Fallout Equestria: Into the Abyss

A blast from a tank marked the start of the day's fighting. A platoon from the company we were relieving stayed behind to cover their retreat. Our approach had us cross the same gulch we had fought in and around for over a week, half of which I was in a field hospital. The once green ravine was now covered in deep snow, traces of the trauma looked to have been wiped clean. It is amazing how time can change a scenery from one of carnage to something serene and peaceful. Further up the trees were cleared away to allow the tanks and other machinery up to support the attacking troops. We continued on along the road as more ponies continued down, pushed off to the sides were destroyed vehicles and the lines of body bags. The further we made our way up the loader and more ferocious the sounds of civilised warfare became. Some of the replacements were ducking and flinching over every boom and wham bam of the heavy guns. Fortunately for us it was mostly out bound further ahead and up towards the crest. A snap of a bullet hit low on the mud in front of one the new guys and he dropped down into the ditch pointing his rifle towards the woods.

"I didn't come all this way just to get sniped on a ruck march"
Buckminster, Jazzlight, Daisy and myself looked at the colt amusingly.

"Calm down kid" Jazzlight snickered at him. "It's just a stray shot, we're far from the actual meat grinder"

Buck had followed up "Let the jitters out now, when we're up there and the stuff hits the fan there's plenty more to be scared of than a stray bullet. Only a genius would sign for that."

"Was that... sarcasm?" The colt asked.

"Good you're catching on quick, you'll do fine. Come on, charlie mike." Buck quipped and reached out his hoof to the colt.

"Are you becoming soft. Just two days ago you were hacking on the poor boy" I joked to him. "Soon enough you're going to be a sensible pony like Jazz"

"Oh fuck off" He neighed.

"Come on boys, enough with the horse play" Daisy kidded us.

"That was a really bad pun." I deadpanned. She smiled and hoof bumped my shoulder as she continued the trek. I couldn't help but smile as she passed by, it was good seeing her smile again. Buck caught me and had to interject his obligatory observation as he always did in any situation.

"You gonna tap that bro". I answered with a light punch to his side.

We approached our sector under heavy small arms fire. The last platoon fought on desperately to cover us and in turn cover their retreat. A tank that was struggling on the steep incline was hit repeatedly, the rounds pinging and sparking on its metal body. It fired back with it's main cannon but the angle was still to high to do any effect and missed. A pony from our company hopped up on, she banged on hatch and the tank commander popped her head. A short moment after she closed the hatch and the tank began to back up. Our mare stayed on and mounted the mg a top the turret, she laid on bursts of 50 calibre rounds into a zebra pillbox.

"Go! GO!" She yelled at the leaving ponies. The last machine gunners packed up their weapon and hoofed it down the trail. She continued to fire giving the troops cover to move up closer to the enemy. The tank now levelled aimed it's gun towards a bunker on our right front and fired. The HE round burst and kicked up dirt, smoke and concrete, opening up a wide crack in the structure. To our annoyance the zebras began shooting out of them as soon as they were able. One of them got a lucky shot on the mare on the .50. Her leg was nearly shot clean off, she pulled herself up and kept firing at the bunker blowing the walls apart. She was hit again and she slumped down pathetically behind the turret. I sprang to action towards the tank.

"Cover me will ya"

Buck and and his SAW team began to lay down cover for my dash to the tank. Slugs snapped and whizzed by me the whole way as I clambered over the snow covered foliage. I reached the rear of the tank and climbed up as quickly as I could. If I had waited to catch my breath I would have been shot to pieces, the rounds caught up and pinged and sparked on the treads and at the top of the turret.

"Hey doc" The soldier said weakly. Her blood was pooling all over the tank, she was severely weakened by her wounds and couldn't move. I dug in here aid kit for her tourniquet to stop the bleeding from her leg. The tank revved and began to roll back which ruled out my plan in taking cover behind it. I resorted to roll her off the right side into a fox hole and she landed neatly in to my relief. I jumped off and ran to the hole as more slugs snapped and hit the trees about me. I could now get a better look at her wounds under better cover. Her left leg was nearly clean off, the bone was fractured openly through her coat and the muscle just barely hanging on. The second wound was to abdomen, the round had punched straight through her taking chucks off her back. The bullet tumbled when it had cut into her, she could be bleeding terribly on the inside. I tourniquet the leg and then took a look at her other wound. I patched the entrance wound with saline and gauze before rolling her over to inspect the exit wound. Through the blood it looked like half the liver was missing, this would take one hell of a healing potion to fix that up, but I could at least begin the process. I secured the dressing the entrance and exit wounds and gave her a healing potion and a shot of med-x. The leg I couldn't do much, it would have to be amputated. The healing potion could do much for tissue repair and bring her back to a stable state before she was wounded but at least she was alive and had gotten the Million Bit Wound and be able to go home. I called for the litter team to help carry her down to the CCP or Casualty Collection Point further down, away from the fighting.

When we made it back further down a trail where we had the wounded, Aquamarine and Bubblegum were already at work treating the company's wounded, Skeedadle was trying to assist sorting with the triage personnel. The trail dipped down behind a dike which helped cover us from incoming small arms fire. From here any wounded to hurt to continue were put on a cart and were taken to the Battalion Aid station at the bottom of the hill. So far the casualties were low, only wounds from light small arms fire and no signs of the heavy stuff. We had just loaded the last wounded on to the carts and trucks when we heard a faint whistling sound came over head.

"Arty incoming"

Before we could dive for cover, Skeedadle cast a shield spell over us and the last truck before it could drive off. His cream aura domed over us as the shells landed around and on top of us. The sound of the shells hitting the shield sounded like muffled puffs and pings. The shield rippled from each hit of a shell, one, two, three, four shells after the the short bombardment lulled. Skeedadle's shield imploded and he collapsed from fatigue. We dragged him behind the dike as the truck raced away.

"A shield like that is taxing to a unicorn after a length of time and intensity. If he casts the shield spell again, he could risk burn out!" Yelled Aqua.

I took out my canteen and hoofed for him to drink, he drank eagerly. The spell had worn him out.

"Stay here and rest up, don't make any necessary risk pal." I said to him as I secured the canteen to my belt.

We left the stallion and restocked our aid bags, I had each medic go up one at a time to make us less juicy targets to become bullet sponges all together. I looked back to Skeedadle, he gave me a smile and a nodding assurance as he began to open up the med boxes, I returned the smile and took my carbine and went over the top into the malestrum.

Making my way back to our old position was just as much of a daunting task as going down. Not only was I going up hill, I had to dive and dodge slugs wherever I could find cover narrowly hitting me. The tank now was destroyed, flame and smoke bellowing from within its hull. Most of the tank crew had bailed from their metal coffin and opted to stay and fight with us, another tank would have to be sent up to support the infantry, being the road already clogged and muddy, it would take time. We would have to go up without them.

Company D was in the middle of our battalion's line of attack, Echo and Foxtrot were to the left and right of us. 1st battalion was further round in the north west while the 3rd came from the east. Our objective was to continue squeezing our grip towards the summit until the hill was taken. Our line had managed to push up a few yards and had taken a trench. We were at this point of the battle, well more than half way up the hill. Through gaps in the thicket, I could almost see the crest.

When I made it back to my friends, my platoon had taken over a small trench line by a bombed out bunker. The position looked to be abandoned, no enemy dead were nearby. Buck laid down a heavy burst with his SAW as fire teams from 2nd platoon began to bound forward in teams of four. The alpha teams moved up to whatever cover they found and laid cover fire for bravo teams to bound pass them and in turn covered the alphas to repeat the process.

"Pop smoke" Yelled Piper.

The order was obeyed and white smoke popped from a grenade a few yards from us. The smoke would temporarily impair the zebra's sight of us. This would allow us to cover more ground without being seen. We leaped out of the tench to get in closer to grenade range, I hung back with Buck, Daisy and Jazz as they shifted fire to cover the push. The attack was then stalled, by a zebra counter charge through the smoke. Our momentum was stopped in it's tracks as the firefight became a desperate melee. I was told by a veteran that the zebras liked to get in close. I had seen glimpses of it during the many times they had counter attacked in the gulch. During the encirclement, they resulted to fire and maneuver to a new position until the ponies caught them in a corner where they couldn't escape. Now I was amidst a counter zebra charge bearing down towards us. Many of them had dropped their weapons and engaged the ponies in hoof to hoof combat. The zebras were known for their fighting skills, they had developed a style called Fallen Caesar. Using their agility and momentum of their foe against them, they could down a pony in seconds. Our troops fought back ferociously against their martial prowess using whatever was at their disposal, rifle butts, branches, knives, bucking. It was no holds bar kind of fighting, no honour, or glory. It was personal.

Buck stood up from the cover of the trench and drew his e-tool, he didn't want to risk hitting our guys with automatic fire. He charged in with his tool grasped in his teeth. He swung at a zebra who ducked, reared and bucked him in the face knocking him down. Jazz saw her and immediately began squeezing shots into her. She jolted and collapsed rolling down the slope. I had my carbine at the ready in case one got too close. In the brief encounter our soldiers were being beaten back and began to fall back to the trench. The zebras didn't inclined to push their way to us, they used the remnants of our fading smoke to cover their withdrawal. A few wounded were dragged back and assisted me to getting them behind cover. The fire fight started up again.

The day ended in a stalemate. D company recovered back among captured bunkers near where the destroyed tank was. Its glowing flame gave us some light in the darkness, but none dared go near for warmth. The tank was filled with unstable generators and munitions inside that could blow up at any moment. The casualties that were recovered were brought back down to the collection point. Ammo was now bring brought up and the injured down. Some of the walking wounded opted to go back up the line after receiving minimal treatment. Skeedadle was up and running again, using his healing spell sparingly for the most grievously wounds. I had the team remove their MoP helmets and markings, they scavenged new helmets s that were discarded. They didn't feel comfortable with the idea of having a weapon and fight when our job was to save lives. I wonder how they got through boot camp with that mentality. I had questioned it myself before when Captain Silver Mane lent me his pistol, I understood it then that I would have to defend myself in order to help protect those who couldn't protect themselves. I was going to keep my carbine, after all it belonged to somepony I knew who wanted me to be safe with his last dying breath.

I returned to my friends who were sheltering by an abandoned bunker. They ushered me inside, they found something that they wanted to show me.

"We found something everypony ought to know" Daisy said half deadpanned and exhausted.
Inside the bunker was a thick steel slab, when the plate was moved it revealed it was a door to a cave inside the hill itself.

Jazz explained. "This is how they've been able to hold out this long. They would hide out during our bombings and pop out fresh when we charge up. They've must have built them during the siege. They knew that they needed a strong defensive line in case all hell broke lose in the city."

"Has anypony gone inside?"

"I hope not, Sarge said there could be traps for us down there. There could be hundreds of these honeycombing the hill that one could get lost. Let alone running into unknown number of stripes. We got somepony on watch in case the the zebras plan on doing some funny business on us while we sleep."

In the morning, a pony with a flamer hosed down the cave to discourage further attacks. Once the closest caves were secured and sealed with charges and grenades, we resumed our assault up the hill.

With aid from our artillery and mortars we advanced further up. Our green fatigues and coloured coats stood out from the white snow, making us easy targets. Our moves had to become slow and methodical to reduce unnecessary risks being in the open. The further we went up we secured abandoned positions, we swept the immediate area for more of these caves. Grenades were thrown in to root out the occupants. A muffled bang and smoke came out of the hole, then a flamer pony hosed their deluge of burning death into it to suck out the air with smoke and fire. The hole we were taking care off with the flamer produced smoke at another end. Daisy and I went to inspect it, as soon as we got close we could hear hacking and coughing from a hole just wide enough to stick a barrel out of. She fired into it repeatedly, a burst of machine gun fire was response to her knocking, luckily no one was hit. Two grenades in and the gun port was silent. Charges were placed by engineers on both ends the cave collapse under a smoke and dust.

This new approach had slowed down any momentum command had wanted, we grunts were not taking any chances. If by any chance a hole was missed, by the time we passed by, any remaining zebras still holding out there could spring up and fire at our rumps.

We have taken out about three of these cave systems when the zebras decided it was time to hail everything down at us. The thick trees and rocks were the only cover we could find. Then came the mortars. The tree bursts peppered our positions, fortunately no pony was hit. The small arms fire had ceased but not the mortars, they were inching their way towards us. Each burst kicked up dirt and snow leaving a dark smudge where they could mark and adjust their aim. Thinner trees burst and collapsed around us, a happy close call accident, the fallen trees gave us more cover from the slugs if we had to make a move.

In teams, individual squads disperse from our formation while the remaining ponies got on line and provided cover. Mortar fire became more sporadic as their prime target began to spread out and had to adjust their shots. I followed Jazzlight and Daisy up the slope wheeling more to the right towards a pile of fallen pine trees as the squad leader and the radio pony followed behind. The ground we had to cover was open to enemy fire, we dashed over as fast as we could. Bullets snapped at us kicking up dirt and snow at our hooves, I could feel my heart pounding in a throat. Every breath was laboured from the cold and my lungs were burning with effort. We dove down as low as we could behind the fallen trees. As soon as a break from the incoming fire for a reload, we fired back at them. While I was reloading my carbine, a zebra was waiting behind us from its cover. The spider hole sprung open with automatic rifle fire right at us. A bullet snapped by me right as I racked the bolt forward and saw the smoke and dirt kick up from where the zebra was. I nearly panicked and immediately fired at its direction, the hole was no further than ten feet from us, I could see the distinctive black stripes on its hooves and head. The zebra was only able to get off a few more shots before being shot back down into hole with a spray of blood and brains on the snow.

It was a very close call, at that close range if I had hesitated another moment all of us would be dead. I looked at the zebra behind us. The body slumped back into the hole leaving brain matter and pieces of cranium behind contrasting from the white snow. I had killed my first zebra, in close quarters nonetheless. I saw its head explode splattering blood and brains on to the ground and the dirt covered door behind it. I could see every detail of it, forever etched in my mind. I was interrupted from my trance from a spray of warm, bright blood on to my face. I looked to where it came from, in a pool of blood Jazzlight stared at me clutching his neck with a hoof. He slumped down and bright blood began to pulsate from his neck. It was a carotid artery. Daisy was equally as shocked as I seeing another close friend get hit before our eyes. I grabbed his dressing to cover up the wound to help slow the blood flow. I hoofed Daisy another set of gauze to hold more pressure as I hoofed at his aid kit for a healing potion. He only had minutes to live and a severed artery only shortens it with every passing moment of blood loss. His eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and pain.

"Doc"

I uncorked the bottle.

"Doc" Daisy said again.
I looked down at Jazz's lifeless body now still. I wasn't fast enough. His eyes wide open staring straight at me begging me to save his life, now there was no spark left. Daisy looked at me, she slowly reached for the bottle and helped me seal the cork on then closed his eyes. We just sat there looking at the Jazzlight, around us both the RTO and the squad leader had also been killed. Their lifeless bodies still facing forward and not knowing what killed them. We couldn't process what had happened. I was snapped out of it when a soldier called out for me.

"Medic! Get your ass up here"

Jazzlight was an aspiring musician before the war. He was a saxophone player who wanted to start his own band when the he got back. Even if he had survived, his trachea was torn up and he would have difficulty breathing for the rest of his life, let alone being able to play a woodwind instrument. It was merciful that he had died than live out the rest of his days unable to do what he loved. There would be no music afterwards as he wanted to in celebration. He was put in a body bag to be sent home, a telegram would be sent to his family of the news of their colt's death in the service of Equestria. Daisy and I brought him down to the hill and we never saw him again.

We told Buckminster the news of Jazzlight's death when the platoon was finally back together again at a rest point.

"He bought it" I said.

"There was nothing you could have done"

Buck didn't say anything, he just sat down on his helmet hooves over his head. He was too tough to cry, but the news struck him to the core. We finally had time to process Jazz's death, no words of eulogy were shared, we were too worn out, too emotionally drained. We all believed that he would make it through the war, he was kind, sensible and did his duty the best he could to accomplish the mission with everypony else. The three of us sat in our hole in silence. The colt from the day before huddled in the edge. He didn't know Jazzlight for very long, he was Lemon Squize's replacement and didn't know the close bond we all shared before Stalliongrad. We didn't want to neglect the poor fella, he had survived his first day under fire and was now one of us.

"What's your name?"
I broke the silence. He looked up at us, shivering from the cold.

"Come in closer or you'll freeze to death"
He picked up his rifle and huddled next to us.

"Sandbar"

"You did well today kid. Most replacements are either too eager or too dumb to their surroundings that they're gone just as soon as they arrive." Buck said to the soldier.

"You think I did? I wasn't sure if I was going to make it after yesterday. I was drafted, I don't think I fit in here."

"But you are. Get use to it." Buck said coldly.

I looked at the buck, he was trying at least to be friends. He couldn't fully replace the ones we had lost and he knew it, their deaths affected us deeply and so soon that we were numbed. I patted his helmet and his back. I began to think if I was to be next, maybe Daisy, Buck and now Sandbar. Was it going to be tonight, tomorrow, three days, a week from now? We had all believed we were to make it through together. Ponies were going to die, we understood that much but we hoped it wasn't going to be us. All optimism had gone long ago, we had slugged it out and nearly bought it ourselves several times, either by sheer luck or outside intervention, we dragged ourselves this far with increasing regularity of facing our own mortality. The more it drew on the more it felt our luck was slipping away.

We were ordered to continue our attack from the previous day, Buck had been raised to acting team leader as Daisy would act as the squad leader. Fog had covered our surroundings and the temperature dropped drastically to 20 Degrees Fahrenheit. The wind picked up as the snow began to fall heavily. We couldn't see anything further than 30 yards in all direction. It was recorded to be the worst snow storm on record in a thousand years, the pegasi couldn't spare any wings to regulate the winter because of the war effort. The 1st sky corps had their own problems else where to help. The only signs of Zebra presence were the occasional burst from their heavy machine guns and the muzzle flashes. Their red tracers were visible in the dark forest. Our company among others were so ill-equipped for these conditions that many had to be taken off the line from frostbite and trench hoof. Some had simply froze to death in their sleep. I could only imagine that the Zebras weren't fairing any better. I hoped they'd just all freeze to death. It was likely they had prepared for this outcome and were warm in their caves and bunkers. We hated them deeply for our misery, for dragging this fight longer than it should have, we hated them for simply existing.

As the day wore on the environment became more debilitating than the enemy. The zebras hunkered down and was more of a nuisance than a threat as we now had to fight the weather as well as them to stay alive. Slipping and falling into deep snow banks became just as hazardous as charging a machine gun. Digging them out took such effort that it was wearing us down physically as well as emotionally. Many times others and myself would just drop from sheer exhaustion, many times we had urge ourselves on. I had to continuously remind everypony to drink water, they complained that their canteens had frozen shut and the water into ice. We had to make do with trying to heat them up with whatever means even something as desperate as to pour our hot urine on them to melt the ice inside. It made us sick but it was hydrating us. Refilling them with snow would still take time to melt so we tucked the canteens inside our uniforms to use our body heat to warm them while on the move. Some simply gave up from the combination of dehydration, exhaustion and hypothermia to become covered by the falling snow never to be seen again.

Our platoon sergeant fell in a snow bank covered bush, an mg nest was about 50 metres to our right front. We tried to dig him out as quietly as we could hoping we wouldn't catch their attention. They hadn't started firing yet, and we wanted to get in as close as we could to knock them out. With that, allowing the rest of the company to move forward. Fire from our left caught us by surprise, they heard us.

"Contact LEFT!"

We tried to high tail out but the deep snow slowed us. I must have tripped on a stump and fell face first into the snow. A couple others behind me weren't so lucky. I heard the sounds of meaty snaps and crunch on the snow, I looked back to see who it was. Park Rec was dead, his buddy was still alive, grunting as he tried to drag himself to his friend. I got up to get him up. The rest of the fire team opened up on the zebras, the machine gun shifted to us and caught us in a cross fire with nowhere to go.

"Put your hoof on it"
I yelled over the fire as I got straight to work dragging out to cover. The unicorn colt was hit in his flank too high for a tourniquet, it was a bad wound but nothing serious was damaged. After lifting his hoof to inspect and jam gauze into the wound I took out a healing potion for him to drink. Right as he brought the bottle to his lips, the bottle shattered in his magical grasp. The liquid splashing on the snow. More lead snapped to our direction into where we were hiding, the colt immediately sensed the danger and pushed me off my haunches into the deep snow. He was then shot several times in the back, he's face contorted in pain as he dropped, dead. I threw the bloody bandage and swore as loud as I could at the zebras in unbridled rage. I had enough at this point, I took up my carbine, intending on charging that mg nest and kill them all. The attempt would have gotten myself killed if Plaid Piper hadn't dragged me down hill.

By night fall, we had only advanced only 43 metres fighting the snow and hell storm. We dug in wherever we could find shelter, we had to be two ponies per spot and those who had to dig holes had to be five yards apart. The ground was frozen solid to make deep holes so we had to make do with what we got. I made my rounds checking on my platoon. We'd been on this hill for four days, making little progress, each attack upwards was costing us dearly and at night it was the freezing temperature, snipers, infiltrators, and bombardments.

I checked on Sandbar, his young face now weary, eyes bearing the eagle reaction that the rest of us had. Buckminster was taking his turn sleeping, his LMG perched on log in front of the hole. Sanbar had given him his jacket to keep him warm while he slept. Daisy was in my hole keeping watch until I came back. I some how had to keep the morale up in these conditions, we had been here for over a month. We've been brutalised to the point we had become fatalistic, some were begging for a bullet if it meant out of the hell we were in. I kept my mind occupied by routinely looking to my mates and keep their minds occupied with their own individual routines to keep them from slipping. It was a symbiotic relationship, we had seen enough and I knew that there was only more to come, and they I could only imagine felt the same. I could only wonder how in Celestia we had made through this far.

I was making my way back to my hole when the shrieks of mortars came down on us. Before a round had hit the dirt I was already on it. I could see Daisy yelling out to me to run. Silver Mane was also out when the mortar barrage landed. He saw me on the ground and picked me up with his magic and threw me down into the hole before jumping in himself. We had been shelled for a short while, when somepony called for a medic. I couldn't see who had been hit, bright frightening flashes of the explosions and smoke were everywhere blinding me. It was then I finally had broken down. I screamed and teared as I curled into a ball. After all the weeks of stress and frustrations multiplied with the effects of being shelled again and again, I finally had cracked.

Silver Mane tried to calm me down while Daisy watched in horror of my breakdown. The shelling only lasted a few minutes. The zebras were nearing the end of their ammunition and had to conserve them and make every shot count.
However I was a mess, I was cold, and I was scared. I wanted to go home.

"Daisy, take care of him. I'll go check out who was hit."

"Hooah" She replied.
Daisy curled her leg around my neck and held me close while I wept like a foal. I admit this because anypony can break down when pushed to their absolute limit of all endurance and it would be dishonest to omit it. Daisy went through it, even Buckminster to a degree, our companions helped us carry through, sometimes it's not enough and we just have to let it out. Back home we hear heroic tales of brave soldiers like Big Macintosh and his Marauders, Rainbow Dash, and rousing victories. Never was told on what had been lost, like everyone who had seen war, you lose much more than what is gained.

I managed to get myself back together again after several minutes of my melt down. I remembered something my Drill Sergeant said to me when I cried in basic training. It was more like giving a cold shoulder advice but somehow were words of wisdom. Tough love, we called it.

"Suck up those tears and un fuck yourself right now. Crying will not solve your sorry ass shit if you can't take it a fucking Stallion."

Another medic from the company took care of the wounded pony while stayed put, listening to the groans. I don't remember sleeping at all, Daisy stayed with me the whole night never leaving my company. When dawn broke, the frigid temperature began to rise throughout the day, it was still too cold to call it hell, but it was not going to kill us anymore.

We attacked once again once Celestia's light peaked over the horizon. The zebras fired everything they had at us sensing that our attacks weren't as aggressive as the start, they were going to demoralise us further by inflicting as much damage as possible. To our relief a tank was finally able to make its way to us. It struggled up the snow banks or make any headway from the trees, but its presence gave us the much needed boost to continue on. The zebras began throwing what ever they had at it, sparks and glancing ricochets of AT rounds bounced off the sides as it made it's way up. It was either luck for the crew or that they wanted to get the tank closer. Either way tank rammed it's way through to us. A blast from the MK19 grenade launcher destroyed a bunker, hopefully burying the cavern entrance and zebras inside.

The tank supported us as we broke through the zebra line again, this time we could see the crest, we could feel the end was near. We inched forward just hoping our luck would hold out just a little more. The enemy holdouts would surrender to us at any moment now with one last final effort up. The zebras however were counting on it and had they threw a coordinated massed counter attack in our sector to push us back.

"It's a Celestia damned Caesar Charge!" A pony yelled.
Our company began firing at anything that moved coming down the hill. Support from the mortar squads dropped their deadly payloads directly down at the charging zebras, then adjusted their elevation to accommodate the rapid movements and dropped more rounds down the tubes. With the help of their artillery, they zeroed in our positions and fired a barrage at us right before the zebras crashed into us. Their timing was impeccable, the sudden and freighting concussive hail of fire and metal doubled with desperate hoof to hoof fighting caught us off guard. We pulled back to the tank, which had gotten itself level again and provided cover for our retreat.

Myself and whoever the medical support personal can get a hold of, treated and carried the wounded down to the collection point and then rushed back up as soon as we had gotten down. A mortar round landed not too far from a mare who was holding off a zebra who had gotten close. The explosion had killed their own soldier but our mare was alive and appeared unharmed. I rushed to her on the double to check if she was okay. She appeared unhurt save the few abrasions she had from the scuffle and subsequent concussive blast. She didn't note any pain except for a bruise on her side where here thick cartridge webbing and a magazine pouch was. I looked her over doing a blood sweep and checked her eyes for anything else I could overlooked, her eyes were blood splotched and ears were leaking clear fluids. A dangerous sign of trauma to the head, the fluid was the cerebrovascular fluid that the brain floats around in. I took her TC-333 card and filled out my findings and treatment. There was nothing much I could do other than administering a Med-X shot for the pain, I taped the card to her uniform and ordered her to down to the CCP. Wanting to still be of use before she ended up collapsing from TBI, I allowed her to help carry one of the casualties down with her.

I was running empty, my stomach was in knots, many times I wish I could just simply throw up, but I had nothing left heave. Regardless I had to keep going, ponies were counting on us to get them out alive. The other docs were just as worse as I was. Whenever we got a chance, we drank as much water as we could manage and restocked our aid bags while we gathered ourselves back up the hill. It was already nerve racking enough to be nearly hit by the snapping rounds and trying to keep a level head to treat our wounded. I took in more confidence from the rifle ponies who provided security for us and did anything to keep both me and their casualty safe. To much risk to themselves to help me, I was eternally grateful.

Company D readied for another run up the hill after being set back by the zebra's counter attack, it was the third time this day. The tank rolled up in front to provide cover while it supported our advance. To our dismay we saw the hulking vehicle slide on the frozen terrain and tipped over it's left side and slid a little ways further down the hill until it hit a clump of trees. Piper led a group down including myself and Skeedadle to the downed tank to check for survivors. The hatch opened and the tank crew bailed out as soon as they could, but two more were still inside and couldn't get out. The Driver had been pinned and her legs broken, the radio op was trapped behind the shells and under the radio broadcaster.

Snipers picked off a crewpony who popped the bottom hatch square in the face killing him almost instantly. The driver was now visible and so were anypony inside trying to get them out. Skeedadle tried to focus his magic, lifting the the broken arcane console and gears as I tried to pull her out. A bullet snapped to our right and the round pinged loudly, another hit one of the generators with a tracer round making the thing start to smoke. With a coughing fit, we got the driver out as the rest tried to get the radio operator. I dulled her pain with a shot of med-x and called for a litter as I looked her over. She repaid me with hoofing me with a carton of smokes and of all things a bottle of whiskey she hid on her jacket, the second pony was pulled out with only slight bruising. Both were brought down to the aid station and made a full recovery weeks later. The smoking tank was destroyed by a thermite grenade that was tossed inside, we weren't going to allow zebra scavengers to salvage anything if the eventuality happens that reinforcements come and boot us off the hill.

Without the support of the tank we had to rely on what was left at our disposal once again. The third attempt up followed a typical pattern of attack with our company that went like this. Artillery and 81mm mortars fired their shells as we prepared to attack our direct front northward. Smaller mortars, the 60mm kind, lobbed their shells at positions known or thought to have harboured the enemy. The light machine guns supported the two rifle platoons as they moved forward in dispersed order. One platoon stays behind in company reserve to act as support if an attack faltered. If there was stiff resistance, our mortars and artillery and pegasi air support would deliberately sweep the marked areas with payloads of bullets and H.E rounds. The fire teams advanced cautiously in small teams supporting each other by providing suppressing fire while the other advances to seize those areas. The defences would be cleared with rifle shots and grenades. If need be to root out more that were still hiding, a pony with a flamer was called up to hose the openings with flaming napalm. Most often the zebras would hide their holes when the heavy stuff fell on them, then emerged to pick off the infantry as we moved. There would be no more mass attacks going up like at the start of the campaign, it was found to be too costly and unit cohesion lost if something went wrong.

1SG Neigh-Palm, true to his nick name took a flamer from one of the dead soldiers. Lugging the flamer fuel tanks on his back, on his own he carefully approached a gun port in the ground that was firing a heavy machine gun inside pinning down 1st platoon. Exposing himself to enemy fire, he stood up on his hind legs, pointed the nozzle at the slit and sprayed liquidised fire into it. He continued until the screaming had ceased, then galloped over to the other side where he had noticed smoke was coming out from. He turned his piece and began shooting more flames into the back entrance and at the zebra legionaries panicking to get out and away. For his actions that day he would receive Equestria's Highest Military Award: The Heart of Valour, but he would not live to see that day. As soon as he cleared the bunker and rallied the soldiers for one last push to the summit, he was wounded and died soon after.

"Medic up front! Medic up front!"
Bubblegum and I rushed to the call, we were now below the summit. I approached first and had her follow behind keeping distance by several paces behind. It would be bad to lose two docs at once. During a lull we took shelter in a burnt out bunker, at least here we had cover if the stuff started hitting the fan again. The wounded from our company about a dozen had been moved there by the triage team. Their hooves where full with all the urgent and urgent-surgical ponies inside and called in the line medics to help with the others before they could be transported down. There I found Buckminster laying on his side, not looking worst for wares in fighting the pain but instead bore a look of embarrassment.

"Where you hit Buck?"

"They got me in the ass" He said through gritted teeth.
I looked down and found a bulked up dressing on his rump. I cocked an eye.

"Looks like you won't be sitting down anytime soon"

"Buck off" He replied.

"Was that pun intended?"
He just gave me a glare and I couldn't help but laugh. He cursed at me again that I found delight in his predicament and the rest of us kidded at him some more. He should have seen this coming, medics tend to have a twisted, dark sense of humour. I searched his lapel if he was already given a shot of med-x, I didn't find any. I took out the auto-injector but he declined, saying he could deal with the pain and make it down. He and some of the walking wounded took those who couldn't walk and limped or carried them down to the CCP. The other medics lifted as many as they could on to litters and followed on after.

Second platoon was beginning to face heavy opposition ahead, below the crest. A couple more casualties made their way in followed by a radio pony and then the Captain who was firing his IF-64 giving cover before entering.

"Get a hold of the platoon commanders. I need a sitrep."

"Roger"

"Where's Neigh-Palm?"
One pony in the corner raised her hoof. I rushed to her, thinking she needed my assistance. She then broke the news to the captain. I checked her vitals as to not look like I had wasted time getting to her. One of the triage medics saw the episode and smirked at me. She wasn't going to let me off lightly.

For a moment's hesitation the captain froze. The pony he knew and relied on to get the mission done was dead. He only let out a mournful sigh, he knew that there was no time to grieve. He turned to the radio op.

"We can grieve later, Marker the radio."
He hoofed the officer the radio phone and noted every reply on the current situation. It turns out that there was a gap in the zebra line near where third platoon had been sent. They were pinned down and caught in a cross fire.

"I'll take some of second platoon over and punch through and swing around for the flank. Out."

With that he took his rifle and galloped out of the bunker where second platoon had been. Marker followed after him leaving Bubblegum Brush and I alone with the wounded. These ponies couldn't walk so we did the best we could reasses and reassure their wounds while we waited for the litter teams or whoever could help to bring them down. As long as we stayed put in the bunker we could account for their safety as well as ours until they arrived. Then at the worst possible moment a pony cried out near the bunker.

"Medic"

"I got this"
Brush said and bolted out just as the fighting began to ramp up again. It was now just me.

Pegasi litter bearers flew over collecting the wounded wherever they could find, they were waved down by the earth bound teams into the bunker where I was in. One was shot out the sky before they could even land, he was then dragged inside as the stuff began to zero in on the bunker. It was only a matter of time until they fire their 77s and 80's at us.

The pegasus who was shot down had his wing shot off completely, we bandaged his wounds as he thrashed and cried in pain. There was no way he could fly out in his condition, I shot him a dose of Med-X to calm him down enough to monitor his heart rate for shock. I still hadn't heard from Bubblegum for some time, the casualty she ran off too didn't sound too far off to be brought back here, unless she already took her down to the aid station.

Burst of tree splinters and bark peppered in from a missed shot from the zebra 77mm gun. Fortunately the splinters didn't hit anyone inside. The tree however cracked and crumpled down and fell on the bunker and rolled over covering the entrance, we were now trapped. The ponies inside began chipping away at the branches to clear a path out with their knives and e-tools. A machine gun zeroed in on the entrance and a pony was killed as the bark and twigs kicked up around. We couldn't use the gun port, it was far too narrow for anypony to climb through. Another shell dropped, this time right on top of the concrete bunker. The structure buckled and the earth shook as the interior became clouded in dust and smoke. Light peaked through the ceiling and around the side to the left front facing section of the bunker as the structure began to crack.

"Break it open quick! Before they bring another one down on us!"

We set to work quick with our shovels and entrenching tools, trying to chip away at the crack before another shell zeroed on us. A couple burst from the machine gun snapped at the fallen tree to remind us they were still there and that the side and back exits were not a good option for a break through even if we had chopped apart that tree. Some of our e-tools broke leaving others to resort of rifle butts, when that broke the stronger ponies would buck the wall. For several agonising minutes this was done until a hole was wide enough to get through. First we carried out the severely wounded to the ponies providing security, then the folded litters to put them on. I was the last to exit, I was covered in dust and my ears rang loudly. The last remaining pegasi gave us cover fire and laid down a smoke screen for our escape. The bunker exploded as a 77mm shell struck home. A pegasi was hit by the debris and fell to the earth. She was dead before she even hit the ground. Then another shell and another fell all around on and below the crest of the hill.

"It's coming from behind!"
A unicorn yelled as she casts her shield spell over us. One of the rounds rippled on top and the shield began to crack. Another unicorn casts his spell to support the shield's magic. The pegasi teams that couldn't get into the shield flew out of the way as fast as they could. The ringing in my ears faded when I was given a healing potion, the pegasi medic who stuck with us looked me over for any signs of TBI or any signs of injury. I insisted that I was fine after downing the healing potion but she continued to monitor me just in case, if the roles were reversed I would be doing the same.

The artillery was called off when one of the pegasi alerted the gunners. They adjusted their aim and fired again this time more further to the north east. The fire mission was called in by 3rd battalion, somepony must have read the map wrong and fired more lower and to the right than intended on top of us. F company had been hit hard by this blunder and were pulled off the line. They would not be returning for the rest of the campaign.

E company would continue to fight it out through the night while D Company was pulled back to recover from the shelling. 2nd platoon had crested the hill and began to flank the zebra fortifications that were causing 3rd platoon so much trouble. The friendly fire happened right at that moment and we had to pull back to safety, yielding the top of the hill back to the zebras. We pulled back down to where the destroyed tanks were left at and we took stock at on our losses to report back to command. We were more angry than dismayed, this time it was at our own side. 1Lt. Dark Oak was counting who we had left and who was missing, wounded or dead. The whole situation had gone FUBAR, nopony knew where everyone was at. Most worrying of all, our C.O was missing.

"Has anypony seen him?"

"Last I saw he was leading us up the and over the hill when it all went to shit"
The Lt. came to me and Skeedadle to ask if he was accounted among the wounded or dead that was brought down. We shook our heads, we hadn't seen him since he left the bunker. Bubblegum Brush was missing too, leaving only the three of us as the remaining medics on the line for the company. Daisy found me and asked where Buckminster and Sandbar was.

"Buck's down at the aid station, I haven't seen Sandbar since we split off."

When we had reorganised ourselves again in the dark and settled down for the night, we were still all mixed up. Myself, Daisy and few volunteers helped evacuate the wounded who were brought down and loaded them on to vehicles to be brought to the aid station as a few of our own who made a quick and full recovery returned. Down by the dike were rows and rows of body bags. There was no room to spread them out for the trucks to get through, so they were piled up on top of each other. The winter air helped slow decomposition, others were just frozen solid, but all together I could smell the fowl air of frozen death. The wounded were brought down, the dead would remain by the road or where they laid, much to our dislike that our fellow ponies were left out here in the snow and forgotten about. In the morning we would have to crawl over them, we were given orders to go at it again.

Day five, we marched up to our previous positions again near the bombed out bunker. The strength in our attack dropped significantly but we pressed on slowly. The zebras nearing their end too tried to double their efforts to kill us with what they had left. The race to finish was on again.

I carried a litter on my back while my buddy rested and carried my carbine. The thing was long and awkward to turn with hoping that I don't hit somepony with it. Skeedadle the lazy bastard just floated his with his magic. On the way up to the now crumbled bombed out bunker from the day before dodging bullets and rounding over obstacles of downed trees and stumps, I slipped on some ice and I slid down the hill. The snow helped slow my descent but what I wasn't expecting was landing on a pile of frozen corpses. Dismembered, bloody, guts hanging with petrified, pained, and shocked faces of zebras and ponies piled around. One popped up in front of my face, its frozen expression stared back at me. I yelled out a curse and tried to untangle myself from them and rushed up back up the hill. I had also urinated myself when I landed amongst those bodies.

I had lost the litter which resulted in sneers and cursing from the ponies who had to transport my first casualty back. It was longer my problem as soon they got the filly out but feeling embarrassed about it, I helped with the heavy burden of loading and carrying to a nearby ambulance during a lull. On the way back up, I saw something half sticking out of the snow. It looked like a mint coloured hoof. I crawled closer and began digging away the snow with my hooves. I uncovered the pony's pink mane and then the head. It was Bubblegum, I tried to pull her body out of the snow only to find half of her missing. The intestines had spilled out all over the snow, her face was frozen pained and stiff, she didn't die instantly. She laid there with her guts spilled out for Celestia knows how long before secumbing. I closed her stiffed eye lids and carried her closer to the trail, I left her where she could easily be spotted. I wanted to bring her down but the screams and bangs of combat reminded me that I was needed elsewhere. It was in our creed that we never leave a fallen comrade, but here it is never so black and white. We had to make tough decisions many of which was bad or worse.

G company from 3rd battalion had successfully made their way to the summit. The news broke over the comms much to the annoyance of my platoon who had gotten there first the day before. The mop up began as they started to take out the remaining fortifications and cave systems up top with elements of the 1st Sky Corps giving air and on ground support. Company D was still making their way through the same sector we attacked yesterday. The zebras had repositioned themselves to seal off the gap that 2nd platoon had exploited to push through their lines to aid 3rd platoon.

Some of the zebras knowing it was the end and with little ammunition and supplies left began to surrender. A couple wounded ones were brought down for me to treat. I wanted to take my knife and slit their throats after what they they put us through. The scared eyes of the zebra legionnaire stared back stopping my thoughts. She was tired and hollowed just as I was. We wanted to shoot them but simply couldn't when our eyes were locked, it didn't feel right. Further more it was against the rules of war that was dictated at the start of the conflict that wounded and surrendering soldiers were to be treated and given quarter. We had heard stories and seen with our own eyes of zebras stopping at nothing to kill us which made us reluctant in taking prisoners. The zebras on the other hoof believed that the ponies would torture and kill their prisoners or lock them away in death camps making them reluctant to surrender and fight to the death instead. These ugly rumours were quickly stamped out by our commanders but still surfaced and passed around. Many were just that, rumours and propaganda, tools to make us feel a certain way. Some however were painfully true like what had unfolded on Hill 300.

I was making my way back up when I heard the news that G company had taken the hill. Not long after I began to hear pops of rifles and machine guns roar up again following a series of faint explosions. Looks like the soldiers who told us the zebras will stop at nothing to kill us even if it meant fooling us was right. The zebras I had helped fix up gave a look and pleaded that they were not causing any more problems, it's just that their buddies didn't get the message. Going up further I could see a small group of zebras about four of them, no weapons were near or on them. The bodies were fresh, the dark red blood flowing on the snow. They had been executed, probably right when I heard the shooting starting up again. I left the bodies where they were, they had already been stripped clean and simply another pony's problem.

I connected with a few others from my company below the summit. Butchered and blown bodies of fellow ponies and the enemy were about. They told me that they tried to surrender when one threw a grenade killing a replacement. Then a desperate hoof to hoof struggle ensued as they tried to take their weapons. It ended when the stripes were beaten back and shot. The ponies were a mixed of shock, angered and pleased about what they had done, I was just sick to the pit of my stomach and tired. The battle was all but over, they were defeated, and they still didn't want to call it quits.
We didn't have time to contemplate the matter, we could still hear fighting on top and the screams of the dying begging for it all to stop, we gathered our courage to face the enemy one more time.

When we crested the hill there were still a few zebras left holding out in bunkers and caves. The ones in the bunkers either surrendered only to be shot or kicked around until somepony stopped them. Those who kept on fighting were blasted or burned out. The only merciful thing left to do for a burning yet still living and screaming zebra was to mercy kill them. It satisfied both needs of mercy and vengeance in a twisted and disturbed sense of justice for our buddies. Skeedadle was trying to save a wounded zebra from the angry ponies around him, I took only a blank glance and continued on in a daze. A crack coming from a burning cave nearly took my head off as I heard a sharp snap from my left ear bringing me back to reality. I dropped to the ground and fired two shots into the bunker's cave entrance, at that moment a pony behind me cried out in pain and staggered towards me. As soon as I picked her up to get her to safety she was shot again killing her in my hooves. I snapped as I raised my carbine and shot a zebra in the head and then two more trying to escape the cave that was set a blaze, others then joined in the fray. What followed was lead being unloaded into the bodies, angry curses and yelling out the names of friends lost. Skeedadle called my name, on the third attempt he caught my attention. I looked at him with a blank look which soon changed to pity, shame and disgust as I looked back at the pile of bodies and back at my buddy. The body of the zebra by him still squirming, he was small, probably still a foal, a shot rang out from a pistol and the foal went limp. Skeedadle looked at the kid in shock and at the mare next to him. He get up to her took her by the lapel with a hoof.

"You feel good? You just killed a Goddess damn kid."

"So what. We're here to kill stripes ain't we."
She stormed off to her buddies as the carnage continued on. I slumped down to my haunches and dropped my weapon. I just stared ahead, I was so tired. Tired of this wasteful war that had made us into monsters. We tried to do better over and over for our friends now hurt or gone, but only to get back up again to slip and tread the same path expecting something different. It was insane, and I then understood as I still do now that to me the war was insanity. It had made us insane, some worse than others. The madness driving the most natured of pony kind to spiral down to barbarity.

I slowly made my way down the hill aiding a column of wounded ponies. In a crater just to my left, I could see a familiar pony shaped figure. I got up to inspect it and found the remnants of that young replacement who tried to get along with us old breeds. The poor buck's legs were blown away, his insides were thrown about, his face was barely recognisable being shot right through and broken. The closest leg revealed his cutie mark, it was three sand green sea turtles. Sandbar, was dead.

The battle was considered over, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team was pulled out after a few days of occupying Stallion Hill. A few zebra holdouts were still causing trouble, they were either taken prisoner, shot or burned. We assisted in the Mortuary detail to collect our dead to be gathered or sent home, no pony was to be left behind. The shadowed remnants of our company made it down the hill and boarded pegasus piloted Vertibucks to carry us back to base. It was the first time I had ever flown, the feeling would have been more exciting but after what we had been through, I didn't feel anything.

Looking out the window as the Vertibuck dusted off, I could see activity on the ground below. The rebuilding of Stalliongrad was now well under way. In the open fields were rows and rows of grave markers, all from the nine month long siege. The forest itself was massive, we could see the vast scope of how big it was. The hill that popped over it was still smoking in some areas, zebras were probably still holding out or the ponies on the ground were burning something. Large portions of the forest near and on the hill was nearly bare and cratered from the intense fighting that had lasted six weeks. The march that took all night took the vertibucks only a couple hours. It made me wonder why weren't they used for the battle. I've seen them around at the F.O.B before we left for Stalliongrad. The logistics of it alluded me.

I tried to make sense of it all, why. Just a simple why. When we got back to the base, I tried to focus on anything else other than that nagging question. I was too drained to even try, it just played over and over again. Lt. Dark Oak reported in the numbers to battalion. He told me of the wounded who made it back, some were already sent home. He disclosed with me further information on the state of our company. I had no business knowing these things, I wasn't the senior medic, but the LT wanted to get it out of his chest. We came into the Snowdrop Forest with 137 enlisted and 6 officers, later to be supplemented with 46 replacements. That was 189 total, we came out with 43. I saw a tear and shake in his voice when he told me the numbers. Each one was a son, a daughter, husband and wife. They had dreams, families and futures, now gone and a broken shadow of what could have been is what remained.