Do You Feel Like A Hero, Yet? - you know who.

3 Months Later
Parade Deck FOB Liberty.
Ghost POV

"Left, Right, Left, Right." Ghost called as he was marching his Squad down the parade deck. But among the tall Ghosts, A 3ft pony stood out from them wearing the ponified combat uniform. "Squad halt." Ghost yells "Left face, At ease, good marching today squad if yall arent blind you might see our newest and shortest Ghost wannabee. So go hard on her and welcome Pvt Dash to Ghost squad. Oorah? " Ghost said,

The squad yelled in unison "oorah!" as Ghost smiled, "good, Squad dismissed. Head to TOC." they about-face and sprint to the TOC "Pvt Dash." Ghost yells watching dash turn and sprint back to him. "Yes, Captain," she says saluting. He returns the salute "We don't have a set of our armor for you so you will just use standard gear okay?" he says. "Yes, captain." Pvt Rainbow Dash says following Ghost to the TOC.

3 minutes later.
Ghost Pov

You look at your squad along with a new pony dressed in MARPAT smiling under your mask you start.
"Everbody here? Okay, were Patroling the everfree. We have two Humvees taking us there. When we get there we dismount and fireteam one will patrol route 7. Fireteam two will patrol route 3 remember to call out checkpoints. Uh, Pvt Dash will be in fireteam two with Joker. The last patrol said that there is an increase in timberwolf and manticore activity, so they put a Supercobra on standby. Like usual no civilians, zecora might be there so don't shoot her. When we finish we'll be walking back passing through town for some easy Hearts and Minds, and we'll check on some marines there. That's all you have 45 minutes to gear up."

With your mini-speech ending everyone runs to get their armor on as you walk to the repair bay. Spotting a small pile of jumpsuits folded on a crate next to your Armor. picking up the first jumpsuit colored an olive drab green, made as insulation and cushioning quickly slipping it on you pick up the next one. A dark grey jumpsuit with interlocking polyethylene plates rated level 3 putting that over your first jumpsuit. then you finally look at the last jumpsuit a camo CBRN suit with heavy insulation. After putting it on you look to your armor a seven-foot-tall 8 layer suit. Its left shoulder plate was battle-damaged with scorch marks and scratches. You walk to it tracing your robotic left hand over the titanium alloy and graphene along with the MARPAT kevlar layering the front of the suit. You smile and pick up the helmet. Cradling the 40 pounds in your arm you look it over checking the thick visor of one-way transparent aluminum, ballistic glass, and plastic. Before looking at the powerful lights next to your visor before putting it back on the neckbrace as you slowly put the armor on piece by piece, Ignoring the engineers trying to help.

8 minutes later

You slowly move your arm to the computer resting on your left arm flicking the main power switch you hear the small motor power the hydrogen reactor as your system powers up.

Power systems active
Battery charging
Systems 100%

You feel your movements become smoother and easier to do. You leave the repair bay. Spotting your team with their rifles making the rookie look like an ant. Joker toses you, your M27. As he unloads a duffle bag of ammo.

"Took you long enough ghost."

"No shit joker." you look to the rest of them wearing similar sets of gear. "Let's get moving." as everyone jumps on the two Humvees and drive towards the everfree. they start to talk. "Who you reckon win on a fight, one of those uh Russian tanks or the Truckasaurus Rex?"

you hear Chorce, "Tank for sure." then you hear a laugh from next to you as Joker in the gunner's position, "bullshit, Truckasaurus Rex wins no matter what" Shepard slaps the back of his leg, "Prove it,"

"Gladly, first off assume ing the Russian tank is a T-72 at about 50 meters the Truckasaurus would simply..." you tune out jokers big brain explanation as you check your M27 chambering a round you turn on the computer on your wrist you open your playlist and click on a song. Looking ahead to the nearing forest you think you see movement in the treeline. zooming in with your visor you see a slight movement in a bush, "Joker movement in bush 12' o'clock treeline." interrupting their conversation you still hear Shepard mumbling you hear the intercom buzz with a Texan accent, "You might have a brain Kat, BUT I HAVE A GUN." you look back at where you think the movement was and you see a glowing pair of eyes in the shadows before the thumping of the fifty cal sends small explosions of dirt and dust kicking up around the target, tearing bits of tree apart blowing it to pieces. "That it Ghost?" Joker asks as the Hummvee stops and everyone dismounts.

"think so," you say as your fireteam starts to go down route seven looking along the treeline you see the other Humvee with fireteam two a while down. "Stay frosty." You say as you walk first into the forest your team following. the forest makes your teams reminisce about the forests at Parris island. Just a bit more dense and pumped with magic. your team soon enters a clearing with a couple of holes near the center. looking at the treeline there is a couple of felled trees putting two and two together you can say there was an artillery strike here probably a couple of days ago the team keeps moving. their conversations suddenly stop as a growl is heard from the treeline.

"Team halt, prep for ambush 15 meters, 2 o'clock." You say kneeling as the team takes lines of fire, Kit Kat lays his MK48 down towards the growling, Shepard sweeps his M320 across the treeline, Chorce lays in between the two as you look through the scope of your M27 counting, "... 5, 6, 7 there's probably like 40 of 'em out there," you say playing a song, reaching up and pulling back the heavy tungsten charging handle looking inside of the chamber you see a single 5.56x45 green tip round. letting the handle slam back to place with a satisfying, thump as you take aim finding your target in your sights you line up your crosshair, flick off the safety, and gently squeeze the trigger...

Meanwhile, Joker POV

BANG, BANG, BANG, You fire another burst into the treeline from your MK16 obliterating a timberwolf that was lunging at Pvt. Dash as she fires at a timberwolf in front of her with her MK18. behind you at the route marker pole. Lunatic with his M27 is covering тридцать suppressing a manticore with his MK48. Cowboy shoots the last wolf as you look around, "sector clear, rearm let's move." you say pulling out your radio.

"[Ghost this is Joker can you copy?]"

"[Solid copy Joker, whatcha need?]"

"[We just got attacked, we want a sitrep.]"

"[We got a firing line on some wolves, you at marker yet?]"

"[almost meet you there.]" You say putting your radio back as the rest of the team regroups around you. you see the Pvt standing starting at the dead manticore readjusting her helmet, her rifle hanging limply from a harness.

"What the bu-fuck just happened?" the rookie pegasus says looking around.

"Got ambushed." Kit Kat says "Prety common you'll get used to it."

"Damn..." she says

"ебля киска, keep with the squad and don't think too much bout what you do and you'll be fine," Tridtsat says loading a fresh magazine into his rifle as you look to the path ahead, "Alright let's get moving, I'll take lead," you say stepping off on the battered trail. a Texan voice starts singing.

"You depend on our protection, Yet you feed us lies from the tablecloth."

"what's that?" Dash asked from the back of the collum.

"Private, you're telling me you never heard this?" Kit Kat says as you try to not look back and pimp slap him back to Louisiana or Nigeria or wherever he was from. instead of just making Tridtsat walk point and hand back pulling out your Mp3 you smile as you focus on their conversation.

"I'm equestrian, not human," she says meteorically pimp slapping Kit Kat. "Damn, you telling me you've never heard of System Of A Down?"

"Nope."

"Black Sabbath?"

"Nope"

"Iron Maiden?"

"Nope"

"Metallica?"

"There's maretalica."

"Powerwolf?"

"Nope."

"What about Sabaton?"

"Isn't that a piece of armor?"

It's Kit Kats turn to pimp slap the air, "no sabaton es la banda favorita de Ghost, la toca todo el tiempo. como es que no lo sabes "

"Equish motherbucker do you speak it?" dash shouts

"sabaton is Ghost's favorite band how do you not know?"

"I never heard human music,"

"Hey, Joker can I play some?" Kit Kat says as you toss him your Mp3 and he plays a song.

Ghost POV

Looking at the newly disassembled timberwolves you and your team get up from their positions walking towards the opposing treeline stepping over the piles of wood and the freshly made craters. Passing the occasional burning wolf. As you reach the treeline you hear your radio buzz.

"[Stalter 1-1 this is Stalker2-1, do you copy?]"

"[Stalker 2-1 this is Stalker 1-1, lima charlie,]"

"[Solid copy, Stalker 1-1 standby for report 1-3 over,]"

"[Copy, Stalker 1-1 standing by,]"

"[Stalker 1-1, fireteam two completed route patrol standing by for regroup.]"

"[Copy that Stalker 2-1, moving double time now.]"

"[Heads up the Private never heard of sabaton. Out]"

"[SHE FUCKIN WHAT!]" you yell into your mic as your team is now running down the path nearing the intersect rally. you can see the marker steadily approaching. the thick trees turning now to an empty patch of grass barely big enough for a chinook to land. You slow down to a walk your nonexistent anger burning off. you see the other team standing around the marker in shouting distance. You yell, "Squad gather round." as everyone gathers around you as you start speaking, "Good job everyone, we're now going down route 2 and exiting at ponyvile." you look at the clear sky bringing light to the forest around you. "Visibility's good, so squad column at traveling, until we exit the forest then squad line." you say taking point as Shepard takes compass, "Hey Shepard, let's have the fresh meat do the nav."

"Oh shit," he says walking back as dash takes his place. "I got a bad feeling about this. Why are we doing this?"

you start walking and talking, "I wanna get a feel for how good she is..."

Twenty minutes later.

you and your team finally exit the Everfree only one mile from ponyville everybody now moves into a squad line trekking along one of the many paths along the countryside. passing Fluttershy cottage along the way.

"So we gon talk about how our 'Navigation specialist' turned a 10-minute walk into a half-hour trek, Right?" Kit Kat says. "No!" everyone said in unison, "pendejo," Joker adds, you laugh Kit Kat continues to be confused. and before you know it you're now only a quarter-mile away from the edge of town. Ponies now coming into your view.

"Squad, quarter-mile out remember were professionals. we are the pinnacle of our values Honor, Courage, and Commitment. so I expect everyone to act like that. That goes for you to Dash." you say as you all enter town a large chunk of the population now looking at your team as you reach town hall you spot Mayor Mare. so you call, "squad halt, right face, dismissed until further orders." they about-face and all go to the nearby steps to sit down as you follow them. Tell them what you're doing.

Rainbow Dash POV.

You sit down along with the rest of your team. you check your rifle. But just before you do that you hear a voice, "Rainbow Dash!?" you look up seeing, Derpy? "oh hey derpy." you say.

"I didn't know you were a marine."

"Yeah, this is my first patrol," you say pulling out the magazine and locking the slide to the rear checking the chamber.

"What are you doing?" derpy says.

"field cleaning my rifle," you say checking the muzzle. Depry tilts her head and sits down next to you.

"Can I watch?"

"Sure, just don't make too much noise," you say separating your rifle into 3 groups, checking them then pulling the bolt carrier group out, and running a bore snake down the barrel. you then break down the bolt carrier wiping it all down. Then you reassemble it sliding it back into the receiver. Finally, you reassemble the rifle. Putting in a magazine but not chambering a round. you hear a noise from the town hall looking back you see Ghost walking back over to the squad. standing at the top of the stairs he speaks, "Marines, we're gonna check the marines guarding the market."
you look at your watch and freeze thinking. "Applejack"

Author's Note

Fireteam 1
Cpt. Ghost: team leader
GySgt. Kit Kat: Automatic Rifleman
Sgt Lunatic: infantry assault(breacher/anti-tank)
Sgt.shepard: rifleman/Grenadier
Cpl. chorce: medic
Fireteam 2
2ndLt. Joker: rifleman/jtac
Sgt Lunatic: infantry assault(breacher/anti-tank)Ssgt. Cowboy: marksman
Lcpl.тридцать(pronounced tridtsat'): Automatic Rifleman
Pvt. Dash(Skittles): rifleman