War of The Gods

April 25th
Fort Ironside, Kingdom of North Zebrica

Reveille played over the base, stirring Sunset from her slumber. She rubbed her head as she sat up in her cot, the sun puncturing the canvas skin of her tent like a hot knife being jabbed into her eyes. She reached under her two stacked pillows and pulled a clear bottle of brown liquor from underneath. She popped the cork out and took a hefty swallow from the bottle. She jammed the cork back in and stuck it under the pillow, it was just enough to get her out of bed.

She washed her face with the basin in her well-furnished tent and brushed her teeth before dressing herself and stepping out into the heat of the morning. A chopper roared overhead, as she exited into the crowded fort, it was a medevac chopper as the Confederates called it. A large golden cross marked the side as it passed overhead, Sunset paid it little mind as she made her way through the camp, trying to find something to do.

"Marshal Shimmer, Ma'am!" A soldier called, Sunset turned to face the young man.

"Yes, soldier?"

"Marshal Clemson has asked you to meet him at the landing strip ASAP!" He gave a stiff salute and charged off through the crowds of other men. Sunset sighed before starting off to the airstrip at the eastern side of the fort. She reached it sometime later, finding it the same as always—a dirt strip lined by forest green trimotor transports and helicopters. An army transport started down the strip, dust filling the air as its fat tires rolled along.

Sunset walked along the side of the strip, watching the plane roar past as it took off from the dirt strip and went up into the clear blue of the morning sky. Sunset eventually found Clemson, he was watching another plane be loaded up with troops in a mix of forest green and khaki fatigues. Clemson leaned against a small light utility vehicle watching the mixed bag of men load.

"Good morning, Marshal Shimmer," He greeted when Sunset arrived, his face lacking expression, he sipped from a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Good morning, Marshal Clemson" Sunset returned, joining him by the vehicle to watch.

"I assume you slept well?"

"Yes sir" Sunset replied, lying to Clemson. Truthfully, Sunset had slept little the previous night, her memories were coming back. Sunset repressed any of the rougher memories of her time at war, she did so with alcohol and tobacco. The night prior had been a rough one, her mind flashed with stills from long ago. The liquor she kept with her at all times seemed to be the only thing that could quell her shell-shocked mind.

"Very well," Clemson turned his attention back to the plane, the soldiers were now fully loaded and the engines were coming to life. It was far enough away that the noise did not hamper the two's conversation. "Those are the new boys..." Clemson finally said in a low tone. "The offensive against the south side of the river was a Goddamn massacre..." Sunset was about to say something when the sound of piston engines came from the distance. "Must be Thatcher,"

"Governor Thatcher? I didn't know he was coming today,"

"I guess some runners don't know how to run then. Lieutenant Ridley was supposed to inform you of Thatcher's arrival yesterday morning," Clemson stated frustrated. "Useless, he should never have made Lieutenant,"

"I'm certain there were other factors besides his incompetence, Marshal Clemson," Sunset said, almost sympathizing with this Lieutenant Ridley.

"Say what you will, but he still did not go through with his orders... I'll have him burning shit until this war is over," Eventually, the plane carrying Thatcher arrived, it was the same style of creme-colored M88 AIrliner Sunset and Clemson has arrived in. It landed near them, passing by the now fully ready transport nearby, and parked before the two. Its roaring radial engines puttered to silence and the rear door was opened from within by a soldier.

Out stepped Thatcher, dressing in a tan shirt and khaki work pants with a white Stetson and dark aviator shades on his bald head. Behind him were two soldiers carrying his bags including what looked like weapon cases. Thatcher came over to the two officers.

"Mornin' Clemson, mornin' Shimmer," He greeted smiling, shaking their hands.

"Good morning Governor Thatcher" Sunset greeted, giving a quick salute.

"Hell don't call me that, I ain't Govneror Thatcher today, I'm just ole Aaron Thatcher," The two soldiers carrying the weapon cases sat them on the bed of the LUV along with a green aluminum ammo box. "Sit my other things in the officer's tent," Thatcher ordered the men with his other bags.

"What have we got here, Thatcher?" Clemson asked looking at the cases.

"You know what we got Jed," Thatcher said with a laugh. He unzipped one of the cases while Sunset and Clemson looked on. Inside was a wooden bolt action rifle with a scope mounted on top.

"Well, I ain't seen this 'un in a couple of years," Clemson grinned "The ole Bridgewood Master,"

"Yep, chambered in .30-15, Mauser style action, seven and a half pounds, and thirty-four hundred pounds of Confederate power to create a crack that puts a Big John cannon to shame," Thatcher dropped the small box magazine from the rifle and sat the gun down.

"Excuse me, sir," Sunset began "Might I have a look at this rifle?"

"Sure thing, that ain't even the star of the show," Thatcher answered as he opened the metal box to load his rifle. Sunset carefully took the rifle, finding it lighter than the service rifle she carried for years. She looked it over, the stock of the rifle from barrel to but was nicked and scratched from years of use, and a simple leather strap crossed it from end to end. She held the rifle in her shoulder, pointing it safely to the sky and peering through the long scope.

Sunset lowered the gun, racking the bolt back and closing it in two smooth easy motions. She went for the safety, finding a button safety by the trigger rather than a flag safety on the bolt. She clicked it off and stuck it in her shoulder, squeezing the solid trigger and producing a dry click as the hammer shot forward. She re-engaged the safety and handed it back to Thatcher, who was finished loading the box magazine.

"Thank you, ma'am," He took the rifle and loaded the magazine, tapping it in and setting it down. "Now here is the real star" Thatcher unzipped the other case and pulled out a short and ugly bolt action rifle, this one was also mounted with a scope.

"Well, I'll be... Is that a?" Clemson was cut off.

"A rifle chambered in .505 Gibbs, this here is Equestrian built too. It's a Vanhoover & Co. Bull Rifle, brand new," Thatcher seemed proud of his rifle.

"How in the hell did you get it?" Clemson asked.

"Ms. Inkwell knows how to pull a few strings," Thatcher answered grabbing a few round solid shots from the ammo box and tucking them into the pocket of his pants. "I reckon I'll let you have a go at it today,"

"What exactly are we doing today?" Sunset asked, ignorant of the two men's plans.

"Lion huntin'!" Thatcher excitedly exclaimed as he sat the short rifle down "Somethin' ya can't do back on Earth without incurring the wrath of every environmentalist from California to Prussia. But here, there's plenty of lions for us to hunt, scoring one ought to be enough to say we did,"

"How do you suppose we find one?" Sunset asked, lion hunting was something she was unfamiliar with, even with her time in New Equestria. The most she hunted was deer at her childhood home in northern Equestria.

"a couple of pilots who were out scouting a few days ago said they spotted a decent-sized oasis some thirty miles southeast," Clemson answered. "Said they saw about three lions including one with the most gorgeous mane, we'll start there,"

"And how do we get there?"

"Bush plane!" Thatcher said excitedly. "it'll get us there easily" Right as he finished, the transport started down the runway, taking off into the blue sky. Thatcher's smile dropped as he watched "Hmph, I see the new ones are going off,"

"Yes sir... The attack was a massacre," Clemson's face sank.

"It's a shame, those fellers are young..." Thatcher turned to Sunset "Most of our troops here are veterans, just about all of them fought in Russia. But those... They ain't never seen action," Thatcher bowed his head for a few seconds "Amen..." He finally said before putting his rifles back in their cases. The two soldiers that arrived with Thatcher returned carrying small crates of goods and canteens. They all started down the runway until they made it to a gray high-winged single-engine utility plane.

"Here she is, the Domestic Aircraft Company Sprinter Bush Plane," Thatcher exclaimed joyfully. "Let's fly," Thatcher opened the door on the side of the plane's fuselage, allowing all of his accompaniment to enter before squeezing in himself. He took his seat in the pilot's seat next to Clemson, the others behind him.

"I never would've thought you were a pilot," Sunset said surprised.

"Yes ma'am, I have a cabin up in Appilachia you can only get to with a bush plane, I figured learning to fly was better than paying somebody to fly for ya," Thatcher went through a pre-flight checklist, checking the plane's many integral parts before finally starting its piston engine. The four-bladed prop spun to life, Thatcher took his hat off, putting an integrated headset on. After a quick call with air traffic control, Thatcher started his small plane down the runway.

The plane took off at a surprisingly short distance, Thatcher taking it into the sky and turning it southeast. They flew over the grassy planes of the Zebrican nation, seeing little in the way of wildlife besides some buffalo. "I tell you what!" Thatcher began, calling out over the roar of the plane's engine "If we can't catch ourselves a lion we might ought to look at some of them buffalo!"

Eventually, they found this oasis, a large lake of clear water surrounded by tall crooked acacia trees, buffalo, and zebras drank from the oasis. All the animals seemed to flee as the plane roared overhead so for one. Thatcher leaned the plane as it passed over, allowing him a better look at this single animal. It was a lion, big and broad, with a thick mane of dark hair around his neck. A truly regal and noble beast it was, its title of king was shining through here.

"There he is!" Thatcher exclaimed "That son of a bitch will do just fine! What do you think Jed, pelt rug, head mount, or full body taxidermy?"

"I'd kill for a full-body taxidermy!" Clemson answered, "I think it'd look great in that new capital we're building!"

"Now that you mention it, we need to talk about that when we land! I reckon we'll touch down about a mile out!" Thatcher made one more pass over the oasis before turning northwest and touching down some distance from the oasis. The five of them climbed out of the plane, Thatcher grabbing the rifle cases and taking the rifles from them, handing Clemson the buffalo rifle and keeping the Master. Each of them grabbed a canteen and pair of binoculars, and they started toward the oasis, leaving the soldiers alone.

"Alright, now that we're on the ground," Thatcher began, talking lowly. "I'm gonna need you back in New Richmond around the first of the month,"

"Why's that?" Clemson asked.

"We're trying to build congress up there, you need to be present for that, Field Marshal Thomas Bull's gonna take your place,"

"That son of a bitch?" Clemson asked, anger crossing his face "That man is too brash and reckless,"

"Correction, he WAS brash and reckless. I'd argue that being stripped of command over the forces in Mexico taught him a pretty good lesson,"

"Here's hopin', we don't need a repeat of that incident on the border of Sanora,"

"Don't remind me, that and the Van Dreiser Incident are things it would be best we forget," Thatcher turned to Sunset "So are you gonna leave with Clemson? Or are you gonna stay and deal with Bull?"

"I see no reason to return," Sunset answered "I'm still observing your army in action... Now that I think about it, I have yet to really observe our troops," Sunset thought for a moment, stopping. "Governor Thatcher, if it is at all possible, I would like to observe closer to the front lines," Thatcher raised an eyebrow at her inquiry, throwing his rifle over his shoulder and rubbing his bearded chin.

"Well... I don't know if that's such a good idea, our own Marshals are put at enough of risk going to the front. I'd rather you not return to Equestria in a coffin with an apology letter,"

"Now wait a minute here, Thatcher," Clemson said, leaning on his cane. "We could at least allow her to go close to the front, perhaps she could watch at the rear,"

"Hmm, fair point, she'd get to watch the artillery... Alright, Marshal Shimmer, we'll send you there in two days' time. Which brings us to something else," They started walking again "How the hell are we gonna take the river?"

"That's what I'm wondering, that the first attack was, as we know, a massacre. We haven't seen it that bad since the Great War,"

"What about the air cavalry?" Thatcher said "We have yet to truly utilize them here, this would be the perfect time to really use them,"

"Yes but how?"

"We could land on their weakest area, using heavy choppers to carry artillery and using medium bombers to level the area beforehand. Though we should probably wait and discuss this back at the base," They finally neared the oasis, perching on a hill overlooking it, the lion still stood there. The three got down and looked through their binoculars. "Alright, here's the plan" Thatcher stuck his rifle into his shoulder. "I'm gonna shoot him through the shoulder, which should at least mortally wound him. If that doesn't work, Jed, that rifle ought to work,"

Thatcher racked a round into the chamber and peered down the scope. The lion sat in a near-perfect position, its back was to the trio, giving Thatcher a clear shot at its shoulder. "There we go..." He grinned "Cover your ears, Shimmer, it's gonna be loud," Sunset lowered her binoculars and plugged her ears. Thatcher drew in a deep breath and clicked the safety off, placing his finger at the trigger, and giving it a firm squeeze. Bang!

The shot echoed over the planes as the bullet struck its target. The lion let out a mighty pained roar as the bullet penetrated the muscle in his shoulder. He turned away, limping as he did. "You think that got him?" Thatcher asked as he chambered another round, trailing the beast. The lion fell, huffing away as blood started to pool around his mouth.

"I reckon so," Clemson answered "Looks like you struck a lung, you ought to finish him off," Thatcher aimed for the shoulder again and fired another round, hitting him around the same spot.

The lion rested its head on the ground, seemingly dead. Thatcher stood up, Sunset following suit with Clemson being helped up by Thatcher.

"Here's the plan," Thatcher began "Shimmer, you take the bull rifle and keep watch on me and Jed while we check on that lion," Clemson handed Sunset the heavy ugly rifle, she racked the bolt, chambering one of the massive rounds. Thatcher and Clemson carefully descended the steep hill and approached the lion. Thatcher and Clemson stood over the beast, looking it over. Thatcher knelt before its head, Clemson getting close as well, and pulled its lips back, checking its teeth.

"Look at these," Thatcher said chuckling triumphantly. Just then, the lion let out a low rumbling groan, its eyes snapping open. "Shit..." Thatcher mumbled as the lion slowly rose to its feet, baring its long teeth that Thatcher had been admiring mere seconds earlier. "Hey Shimmer!" He shouted as he took a step back, the lion slowly crawling to him with Clemson looking on in horror. Blam! The lion fell to the ground, certainly dead now a hard .505 bullet ripped through its back.

Thatcher gazed up at the hill, finding Sunset standing there, the rifle still in her shoulder with smoke trailing from the barrel in the light breeze. Thatcher began to chuckle yet again, this light chuckling soon evolved into loud boisterous laughter. Sunset, one who was normally not one for laughter joined in as well, much to the surprise of both men. "There's a story to tell at supper! Holy shit... y'all stay here, I'm gonna call a chopper from the plane,"

Sunset and Clemson stayed near the lion whilst Thatcher walked the mile to the plane and back, having called a chopper. He plopped down next to the two of them on the hill where they rested, gently laying his rifle down. "The chopper's gonna be here in about twenty minutes give or take, we'll fly back when they load the lion on board. So Shimmer," Thatcher looked at Sunset "How's it feel knowin' you saved my life?"

"Like nothing, sir," Sunset answered. "Just felt like I was doing my job,"

"Makes sense, you know that ain't the first time I was nearly killed on a huntin' trip," Thatcher chuckled a little.

"Really?" Sunset asked, curious to hear more.

"Yes ma'am, let me tell you about that time I fell in a river huntin' turkeys,"

"Dear God..." Clemson said, rubbing his face in frustration "How many times are you gonna tell that damned story?"

"As many times as I wish Jed," Thatcher answered, giving him the side eye. "He hates this story, but I'll tell it anyway... So it was back about twenty years ago in a place called Newton County Mississippi, near a small town called Chunky. Now Newton County don't have much aside from the highway and Newton City, which ain't that impressive anyways. But it has a ton of forest, and where there's forest, there's turkeys,"

Thatcher cleared his throat before continuing "So I said twenty years ago, right? Anyways so it was February opening day of turkey season, it was about forty degrees that day. Me, this feller from my town named CC Roberson, and some guy from Chunky, think his name was Roy, were walkin' the Chunky River. Normally that river wouldn't be awful, it would just be a shallow river with steep sides, but it had rained real bad a couple days before, so it was flooded real bad,"

"The waters were up the bank, makin' it deep as hell. So we were walkin' along the river, lookin' for turkeys and talkin' about whatever when it happened... I stepped on a sandy spot on the bank, my foot fallin' out from under me and sending into the rushing river. My head fell below the water and I began flowin' downriver. I fought the current with all my strength, bobbin' up and down in the water with my rifle in hand," Thatcher paused for a moment in remembrance.

"Eventually, after fighting for my life, I get caught on a fallen tree in the middle of the river. There I am, the full force of the water pushin' against me," His tone turned dramatic. "I have my rifle in one hand, so I raise it up like a flair gun, preparing to fire off a shot to give away my location when I spot something out of the corner of my eye..." He paused. "It was a beast of a male wild turkey, beautiful plumes of feathers on his tale... So I had a choice, fire a shot in the air and spook him... Or fire a shot at him and have the most beautiful turkey I'd ever seen..."

"Oh Christ," Clemson muttered

"I aimed my rifle, holding it like a pistol and clicking the safety off... I aim the gun at his chest and squeeze the trigger... My arm was killin' me after that shot but I killed him and alerted those two fellers to my location," Thatcher began to laugh "You should've seen their faces when they found me half drowned in a river having just killed a gorgeous turkey, I think ole CC was plannin' to leave my ass there,"

"You change that story every time you tell it," Clemson stated boldly "Why don't you tell the one where the turkey attacks you and you snap its neck?"

"You're comin' on in years old timer, you're makin' shit up now," Thatcher chuckled "I know damn well what happened, that river gave me frostbite in my feet and I lost two toes, I can prove it," He reached for his boot laces.

"I think we can do without that," Interjected Sunset.

"Fine then, I can tell you about the time I was a cowboy out in the west. I met my wife doin' that stuff,"

"When the hell was that?" Clemson asked.

"Between Cuba and the Great Lakes. Anyways, I spent some time out west after Cuba, ridin' horses and bulls for money. I met a feller down in Chihuahua whose granddaddy knew Pancho Villa, of course, you don't know who that is. I met my wife out in California, she was smokin' hot," As Thatcher said this, the sound of a helicopter began rising in the distance. Soon the source appeared, roaring over them and casting a shadow on the hunting party.

The chopper was massive, with a long fuselage with a low belly supported by a giant six-blade wide top-mounted rotor. The beast touched the ground like a gentle kiss and the dual cargo bay doors on the face of the chopper opened up, letting several men out. The men quickly placed the lion on a tarp and pulled him into the chopper before closing the bay and leaving. Sunset and the others soon left for the plane and returned to base.