Chapters Livin' easy, Lovin' free. Season ticket on a one-way ride. Askin' Nothin', Leave me be. Takin' everythin' in my stride __ "
Swifty adjusted his kevlar helmet as the Huey was getting close to Camp Altariq 'Iilaa Al'amam, a forward operating base roughly 5 klicks east of the Camel city of Shareen. From what he heard from the other grunts who were stationed at the camp, the name translated to "way forward" .
12 whole weeks of Marine boot camp had prepared me for this, of course, my parents opposed sending their only son to a foreign country. Into a war no less. But, nevertheless, I went anyway and was shipped from Fort Condor to this Celestia-forsaken desert.
"Don't need reason, Don't need rhyme, Ain't nothin' that I'd rather do. Goin' down, Party time! My friends are gonna be there too...yeah __ "
"I'm on a Highway to Hell..." I muttered under my breath as I went deep into my thoughts of home, family, and especially a special somepony who was waiting for my return...
"Alright, ladies! Make sure you don't leave anything on my bird! Once we land, I want your flanks out of here!" Sergeant Major Accurate Shot said as he stood up in front of us "Understand?"
"Yes Sergeant Major!" we all shouted, I went over my gear to make sure I wasn't forgetting everything before looking over my standard-issued M16A2. Before I joined the Corps, I had never held or shot a gun. I didn't like the idea of taking someponies life, and I hope I'll never have to...
"Hey, Swift! You ready to see your new home?" my buddy Tack asked as he pointed his hoof, following the direction of his hoof, I could already see the FOB coming into view.
"Buck no." I simply responded, Thumbtack had been my friend since boot camp. We were brothers, if I wanted somepony to watch my back it would be him.
"We have arrived! Enjoy your vacation here in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere!" The pilot said as we flew over the camp, heading towards the LZ which was on the northeastern part of the camp. Looking down, I could see a pony signaling us where to land. And as we began to descend, Sgt. Maj Shot looked at us like he had a stick up his flank.
"MARINES!" Shot shouted.
"YES SERGEANT MAJOR!" we shouted back.
"GRAB YOUR SHIT AND GET OFF MY BIRD NOW!"
"YES SERGEANT MAJOR!"
Once the skids of the helicopter touched down, me and Tack grabbed our rifles and pack and got off the chopper as quickly as possible while other personnel was offloading some supplies that were transporting with us. The sun was high in the sky and the heat of it was beaming down on us, my desert field cap doing little to provide some shade.
After getting some directions from a grunt, we took our packs and headed over toward the barracks, on our way we saw stallions in boots and utes running while Humvees and cargo trucks drive by. It didn't take long to find the barracks we were assigned to, it was empty and there were already gear and other personal things on several of the bunks beside one which was at the very end. Thumbtack sat his stuff down on the bottom bunk as I claimed the top as my own, I then took out a picture of both my family and my marefriend back in Equestria.
"Yo Swift, whatever you do, don't give your picture of your marefriend to anypony here" Tack said as he started sorting out his stuff.
"Huh? Why?" I asked, curious as to why he would ask.
"With a mare like her, there's a chance somepony would take it and have a private moment with her" He responded with a chuckle, taking his word I took the only picture I have of her and hid it in a place only I would know.
A while later a couple of stallions came into the barracks looking all sweaty and tired, their clothes were wet from the sweat, and parts of them were covered in sand. They didn't notice us as they went over to their respective bunks and dropped down on them, it didn't take long for them to notice us as one of them, a Lance Corporal judging by the rank insignia on his right collar, looked up and spotted us immediately.
"Hey, guys! We got some fresh meat!" He said with an odd enthusiasm, the others followed suit and looked at our direction.
"You guys fresh out of basic training?" a pegasus holding the rank of a Sergeant asked me and Tack. We both replied with a silent nod, he then pulled out two water bottles from a cooler beside him and tossed them to us "Welcome to the suck!"
I took mines and gave him another silent nod while Tack on the other hoof chugged his down before crushing the bottle against his head and throwing it in a trash bin near the entrance.
"Heh, I like them!" the Lance Corporal said as he sat up and pulled out a Playpony magazine "How are you guys liking your new home?"
I shrugged as I put the water bottle away "It's definitely a bit hotter than my home back in Marephis"
There was a chuckle in the back as a unicorn, a Corporal, took off his coyote brown T-shirt which was drenched in sweat "Brah, compared to right now? This ain't even the worse in this shit hole of a country!"
Letting out a yawn I laid down on my bed, making myself as comfortable as possible. Thumbtack meanwhile went out to explore the camp with the others being his guide, leaving me to my thoughts...
...I hope I get home safe...
The first thing I did when I woke up was put on all my gear and run about 2 laps around the entirety of the camp, by the time I was finished the sun was already rising in the sky. My body felt sore and I was sweating like a dog, after I took off my kit I decided to make my way to the mess hall for breakfast where I met Thumbtack along with the other ponies from yesterday.
After breakfast, I went over to the field showers to rid myself of sweat. It felt good feeling the cold water against my chitin since black colors love to attract sunlight and make me feel like hot shit.
Finishing up that small moment of bliss, I changed over into my spare tri-color cargo shirt and coyote brown T-shirt and went back into my assigned barracks where I saw Thumbtack spare with the Lance Corporal who I later found out was named Almond Rock.
"Yeah, Rocky! beat the fucking shit out of him!" I heard Sergeant Ivory say as we watch Almond Rock give out a few hits at Thumbtack, he hissed before retaliating with his own punches. After the fight__which Thumbtack lost but won't admit it__ we all parted ways with the rest going out while me and Tack stayed behind, mostly to help him recover and lick his wounds.
"I can't believe I just got my ass kicked...my old man won't be too happy about this..." Thumbtack said as he rested on his bunk, listening to music and reading one of the comics he managed to sneak with him. I meanwhile disassemble my rifle to see if there is anything that needs to be done to it to make sure it doesn't fuck me up during combat.
"Combat..." I muttered as the word echoed in my head, the music that was playing in the background fading as I drove deep into the thought of me encountering my first taste of combat here. The chance of me taking somepony's life...
"Yo Swift, Tack, come on! Battalion Commander is calling for everypony, asap!"
Snapping from my thoughts, I looked over to see Ivory standing in his full kit with his rifle. Nodding, I quickly assembled my rifle and went over to don my gear. Picking up my rifle, Thumbtack and I soon joined Ivory who was waiting for us and we double-timed over to where everypony was. We passed a couple of LAVs along with other ponies making their way over to where everypony was being gathered, whats going on?
The three of us arrived at a gathering of ponies standing at parade rest, all in combat gear. Apparently, a big shot Lieutenant Colonel was assembling everypony here for some mission briefing. Hushed rumors were passed along about possible combat in one of the neighboring cities, they were rumors of course but there was still a chance of us kicking some camel's flank.
"Hey Tack, what's going on...?" I asked.
"I don't know dude, everypony is being gathered with their guns and kits...something big is going on..."
We both got into the formation at parade rest with the rest of the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. It didn't take long for a stallion wearing his digital desert cammies with a silver oak leaf pinned on his right collar, he then got on top of a nearby Humvee and looked at all of us before giving the command of 'Attention.'
"ATTEN __ TION!"
As soon as he uttered those words the whole battalion got into the position of attention, standing silently and unmoving. I silently took note of our Lt Col, he was an earth pony with coffee-colored fur and greying mane. He had an aurora of somepony with high authority and looked like he had been through the shits since I was but a nymph.
"Now, with the rest of the enemy combatants in disarray, it is our duty to continue to liberate this country and establish order and a democratic government for the camels here. And that starts with taking the city of Baghsire..." he pauses, looking at all the young faces of every Marine presents there "It's going to be a long road ahead, and we are going to face the worst we've ever faced on our way towards the capital. Now I know some of y'all may be scared, and some of you may be uncertain about what lies ahead. Hell, it scares me that some of you guys might not ever come back...but at times like this, you must not show fear. You, as a Marine, should strike fear in the enemy! You are the tip of the spear of the Equestrian military! Have confidence in your battle buddy, have confidence in your squad leaders, have confidence in your platoon and company commanders!"
At that moment, everypony now had gained a sudden confidence in themselves and believed that they could, and will, defeat the enemy. No matter the cost.
"As commander of this mighty fine battalion, I reassure you all that we will kick the enemy right in the balls and I will do my very best to bring you all home!"
Spirits were high, the entire battalion was hyped up and ready for war. Shit, I was feeling the same way as every pony else!
"YOU ARE EQUESTRIAN MARINES! WE WILL STEAMROLL INTO BAGHSIRE AND WE WILL SHOW THEM NOT TO MESS WITH US! CAN I GET AN OORAH!?"
"OORAH!"
"BULLSHIT! I CANT HEAR YOU, LADIES!"
"OORAH!"
"MARINES! SADDLE UP!"
Every pony dispersed and got into a Humvee or in the back of one of the IFVs, Tack and I got into one of the Humvees with him manning the mounted 50. Cal on top. Once everything was aligned into a convoy, we got the green light to roll out. Our destination: the city of Al Rafeef.
I stared out the window at the sea of sand dunes that surrounded the highway, we were to soon join the 7th Tank Battalion mid-way. I was still anxious about how we might get ambushed by a bunch of RPG and AK welding Camels, but I quickly remembered what LtCol said back at camp. I just need to push through, it can't be that hard...Right...?
...Right...?
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Brrrrrrrrrrrrr
As we got close to the city of Al Rafeef, we could see smoke rising in the air along with flashes of gunfire and tracer rounds from anti-air guns soring in the air. I clutched the rifle in my hooves firmly as the convoy got closer and closer, this was going to be my first time experiencing battle. And to be honest, I was scared.
I looked up at the sky to see a couple of A-10s and AH-64s flying in the air, a couple of guys in the other humvees were cheering as they saw both aircraft unleash hell on the enemy
Brrrrrrrrrrr
BOOM!
I heard cheers as I saw an enemy T-62 go up in flames before an A-10 flew past it, looking for its next victim. I looked down my ACOG to see a couple of camels in the distance, they were both dressed in an OD uniform with tan-colored M80 helmets and chest rigs.
"Hey guys, I see 5...no, 10 enemy combatants near one of the burning...tanks..." I trailed off as I noticed that one of them produced a long tube-like object before lying down on the ground, it looked like a__
"H-Holy shit! RPG __ !"
Before anypony could react, it felt like time slowed down as I saw a smoke trail slowly make its way across towards a LAV that was two Humvees in front of us.
BOOM!
The LAV slowly came to a stop as it burst into flames, and to my horror, I saw one of the hatches open up as a flaming pony climbed out of the vehicle before falling to the ground. His anguish cries echo in my head as I watched him cry in pain before being lit up by the enemy and dropping onto the road, he wasn't moving anymore.
"CORPSMAN! I NEED A CORPSMAN"
Two of the Humvees stayed with the wrecked LAV to help out while the rest of the convoy moved aside and continued toward the city, I looked out into the desert again to see M1A1 Abrams and M2 Bradleys steamrolling their way through the enemy lines. Blasting away and lighting up any tanks and ground units that they encountered.
"This is Bravo Mike leader to all units, we're 1 mike away from Al Rafeef. All air units are currently engaging hostiles in the city and are weakening their defenses."
"Roger that Bravo Mike"
As we got closer and closer, the gunfire and the sounds of battle grew intense. Finally, once we were on the outskirts of the city, the convoy stopped. It wasn't long before we were taking fire from the buildings, we could see the enemy run across the road and take cover behind sandbags and ruined cars. The mounted 50. Cals along with the 25mm chain guns on the LAV returned fire, mowing down anything that moved.
"MARINES! DISMOUNT!" I heard my squad leader say, I opened the door and got out as quickly as possible. I then took cover and returned fire with my M16A2, I couldn't see jackshit.
I then felt a hoof pull me up by the collar of my shirt, I looked behind me to see my squad leader again. He then looks to Thumbtack who was currently firing off a couple of rounds "HEY TACK! I NEED YOU TO LAY SUPPRESSING FIRE ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF THAT BUILDING TO THE RIGHT!" with a nod, Thumbtack directed his fire toward the building "SWIFT, YOU AND THE OTHERS WILL PUSH ON FORWARD WHILE WE ATTRACT FIRE FROM YOU GUYS! UNDERSTOOD!?"
"YES SIR!" I replied with a mix of nervousness and confidence.
"GOOD! NOW GET YOUR ASS OUT THERE!"
Pushing me forward, I ran toward a group of ponies who were currently hiding behind a building. One of them was laying fire with an M240, I recognize him as the Lance Corporal from earlier.
"FUCK YOU CAMELS!" he yelled as he managed to land a few rounds on a couple of them. Raising my own rifle, I peeked over the corner and saw hostile camels hiding behind rubble and cars. Pulling the trigger, the gun barked in my hooves as I sent hot lead their way. I managed to score my first kill, a smile appearing on my face as I managed to down two more.
"HAHA! NICE ONE, SWIFT!" I heard one of the grunts say to me, killing is bad...but to me, it felt...nice...
"Push down the road! I'll cover you!" I heard Tack say through the radio, me and the rest of the squad proceeded to rush across the road to another building while Thumbtack covered us.
"Alright everypony, it's time for some house clearing! I need you guys to stack up on that door!"
As we stacked up against the door, they made me the fourth pony which would mean I'll be watching the back in case any Camels try to sneak up on us.
"Status!" I heard my team leader say.
"U-Uh...4 up!" I said anxiously.
"3 up!"
"2 up!"
"1 up!"
Now that everypony was in position and accounted for, my team leader signaled us to breach. One of the ponies went up to the door with a shotgun and blew off the hinges, the door fell backward but before he could move out of the way he was quickly gunned down from within the building.
"Frag out!"
BOOM!
"Breach! Breach! Breach!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A couple of shots rang out as we began to breach quickly and cleanly, I looked around and saw 3 dead Camels lying on the floor with their AKs. Picking one of the AKs up, I decided to take one as a souvenir. Something to show my family and future kids.
"I fucking hate the fatal funnel..." I heard one of the ponies mumbles as he checked to make sure the enemy was dead, once their deaths were confirmed we began clearing out the rest of the building.
"Alright, squad! I just got word that it's going to take a while to send medevac for Shell Shock along with any other casualties, our next order now is to clear every last building in this city until we are sure there is nopony left to kill here! Understood?"
After saying our 'yes sirs', we all got ready to breach the next building, this is going to take a while...
I tried to stop my hooves from shaking as I took a swig from my canteen, spilling some of its contents onto myself. Clearing every last building in this damned city was nerve-racking, twice was I close to meeting my end if it wasn't for luck and my vest doing its job of stopping the bullet though I did end up being knocked to the ground with a bruise where the bullet struck.
When I noticed my Battalion Commander along with my Platoon Commander approaching me, I immediately dropped my canteen and stood at attention. He waved his hoof dismissively.
"At ease, Private." He said sternly.
Relaxing a bit, I looked at both of them nervously "I-Is there anything I c-can do for you, sir...?"
I watched as he shook his head and sighed "You're Platoon Commander here has told me that you seem a bit...jittery..." he said as he gestures to the stallion beside him.
I shook my head as I tried to put on a brave face, doing my best to stop my hoof from shaking "N-No sir, I-I'm okay sir..."
He shook his head again before taking off his helmet, his look of seriousness morphing into one of sincere "You're not a very good liar, Private, and putting on a brave face ain't going to help either"
With that, my whole body began to shake as I felt my eyes tearing up and my breath becoming shakey and shallow "I-I'm s-sorry sir...I-I know I'm a M-Marine, but...b-but__" I stopped as I felt his hoof land on my shoulder before looking me in the eye, those same eyes reminded me of Pa's when I told him I had a nightmare...
"Private, being in a combat situation and taking somepony's life isn't easy, heck, we've all been there. I remember when I had to do it when I was deployed to the Dragon Islands to capture a canal in '89. It doesn't leave you, even after years of it happening it still doesn't. All you can do is keep on pushing and hope that it doesn't overcome you, if it helps, think of it as saving your team. It was either you or the enemy"
The recent memories of today came flooding back in, but I snapped from my thoughts when I heard my Platoon Commander speak up.
"By the way, if you're wondering what had become of Shell Shock__the pony who was shot while breaching the first building__He was airlifted to Muneighch in Germareny to be treated. He suffered a few broken ribs and some bruises, whoever made our vests deserves a medal"
"A-Alright, that's good to hear..."
"Well Private, I would love to stand here and talk to you all day but I got a lot of shit to do. And by the way, get ready to leave at about 2100 hundred hours. Alright?
"Understood, sir"
Strapping his helmet back on, he looked at me once more before turning and walking away with my Platoon Commander. Looking around, I could see other Marines going to and fro. Some carried supplies and ammo cans while others carried the injured and those who were lost in battle on stretchers, no doubt that their families would mourn and be told that they were heroes.
"Thank Celestia you haven't been turned to swiss cheese Swift, that was really something huh?" I heard Thumbtack say as he sat on a nearby crate, taking out a flask and drinking away "Goes to show, shit really does hit the fan"
I examined his face and noticed a scar on his left cheek, he quickly puts one hoof up "Dont worry man, I was just grazed by a fucking 7.62. You know they can't kill me right?"
I shook my head as I chuckled, I'm just glad he wasn't killed during the cluster fuck of a battle "Heh, I guess so..."
As the sun started to set once again we all gathered all of our equipment, licked our wounds, and got ready to roll out yet again to our next objective. The Army would be coming over to secure the city while us Marines were heading out to fuck up another city up north: Narikhat.
I watched from the Humvee as residents of this city walked around as if nothing had ever happened, we didn't do anything when some would go and loot the stores in the area. Carrying expensive TVs and other things, I was saddened at the thought of some unfortunate camel's source of income being taken while we sat around doing nothing.
"Alright, colts! Time to pack up and leave! The Army will be rolling up to secure and establish order here in the city, time to move on!"
Once we were given the green light, we began to merge onto the main highway that would lead us out of the city and towards the northern parts of this country. On the way, we passed a couple of burnt and ruined vehicles. Both civilian and military alike, heck, I didn't even know they managed to down a couple of our birds during the attack when I saw an Apache tail sticking out of a building along with pieces of its tail rotor and other bits on the road. At least somepony was kind enough to move some of the stuff to the side.
I looked behind me as we drove further away from the city, columns of smoke still rising as it and the landscape around it were painted with violet and pinkish hue. I then took a moment to look at the area around me and enjoy being in a foreign country, it wasn't like back home in Equestria but it still had beauty in its own way. Even if it was plagued with an ongoing war...
At around 2341 hundred hours, we drove off the main road and set up camp for the night. Tents were set up while the vehicles served as a barrier around us, Me and Tack were assigned to take watch at around 1106 hundred hours. I decided to sleep early so that I could have enough energy until somepony else had to take watch...
"Oye, despierta, es nuestro turno de mirar"
I grumbled as I tried to make myself comfortable again "5 more minutes..."
Hearing a snort, I felt something tossed at me. I opened my eyes to see that it was my helmet, I was about to ask what the hell was going on but realized it was my buddy speaking in our language. I guess sleep time is over...
"It's our turn to watch, hurry up" he says quietly as he exits the tent where I was sleeping, I looked at the sleeping pony beside me once more before grumbling again and strapping on my helmet.
"Join the Marines they said, it will be "fun" they said..."
Picking up my rifle, I exit the tent and started to head my way to a Humvee guarding the northwestern section of the camp. There, I encountered Thumbtack talking to two tired ponies who looked grateful for us being there to replace them. After saying our goodbyes they both left leaving me and Tack alone to guard and watch for any Camels trying to sneak up on us.
Everything went well as the sun slowly rose up signaling the start of a new day, everything was put down and packed up as we got ready to leave yet again. Thumbtack took his position on the 50. while I sat below in the passenger seat, I took out a chocolate bar that I hid in my grenade pouch and began to unwrap it. I've been saving it for when I wanted a taste of home.
"This is Bravo Mike leader to all units, we are Oscar Mike"
"Lime Charlie"
The Humvee lurched forward as we continued onto the road, passing by small villages with civies on the side saying things like "Thank you!" or "We are grateful for you Equestrians liberating us!" and other shit like that. We were a few klicks away from the city now, the entire time I felt like I was shaking again as memories of the battle still raged on in my mind. I took out a notebook and started to write a letter to my family, that would keep me distracted enough to forget those terrible thoughts...
Dear, Mom and Dad
I'm still alive so you don't have to worry about me anymore, we are currently en route to our next objective in the city of Narikhat. If there wasn't a war going on here this place would have been fantastic to be in, which brings me to the next thing...
Yesterday in the city of Al Rafeef, I had my first taste of combat...I'm not hurt or anything, just shaken up by the adrenaline rush. We managed to push the enemy out of Al Rafeef though I wouldn't be surprised if they're planning a counter-attack to retake the city, Saddle Horsein is really ramping up the scale on the retaliatory attacks lately from what I heard from the units up in the city of Shareen. By the way, let the Adlers know that Thumbtack is okay, he might have a scar on his cheek when we get back home but he's fine.
Unfortunately, I have to end this since something is going on at the front of the convoy, I promise I'll return home safe and sound. Tell Lilly I said I love her and Alter that her big brother said hi.
With Love, Swift Change.
Narikhat.
Before the war, it was the second largest city in the Camel Republic besides the capital of Baghsire, and it was a major tourist destination like every other city with its own unique sights like the ancient ruins from the time of Mesotrotamia. The locals there were lovely and wholesome while exciting and new places were plentiful in the area, now, the city is a shell of its former self as the building lay in ruins from the numerous shelling from artillery and F-15s releasing their payloads onto strategic areas. Mostly in the industrial areas of the city and buildings where the enemy was hiding
Morale was high after news of us pushing the enemy back and the arrival of troops from the crystal empire, earlier in the day we were ambushed when one of our Humvees broke down and we were spotted at the exact same moment. Nopony was harmed other than the dead Camels, while they were trying to solve the problem with that tin can, I went over and took some stuff like extra magazines for my captured AK and a helmet bearing a familiar red triangle insignia on the side.
"Yo Tack!" I yelled excitedly.
"What?" he yelled back.
"The Camels here were Republican Guard! These guys have those red triangles on their helmets and uniforms!"
"Nice!"
Once the vehicle was fixed, we were on the move once again toward Narikhat. It won't be long until we were thrust again into battle, I wasn't looking forward to it at all. As I looked over my rifle, I overheard something interesting from the radio.
" __ Guys I'm telling you! I feel like we've done this before already! The war, the desert, even the name "Saddle Horsein" seems familiar!"
"This is Bravo Mike-2 to Bravo Mike-5, please shut your ass up and keep your conspiracy theories to yourself"
"Awww man!"
Now that I think about it, everything does seem familiar and thinking about it some more, I'm already getting a sense of deja vu.
"Huh, odd..." I said under my breath.
"This is Bravo Mike leader to all units, we are about to cross the bridge that would lead us into the city. We will be receiving artillery and ariel support from the Crystal Empire, over"
"Roger that Bravo Mike"
As we crossed the bridge, we passed a burning M2 IFV along with a couple of spent casings on the ground. I almost spilled my lunch onto the ground when I saw a pony slumped over a wrecked Humvee with a big exit wound on the back of his head, there was another pony who was sitting against a couple of sandbags and was missing a part of their forearm...
"O-Oh Faust...I think I-I'm going to be s-sick..."
Hearing a mid-range roar overhead, Thumbtack looks up to see a MiG-29 being chased by two Crystal Royal Navy Harriers. We all cheered as it was shot down, watching the burning aircraft plummet to the ground. In the distance, we could hear the boom of artillery sending ordinances into the enemy positions.
"Bravo Mike Leader to Brave Mike 4 and 6! Light those camels up near the end of the bridge with the 50!"
Thumbtack smiles as he racks the receiver on the M2 before letting it roar, sending hot marephis-made lead onto the camels, tearing their defenses up like a slice of cake. The remaining Camels retreated back near the city where more of them were hiding near some fortifications, the enemy returned huge amounts of fire at us. I watched as a humvee near the front tried to back up but ended up rear-ending the one behind it, this was turning into a huge cluster fuck. Things got worse when 3 BMP-1s and a BRDM-2 came into view, the LAVs did their best to try and take them down. We lost one when one of the camels shot a couple of RPG rockets at them.
"Back up! Back up! Faustdamn Camels have BMPs and RPGs! W-We're going to be fucking killed out here!" I heard a panicked voice over the radio, he was probably that NCO I'd heard about.
"Shelldrake-9, this is B4! Adjust fire, over!"
On the outskirts of Narikhat...
"Shelldrake-9, this is B4! Adjust fire, over!"
Perking up, one of the Crystal Ponies rushed up to a radio sitting on a barrel to respond "B4, this is Shelldrake-9 adjust fire, out"
Looking at the Ponies of the Royal Regiment of Artillery's 16th Regt Ra, he yells over to them "Alright Gents! Get the gun ready!"
As soon as he says that, everypony quickly got into position, ready to hammer the enemy with 3 FH70 Howitzers.
"Grid ES 573 645, over!"
"Grid ES 573 645, out" he replies before relaying the grid coordinates "Grid ES 574 645!"
Nodding, they quickly raised the barrel on all 3 howitzers at a certain angle.
"3 BMP-1s, 1 BRDM-2, and 18 enemy infantry in the open, over!"
"3 BMP-1s, 1 BRDM-2, and 18 enemy infantry in the open, out"
'they are really in shits!' he thought as he receives another transmission "R, F, M982 in effect, 6 rounds, over!"
"R, F, M982 in effect, 6 rounds, out!"
BOOM!
All three 155mm howitzers released a mighty boom as they sent M982 shells into the sky and toward their designated target.
"R, F, M982 in effect, 6 rounds, out!"
I watched as all four armored vehicles as well as any troops nearby were sent to hell, the turret from one of the BMPs was sent up into the sky before landing back down near the three flaming wrecks. The remaining force retreated back into the city where they'd probably set up their last stand as we broke through their defenses.
"Shelldrake-9. this is B4, end of mission: 3 BMP-1s and 1 BRDM-2 have been destroyed, estimate 16 casualties, over."
B4. this is Shelldrake 9, end of mission: 3 BMP-1s and 1 BRDM-2 have been destroyed, estimate 16 casualties, out."
"Yeah, baby! That was fucking nuts!" I heard Thumbtack say excitedly, we all nodded in agreement as we continued with the mission. As we went, a couple of Republican guards along with civilians picking up arms against us tried putting up a fight, but, like the rest, they were quickly cut down when the 50. sent a couple burst their way.
Once we dismounted from our Humvees, we again went building to building to clear out any hostile camels who wanted to stay and disrupt our operation. In one building, we encountered a wounded enemy soldier who appeared to have been shot in the leg, he was still clutching his AK although when he saw us he quickly dropped it and surrendered. He was later taken to be treated and interrogated for intel. Later on, though, we were not so lucky...
"انهم هنا!"
"من أجل الجمهورية! لإخواننا! اقتلهم!"
"Fuck me! I fucking hate doing this shit!" I yelled as I hid behind a car riddled with bullet holes, I could hear the bullets striking the car as they continued firing at my location. Thumbtack and the others were trying their best to hold them off with their M16s and M249s, I saw one pony trying to get up to toss a grenade but was quickly gunned down. My eyes widen as I saw the grenade fall out of his hoof without the pin.
"FUCK! GRENADE __ "
BOOM!
I closed my eyes shut as dust and other debris were thrown into the air, when the dust settled I looked and saw that anypony that was within the blast radius was either dead or injured by shrapnel. My heart dropped when I saw Thumbtack lying on the ground among the fallen, hearing him groan in pain made me wanna kill anypony who wanted to hurt my friend.
"Swift! Get your head in the fucking game and fire! Dont worry about your friend, focus on the motherfuckers who did this"
It felt like something snapped in me, loading a fresh mag into my rifle, I then peaked over and let out a couple of bursts. I managed to hit some on the ground as well as others who were hiding in the building and shooting out through the windows. I watched as one camel who I shot up with 5.56 multiple times fall from the third story and onto the ground with a thud. I then rushed over to a pile of rubble before wasting two more camels, now that I was close enough, I took two grenades from my pouch and threw them through a window which caused those who were hiding out to panic.
"قنبلة يدوية__!"
BOOM!
Dropping my M16 on the ground, I then picked up a shotgun that was conveniently lying on the ground and rushed inside the building alone. The angered commands of my squad leader faded away as I entered the building, as soon as I saw a couple of dazed Republican Guards I quickly put them down with a 12 gauge. Racking the slide down and ejecting the shell, I cleared the first floor quickly before making my way upstairs, I passed a couple of bodies as I search for my next target.
"Bingo..." I said coldly as I spotted another camel trying to unjam his AK, I raised the barrel at him before pulling the trigger, the force of the shotgun kicking back into my shoulder as he was sent flat onto the ground. Another threw his gun onto the floor before raising his hooves in the air, but before I could waste that motherfucker, somepony from behind grabbed my gun and made me shoot up into the ceiling.
"PRIVATE FIRST CLASS SWIFT! WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?"
Looking behind me, I saw my squad leaders face an inch away from mines, he was very pissed off at me.
"WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO STORM IN BY YOURSELF? WHO IN THE FUCK GAVE YOU THAT COMMAND!?" He yells as he pulls me close to him, I quickly dropped the shotgun in my hooves as my adrenaline boost is quickly replaced with fear.
"I-I'm sorry, s-sir..." I said weakly, I looked over at the camel who was looking at us both in fear and confusion.
Letting me go, he scoffs before looking at the camel and then at me "You are damn lucky I ain't going to court martial your ass for this! But pull this shit off again, and I will personally give you something worse than that, do you understand?"
"Y-Yes sir..."
"Good" He then looks over at the camel who is still staring at the both of us in confusion "While you're at it, detain this one and take him back for questioning"
Nodding silently, I walked over to him and felt him tense up as I took him downstairs. He gulped as we went outside and towards a group of crystal ponies standing near two Land Rovers, some were wearing MK6 helmets while others had green berets. The guns they had were either SA80s or L1A1s, they soon noticed us approaching them.
"We'll take him from here," He said with a smile as he motions for two to take him away.
After hoofing over the captured camel, I soon returned to my squad as we breach and cleared more houses. Going deeper and deeper into the city, the gunfire grew in intensity as we got close to the center of this place. I later got word that Thumbtack was taken to be treated at a hospital in Germareny, he only sustained minor injuries so he should be able to get back into the fight soon.
As we began to breach into the next house, we entered what looks like the living room of the building. Quietly, and cautiously, we searched throughout the house for any hostiles hiding out. After clearing out every room in the building, we stumbled upon a door that lead to a basement of sorts. Opening the door, we turned on our flashlights and began to travel down the steps and into the basement with my battle buddies watching my back.
"يبتعد! لا نريدك هنا!"
Looking over at where I heard the voice, I was quickly met with a vase being tossed at me. I quickly dodged it and watched as it shattered against the wall behind me, shining my flashlight at the direction the voice and vase came from, I saw a frightened family of 4. The husband from what I could guess was standing in front of them while I'm presuming his wife and kids were hiding behind him, he was looking in our direction, visibly angry at us standing in his home uninvited.
"أيها الجندي إذهب بعيداً! لا نريدك هنا!"
"Why are there still fucking civies here in the middle of a warzone? don't they know could have been killed?" I heard one of my squadmates say, clearly frustrated.
"اترك منزلنا ودعنا نكون!"
"Can somepony translate what the fuck he's saying?" I said, lowering my rifle into a low-ready position, my squad leader approached the family and spoke to them in their language. Words were exchanged until finally, he shook his head before looking back at us.
"These Camels are stubborn, they ain't leaving. According to them, it is very disrespectful to leave their homes and let them be occupied by another pony" he then sighed before shaking his head again "It's best if we leave well enough alone, we have a mission to continue and we can't waste time arguing with them"
He takes one last look over at the family before motioning us to walk back up the stairs, since I was the last to leave, I reached into my pack and took out an MRE. I tossed it over to the father to which he looked at me in confusion, I gave him a silent nod as I made my way up with the rest of my squad.
The fighting had started to quell down when we got outside, we later got word that the city of Narikhat had been successfully captured alongside the Royal Marines of the Crystal Empire. The enemy forces had retreated leaving some equipment and troops who were still stuck in the city, the fighting isn't over but at least we were still showing progress in the invasion.
As we drove through the city, multiple bodies dressed in both civilian and camel ground force were covered over with a tarp or anything else that was available. I watched from the Humvee as the flags of the Camel Republic were taken down and replaced with the Equestrian flag. Some Equestrian diplomats along with a translator were sent here to win the "hearts and minds" of the city to prevent any insurgency from popping up by listening to their needs like medical aid and water supply. Aid stations were set up and tanker trucks carrying water arrived in the city.
I smiled as I watched a couple of Marines playing soccer with some of the locals, they were all having a good time despite the destruction and death brought on by the previous battle. Our Battalion Commander later briefed us about our next objective, apparently, we'll be heading out again to capture an airfield out west. We were advised to go off-road since the camels wanted to be a pain in the flank and had the roads leading to the airfield blasted to high hell by artillery and ambush points were set up, we learned it the hard way when friendly units were caught off guard and ambushed on their way to the airfield. At least we'll be getting support from the EQAF 11th Fighter Wing...
As we drove out of the city, I took out a cassette player that I hid in my buttpack along with a small selection of cassette tapes. Putting the headphones on, I played one of the tapes that I had chosen to listen . Bopping my head to the beat as I watched the sun start to set over the landscape once again.
The Checkpoint and The Car
"Faust it's hot!" I said as I took off my blouse, Almond Rock sat down against the parked Humvee as he pours water onto himself. Our convoy had stopped outside a village to set up a checkpoint, most of our armored support had been rerouted earlier to help out friendly forces in Donlikit. And from what I heard on the radio, it wasn't sounding too good.
"Delta Foxtrot, what is your status? Over"
"This is Delta Foxtrot! The city is full of hostiles! I got two whole squads pinned down and isolated from us! We have 12 confirmed KIAs and 2 MIAs! I need immediate support __ "
A couple of shots rang out as the gunfire in the background grew louder, we then heard the sound of a bullet striking metal and a yelp in pain.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! My radioman just got hit!"
Sighing, I got up and made my way over to where Ivory and a bunch of others were gathered around a woodland-colored humvee. He face hoofed before shaking his head, it seemed the others had shared the same thought.
"Hey Serge, something up?" I asked, I watched as he looked at me with a tired face.
"We...have been assigned a new mission"
"And what's that?"
Taking his helmet off, he sets it down on the hood of the Humvee right next to a map "The plan to take the Airfield has been put on hold, our new assignment now is to establish a "diplomatic" relationship with the locals of this land along with gathering intel. Of course, this sounds like a job for the Army's Civil Affairs unit to handle since this sort of stuff is right up their alley, but I guess helping a shepherd find his lost sheep is more important than taking a strategic enemy airfield that has been hammering both ground and air units recently"
Speaking of air units, we both looked up just in time to see 2 Bell AH-1Z Vipers fly overhead toward an unknown destination.
"Where do you reckon they're going?" I asked, using my left hoof to shield my eyes from the sun's glare as I watched the two Vipers fly out into the distance.
"Probably to help out Delta Foxtrot, meanwhile we have a whole battalion ready to help but instead get told to stand by...for fuck sake, makes you question who the dumb fuck is planning all this shit__"
"Is there something wrong with your current assignment, Sergeant Ivory?"
Behind Ivory stood the Lieutenant Colonel, looking at him emotionless. I swore I saw Ivory gulp as he and I quickly gave a salute, LtCol motioned us to put our hooves down as he looks at both of us.
"So, do you have a problem with your objective?"
"No sir!" Me and Ivory said in unison.
Brass Star, from what the name tape said on his digital desert blouse, looked at both of us before nodding and going on his way. Me and Ivory looked at each other before going our separate way, I went back to where Almond was trying to light up a cigarette.
"Hey, you got a light on ya?" He asked as he discarded his lighter.
I shook my head "Sorry dude, I dont smoke"
"Fucking great..." Putting away his cigarette, he got up and went out searching for somepony with a functioning lighter. Now that I was alone again, I thought I was gonna be bored out of my mind until a light bulb lit up, I then took out my trusty notebook and pencil and began drawing.
'At least this should help pass the time and take my mind off that hot faustdamn sun'
Nothing much happened at our little checkpoint as time flew by, a water tanker came by earlier to provide water for the locals of the village, they're a bit still wary of our presence though I'm sure they're glad clean drinking water is being provided as well as other needs. As I sat against some sandbags with a can of 'tear-it' energy drink, I saw two ponies approach me in full kit.
"Hey, you're Swift Change, right?" one of them, a pegasus mare, asked.
"Yup, the one and only," I said as I stood up, dusting the sand off of my trousers and sipping the last bits of my drink.
The other, an earth pony stallion, spoke up "Looks like you'll be with us on patrol."
"Lucky me, just let me get my gear first, alright?"
They nodded before we parted ways, I got my vest on as well as my helmet before picking up my rifle, still wearing my coyote brown T-shirt. I met the two at the front of the checkpoint who were talking with each other, once the chatter stopped, all three of us made our way out on patrol.
It didn't take long for bags to appear under my eye, even though the sun is down, I was still sweating a bit underneath my vest. The others weren't doing so hot either, we were all tired to high hell despite our task being to literally just walked around the checkpoint perimeter to make sure nopony would sneak up and kill us all.
Although small talk was made, the feeling in the air was awkward and we kept silent. There wasn't much to talk about, what with the "liberation" going on and camels out there trying to kill us. I layed down on my belly, armed with my rifle as we stopped to take a little break and made sure we didn't miss anything before moving on. My ears perked up as I heard the sound of something being unwrapped, turning around, I panicked as I saw what was in Orchid Mill's hooves.
Orchid, the pegasus mare on patrol with us, was trying to open a stick of 'Allures Assorted Circles.' Acting fast, I snatched the candy out of her hooves, and against her protest, I threw it far out into the desert.
"Wha...? Why did you do that!" Orchid asked in confusion and anger.
"Uh, are you fucking stupid? You wanna test your fucking fate?" I said in a whisper as I frantically scoped our surroundings.
"Do you have something against candy?"
After a couple of minutes flew by, I breathed a sigh of relief as I turned back to her "I dont know if you've been told this before, but that candy is super bad luck. Call it superstition if you'd like, I dont trust them one bit..."
Rolling her eyes, she huffs as she takes out a bar of chocolate. What I said is true about the candy, I once heard the story from a pony who also heard it from another pony that anypony who ate or even had that candy in their position, was bound to get super bad luck. Since we're out here in the desert, I did not want to get sent back home in a box.
Turning to my right, I watched as Rapid Vision peered down the scope on his M14. Scanning the desert landscape for any hostiles, I tried to offer him an energy bar that I had in a grenade pouch though he shook his head silently.
As time went on, I found myself growing both bored and tired by the minute, the others felt the same way too. By the time shift change came around, I was already ready to collapse onto the ground and sleep the entirety of tonight and tomorrow. I said my farewell to Orchid and Rapid as I made my way to one of the parked Humvees where I had left my standard-issued seabag.
Using it as a pillow, I laid my head down as I started to think about things like my family, my marefriend, and my best friend Thumbtack. From what I heard, he's recovering well after receiving shrapnel from that blast in Narikhat. I shook my head as I rid myself of those memories, how I went AWOL and killed those camels...
'Don't think about it, think about something else...'
Adjusting into a comfortable position, I let my tired body rest as sleep took hold of my consciousness. Dozing off on the rough duffle bag pillow, inside this crappy tin can, in the middle of nowhere...
Waking up the next morning, I carried out the usual routine that I had grown used to back in boot camp: wake up, brush my teeth, and exercise. After running around the place a few times, I downed my canteen before getting out the brown packaging of good ol' MRE.
"Bleh, not this rancid shit again..." I muttered as I looked over the title of the MRE: "Menu 13. Cheese Tortellini Vegetarian"
Eating it without having the urge of puking was hard, but nonetheless, I pushed on. Finishing up the vile meal, I got my helmet, flak vest, and ALICE web set on and made my way to the front of the checkpoint which faced away from the village. There, I met the same ponies from yesterday alongside Almond and Ivory. Orchid and Rapid waved at me while Almond and Ivory simply nodded or didn't care less, after talking to them a bit, they said their goodbyes and left. Leaving only me, Orchid, and of course, Rapid, to guard the checkpoint.
As the day went on, nothing exciting happened besides the occasional M927 cargo trucks carrying ammo or supplies and woodland-painted AAVP. I was starting to think nothing would happen today until I noticed troops getting into defensive positions, confused, I looked in the direction where their rifles were pointed to see a white Civic making its way down the road toward us.
Hearing the sounds of several charging handles being pulled, I see Ivory step up in front with a microphone in his hoof.
"Halt! Stop your vehicle and step away from the wheel!" his voice boomed, and a translation of the same message followed, courtesy of our translator.
"توقف! أوقف مركبتك وابتعد عن عجلة القيادة!
The car slowed to a stop, tensions were high as minutes began to pass. Finally, the car reversed before quickly making a U-turn and returning the way it came from. Everypony breathed a huge sigh of relief before resuming back to their duties as if nothing happened, we've all heard stories of suicide car bombers where an unknown vehicle would charge at an outpost or convoy only to explode and take the lives of nearby troops. Even the thought of such a thing happening to us sent chills down my spine.
After the whole ordeal and tensions beginning to calm down a bit, we heard the news of the Equestrian public opinion and what they think about this whole "liberation" operation. While some, like the nobles up in Canterlot, are supportive of the takeover of this "barbaric land" and focusing on boosting their profits in the future. Most ponies living in remote or rural areas were against the idea of sending Equestrian troops to fight, they had gathered in cities like Manehattan or Fillydelphia to protest the war. Pictures of ponies holding signs like "This Is Not Our War!" and "Bring Our Troops Home!" began to spread like wildfire in newspapers and on TV.
Besides that, we had also gotten word of a reporter being embedded into our battalion. Of course, that didn't go well among the troops since the idea of having a reporter with us would slow us down, there's also the chance of none stop questions and them being annoying the entire time which would be a pain in the flank.
Having nothing to do at the moment, I decided to take a little trip into the village. I left my rifle, helmet, and vest back at the checkpoint and only took a tri-colored boonie hat and my M1911 service pistol. Of course, I couldn't go alone since there could be a chance some angry camel could up and shoot me point blank (chances of that happening is low, but never 0) so I decided to invite Almond as my temporary battle buddy.
It was a short walk until we were outside of the village, entering, we were soon met with stares by the local inhabitants. Some looked at us with curiosity, others stayed at a distance in fear. The children nearby came to us, unafraid at the fact that we were Equestrian Marines who could fuck up somepony's day at a moment's notice, they would pick a part and ask us questions about our gear. I smiled as I placed my boonie on top of one of their heads.
"Can I keep?" asked the bull calf, he looked up at me as he now held the hat in his hooves.
I nodded with the smile still present on my face, the calf then said something that I couldn't understand before running away from the group. Presumably to his home so he could tell his amazing story to his parents.
As the sun began to descend, Almond and I decided that it would be best to head on back to the checkpoint, earning disappointing 'awww's' from the group.
"I say today has gone surprisingly well," I said as we walked back "home."
"I gotta agree with ya dude, what I would give for days like this without the chances of somepony shooting my flank off" Almond said, letting out a small yawn.
"Tired?" I asked.
"Oh yeah, brother. Who knew talking would tire you out? I still can't believe you let one of them keep your boonie."
I chuckled as the recent memory played on in my head "Yeah yeah, I could always get another or "tactically acquire" one"
Although the war has been a pain in the flank, I could see myself living here with my marefriend. It would certainly be better than sleeping on a rough duffle bag in a hot Humvee.
When we got back to the checkpoint, we noticed that something wasn't right. Nopony was around and it looked like they had gotten up in a hurry. However, before Almond could say anything, we heard the familiar burst of an M16A4 going off. Rushing towards the front, we saw everypony in a defensive position with one stallion up on top of a humvee and armed with an M2 machine gun.
"HALT! THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING! STOP YOUR VEHICLE AND STEP AWAY FROM THE WHEEL!"
"وقف! هذا هو التحذير الأخير الخاص بك! أوقف سيارتك وابتعد عن العجلة"
Looking over at what everypony's guns were aimed at, I could see a red 1997 patrol speeding up toward us. I watched as Ivory, who I was currently with, sighed sadly before looking over at the M2 gunner and giving him a nod. The gunner took this as a signal before racking the charging handle of the machine gun.
I covered my ears as the M2 let out a loud roar, firing several rounds of .50 cal at the vehicle. The car swerved left and right as it dangerously approached us, and despite it being peppered round after round, it still didn't stop as it got closer and closer. Realizing what was about to happen, I, alongside Ivory and others, took cover behind sandbags and Hesco bastion as the car finally made impact.
With a deafening 'BOOM!', dust and other debris were thrown into the air as the car bomb went off. Once everything cleared, I could hear nothing but ringing in my ears as I watched corpsmen and other medical team rush on by to help anypony who was injured. Getting up shakily, I looked over at the damage that was caused and almost puked.
Near the flaming wreckage of what was once a car, bodies of ponies who weren't so lucky were spread throughout the impact sight alongside those who barely survived this. I watched those carried on stretchers who had injuries ranging from shrapnel and burn wounds to almost losing a limb entirely, I spotted Almond who was sitting against some wooden supply crates and being tended to by a medic. His clothes were tattered and bloodied.
One of the medics to came to check on me and Ivory, once they had left to go check up on others, Ivory left to go help out. Now alone, I sat down and watched as the smoke rise up into the sky. Never in my life would I imagine being in a situation like this, lives were taken today by just one camel in a car. I was scared. Very scared. And I wanted to go home.
Looking away from the destruction , I stare off into the sunset as everything slowly faded away.
I wanna go home, I dont like this.
Author's Note
Sorry this took long, although I wanted this chapter (along with others in the future) to be longer (I'm probably doing a bad job lmao), this is going to have to suffice for now.
The song, La Casa Del Sol Nacinte by Los Juniors, does not belong to me. But other than that, I will hopefully work on making longer chapters so that it doesn't feel like I'm rushing it.
