The Line That Divides Us.

                                                           Chapter 1. Beauty in the breakdown

How could I let this happen? That’s all that went through my head as I lept from tree branch to tree branch in search of the Equestrians.  Somehow this had to be my fault; Everything else bad in my life was apparently my fault. This was just another black mark on my already long list of failures.... “No!” I said out loud. “I’m not gonna lose Adler like this!”

    I didn’t have time to wallow in self pity; My squad’s lives were in danger, and I had to keep myself together. With renewed vigor, I charged forward. It was up to me and Lance. Brigitte was  left behind at our camp. She looked worse than she actually was, a few days of R&R and she would be fine. But for tonight’s mission, she wouldn’t be of any use.

    Up ahead of me I could make out Lance’s silhouette perched on a tree branch. He was using his night vision binoculars to survey what I guessed was the Equestrian’s camp site. Normally we would just fly, scanning the landscape for them. But with the thick forest canopy as well as the thunderstorm raging above, flight was not an option. The last thing I wanted was an ass full of lighting...

    Landing next to Lancer, he didn’t say a word. Instead, he handed me the binoculars, motioning for me to take a look. Lifting them to my eyes, I assessed our situation. “Ah hell...”

    The encampment was way more complicated than I was hoping. I could see at least 6 tents. A larger one in the middle, adorned with a golden sun insignia, was circled by 5 more tents ranging from having the same sun symbol to having a moon symbol.

    From my current view point I could make out at least a half dozen guards. Half of them unicorn Solar Elite, the other Lunar Elite pegasi. The Lunar guards always creeped me out a little. Their leathery looking batwings just didn’t look natural. Luna’s black magic had something to do with those wings, I was sure. Handing the binoculars back to Lance, I shouldered my rifle, attaching a thermal filter to my scope. This filter would allow me to see a pony’s heat signature through the tent walls, giving me a chance to better assess their numbers. Luckily, all the tents were empty. Not a big surprise seeing as they are probably on alert for enemies and judging by their cautious body language and twitching ears, they indeed were.

So I at least had the majority of their force’s numbers figured out. But the main two questions remained. Who was leading them, and where was my squadmates? Could one of the princesses themselves be out here with the guards? Gosh I hope not. I don’t think we got the manpower to take them, element of surprise or not.

    Moving my scope to view the tent, I got at least one of my answers.  Inside I could make out the shapes of two unicorns. One with a smaller frame, most likely female, and a bigger male unicorn.I assumed the male was the leader. Although, something seemed off about the smaller of the two. According to my thermals, her body heat was unusually high.  This wasn’t fever temperatures either, those temperatures looked borderline burning. Lowering my rifle, I shook my head; My scope had to be on the frits. Who could have a body temperature THAT high and still live?

“What’s the damage?” Lance asked me in a hushed tone.

“We are looking at at least 6 Elites, 3 unicorns, 3 pegasi, as well as 2 unidentified unicorns in the biggest tent.”

    Lance rubbed his chin in deep thought. “Have you located Adler and Steiner yet?”

Removing the thermal filter from the scope, I looked back to the camp for any signs of our comrades. “Not yet sir, they didn’t show up on thermals.”

“Well look harder. We need to find them before it’s too late.”

I didn’t respond, I focused on looking for my only friend. Come on Yeager, THINK. If I was a filthy pony keeping prisoners, how and where would I do it.

Lowering my scope again, I looked down at the camp, hoping I might spot something with my naked falcon eyes. Just then, a fit of multiple lightning strikes lit up the entire area. Off to the far left of the camp I noticed a lone Solar unicorn standing by a large willow tree. But it wasn’t the unicorn itself that caught my eye. When the lightning lit up the camp, the base of the tree appeared to reflect the brilliant light in a strange manner. Something wasn’t right.

Once again zooming in with my scope, I took a closer look at the lone unicorn. He looked focused on something, eyes closed in deep concentration. But what was he doing? That’s when I noticed his horn. There was a very faint white glow radiating from it. He was casting some kind of spell... It had to be an invisibility spell. Adler and Steiner had to be there.

    “Bingo.” I whispered with a triumphant grin.

“Did you find them, Corporal?” The Sergeant asked me. “Yes sir.” I replied, pointing toward the lone unicorn next to the willow tree. “You see that unicorn? It looks to me that he is casting a spell.” The Sergeant used his binoculars to get a better look at the unicorn. I continued on, “I’m willing to bet he is casting an invisibility spell to cloak their prisoners from us.”

The camouflaged gryphon chuckled a little under his breath. “Good job, Pony. There might be hope for you yet.” I simply rolled my eyes. Our team was in a life and death situation, and he wouldn’t drop the petty name calling for even a second.

Turning away from the camp, the Sergeant made a hooting sound. This was the signal for Wolfgang to meet back up with us to formulate a plan of action. After a couple of minutes Wolfgang came bounding from tree branch, to tree branch. Taking one final jump slowing his descent with his wings he landed on our position as silently as a ghost. “You called, sir?”

After a short meeting, we had our plan. Wolfgang would use his superior stalking skills to get as close to our prisoners position as possible, Sergeant would remain hidden in the bushes keeping a lookout for wandering guards, and finally, I was ordered to eliminate the unicorn prison guard. Shoot to kill, no exceptions. As far as the Sergeant was concerned, it was the safest way to do it without alerting the whole camp. As soon as he was out of the way, Wolfgang would jump in, freeing Adler and Steiner. Then with Lance’s help, they would get them to safety.

When everyone was safely away from the camp, we would retreat deeper into the forest to prep for evac. If we left now, the ponies would have no evidence to use to accuse the UGR of possible espionage. They would have to just assume that we were nothing but a band of gryphon bandits. It all sounded good in theory, but as a wise gryphon once said: ‘The best laid schemes  of mice and gryphons oft go awry.’

    As my squadmates got into position, I pulled my camouflage mask and silver mirrored goggles over my face. Keeping our faces concealed was very important. We had to keep the amount of face time the ponies had with us to a minimum. The less of our faces they got to see, the better. Lance and Wolfgang had done the same thing.

Once Lance and Wolfgang were in position, I readied my shot. Positioning the rifle firmly against my shoulder, I lined the crosshairs of my scope directly between the ponies eyes, right where the armored helmet ended. This would be quick and painless. The distance for the shot was only about 100 yards, this shot would NOT miss. If I missed this, I would be the laughing stock of the UGR for missing a shot that even a child would be able to make.

Slowing my breathing, I waited for the perfect moment to strike. Time seemed to slow as I waited for my cue to fire. All the while I was taking in every detail of this pony’s face. Watching him in concentration, he had no idea what was coming. I always felt guilty about killing in this way, he literally could do nothing to prevent his fate. But for what it was worth, I would never forget his face. I never forget the faces of those I have sniped.

Finally the moment I had been waiting for arrived. A large flash of lightning off in the distance behind me prompted me to prepare to fire. “Wait for it.....Wait for it.....” Then the sonic boom that followed the lightning reached us. Just as the boom sounded, I pulled the trigger, the sound from the lightning masking my rifle’s shot. I had timed my shot perfectly, only one problem; my target didn’t fall.

Instead of the red gore splatter that I was used to seeing after I shot my target, a large purple dome materialised around the unicorn, a shield. The magical shield had blocked the bullet, but cracked and quickly shattered from the bullets impact. Wolfgang seeing that my shot had failed drew his combat knife and leapt from his position in the trees at the unicorn, determined to silence him before he got a chance to sound the alarm. But right before he could reach the guard he was enveloped in a gold aura and flung unceremoniously into an adjacent tree.

    As if on cue, the invisible field around our squadmates vanished. Revealing not only the rest of our team, but two Solar unicorn guards hidden within. One of their horns was surrounded in the same golden glow that now had Wolfgang pinned to a tree.

    “ENEMY CONTACT!” bellowed the original unicorn guard, using magic to enhance his voice’s volume. It all made sense now; the first guard wasn’t casting an invisibility spell, he was casting a shield spell. He was using himself as bait to lure us out while the other two unicorns laid in wait under the invisibility spell that THEY had cast on the prisoners and themselves. We had walked straight into a trap.

From my vantage point I could see that the whole camp had heard the alarm and were scrambling to ready themselves for our ‘attack’. Out of the large tent came the two unicorns I had seen with my thermals. I had been right, the larger male was clad in fancy golden and purple armor. Atop his head was a helmet with the same color scheme. His coat was white in color and he had a blue mane streaked with lighter shades of blue.

I finally also got a view of the female that had been standing with him. She appeared to be a light lavender in color, he mane was a dark purple, with a single streak of pink and purple. Unlike everyone else in the camp, she didn’t have a single piece of armor on her. She seemed so out of place, why wouldn’t she have armor?

I didn’t have time to contemplate the possible reasons, we were in trouble. While keeping Wolfgang pinned to a tree, the 3 unicorns moved closer to him, probably intending to go for the kill. Judging on how all three of them were focused on him, they probably had no idea that I was the one who collapsed the magical barrier. They still had no idea about the gryphon’s advanced weapons. This meant I still had the element of surprise.

Quickly pulling out my current magazine and ejecting the chambered bullet, I pulled a new magazine from my jacket pocket. Slamming the it home, I pulled back the slider chambering the new armor piercing round.  Once again shouldering the rifle, I aimed at the side of the head of the magical captor keeping Wolfgang pinned.

I didn’t need to wait for thunder this time, our cover had already been blown. Steadying my arm, I took the shot. The rifle called out its signature sound of death. Instantly I was greeted with the unicorns head snapping hard to the side, peppering the other 2 unicorns standing next to him in his blood.

The golden glow keeping Wolfgang pinned instantly disappeared. Still clutching the combat knife in his talons, he lept from the side of the tree trunk towards the unicorn that had been standing to the left of the Unicorn I had dispatched.

The poor bastard didn’t have a chance to react, before he could even sound out his surprise, Wolfgang had pounced on him, jamming the knife into the side of his  right temple, silencing him for good.

Having enough time to react, the final unicorn drew his sword in a silver aura of magic, intending to cut Wolfgang down. I swiveled my scope over his head, intending to take my second life tonight. But before I got the chance, 3 bloody holes bursted opened in his chest, causing him to stumble backwards a couple steps.

With a surprised look on his face the unicorn looked down at his 3 new mystery wounds. The color of red spreading over his chest and down his hooves. The glow around his sword disappeared, dropping into the mud. His legs buckled under him and he went down.

Stepping out of some nearby underbrush was Lance. He was brandishing a weapon in his right talons, I recognized it as a prototype gun that we had been issued before this mission. We based it off the side arm the Mysterious Stranger  had carried when he appeared to us. We didn’t get enough time to adequately study his smaller weapon, so our variation was still in the testing stages. He called his side arm a Beretta M9, so being as creative as a rock, we called our variation the same.

Taking my left talons off my rifle, I felt down my side, feeling the holster holding my own Beretta. I was so used to using my MK 14 that I had almost forgotten that I had it.

Running past the 3 downed guards, Lance and Wolfgang ran up to Adler and Steiner’s position, finding that they were alive. Steiner looked to be in worse condition than Adler, no doubt considering he couldn’t keep his smart-ass beak shut.

While the Sergeant was cutting the rope that bounded our squad to the tree, the remaining 5 guards and their leader were moving in on their position, no doubt drawn by the sound of the Sergeants gunfire.

There wasn’t gonna be enough time for Lance and Wolfgang to free the captives unless I made a diversion.... I had to think fast. I had to think of a way to slow them down long enough to allow Sarge’ to free them. Once free, they should have no problem getting away. Adler looked like he was ready to sprint at full speed. As for Steiner, with Lance’s large size, he would be able to carry him with almost no visible effort, that much I was sure. As for me, it looked like the Equestrians were still ignorant to my presence, so all I would need to do is wait for them to leave the camp, then follow closely behind them, sticking to the shadows. Once I was sure that we all had given them the slip, I would meet back up with the team at the rendezvous point. Come on Yeager, think fast, you got this!

Another bolt of lightning flashed, the bright light causing me to close my eyes to shield them. Thinking to myself, I thought of an idea as quickly as the lightning flash itself. Reaching down to my chest I felt for the cylinder-like object I needed. Feeling it, I pulled it off my chest and looked at it. An M84 stun grenade, also know as a Flashbang.It was the first of three that I had with me. I was going to use this and a few well placed bullets to confuse the Equestrians, giving my squad a chance to escape. Wolfgang and Lance were both wearing protective eyewear, so the flashbang wouldn’t affect them. As for Steiner, he was gonna be carried on the Sergeant’s back, so I didn’t care about how he felt about it. Adler knew how my mind worked, I’m sure he would figure my plan out.

The ponies were closing in now. I had to act fast, pulling the pin on the flashbang I threw it as hard as I could into the path of the guards.  I had enough time to bring my rifle to bear before the grenade exploded in a brilliant flash of light, blinding the group of 6 ponies. The explosion confused them, most of them stopping in their tracks, the others tripped over their own hooves in panic.

Without taking any precise aim, I fired a controlled burst of bullets at my blinded victims. To my chagrin, a stronger shield spell was surrounding the entire unit, causing my bullets to ricochet off in random directions.

Taking a better look, I could see that the leader located in the middle of the group had a bright lavender glow surrounding his horn. HE was casting the spell, and compared to the previous unicorns shield spell, his was a monster. It reflected my armor piercing round almost like a trampoline.

My bullets may have not hit their marks, but the leader must have been able to feel their impacts on the shield. No sooner had I unloaded my volley at them, he screamed out to his team to stay within the shield.

Looking back over to my squad, Lance had hoisted Steiner onto his back and was heading into the underbrush, Wolfgang and Adler following after. Before Adler disappeared into the brush, he turned toward my general area and made some familiar talon signals to me. “Thanks for the assist, be safe my friend.” I couldn’t help but crack a smile at that. “Heh, stupid fool...” Even in the heat of battle, he still thought of me enough to say thanks and wish for my safety.

The ponies were starting to come back to their senses, some quicker than others. The first grenade didn’t buy me as much time as I had hoped. “Let’s make some more time, then...” I whispered through a wide shit-eating grin. Pulling the pin on the second grenade, I tossed it with all my might past the group toward a tree positioned next to them.

The grenade bounced of the tree, changing directions back into the middle of the group, exploding an instant later.

The guards yelled out in agitation at being blinded again. I chuckled to myself, throwing the grenade against the tree would help hide my current position. They wouldn’t know if I threw the flashbang from the left or right, or if I was even there to begin with. For all they knew, that grenade came from the Sarge’ or Wolfgang.

I figured now would be as good a time as ever to lay low until they chased after my team. Fat chance of them actually catching up to them.

Once the coast was clear, I would slip down onto the ground and side skirt them to meet up with the rest of my team, then we could get the hell out of this forest. I couldn’t wait to get home. It would be nice to have some friendly soil underneath my feet.

After another 3 minutes or so, the guards ponies had their vision back and were regrouping, voicing their confusion of what caused not just one, but two blinding flashes. As well as what was the danger that the leader was warning them about.

Listening in on the ‘Captain’ as they referred to him by, he ordered the remaining 5 guards to split into groups of 2 and fan out in the direction the gryphons had gone. As the numbers stood it was yet again 3 unicorns, and 3 pegasi, the Captain taking the place of the unicorn I felled. Splitting off into 3 groups of 2, 1 unicorn and one pegasi each, they walked out of the camp.

    They wouldn’t find my team, that much I was confident of. Sure they would travel straight for a short distance, but once they got the chance, they would jump into the trees, taking a turn to the south toward our camp. Brigette would be waiting there, hopefully awake.

Waiting for a few more minutes to make sure that they weren’t coming back, I cradled my rifle under my left arm, talon on the trigger, and slid down the tree, facing the trunk using my right talons to dig into the bark, slowing my descent to the ground.

Hitting solid ground, I turned to leave- “H-hold it right there!” Hearing a voice so suddenly made my heart feel like it had leaped up into my throat.  Had I missed someone? Was there another pony that was in hiding? Well whoever ‘she’ was, I wouldn’t let her get the drop on me.

I turned around sharply, intending to smash the butt of my gun into my mystery assailant’s face, but before I got the chance to fully turn around, my vision was filled with a blinding violet light. I felt a force hit my face that reminded me of being hit with a fist combined with a weak taser, causing me to stumble forward and fall flat on my face, away from my attacker. The shock from the fall caused my talon to slip and fire a random shot into the sky, where it couldn’t hurt a soul, save for any unlucky bastard that might have flown by.

I figured it was some kind of magic attack meant to put me out of my misery, but by sheer dumb luck my goggles had taken the brunt of the hit, knocking them off of my eyes as I fell.

Not giving the attacker the chance to strike a second time, I swiped my back legs toward the area I guessed the ponies legs would be, intending to trip her. As it stood, luck was on my side tonight as my leg made contact with her’s, tripping her up. Without skipping a beat, I jumped out and rounded on my victim pointing my rifle at her face. I froze. It was the lavender female unicorn I had seen earlier with the Captain. How had I forgotten about her? Where had she been during all of this? It was clear as day to me now... I.Fucked.Up!

Standing over her, not letting my aim drift from her face, she gasped in pain. Her eyes were closed and her face screwed tight in a grimace of pain I could see that she was not a soldier, she was a civilian. I knew it. It was so obvious now. Her lack of armor, her obvious lack of training on how to properly handle a confrontation with the enemy... I had overlooked, forgotten, then attacked a civilian. “What should I do?”

“Shoot her.”

She slowly opened her eyes and looked straight into the barrel of my rifle. Visibly shaken, she moved her stare from the rifle toward me.

Our eyes met.

I couldn’t help but stare at those large lavender colored eyes. If felt as if they were peering into my very soul, the fear and resignation showing in them.

Looking into those eyes I hesitated, my rifle’s aim wavering slightly, my resolve following suit. I knew the answer. Civilian or not, she engaged an enemy soldier. Top that off with the fact that she could now see most of my face, the answer was clear.

So why wasn’t I pulling the trigger?

“Go on, Yeager. She’s seen your face. She’s the enemy. Do it. You hate ponies, they are your country's enemies. Prove that you are a true gryphon soldier....Pull the trigger...DO IT!”

While I continued to struggle with my inner demons, she just continued to stare at me, her eyes never looking away from mine.

The unicorn began to whisper something under her breath, snapping me out of my emotional stupor.

'"Please, you don't have to do this. I-I didn't mean to try to hurt you, ju-just please don't!" she whispered, tears flowing freely down her face.

I knew that even though she was a civilian I had my orders, I knew what I had to do... But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. She was helpless, scared...Crying...

She whimpered again “Please...”

I can’t do it. This was one order I couldn’t follow. She was too pitiful, too helpless. I can kill another soldier, but this tiny female was not a soldier. I had never felt such a combination of disgust and disappointment in myself. I was disappointed in myself, I felt like I was failing my country, my duty. But most of all, I felt like a bully. Like some prick who picked on those weaker than me: her.

Without lowering my gun from her, I whispered in a voice so soft, I wasn’t sure if she could even hear me.

“I’m sorry.”

Was I saying it to her? Or myself? I wouldn’t get the chance to figure that out.

“TWILEY!” a voice called out from directly behind me causing me to jump in surprise.

For the second time that night, my talon slipped, causing my rifle to sound off its signature call of death once more.