The Equestrian Civil War

As everything inside the plane shut down, Dash tried desperately to push open the cockpit. After thirty seconds of trying, she grabbed her Colt, and fired three shots. She then kicked the glass, and it shattered.

“Crackle,” she shouted over the howling wind, “We need to get out of here!”

She undid her seatbelt, and stood up. She jumped out, and unfurled her wings. She stayed over the plane, waiting for her co-pilot. Only she didn’t come out.

“Damn,” she muttered under her breath. “Don’t worry Crackle, I’m coming!”

She turned downwards, and sped towards the plummeting plane. She was going so fast, her face began to be pushed up against her skull, and she could barely see. The wind whisking past her ears made it nearly impossible to hear anything.

She latched onto the side of the Super Hornet, and shouted to Flare Crackle.

“You’ve got to wake up!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. “Flare Crackle, come on!”

When she didn’t wake up, Rainbow Dash grabbed Crackle, and flew away from the plummeting jet. She pulled her parachute, and fell slowly to the ground while she tried to get Crackle to wake up. She checked her pulse, and breathed a sigh of relief. She was still alive.

When she touched down, she dragged her behind a rock, and began to shake her.

“Come on,” she said, “Wake up! Come on Flare Crackle, don’t do this to me! You’ve got to wake up!”

Tears were falling down her face, but Dash didn’t care. She only wanted to get Flare Crackle awake, and get the hay out of this Valley.

Gunfire and explosions sounded all around Dash and Crackle, and lit up the dark night sky. Dash could hear Republican officers shouting orders to soldiers, and she could almost hear them breathe from behind the rock. She was whimpering now, trying desperately to get Crackle to wake up.

Rainbow Dash knew she couldn’t leave here without Crackle; she was her copilot. Even though they had just met a few days ago, they had caught on as instant friends. You had to, or else life would be terrible. Crackle was a rookie just like her; she was recruited into the Wondebolts by Celestia, just like Dash.

So many emotions were passing through Dash’s mind: despair, anger, sadness, grief. There was no end to the bombardment against her. She laid Crackle down on the ground, and checked her pulse. There was nothing.

Dash knelt beside Crackle, and pressed her lips against Crackle’s. She breathed in twice, and placed both her hands over Crackle’s chest. She compressed thirty times, and breathed in again. She did this for three minutes, all the while Dash was crying and whimpering, hoping Crackle would wake up.

But she wouldn’t wake up. Dash began to cry and sob now, trying futilely to wake her up. Her tears made the sand around her as wet as the sand on the bottom of the ocean. Dash couldn’t comprehend the fact that her copilot was dead. She just couldn’t be.

When Dash stopped crying, she looked at Crackle’s dead body. She looked so peaceful, but Dash just couldn’t leave her there. She had to get her back to Equestrian lines with her. Not too hard, she figured. It has to be only a few hundred feet to their lines.

So, she picked back up her Colt, and wrapped one arm around Crackle’s chest. She needed to have some sort of protection against Republican soldiers.

She had no idea how handy it would become.
***

“Ponies fall in!” Applejack shouted over the gunfire. “Y’all need to get over here now!”

Her squad of eleven Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies circled around her.

“We need to get onto that there ridge over there.” Applejack ordered, “Brawny Runner, cover us with your LMG while we move to that position. Are we clear y’all?”

“Yes ma’am!”

“Good,” Applejack said. She switched the safety off of her AEK-971 Assault Rifle. She held her fist up, and said, “On mah mark! Three, two, one, mark, move it!”

She ran out of her cover, and dashed towards the next piece of cover. Bullets impacted the sand around her, but she kept running. To stop and shoot would be suicidal.

Once she got behind the rock, she looked over with her night-vision goggles. She saw three Celestial machine gunners surpassing her squad. She laid down on the sand, and aimed her assault rifle at them.

She let loose a short burst from the rifle. One bullet hit a machine gunner in the shoulder, but the others totally missed. She hadn’t accounted for the recoil.

“Buck!” She yelled as they fired on her. “Can somepony help meh out here! Ah am pinned here!”

Her squad aimed their weapons, and fired on the machine gunners. Applejack jumped out of cover, and fired a bust, hitting another machine gunner in the chest. She fell to the ground, dead. She ran back behind cover, and waved for her squad to catch up.

“What’re y’all waitin’ for?!” She shouted, “Come on now!”

They ran beside her, and Applejack looked towards the ridge she was going to scale. It was about two hundred feet from the machine gunners, but it would suffice as a good firing angle on them. The only problem would be scaling it. The machine gunners would tear her to bits!

“Buck,” she said, “Didn’t think of that. Anypony got any ideas?”

“We need air support now, Major!” A male Unicorn said, “We’re getting pinned like hay here!”

“Shadow Masquerade, you better get that darn air support here, now!” Applejack ordered. “We’re getting torn to pieces here!”

Applejack detached a grenade from her vest, and pulled the pin. She counted to three, and hurled it over towards the machine gunners. That would give them some time.

Applejack needed to take this area. It was vital in the assault on Jerhoofalem. This one hill held by those machine gunners was holding up this part of the assault. If she didn’t take them out, they would lose their momentum.

She heard a distant crack! in the distance. Applejack looked, and saw that another machine gunner was down.

“Oh, no need to thank me.” Rarity said into Applejack’s radio link. “I just pulled a perfect neck shot from over seven hundred meters away. Please, hold your applause!”

“Will ya shut up Rarity,” Applejack said, “And focus on shooting these flank-holes? That would be nice.”

“Well you don’t have to be so rude.” Rarity said, “Just because you’re a Major doesn’t mean you bad-mouth your friends.”

Applejack sighed, and shook her head. She didn’t like it when Rarity was being Rarity. She was too sophisticated for Applejack’s tastes. She had had enough to last her a lifetime living in Manehattan.

“Let’s move!” Applejack said. She led them out of cover, and ran up onto the hill. She aimed her AEK-971 at the wounded machine gunner.

“Now ah am lettin’ ya choose.” She said, “Live and run, or try and pull that there pistol and die.”

The Celestial soldier said nothing. He tried to reach for his pistol, but Applejack was too quick. Before she let go of the trigger, seven bullets had pierced his chest, neck and head. He was a bloody mess.

“Alright now,” she said quietly, “Let’s move. Don’t wanna keep Luna waitin’, do we?”

She climbed down the hill, and advanced farther into the valley. She was joined by four dozen other soldiers and three M4 Shermane tanks as they advanced to the main Celestial lines. Applejack jogged to keep up with the tanks. They fired their main guns on the Celestial defenders while attack helicopters hovered above the valley, bathing the lines with rockets and gunfire.

“Major, what’s that?” Applejack looked up to see a large explosion light up the night sky.

“Ah think that might be one of them EMPs,” Applejack said. “We just took out all of their damned vehicles.”

Everypony cheered as they moved towards the front line of the main Celestial defense. Tanks fired their guns relentlessly on the stone and concrete fortifications, while the infantry took cover behind the tank traps left around.
Applejack ran behind one, and looked at the trenches the REA had dug. It would be easy to take if they didn’t have AT turrets set up inside the trenches. Applejack exhaled, and thought it out. There had to be some way.

She looked to her left, and saw an Earth Pony get up to throw a grenade, only to have a sniper bullet hit her in the head. His head exploded in blood, and she fell to the ground. The grenade rolled to Applejack, primed and cooking.

“Damn it!” She shouted as she threw it over the barricade. She heard the grenade explode, and calls for medics. She smirked, and got out of cover to get behind the more suitable cover of a large rock.

Once she got behind that, she fired her AEK-971, taking out a rifleman. She smirked, and took out her empty magazine. She opened a pouch on her waist, and took out a loaded one. She put it inside her gun, and pulled back the charging handle.

She looked, and saw an opening towards the next piece of cover. She got up, and left the cover. When she turned the corner, what she saw shocked her.

There was a pistol aimed straight at her head. It was held by a blue Pegasus, dragging another almost black-coated one. The dark one looked dead, but the blue one still was dragging her away.

She took off her night-vision goggles, to see the Pegasus was none other than Rainbow Dash. She dropped her rifle, and looked right into Dash’s eyes.

“Rainbow Dash, is that you ah’m seein’?” She asked slowly.

“Applejack,” Dash said, then looked away, “Go ahead. Shoot me. I have nothing left to lose.”

“Now why would ah do that?” Applejack asked over the gunfire. “You’re mah friend, Rainbow Dash.”

“Then why did you leave us?” Dash yelled, tears falling from her eyes. “Why would you join Luna after what she did in Canterlot? She’s a murderer, and you’re supporting her!”

“Ah don’t care what ya might be thinkin’, Rainbow Dash,” Applejack replied, “But ah think that Luna will be better than Celestia. That’s all.”

“So you fight a war for it?” Dash screamed, “Dammit Applejack! Why won’t you listen to me?! I want you to come back, to fight with us, not against us! I was heartbroken when you left! You didn’t even leave a note! We found out through some Unicorn!”

“Damn that Masquerade.” Applejack muttered. “Dash, ah needed to not let you know…”

“Shut up!” Dash screamed, “And just kill me! You’ve already killed me inside! Applejack, why would you do this? Do you not love us?”

“Dammit Dash!” Applejack said, “Just go! Ah am not killin’ ya here! Go, before I change my mind!”

“I thought we were friends.” Dash muttered as she got up, and left her friend behind. “She was a good mare. But you and your “New Lunar Republic” killed her. I hope you’re happy.”

Dash then unfurled her wings, and flew off. Applejack watched her go until she couldn’t. She had not expected to see her here. What she said tore at Applejack’s heart, but she needed to push on. But it was too hard to not let them seep through!

“Oh, buck it all!” Applejack shouted. She picked up her rifle, and dashed to her cover.

“Squad, report in!”

One by one, everypony in her squad reported in.

“Good,” she said, “I want y’all to follow the tanks on their advance. Ah am going to distract their fire.”

There was some protest, but Applejack immediately denied them any say. She got up, and ran towards the trenches.

Bullets zoomed past her, but Applejack didn’t stop until she had bounded over the barbed wire, and hid in front of a pillbox fortification. She took a deep breath, and left the cover.

She fired into the trench, and took out three Celestial soldiers with her long burst of rifle fire. She hid back behind the cover as others fired back. She grabbed a grenade, and pulled the pin.

She threw it into the trench. It exploded, and Applejack left her cover and dashed towards the trench. She jumped down into it, and ran down one side.

A Pegasus officer ran into her, and fumbled for his sidearm. Applejack raised her AEK-971, and fired a burst into his chest. His chest was unrecognizable when he hit the floor of the trench. Applejack leaped over the body, and ran on.
She got to a machine gun nest, and reached for her knife. She crept up silently towards the two machinegun operators, and raised her knife.

She slit the throat of the one who fed the MG the bullets, but the gunner turned around at the sound she made. The female Earth Pony tackled Applejack, and they hit the ground hard.

Applejack had the wind blown out of her when she hit the ground. Applejack wrestled with the Earth Pony while the Earth Pony tried to wrangle the knife out of Applejack’s hand.

Applejack struggled, and she rolled to the side, landing on top of the Celestial soldier. She raised her knife hand, and tried to drive into her chest, but the Earth Pony grabbed Applejack’s wrist with both hands and stopped the stab before it punctured her chest.

The Earth Pony bucked Applejack off with both legs, and Applejack flew off of her. She got up, and grabbed her revolver she had at her waist.

Applejack ran after her, knife raised and ready to strike, but the Earth Pony raised the revolver, and pulled the trigger.

Click!

The Earth Pony looked at the revolver, and cursed out loud. It had jammed. Applejack charged at the Earth Pony, but she hit Applejack in the face with the revolver. Applejack fell to the ground, and wiped the blood from her lip.

She got up, and punched the Earth Pony in the stomach. She bent down, and Applejack elbowed her in the head while she was bent over. When she hit the ground, Applejack kicked her in the ribs, and knelt down next to her.

She plunged the knife into the Earth Pony’s neck. Blood spurted from the wound as she pulled the knife from the Earth Pony’s neck. The Earth Pony gasped for air, but no sound came out. Applejack had cut her windpipe in two.

Applejack then began to stab the Earth Pony in the chest and stomach multiple times to finish her off. Applejack began to cry hysterically as she stabbed and stabbed again. Her hands were red with blood, and the knife shined in the moonlight from the blood on the blade.

Applejack dropped the knife, and looked at her hands. They were shaking uncontrollably, and were drenched in the Earth Pony’s blood. Applejack didn’t even know that Earth Pony, but she murdered her in cold blood.

She got up, and grabbed her rifle. She still had work to do.
***

Pinkie Pie pulled back the charging handle on her M240B. She pulled the empty ammo box away, and loaded in a new one. She slammed the receiver on top of it. She pulled the charging handle again, and peered through her sights.
She pulled the trigger on a few Republican soldiers that tried to advance on Pinkie’s position. Pinkie couldn’t help but laughing. It was like those video games Dash invited her to play.

She rotated the M240B, and surpassed another group of Republican soldiers. Bullets flew from the gun, and empty cartridges surrounded Pinkie’s feet. She was having so much fun! The sound of the machinegun firing just energized her so much!

“Pinkie,” her spotter called to her, “Hostiles at our eleven o’ clock!”

“Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie Pie shouted. She aimed her MG at the advancing Republican soldiers, and fired. The bullets hit two of the seven that were advancing. The other five dove to the ground, and returned fire.

“Oh, they’re shooting back!” Pinkie Pie shouted, “Oh boy! This is so fun!”

She suppressed them while other Equestrian soldiers in the trenches took them out.

Pinkie Pie was and her spotter were inside a pillbox. They were on the first line of defense, and were holding back the Republican advance. Sure, the EMP had wiped out their air support and communication, but that was all too complicated for Pinkie Pie. She had all she needed in her LMG: bullets.

“Tank at two o’ clock!” Pinkie Pie shouted. She put down her M240B, and picked up an RPG-7V2. She aimed it at the tank, and fired. The rocket hit the tank in the turret, and it exploded violently. Flames engulfed the tank, and Pinkie Pie watched as three ponies ran out of the tank, on fire.

She picked up her M240B again, and fired at advancing Republican troops. It was a turkey shoot; Pinkie really didn’t need to aim. But she did, she thought it was fun. She just kept firing until she ran out, then she reloaded. She was laughing her head off the entire time, freaking out her spotter.

She saw one pony try to dash towards the trenches, and Pinkie aimed her M240B at the movement. She fired at it, but it was at an angle that making a shot would be nearly impossible. She had to abandon that one, and focus on the others.

Pinkie Pie let her mind drift to cupcakes while she was shooting. She thought about how tasty putting chocolate tapioca icing on a cherry cupcake with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Her mouth began to salivate at the very thought. When she got back, she had to make one!

There were more and more Republican soldiers now, and Pinkie Pie could hardly keep up. She heard that the trenches were being breached; it was time to withdraw to the second line.

She turned back to the force of Republican soldiers and tanks, and picked up her RPG-7 and RPG rounds. She got out of the pillbox, and ran.
***

Fluttershy kept her Mi-35 Hind attack helicopter hovering over the trenches. Since the EMP went off, there would be no threat of SAMs. The attack helicopter was only flying because they had modified the helicopters and aircraft to be more resistant to the EMP, though not invincible.

Fluttershy had almost lost control of the chopper when the EMP was detonated, but she managed to get control before it was too late.

Now, she razed the second line of defenses with rockets and gunfire. Her copilot, Solar Chaser, gave her targets.

“Target, three o’ clock low, get them Flutter!” Solar Chaser called. Fluttershy turned to the right, and fired a volley of rockets at a pillbox. It exploded as the ammunition inside ignited. The flames lit up the area around it, and Fluttershy gunned down the surrounding infantry.

“I’ve got a target, two o’clock low!”

“Acknowledged, Solar, engaging the enemy,” Fluttershy replied. She flew over, and fired the minigun cannon. The bullets tore through the trench, and butchered anypony inside. Fluttershy was glad she couldn’t see the carnage she was wreaking. It would be too much.

After the last strafe run, her helicopter was running low on ammunition. Fluttershy needed to turn back, but she needed to stay as long as she could.

“Solar,” Fluttershy said, “I’m running low on ammo. Should we turn back?”

“I’d say wait until we run out of rockets, ma’am.” Solar Chaser replied, “It’s up to you.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy said. “I’ll make one more strafe run back at that trench.”

“That’ll definitely help.”

Fluttershy turned her helicopter around, and prepped it for the last strafe run. She pushed the stick forward, and pushed forward the rotor power. The helicopter then began to fly towards the trench. Fluttershy gripped the trigger, and pressed it as she passed over.

Explosions rendered that trench area unrecognizable, and killed anypony that was unlucky enough to be in there. Fluttershy evened out the helicopter, and turned back towards the airfield twelve kilometers away.

She had done her part in the Battle of Jerhoofalem. She hoped it would be enough.

Tell me what you think! So, to explain why the Lunar Republican aircraft stayed up after the EMP is because of technology. The Cold War-era Soviet aircraft and helicopters had a different avionics technology than its American counterparts that revolved around vacuum tubes. These were more resistant to EMP detonations than American aircraft were. But, they were not completely foolproof. Some systems were damaged, and I hope I illustrated that correctly with Fluttershy in the Hind. That is also why she is in a Hind and not an AH-64 Apache or an AH-1Z Viper, because Hinds had vacuum tube technology. Now that I got that science lesson over with, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Next chapter: New Lunar Republican forces push further into Jerhoofalem during the day, but what will the sun bring? Find out in the next chapter!