ration, preserved crackers, and started to eat. They were crunchy, crunchy to the point it hurt his teeth, but food was food. It didn't have to taste good to keep you full.

He looked around, and saw a gray Pegasus walking towards him. She had a blonde mane and tail, and her yellow eyes were out of proportion.

She held a little basket with a blanket over it, setting it down at Edward's feet.

"Muffin?", she asked in an innocent voice.

Edward lifted the up blanket, and picked up a muffin from the basket. He bit into it, before smiling. It tasted grainy, but sweet.

He hadn't had anything sweet since he was drafted into the army. That was such a long time ago.

"Thanks.", Edward said. The cross-eyed Pegasus beamed, before flying off. Edward chuckled as he finished the muffin. He got up and picked up the muffin basket.

He walked over to a soldier, and handed him a muffin. The soldier bit into it and grinned.

Somewhere else

Twilight groaned and woke up. She looked around and saw Celestia and a human medic over her.

"Twilight, are you alright?", Celestia asked, worriedly.

"Don't worry, I'm fine.", Twilight groaned. "What happened?"

"The invaders were killed, and Ponyville is in recovery.", Celestia said.

Twilight shuddered. Celestia looked over in worry. "What is it, Twilight?", Celestia asked.

"I...I saved him. One of the attackers was about to die. And then he stabbed me.", Twilight said, the trauma returning to her features. "Why would he do that?"

The human medic sighed. "Those are Japs. I never fought 'em until now, but I always heard something about never accepting surrender and fighting to the death.", he said, a slight drawl in his voice.

"Well, they certainly fought to the death.", Celestia said.

Twilight looked around. The massive boat was still wedged inside what was left of Carousel Boutique, and almost all the buildings were completely demolished, with Japanese tank and jeep wrecks everywhere.

Pony bodies littered the ground. It wasn't a lot, but they were still horrifying to look at.

The lavender alicorn's eyes watered, as she stifled a sob. "It's my fault. I brought them here, and now ponies are dead because of what I did.", she said.

"Shh, Twilight. You had no way of knowing what would happen. It's not your fault.", Celestia soothed, stroking a hoof down the mane of her former student.

"I still should've considered the possibilities! I should've taken precaution! I should've...I should've...", Twilight said, before she broke into crying, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, grow up!", a soldier nearby said. Celestia glared at the soldier, only to see he was turned away, and cleaning the rifle in his hands.

"Excuse me, but would you please allow my student to vent?", Celestia asked, sternly.

"I don't take orders from you, 'Princess'.", the soldier said, as he reloaded his M1A1 Carbine.

Celestia sighed. They were soldiers, furthermore, soldiers that were from a world of destruction and chaos. She obviously wouldn't be able to get through to any of them.

A giggle caught her attention, and she turned, to see a couple soldiers chatting with some ponies, as if they were friends.

Maybe she wouldn't need to get through to them.

She cleared her throat, before speaking up...

...in her Canterlot Royal Voice.

"Everyone and everypony!!", she boomed. Everything went silent.

"I understand many of you hold spite against these humans, but they have saved this town, and saved almost all of you from an invasion!! I am willing to make a proposition!!", Celestia said.

The crowd of ponies and humans began to murmur in interest and confusion. Even Twilight was in the dark.

Celestia spoke up again, this time, in her regular voice. "We allow these humans to help keep the peace, we will accept them into our society.", she said.

The murmurs got louder, and soon, it turned into yelling.

"We just accept them?! Ridiculous!!", a pony yelled.

"Hey, we saved your life!!", a soldier spat at the pony.

"From a war YOU started!!", the pony said.

"Oh dear.", Celestia said, as she began to speak up.

"Everyone, everypony!", she said. The two species kept arguing, yelling and shoving.

Twilight watched as Celestia tried to quiet them down, when a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Twilight!"

Rarity and Applejack trotted over to Twilight. The human medic left, not wanting to be part of the conversation.

"Thank Celestia you're alright.", Rarity said, before looking at the human soldiers.

"What in tarnation are those fellas?", Applejack asked.

"And their fashion sense is horrid!", Rarity said. "I can't imagine anypony wanting to wear green all the time! And those helmets!! No flash, no gold, no sense of beauty! Just GREEN!"

A nearby soldier who wasn't arguing with anypony just glared at Rarity. "If I could, I'd shoot you.", he said, pointing his Grease Gun with one hand.

"Ugh, the nerve!", Rarity scoffed, before she looked at Carousel Boutique, or what was left of it.

"What happened?!", she screamed. "Everything's gone!!"

"And our barn's wrecked too!", Applejack said. "Some giant boat flew in it!"

"Thank Celestia I was out of town when this happened!", Rarity said. "I do hope Sweetie Belle's alright."

"Twilight, do ya know what happened?", Applejack asked, making Twilight tense up.

"I...I...", Twilight stuttered, beads of sweat forming under her horn.

Twilight took a deep breath and shuddered as she let it out.

"I...I may have accidentally created a portal that brought a war to Equestria?", Twilight asked.

Rarity and Applejack blinked, before Rarity fainted.

"Twilight, you did this?!", Applejack cried, whilst trying to shake Rarity awake.

"I know, I know! I'm sorry, I didn't know what would happen! I wanted...I wanted to help use friendship to bring different worlds and species together, and instead...I...I pulled them apart.", Twilight said, as she turned to the crowds.

The Americans and the ponies were all yelling at each other, while Celestia and the royal guards were attempting to keep the peace.

Rarity slowly got up. "I-it was you?", Rarity groaned, as she stumbled to her hooves.

"Relax, Rarity. Twi explained why. Ah'm still mad, but Ah forgive 'er.", Applejack said. Twilight just sighed sadly on the stretcher.

The medic came back with another roll of bandages, as he began to dress the wound. That was when the two other mares noticed the bloody wound.

"Twi, what in Tartarus happened?!", Applejack cried.

"I-", Twilight said, before the medic talked.

"She got stabbed by a Jap. Damn bastards. She'll be OK.", the medic said. "Don't do a lot of anything till the stab's healed, a'ight?"

Twilight slowly nodded, and the medic left.

"Sis!!"

Rarity and Applejack turned to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders galloping towards them.

Rarity started crying tears of joy when Sweetie Belle jumped into her arms. Applejack and Applebloom nuzzled, thankful for their safety, and Scootaloo went up to Twilight.

"P-princess? Have you seen Rainbow Dash?", Scootaloo asked.

Twilight slowly shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't see her. But I'm sure she's alright.", Twilight reassured. If she knew her loyal friend, she would've stayed in the sky. Luckily, during the attack, none of the Japanese noticed the clouds.

"That giant metal wheeled thing ran over our clubhouse! It's still sitting on the tree!", Sweetie Belle said.

"We're gonna kick this thing's flank when we get back!", Applebloom said.

"No need."

Edward walked up to the ponies. "That tank's wrecked. We killed the crew inside.", he said.

The fillies looked up at the human. "What're you?", Sweetie Belle asked.

"Ahem, who, are you.", Rarity corrected.

"Lieutenant Edward Peers of the United States Army. Second Platoon, Seventh Infantry Division.", Edward said.

The Crusaders blinked in confusion. "What?", Scootaloo asked.

"It's adult stuff, you won't get it.", Edward said. He took his BAR and checked his clip. "I dunno what your princess has planned, but it can't be good."

"When Princess Celestia has something planned, it's guaranteed to be beneficial to everypony.", Twilight said.

"Uhh, Mr. Edward, have you really killed?", Sweetite Belle asked.

"Sweetie Belle!", Rarity cried.

"No...they've seen enough to know.", Edward said. He gave his BAR to Sweetie Belle, and she, Applebloom, and Scootaloo looked it over in interest.

"This is a gun. More specifically, the Browning Automatic Rifle.", Edward said. "We actually made a joke about this gun."

"What's the joke?", Sweetie Belle asked.

"OK, so three Nazis walk into a BAR.", Edward said.

The CMC stared in confusion at the soldier.

"Get it? Browning Automatic Rifle? BAR?", Edward asked.

"What're Nazis?", Scootaloo asked.

"They're the enemies. Anyway, guns shoot bullets. Bullets kill anyone-er-anypony they hit.", Edward said.

The CMC slowlyv nod their heads, beginning to understand the joke.

"The BAR shoots bullets at three Nazis walking into their line of fire. And they die. That's where the joke ends.", Edward said.

"That's morbid!", Rarity cried.

"Yeah, tha's messed up!", Applejack said.

"If you had joined the Army, you'd laugh too.", Edward said.

"Ah got it. It was kinda funny to me.", Applebloom said.

"Applebloom!", Applejack said.

"What? Ah said it was kinda funny.", Applebloom said.

Then a boom filled the air.

"Son of a bitch, what now?", Edward said.

"Hey!", Rarity cried at the profanity.

"Who's a son of a bitch?", Sweetie Belle asked.

Applejack and Twilight had to stifle giggles at how innocent it sounded, as Rarity began to scold her little sister.

Edward took his BAR and turned to the hills. The grass was still ruined and flattened by the Jap tanks that rolled over it, and smoke was rising from the end of the hill.

All the ponies and soldiers stopped arguing, and they turned to the hills. A couple snipers with their Winchesters aimed to the hills.

Edward took a pair of binoculars and looked at where the smoke was.

"What the...", he said.