The Equestrian Civil War

“Twilight, I got a target. Target is one thousand, nine hundred meters away to your two o’ clock.”

“Acknowledged,” Twilight replied. “He’s done.”

She brought her face down into the dirt, and closed her left eye. Her right eye was looking into the scope of a Barrett M82 .50 caliber sniper rifle. She adjusted the scope, and she looked right at her target.

It was a Republican tank commander. He was a Unicorn with a white coat and a green mane. He was directing a group of Republican tanks wreaking havoc on the entrenched Equestrian troops.

“Alright,” Twilight muttered, “Get ready to die. Three, two, one, and…”

She pulled the trigger. The bullet flew from the barrel and hurled itself almost two thousand meters straight into the tank commander’s chest. Blood exploded from the wound, and the commander fell from the tank turret he was leaning out of.

The tanks stopped, and stopped firing at the sight of their superior dying from a sniper’s bullet. That gave the AT soldiers in the trench a chance to destroy most of the group. Twilight smirked at her handiwork.

“This is Twilight. I have a confirmed kill. The commander is down.”

“Good work,” her commander said into her earpiece. “We’ll give a new target when we find one.”

Twilight got up from her prone position, and watched the battle from afar. The explosions of tanks, rockets, and the miniscule muzzle flashes of the guns looked almost pretty. It almost looked like a fireworks shows. Twilight sat back, and watched the battle unfold.

Although it was dark, Twilight used the muzzle flashes to show her how the REA was performing. And from what she could tell, they weren’t doing all that well. The NLR forces were bombarding the Equestrian defenses from their aircraft and helicopters, and the tanks and infantry were shoving ammunition up their flanks.

Twilight looked through her scope to get a better view of the fight. She looked at one pillbox firing its machinegun at advancing Republican forces. It was holding its own, until a tank drove up and destroyed it. The explosion was spectacular as the ammunition inside the pillbox ignited. The ten-foot high fireball lit up the area around it, and Republican troops dropped down into the trenches.

“Damn it,” Twilight muttered, “How are we losing? How are their aircraft still up?”

She looked through the scope again, and watched as the Equestrian soldiers fled to the last line of trenches before the uphill no-pony’s land that led straight to Jerhoofalem. At least it would be for the Equestrian defenders without any tanks or air support.

Twilight picked up her Barrett, and ran towards a higher spot on the hill she was on. She crouched down, and picked up binoculars.

“Alright,” she said, looking across the front, “We need to reinforce the western flank to help stem the Republican advance.” She watched as Equestrian soldiers tried to move to the western flank, but they were mowed down by Republican tank’s coaxial machineguns.

“Damn,” she muttered, “I can’t do anything about that. And the comm link to my commander is the only one working!”

She pondered for a moment, and slapped her hand against her face.

“Oh Celestia, why am I so stupid?” She cried. She activated her earpiece, and called her commander.

“This is Twilight,” she said, “Do you read me?”

“We read you, Twilight.” Her commander responded, “Give me a sitrep. What’s going on down there?”

“We’re getting overrun, sir.” Twilight answered, “They’re breaking through our second line of defense. We need reinforcements, sir.”

“We can’t spare any without sending troops straight from Jerhoofalem.” Her commander replied, “And with those Republican aircraft still up, we can’t rule out an airborne invasion of Jerhoofalem. Your own your own, Twilight.”

“Yes sir,” Twilight labored to say through her frustration, “I understand, sir.”

She shut down the comm link, and picked up her Barrett. She held it at her waist while she looked down at the Tyropony Valley. She hated being frustrated. The way her commander just nonchalantly told her he can’t spare reinforcements angered her so!

Her head snapped up when she heard glass break, and a sharp crack that followed. She was being targeted by a sniper!

“Buck!” She yelled. She dove to the ground, and picked up her Barrett. She looked through the scope, only to find it shattered. The bullet had shattered it!

Twilight hid in the grass. There was no way the sniper couldn’t find her, right? She hoped so. She had to.
***

Rarity muttered a curse as she saw her target dive down into the glass. She had missed!

She pulled back the bolt on her L96 Sniper Rifle, and let the round eject itself. She then pushed it forward, and looked through the scope.

“Mother Goose,” she said, “This is Eagle Eye. I have confirmed a hostile sniper in my AO.”

“Roger that, Eagle Eye,” Mother Goose, Rarity’s commanding officer, replied. “Have you made contact?”

“Yes ma’am,” Rarity said, “She found me, and I have her suppressed now.”

“We’ll fish her out, Eagle Eye.” Mother Goose replied, “Just make sure she’s down and out when we get there.”

“Acknowledged” Rarity said. She looked through her scope again, and tried to find some movement. She squinted her eye, and saw a little bit of swaying in the grass near where the Unicorn had dove.

She heard the bullet whiz through her mane, and heard the crack soon after. Rarity cursed, and aimed at the swaying grass. She hastily pulled the trigger, and watched the bullet go too left to hit it. She cursed again.

“Mother Goose, Mother Goose,” Rarity said, “This is Eagle Eye. I am suppressed. I cannot make the shot!”

“We read you, Eagle Eye.” Mother Goose replied, “We’re sending a Hind to your AO. Do not engage, I repeat, do not engage!”

“Acknowledged, ma’am, I will not engage.”

“Good. Hang in there, Rarity, ETA thirty seconds.” Mother Goose replied. Rarity exhaled, and laid herself flat on the ground. There would be no way that sniper would get her.
***

Twilight used magic to repair her scope quickly, and find the other sniper. From what she could tell, the sniper was a Unicorn, and female. Other than that, she was in the dark as to who it was.

Soon after Twilight had taken the shot, she heard the thumping of helicopter rotors. She turned her head, and saw the lights of an attack helicopter.

“Buck!” She muttered. She got up, and dashed for some suitable cover. Meanwhile, the thumping came closer and closer, and Twilight saw the grass around her being beat by the rotor wash.

She ran as fast as she could, yet the helicopter easily kept up with her. Bullets soon began to whiz pass Twilight and impacted the desert floor around her as she sprinted helplessly away from the helicopter.

She desperately tried to think of a solution, but could find none. She was going to die here unless something miraculous happened.

Then, Twilight got an idea. She reached for her fragmentation grenade, and pulled the pin. She counted to three, and threw it. It flew into the air, and fell into the rotors.

The grenade exploded once one of the rotors hit it. The explosion tore the rotors apart, and the helicopter went down. Twilight then crouched down, and looked through her scope.

She saw the sniper stand up, and Twilight used magic to account for the variables in the environment, and fired.

The .50 caliber bullet left the barrel in no time at all. It flew across the Tyropony Valley, and caught the sniper in the arm. The sniper went down to the ground, and Twilight smirked. That had to be over 1500 meters!

She got up, and ran back to a valid sniper position to help defend against the Republicans. She didn’t think about the sniper she hit. She should have.
***

“Major! We need orders!”

“Wah?” Applejack turned, and found her squadmates jumping down into the large crater formed by a crashed Celestial helicopter. Bullets were riddling the carcass, and there was a fuel fire. It was going to explode at any moment. She had to get her squad out of there.

“Major,” a female Pegasus in her squad called. “Awaiting orders, ma’am!”

“Oh,” Applejack muttered, “Yeah. Lightnin’ Flicker, I want ya and Brawny Runner to suppress ‘em while we get out of here and cover your escape? Am I clear, y’all?”

“Yes ma’am!”

Applejack nodded. She took the time to reload her AEK-971, and waited for a pause in the machinegun fire. She found her chance not too long after.

“Now, y’all!” Applejack called, “Get the hay out of here! Haul ya flanks now!”

Applejack got up, and dashed towards and slid behind a tank trap. She waited for everypony to find cover, and got down onto the sand. The sun was rising, and the Celestials were holding the last line of defense savagely. And what was more frustrating was that there were snipers all over the damn place!

“Squad, coverin’ fire!” Applejack ordered. She aimed her AEK-971 at a pillbox, and let loose a long burst of rifle fire. Bullets riddled the pillbox, and some made it inside. She could hear the screams of the wounded.

Once the two ponies had gotten behind cover, Applejack fired the rest of her magazine into the pillbox, and rolled back behind the tank trap. She ejected the empty magazine, and groped for another magazine.

She found one, and loaded it into the AEK. She pulled back the charging handle, and looked at the Celestial trench. There were too many machine gunners. She would never make it.

“Damn,” she muttered. Over the deafening sounds of war, she yelled towards Brawny Runner. “Brawny, you better give me some coverin’ fire!”

“You got it!” Brawny shouted back. He looked over the slab of concrete he was crouching behind, and turned to the rest of the squad. “Squad, covering fire!”

Applejack threw a grenade as soon she rolled away from the tank trap. She got up, and ran towards the trench. A few other Republican soldiers followed her as she sprinted desperately towards the trench.

When she got to the edge, a Celestial rifleman stopped, and looked at her. Applejack fired her AEK-971, and the rifleman fell to the floor, her neck and head unrecognizable. Applejack dove down, and with the others that had followed her, ran towards a pillbox.

“Alright y’all,” she said, “When we get in there, don’t hesitate to shoot them buggers!”

“Yes Major!”

“Good,” Applejack muttered, “On my mark! Three, two, one, mark! Go everypony, go!”

Applejack ran inside the pillbox, and fired at the machine gunner. He leaned over his MG, his brains spilling onto the rounds.

The spotter turned around, and dropped his pistol as he saw the five Republican soldiers aiming their assault rifles at him.

“I surrender!” He put his hands in the air, “Don’t shoot me, please!”

“Open fire!” Applejack ordered. The five ponies fired their weapons. Each bullet made the spotter step back, until he had taken over twenty bullets to the chest, neck and head. He slumped on the wall, blood leaking from almost every part of his torso.

Applejack pushed the dead machine gunner off the MG, and aimed it at the next pillbox over. She pulled the trigger, and bullets spewed from the barrel. Bullets impacted the concrete fortification, although some missed the concrete and hit the machine gun, rendering it useless.

“What’re y’all waitin’ for?” Applejack shouted, get the hay over here!”

Applejack let go of the machine gun, and picked up her AEK-971. She got out of the pillbox, and jumped back down into the trenches. She was joined by a large group of Republican soldiers, who immediately began to fan out and eliminate the Celestial defenders.

The sun had begun to rise, and it was starting to get warm. Applejack began to sweat more as the temperature climbed. She sure hoped that she would stop for a quick break before pushing into Jerhoofalem, though she knew that was not an option.

She shook her head, and ran farther into the trenches. She fired at two Celestial soldiers running down the trenches. They were both Earth Pony; one a white stallion and the other a purple mare. They both had yellow manes, and shared similar Cutie Marks.

“Damn,” she muttered, “They must have been family!”

She ran farther, and fought until the rest of the Celestial defenders retreated from the trenches and ran for Jerhoofalem. By then, the sun was high up in the sky. It was close to noon, and Applejack had been awake for over twenty four hours now. She was dead tired, but she knew she couldn’t stop fighting.

“Alright everypony,” Applejack said, “We get half an hour’s rest. Them Celestials will be out of Jerhoofalem by sunrise tomorrow, ya hear?”
***

“Twilight, give me a sitrep.”

“Sir, the Republicans have broken through our last line of defense.” Twilight replied as she got up, “I think it’s safe to say we lost the Tyropony Valley.”

“Damn it.” Her commander sighed, and said, “Well then, I’ll get you a bird to get you out to the Fifth Fleet on the coast. Princess Celestia has requested you by name.”

“Yes sir,” Twilight answered. “Permission to inquire, sir?”

“Go ahead, Twilight.”

“How can you send a bird out to me?” Twilight asked, “I thought the EMP wiped out all electronics in the area.”

“The Fifth Fleet was out far enough to not be effective.” Her commander replied, “They hauled flank when they saw it. They’re about twenty miles out from the coast. ETA is five minutes, Twilight.”

“Thank you sir.” Twilight sighed. She strapped her Barrett around her right shoulder, and looked out onto the valley, one hand shielding her eyes from the sun.

From what she could see, the Republicans were holding back against the retreating defenders. Twilight figured they were too fatigued to pursue. Good, she thought. It gave the Equestrian Naval Air Force a chance to hammer them before they advanced across three miles of open desert towards Jerhoofalem.

A few minutes later, the helicopter came, blowing sand and dust everywhere across the hill she was perched on. She climbed in, and buckled in. She gave a thumbs-up to the pilot. The pilot then lifted off of the ground, and turned towards the northwest.

Twilight looked at the different valleys leading up towards the Jerhoofalem Plateau. There was smoke belching from most of them, and many consisted of retreating Equestrian forces. Twilight cursed. If it hadn’t been for that EMP, they would’ve held their positions!

As the helicopter flew over Jerhoofalem, Twilight looked at the destruction that dominated the southern parts of the city. Entire city blocks were leveled, and fires raged across many more. Smoke darkened the sky around the city, and the pilot had to turn away from Jerhoofalem just to see well enough to fly safely.

Through the smoke, Twilight could see that the Temples of the Sun and Moon still stood. Twilight figured as much. Luna only wanted Jerhoofalem because of the religious importance of the city. It would deal a huge blow to Princess Celestia if Luna paraded her forces through the religious capital of Equestria.

The helicopter then flew over some beachheads that were swarming with Equestrian reinforcements. In the distance, she could see the Fifth Fleet.

It was enormous. It contained three aircraft carriers, the Princess Celestia, Element of Honesty and Las Pegasus. It also contained of thirty five other destroyers, frigates, cruisers, submarines and auxiliary ships.

As the helicopter flew closer towards the fleet, Twilight could see aircraft squadrons soar past. They were heading towards the front, with this Twilight had no doubt.

The helicopter touched down on the RENS Princess Celestia five minutes later. She came off the helicopter, and she was escorted to the bridge by two light blue Pegasi. They immediately made her think of Rainbow Dash.

She gasped as she remembered that the EMP took down all Royal Equestrian Air Force units in the area. She silently prayed that Rainbow Dash was alright. She couldn’t bear to think of life without her. Hay, it would be hard to think of life without any of her friends.

As she entered the bridge, she was greeted by a dark blue Pegasus. He kept his orange mane short, but there were some gray and white hairs in both his tail and mane. He had a large pipe in his mouth, and wore aviator sunglasses. Twilight could tell by his uniform that he was a Vice Admiral.

“Twilight Sparkle, I presume?” He asked, “My name is Vice Admiral Wave Roller. Glad to make your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure is mine, sir.” Twilight saluted. “I believe you know why I’m here.”

“Ja,” Wave Roller said, “Princess Celestia has been howling in my ear for quite some time for you.”

He spoke with a thick accent that hailed from Flankfurt or Marelin, in the state of Germaneigh. Germaneigh always hosted the best admirals in the navy, so the fact that he had a thick accent didn’t surprise Twilight.

“Ensign, I vant you to try to get to Princess Celestia,” Wave Roller ordered, “As soon as I can get back to ordering z’is attack, z’e better.”

She watched as a magenta Earth Pony mare picked up a red phone, and immediately handed it to Twilight.

“Yes?” Twilight heard in the receiver, “This is Princess Celestia.”

“You’ve been asking for me, Your Highness?” Twilight asked nervously.

“Oh yes, Twilight!” Celestia said, “Tell me, have we lost Jerhoofalem yet?”

“No,” Twilight answered, “Many of the forces have just retreated from their fortifications in the valleys.”

“Good.” Celestia answered, “Then we still have a chance. We must hold onto Jerhoofalem, Twilight. I want you back in the field as soon as possible. We can’t afford to not have you in the defense.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Twilight answered, “I will leave as soon as I hang up.”

“Very well then.” Celestia said, “I want you back in Fillydelphia as soon as the dust has settled. I have some important information that cannot be sent over the phone. I hope to see you soon, my loyal student.”

“And I you, my Princess.” Twilight said. She hung up the phone, and watched as a F-35 Lightning fighter lifted off from the flight deck. It rolled left, and flew towards the shore. Twilight wished she could be as free as a bird then. She knew she was already sick of war.

Tell me what you think! Sorry for not getting this out as quickly as I had hoped, writer’s block bludgeoned me with a sledgehammer and left me with a brain hemorrhage in a roadside ditch. I really hope you like where this is going, because this is how I plan to write most of the battle scenes. And, for clarification, Flankfurt is a ponified version of Frankfurt, Germany and Marelin is a ponified Berlin, as Germaneigh is equivalent to Germany. Next chapter: as the Battle of Jerhoofalem proceeds into urban combat, who will come out the victor? Find out in the next chapter!