Chance..

It was something every soldier had to live with. Every time Sharp and his friends went on patrol, there was a chance that they would get wounded or even killed. There were things you could do to improve your chances, like taking cover, getting down on the ground, trying to make yourself as small a target as possible.

Communication was vital, so too was their weapons and training, their equipment, all of it would help their chances of survival. Even so, each and every one of them relied on chance, and the sad fact was, there was always a chance of getting unlucky. Having been in combat himself for almost a year now, Sharp had felt and heard the bullets fly above him. Each time he couldn't help but wonder how close he was to death.

So far he and his friends had survived the war, getting through it with only scrapes and bruises, none of them had been wounded as of yet. That didn't mean they got cocky, they, like every pony else, knew that it only required them to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. None of them were stupid enough to think they were invincible.

Perhaps that was the reason for the serious mood in camp Solaris right now. The 2nd platoon had been ordered to do a night patrol, the most hated duty of all of them. There was something about fighting in the dark that terrified most ponies, and other than the moon, there was hardly any light out there.

Of course it would be equally as hard for the rebels to see them, as it would for them to see the rebels, but that was a lousy comfort. They had just been to their briefing about tonight's patrol, and right now most ponies were just checking equipment and weapons, waiting for the command to go. Something was delaying the officers to give the command, as it usually came pretty fast after their initial preparations.

That was another thing soldiers hated, the wait. While every soldier appreciates a chance to rest, there is a certain restlessness that comes over you when waiting to go into danger. Most soldiers would rather get it over with, get out there, do their route, and then return home behind the walls. As of now, they were forced to wait, all of them itching to go and get it over with. They wanted to do it right of course, but they wanted to get started so they could get it done.

Sharp and his squad sat together, they were part of the third section in the platoon, which was 20 ponies. In Sharp's squad they were five ponies. Sharp, along with Pin Point, were rifle ponies. Silver Star, their only unicorn, was the medic. Zandre, a big muscular Zebra, carried their heavy machine gun, along with the earth pony Clover Hoof, who was the helper.

They were a tight group, having shared a room during basic training, they had gotten to know each other pretty well. Zandre was the oldest, and had become a sort of big brother of the squad. Even so, they were all quiet too, along with the rest of the platoon.

Sharp was sitting on a crate, right next to Pin Point. He wasn't speaking, his head was leaned back against the wall behind him, looking up at the moon and the image of the mare on the moon. Pin Point, like so many others, expressed their restlessness in small moans of boredom, looking around, trying to find something to hold his interest. He was of course not blind to the tense air around him, but a tense atmosphere had never stopped him from trying to lighten the mood.

It all started with Pin, as it usually did. He started off with a note, humming the first tune of the melody. It caught Sharp's attention, along with any pony else nearby.

"When the stallion in the yard came, oh see, oh see, oh see.." Pin turned his head with a grin, looking at Sharp. "Three guard ponies stood in row, and one, and two, and three." Sharp couldn't help but smile, even chuckling a little. "When the stallion asked his wife who those guard ponies were?" Soon Pin, Sharp, and the rest of the squad started chuckling, and more of the platoon started looking over. This time, Sharp joined in, finishing the rest of the verse with his friend. "See, it's three dairy cows that my mother sent to me. Oh, oh, oh, let it go, dairy cows with armor on, I am a stallion who can understand it all."

The entire platoon seemed to draw closer, some laughing while doing so, and soon enough they were all singing along.

When the stallion in the hall came, oh see, oh see, oh see.
Six guard boots stood in row, and one, and two, and three!
When the stallion asked his wife what those guard boots were?
It's six dice cups that my mother sent to me!
Oh, oh, oh, let it go, dice cups with spurs on,
I am a stallion who can understand it all!

When the stallion looked in the living room, oh see, oh see, oh see,
three guard caps laid in row, and one, and two, and three.
When the stallion asked the wife what those guard caps were?
It's three milk cans that my mother sent to me!
Oh, oh, oh, let it go, milk cans with hair on,
I am a stallion who can understand it all!

When the stallion in the bedroom came, oh see, oh see, oh see.
Three guard heads lay in row, and one, and two, and three!
When the stallion asked the wife what those guard heads were?
It's three white cabbage heads that my mother sent to me!
Oh, oh, oh, let it go, white cabbage heads with noses on,
I am a stallion who can understand it all.

When the stallion looked even closer, oh see, oh see, oh see.
Three guards stomachs lay in row, and one, and two, and three!
When the stallion asked his wife what those guards' stomachs were?
It's three mill sacks that my mother sent to me!
Oh, oh, oh, let it go, mill sacks with navels on,
I am a stallion who can understand it all.

When the stallion looked under the stomach, oh see, oh see, oh see.
Three guard dicks stood in row, and one, and two, and three!
When the stallion asked his wife what those guard dicks were?
It is three carrots that my mother sent to me!
Oh, oh, oh, let it go, carrots with eyes on,
I am a stallion who can understand it all.

When the stallion looked farther down, oh see, oh see, oh see.
three guard balls lay in row, and one and two and three!
When the stallion asked his wife what those guard balls were?
It's three potatoes that my mother sent to me!
Oh, oh, oh, let it go, six potatoes with hair on,
I am a stallion who can understand it all!

All of them laughed and sang, the whole mood had shifted, and it took a few corporals to get them to quiet down, but even they looked amused. They called for the entire platoon to get ready to move, and Sharp, along with the others, got into their positions, with Pin and the others behind him. "Move!" The command sounded, then the platoon moved out, splitting into two sections as they went out on tonight's patrol.

Fun thing about the desert, it got cold at night, very cold. Thanks to the moonlight bathing the sandy landscape in its revealing glory, Sharp could just make out his breath as he breathed out. Sharp preferred patrolling during the day, it wasn't exactly safer, but he felt more on guard, more in control. When it was dark out, it all felt so random, so much up in the air.

If he was going to get shot, he wanted it to be when the sun was out, and he could watch the blue sky above him. Suddenly, he was brought out of his thoughts by stumbling. Sharp almost dropped his rifle, not to mention falling snout first into the sand. Luckily, Pin had spotted it, and managed to pull him by his belt, keeping him on his hind legs.

Sharp mumbled an embarrassed thank you, and although he couldn't see it, he was sure that Pin was grinning and sending him a small smirk. Quickly Sharp started to secure his boot, while Pin swapped places with Sharp, taking his position. Once the boot was secure, he quickly got into Pin's old position, and continued the patrol.

No pony spoke as they moved through the darkness, no one dared to. The only time someone spoke was when giving a hushed order, and the hushed acknowledgement of order. For the most part however, it was silence, and they simply continued to move, hoping to catch rebels out and about.

They had, as far as Sharp was aware, never found any rebels. It wasn't that Sharp didn't think they were out there, in fact, he knew they were, but they had the tactical advantage by knowing the area better than them. It would be easy to avoid their patrols, keep a watch, move through the terrain with ease, even in the darkness. There was only so much they could learn when patrolling, and magical generated maps could only give you an idea of how it was out there.

Time passed, and Sharp felt like it had been hours, even if it hadn't. He was cold, and all he could think of was getting into a nice warm bed, though he knew once the sun came up he would want to throw off his blanket. His mood improved when they started to head home, he could hardly wait.

They moved between the fields, using the small paths the villagers had created. While they all felt their spirits rise, and the mood improved, knowing the paths and knowing they were heading home, none of them spoke. The only sound was of their hoofsteps, and their equipment.

It was then that it happened, Sharp didn't even have time to react. He looked ahead, his eyes finding Pin, who smiled back, stepping over a tiny hill of dirt to get to the next field, and then, nothing. The whole thing lasted maybe a second, but before he knew it, he was on the ground, his ears ringing, and his patrol yelling out things.

Sharp shook his head, trying to understand what had just happened. The world around him came back into focus, and the first thing he heard was; "MEDIC! PIN IS DOWN!"

"Contact, IED!"

Another yelled, which was when Sharp understood what had happened. Pin had stepped on a mine, and he was down. Sharp got up, leaving his rifle as he hurried towards where Pin had been. Somepony yelled for him to stop, as the area had to be checked for mines for, but Sharp didn't care.

"PIN!"

He found him quickly, but what he saw would be burned into his memory forever. Pin laid sprawled in the sand, his upper body bruised, his eyes looked like they had rolled back slightly, but that was nothing compared to his legs. His hind legs were a bloody mess, hanging onto one another by patches of flesh and broken bone. The sight was enough to make Sharp vomit, but he held it in, panic overruling any other concern.

"SILVER!"

Sharp called, hurrying down to Pin, helping him to sit up, trying to get him to remain in the here and now, not to mention the world of the living. Silver Star, their medic quickly came over, a determined look in his eyes. He didn't hesitate for a moment, and quickly started to work on their fallen friend.

"He's not breathing, weak pulse." Silver said, checking his vital signs.

"Come on, come on Pin, wake up!!" Sharp tried, feeling tears in his eyes as his best friend laid in his hooves, wounded, and likely dying.

"Sharp, relax, keep calm." Silver said, his voice even, and calm, but Sharp could still here a hint of his own panic behind the calm. "Pin none responsive. Double amputation, critical condition."

The whole world felt like pure chaos to Sharp, while he could only focus on his best friend, he still could hear the commotion around him. They weren't being attacked, but orders were given by their lieutenant, and calls sent and received by their signaller.

Pin groaned weakly, moving about, as if not knowing where he was, or what had happened. Sharp did his best to keep him from looking down at his own hind legs, knowing it would likely make him pass out again. "Pin, come on, stay with me." Sharp said, shaking him just a tiny bit, as to keep his mind alert and in the here and now. He only groaned a response, seeming to hover between being passed out and awake. Filled with dread, Sharp looked to his officer beside the signaller and shouted

"Where the fuck is that medevac?!!"

"Keep calm Sharp, keep calm. You need to stay with me, okay? We're going to get Pin help." The officer replied, a calm and collected voice, doing his best to get control of the situation.

Silver did his best for Pin. Like Sharp, he refused to let Pin die, but unlike Sharp, it was really up to him until they could get him back to camp. The whole thing was bloody and chaotic, Zandre and Clover were near too, wanting to be there for Pin. There was nothing they could do for him of course, but the five of them had been together since basic, and they were as close as brothers by now.

For Sharp though, he had known Pin since school, if he lost him it would be like losing a part of himself. Pin didn't deserve to die, not because he took Sharp's place, he couldn't bear the thought, or the guilt. Maybe a rational part of him would creep in and tell him it wasn't his fault, that Pin took his spot on his own, and it was just pure chance he stepped on the mine.

Sharp couldn't accept that, Pin was not supposed to step on that mine. It was meant for him, and him alone, a thought that would haunt him for a long time...

Author's Note

Sorry for the bad song.

Artwork by: Hoodwinked MCShelster