Chapters "Ambush!" Moore shouted as he turned, firing his weapon in the way of the gunfire. He already knew what he was fighting. The aliens. They were here. Somehow, those monstrosities had made it to Equestria, but they sure as heck weren't going to make a mess of it like they did Earth. Sparks of orange flew past his face as the hostiles fire back, and Moore rushed behind a tree.
"Jack, help set up a perimeter! We need to find out where these guys are!" He shouted as he pressed his back against the tree, just as a bullet whizzed by. The SAS operator, Predator, instantly took action, ducking behind a tree.
"Apex! Get a flashbang out 'there! We need ta' buy us some time!" He shouted as he popped from the side of the tree. Firing his weapon, Moore looked over to the one Predator had called Apex, seeing him sprint from tree to tree, easily avoiding gunfire as though it were traveling slowly. Apex placed his weapon aside a moment, messing with something in his hands. Moore recognized it as a flashbang, and turned his head away. Hearing a loud burst, along with some loud screeches, he looked over, seeing several alien forms rearing back in pain. The ones that hadn't been hit fell back behind cover, instead of still firing. Moore growled in anger as he came to recognition. It had been a long time since he had fought something that was smart. Other than reality training with the SRTF, he hadn't gone up against a smart creature that actually was experienced with war for quite some time now, so this would be a hard fight. One of the SAS operators, Swift, instantly took cover behind a tree, and started firing as well. Frank quickly mounted up his LMG and readied himself, getting into a steady position as Jacob followed Moore's lead.
"Frank, give us some cover, we need to gain as much ground as we can!" Moore shouted as he dropped an empty mag, instantly slamming in a new one. Predator looked over to Moore, as did Moore to him. He covers his head as an explosion sent bark and debris flying past them. A piece of bark dug into his hand, which was still covered by his combat gloves, therefore only getting a slight rip of the fabric. Predator groaned, and ordered Swift to move up and provide cover for Apex.
"These bloody yanks have been following us for three days now!" He said as he covered his head from another explosion. Turning his head backwards, he points to one of his men.
"Kestrel! Get Bloodhound out of here! Archer, grab his MP7 and get the heck out here!" He shouts as he pops out and fires his weapon again. Moore reaches to his side, and grabs one of his grenades, pulling the pin. As it gives out it's clinking noise, Moore throws the grenade down, past the SAS operators.
"Frag out!" He shouts. Just as quickly as Moore threw his grenade, another bullet whizzes by him, nearly hitting him. Backing away, he slammed his back against the tree, breathing heavily as he made sure that he wasn't hit. He heard Rainbow barking out orders to her team, seeming to be anxious to join in this fight. If only she knew what she was in for this time. As opposed to the Rangers, they had never fought anything that was intelligent, save for their ancestors long ago.
"Rainbow, don't engage them head on! I need you to sneak around and flank them! Jacob cover 'em!" He shouted as he popped back out, firing more rounds before the alien fire forced him back behind the tree.
"Will do sir!" Jacob said as he made his way over to Rainbow's squad, firing in short bursts as he went. Moore quickly popped back out, rushing forward to the next few trees. Rushing the enemy would force them to give up territory, or at the very least, make them more weary of their opponent. To his right, Swift was firing away with what looked like an SMG, before pulling back behind the tree again. Another explosion went off in front of them, throwing dirt over them.
"Do these dirt bags ever run out of grenades?" Swift shouted angrily as he shook his head. Ignoring his comment, Moore popped out from behind the tree again, firing away. A distinct clicking noise filled his ears, informing him of his empty magazine. Mumbling, he took cover behind the tree again, before dropping it out of his weapon.
"John, I'm seeing two... no three more waves of aliens moving in on your position!" He heard Derek shout into his radio, followed by a shout of someone needing cover due to reloading. Moore grit his teeth as he slammed a fresh magazine into his weapon, then replied to Derek's shout.
"Are you kidding me? How can there already be so many here?" He shouted as another explosion rocked the ground, making Moore off balance. Behind him, he could see Predator moving up with Apex, Kestrel, and Frank. Archer, on the other hand, was positioning his sniper on top of a rock, aiming down the battlefield. The sudden kick from his weapon gave the impression that he had fired.
"Jack, Jacob, where's that ambush?" Moore asked with irritation in his voice. Popping back out, he fired three shots, then ducked back behind the tree. Soon after, Moore got his response.
"These guys are everywhere! It's like a new one shows up the second we take one down!" The radio blared as someone cries out for cover. Looking back to the fight, Moore saw Frank reloading, with Predator and Apex each firing their respective weapons.
"Tossing smoke!" Apex shouted, pulling the pin from a canister. He chucked it far down into the forest, where it burst into a large grey puff.
"Counterattack into the smoke! Push! Push! Push!" Predator shouted as he abandoned his cover, firing his weapon into it. Moore ducked behind the tree one more time, making sure he had a bullet in his chamber. Once he did, he looked over to Frank, ordering him to move up.
"Team we're moving up, watch your fire!" Moore shouted into his radio, firing steady three round bursts in a steady walk. He began to hear various grunts and mixed speech, most likely from the aliens. It sounded panicked, as though they were overwhelmed.
"They're retreating keep going!" Moore shouted as a steady clicking noise warned him of the condition of his magazine. With a press of the button, it dropped to the ground, which was quickly drowned out by the other noises around them.
"WOOHOO! PONY POWER!" He heard in a familiar voice, knowing that it was close by. Moore couldn't suppress a smile. As the smoke steadily cleared, the images of the aliens falling back grew clearer, and Moore ordered his troops to stand down. Despite some hesitance, Predator ultimately called off his troops as well.
"Fight's over, anyone hit?" Moore asked as he lowered his weapon.
"I took a shot to the shoulder, but it should be fine." Jack said with a groan of pain. Blood was slowly dripping down his combat attire, despite his efforts to cover it up with his hand. To the right, Rainbow was pumping her hoof in the air victoriously, whooping out loud as her troops gave out their battle cry. Frank had taken a bullet in the shoulder as well, but it wasn't serious.
"Guess that was why you were so on edge?" Moore asked as he rested his gun on his shoulder. The SAS leader looked over to him, nodding as he patted one of his men on the shoulder. The one he had called Kestrel was bleeding from his arm, although the wound wasn't large enough to be a bullet wound. More likely, it was a piece of debris that had cut his arm.
"You could say that, bloody yanks nearly killed one of my guys. Would have to if I hadn't stepped in." He said as he stood.
"John, there were way too many aliens for that to be a first time squad, they've been here before. I don't know how long ago, but there's definitely more that came here before those ones." Derek said into the radio, making Moore freeze. What? That couldn't be right, how would the aliens have been in Equestria without the Princesses or him finding out?
A/N To make this story as good as it can be, I've gotten two editors to check out each chapter of this story before I upload it. One of which is actually current Military Police. Hope you guys enjoy. Shout outs to DatMerc and Sgt. Sporky. Thank you so much guys.
Moore proceeded slowly, trying to avoid the stares of all of the ponies around him. All of them had been staring at the SAS soldiers that had come with them into town, searching for medical assistance. Of course, they were a lot different than the Rangers, and were in fact the same color the Chaos Bringers had been. This didn't mean they couldn't be trusted, of course, but chances were the ponies would be a little cautious about welcoming the new humans to Equestria. Moore could hear various murmurs and whispers throughout the crowd, almost all of them having something to do with what these humans were doing here. Although some had to do with the injuries from Frank and Jack.
"How much farther? I don't like the looks these ponies are givin' me." Predator said from behind. Looking back, Moore could see the SAS soldiers looking around with confusion, no doubt pondering what they were doing in a land of talking ponies.
"Not much farther. The castle is just up ahead." Moore said as he came up on the gate to the castle. Several guards stood posted in front, their stoic expressions changing very little as they laid eyes on Moore and his team. They offered their greetings, but quickly took notice of the SAS troops that were behind them. Surely enough, the guards seemed suspicious of them, and asked whether or not they were friendly.
"They're friendly soldier, don't worry." Moore said with a reassuring tone. The guards observed them for a few more minutes, then nodded and opened the gates. Predator entered along side Moore, although he was in a position that indicated alertness, rather than relief.
"Stay sharp." He said, most likely talking to his troops. Moore frowned and shook his head. These SAS troops didn't seem to get that there was nothing to fear from the ponies. They were allies, not threats. Rainbow flew ahead, making her way to the main door of the castle along with her squad. As they landed, Moore broke into a slow jog, trying to get to the entrance as soon as he could. The matter of the aliens had to be discussed, and the sooner that the matter could be dealt with, the better. The doors gently opened, revealing the majestic halls inside of the castle. Several guards were walking through the main lobby, patrolling and inspecting various areas to make sure everything was in order. By this point they had learned to ignore the numerous comings and goings of Moore and the others, so they didn't even so much as look their way. At the top of the stair way was Twilight, who instantly sprung up and rushed over to the approaching soldiers.
"You're back! How did it go?" She asked as she came to a halt in front of him.
"Some things happened that need to be discussed right away. Can you get the Princesses?" Moore asked as he stepped aside, revealing an injured Jack and Frank along with the SAS troops. Upon seeing the unconscious Bloodhound on what looked like Kestrel's shoulders, Twilight's eyes grew wide, shocked by what she was seeing. Moore had to get her attention by calling her name before she gave him an answer. As she went to get the princesses, the rest of Moore's team and the SAS stepped inside of the castle.
"Where can we set Bloodhound?" Kestrel asked as he stepped inside. Predator and Swift kept their guns at the ready, looking around the castle as though something would jump out at them at any moment. Moore shook his head.
"Don't worry about it Archer. Just make sure he's breathin' and he'll be fine." Predator said as he looked at one of the decorative windows on the side of the castle. Moore looked up towards the stairwell as he made a mental note of what Archer sounded like, so he wouldn't mix up and Kestrel again. The guards noticed the new sounding voices, and turned to face Moore's direction. Their stares ranged from confusion to mistrust, and all seemed unsure about the soldiers.
"At ease, they're friendlies." Moore said with a raised hand. Some of the guards continued staring cautiously, but went back to patrolling. Looking up, he saw Princess Celestia walking down the stairs, with Princess Luna right behind her. Celestia looked over to Moore and smiled, while Luna seemed to be focused on the new SAS members.
"Greetings Staff Sergeant. I see you have returned." The Princess said as she came to a halt at the top of the stairway. Looking behind him, the Princess noticed the new humans, and smiled at them as well.
"You have found the new arrivals. Are they members of your team as well?" She asked calmly. Moore shook his head.
"No. Now... I have some troubling news..." He started to say, but was interrupted when Luna asked where the missing guards and soldiers were.
"That's what it's about. I'm pretty sure I know what happened to them." Moore said calmly. There was a very dark, almost grim tone to his voice, and this alone made Luna worried. She stepped forward, now right next to her elder sister. Princess Celestia's smile had vanished, now replaced with a concerned frown.
"Alright... I hate to be the one to break this little meeting, but what's going on here?" Predator asked as he lowered his weapon, no longer at a battle ready stance. Instead, he gave off the sense of being annoyed, and somewhat irritated that he wasn't being informed of what was going on.
"This is Princess Celestia. She rules over Equestria, the land you are in." Moore said calmly.
"The pony next to her is Princess Luna, her sister. She rules alongside her." He said as he turned back to face the Princesses, who were still awaiting his news. Moore hesitated a moment, looking down at the ground. He wasn't sure how he was going to word the information. The tiled floor beneath him sparkled in from the light of the chandelier, almost a complete contrast to the mood of his news. Sighing, Moore looked back up and eyed the Princesses. At this time, Twilight had come down as well, and was standing next to Princess Celestia.
"Chances are they have been killed." He said with a serious tone, causing Celestia to become wide eyed, while Luna seemed to become slightly distraught. Twilight was shocked as well, as she gasped quietly. Shaking her head, Celestia stepped forward.
"How? They have been trained to take down even the most ferocious of manticores, how could they have been defeated?" The Princess asked. Derek stepped up, now right beside Moore.
"It's not the manticores that got to them." He said with a slow, cautious tone. "Or any wildlife for that matter." The Princesses looked at each other, Celestia carrying worry while Luna had concern on her face. Twilight stepped forward, gently walking down the steps as to get to Moore.
"So... What got them?" She asked with a fearful tone. Looking down, Moore could see Twilight with a genuinely concerned face, clearly frightened by what he was telling them. Looking over to Derek, he non-verbally asked him if he should tell them about what was happening back on Earth. His second in command nodded, and Moore looked behind him to the rest of his squad. Each one nodded gave their agreements.
"They need to know." Jacob said reassuringly.
"Know what?" Princess Celestia asked. Moore looked back over to the Princesses, and took in a deep breath as he prepared to tell their story.
"Before we were teleported here three years ago, our world was under attack by alien invaders. That's why we were equipped with our weapons and gear when we got here. We were already fighting for the survival of our own home." He explained. Princess Celestia nodded, and placed her hoof to her chin. Luna nervously stepped forward, although she appeared conflicted.
"And... You think that THEY are the ones that killed our guards? And the task force?" She asked, her voice trembling slightly. Moore paused for a moment, but nodded nonetheless. Luna shook her head, mumbling something to herself. Celestia lowered her hoof, and stared at Moore as she asked her next question.
"Why are they here? What reason do they have for coming to Equestria?" Before Moore could answer, Predator stepped forward.
"Same reason they're attacking Earth. To colonize." He said with a grim tone. Celestia stepped back, shocked by what he said. Luna gasped, and looked to her sister with worry in her eyes. Twilight also took the news badly, as she backed away and began to shake her head. Before anyone could speak again, Predator continued.
"During our years of combat against em', we collected intel on their strategies, their soldiers, their armor, their weapons... but most importantly, their motives." He said. Moore couldn't believe it. Back when he was still fighting, they knew absolutely nothing about the aliens, except that all the movies and books were completely wrong about them. Their tech was the same as the human's in a way, bullets, rockets, grenades, etc., but in a way, it was more advanced. Predator continued.
"Their world is overcrowded, there's too many of them to sustain life there anymore. They don't have the resources, nor the land to keep them alive. So now they're looking for more planets to move their race to. And when you colonize an area... You wipe out anything that's already there." He said. Celestia shook her head, horrified by what Predator had just told her. Moore simply stood there, his head staring down at his now folded arms.
"But... How did they get here without us noticing? We've been monitoring for new humans, wouldn't these aliens have shown up too?" Twilight asked, with genuine horror on her face.
"Same way they got to Earth without us noticing. They used stealth fighters. Strange planes that can completely vanish, go invisible to the naked eye." He said, as he crossed his arms as well. His weapon now dangled from his side, like Moore's.
"But that doesn't make any sense... How could that be true? They have no idea where Equestria is. Heck, I don't even know where it is in relation to Earth!" Moore demanded, his voice genuine with anger. Moore couldn't stand the thought of losing another world to these monsters, and the idea itself was to horrifying to think about.
"New tech. They created a weapon that can scan and detect any hostile forces. Even ships that were flying around in space were equipped with it. The yanks must have picked up your trail and landed here." Apex said as he stepped forward, standing right beside his leader.
"That's when we really started taking heavy losses. You think what you saw was bad? You should see the body count now." Archer said from across the way. Looking over, Moore could see that he had placed Bloodhound on one of the couches along the edge of the castle, and was now administering first aid. Moore turned back to the Princesses, and saw that Predator had now stepped up even closer to the Princesses, who were staring wide eyed at the SAS troop.
"Whether you like it or not, those aliens are here now. And they will be looking for blood. They will kill, and kill, and kill until nothing is left. War is coming, and you will need to be ready when it happens."
Moore looked through the secret archives, searching for anything that could be of use. Even the Princesses had no memory of an alien invasion, but that didn't mean that one didn't happen. He read through book after book, not finding anything even remotely close to what he was hoping to find. Princess Celestia was standing behind him, frowning as he continued to look.
"Staff Sergeant, I understand that this is hard for you to hear, but this is the first time we have dealt with this. Aliens have never before attacked Equestria." She said, no emotions distinguishable in her voice. Moore turned to look at her, seeing was seemed to be regret across her face. Moore growled and slammed his fist into the bookshelves, causing a few books on the shelves to shake. He brought his hand to his head, rubbing the back of it as he began to pace the room. There was nothing that could help him here. He had been clueless on what to do at home, and he was still clueless as to what to do now. The Aliens had killed more Americans in two days since arriving on Earth than the Taliban had in two months of them being in Iraq. And that was against war-hardened veterans. Now they were fighting against soldiers who had only fought unintelligent beings, not nearly on the same caliber as the humans. Moore shook his head as he looked back at the Princess, unsure of what to think of his situation.
"There is nothing you can do to prepare us. We have no idea where the aliens are, and there is no way of telling what they are planning. As much as I hate to say it... We must wait for them to make the first move, then respond." The Princess said, her voice getting quieter during the last part of her sentence. Moore shook his head, slamming his fist into a wall in frustration.
"No! There's gotta be something we can do! You have no idea what those... Those freaks did to my home! I still have nightmares about the crap I saw back there! I'm not just going to sit around and let it happen to Equestria!" Moore shouted as he marched up the Princess, pointing at her accusingly. The Princess looked down sadly, and shook her head.
"This is hard for me too Staff Sergeant... This is my Kingdom, and I don't want anything to happen to my ponies. But until we have something we can go on, there's nothing we can do." She said. Instantly, Moore girt his teeth and clenched his fists.
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" He shouted in fury. The Princess gave a stunned expression, backing away fearfully. Moore breathed heavily, outraged by what the Princess was saying. She was saying there was no way to protect the civilians before anything happened? What kind of idiotic crap was that? Wasn't she supposed to care about them more than he was? The Princess shed a tear, and looked away from the Staff Sergeant.
"John... Your anger is causing you to think unrealistically. What can we do to protect ourselves?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Moore opened his mouth to speak, but paused. His mind drew a blank. They had no intel, no idea where the hostiles were, and they didn't have the ability to get a battalion to a city overnight. Mobilizing a unit large enough to make a proper defense would take days at the very least, and at least a week if he were realistic about it. He closed his mouth, and un-clenched his fist. Looking back up to the Princess, he could see her eyes leaking tears, slowly, but steadily.
"I don't like it anymore than you do... But there is nothing." She said, her voice slightly louder than it was before. Moore looked down at his hand, opening it to observe it. He couldn't believe he had become so outraged at the Princess, even if he was only trying to think of a way to help. He shook his head, looking back over to the books on the shelves. As he turned back around to Celestia, he saw a guard coming behind her. The guard called out to her, making her turn around to face him.
"Princess, a messenger has arrived. Judging from his appearance, it seems to be urgent." He said with a calm voice. The Princess nodded, and looked behind her to Moore. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, apologizing for his outburst. The Princess nodded and walked out of the archives, to which Moore soon followed. The dark halls quickly gave way to the majestic castle, only for the passage to once again become hidden by a latch and a rug. As he came up to the library inside of the castle, Derek quickly came up, a look of obvious fear and panic outlining his face.
"John come on! Something's wrong here!" He said as he walked in front of Moore, slowly increasing his pace to a jog as Moore did the same. Moore wasn't sure of what to make of what he was hearing, although a deep uneasiness burned in his head as he entered the castle's main chamber. The SAS team and the Rangers hadn't left the castle since they arrived, merely staying to either await Moore's commands, or keep an eye on the downed SAS pilot. In the center of the room was a large, well built stallion that was covered in blood. For a moment, Moore couldn't even tell that his coat was brown. The messenger breathed heavily as he looked for the Princess, exclaiming once he saw her.
"Princess! Thank goodness you have arrived!" He said as he gave a very quickened bow, then stood up instantly. Princess Celestia nodded and welcomed him, while Moore placed his hands behind his back respectfully. The soldiers stopped what they were doing, turning to face the messenger. The Princess was about to ask what was so urgent, but the messenger answered before she could even ask.
"It's Hoofington! There's something attacking it! They have guns, but we've never even seen them before! They're killing everything in sight! The response teams are barely able to even put up a fight!" He shouted in distress. Moore uncrossed his arms and stepped forward uneasily, as the Princess shook her head. The message didn't stop there, however.
"That's not even the worst part! They have these weird things that are shooting strange blue balls at buildings and completely obliterating them! They're tearing the town to shreds!" He shouted. Moore stood there, shocked at what he had just heard. His team stood there in silence, stunned at what they had heard. The SAS operators merely shook their heads, while Predator placed his palm on his forehead.
"It's already started..." He could hear him say. Moore shook his head, stepping forward.
"How long did it take you to get here from Hoofington?" He demanded from the messenger. The stallion shook his head, a look of uncertainty spread across his face.
"I don't know... Four... Maybe five hours?" He said with a panicked expression. Moore grew wide eyed, as did the Princess.
"No..." She said. Her voice was weak, and it was barely louder than a croak. Moore rushed down the stairs, grabbing his gun forcefully as he told his men to get ready to move out.
"And just what do you think you're going to do Staff Sergeant? You heard the messenger, that was four or five hours ago. Chances are they're gone already." Predator said with a sympathetic tone. Moore glared angrily at the SAS leader, who simply had his arms crossed, though his stance was showing that he understood his feelings.
"That town is lost. The best you can do now is form a perimeter around the surrounding areas. Don't let the aliens get more ground than they already have." Moore shook his head as he lowered his weapon, now holding it at his side with only one hand. Moore grit his teeth again, frustration overcoming him. He felt so powerless, was there really nothing that he could do to stop this. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Predator looking back at him behind the black lens of his mask.
"You'll get another chance to save them. Trust me." He said as he patted his shoulder. Moore shook his head, growling as he did.
"I'll have Apex and Swift to help you out wit that perimeter. I'll come too." Predator said as he took his hand off of Moore's shoulder, backing away slightly. One of the other SAS members looked up as Predator said these words, and his body language showed that he was not happy about what his acting commander had said. The soldier walked over to Predator, his gun placed across his chest and stomach.
"Did I miss the part where we became soldiers for hire?" The soldier asked with an annoyed tone. Predator turned to face him, clearly aggravated by his question.
"Did I say that was what you were? No. These guys are going to need all the help they can get, and you and Swift are the ones that are up front with me. These aliens are the enemy we have been fighting for years now, and just because we're on some new planet doesn't mean that's changed. Now unless you want me to court martial you for disobeying orders and cowardice in facing the enemy, you'll do as I say." Predator said with an aggravated tone. Apex shook his head and mumbled something to himself, as Swift sighed and grabbed his weapon as well. Moore looked back over to his men, each of them with a weapon in hand.
"How long do you think they've been here?" Jack asked as he rested his rifle in his hands. Moore sighed and shook his head.
"Well... If that messenger was right about what was attacking Hoofington, probably months now." He said with a disappointed tone. Frank shook his head and rested his LMG on his shoulder.
"How could we have missed them for that long? Shouldn't we have found something by this point?" He asked. Derek looked over to him.
"We missed them the same way we missed them on Earth. We were occupied with other things. Besides, you know about their aircraft. If we couldn't see them then, why would we see them now?" He asked. Moore sighed and shook his head.
"Let's not worry about that right now. Let's just get that perimeter ready, and we'll figure out where to go from there."
4 Hours Later
Moore sat in the carrier, not daring to look up. Guards and SRTF members alike had been called to form the perimeter for Hoofington's border, but the reason why was not revealed to their families. Come to think of it, Moore couldn't recall anyone outside of military personnel or those in Celestia and Luna's cabinet that were informed of the alien presence. Or of their attack on Hoofington. But it didn't matter now. It was done. Hoofington was most likely a smoldering remain of a city, and there was nothing that Moore could do about it other than avenge it. Still, that was the one thing he hated when it came to fighting. Avenging. Even if the violator was defeated, it doesn't mean that the event didn't happen.
"Maybe we'll catch them off guard this time. Unlike New York." He heard Jacob say from the left. Looking over to him, he could see him observing his tags, though he wasn't entirely sure why. All soldiers had something that could occupy them on the way to a mission. For some, it was talking. Others, observing things, like Jacob with his tags. Some had other ones. For Moore, it was usually keeping his team calm. But he had nothing to say for this mission. He wasn't at ease, so how could he keep others calm if he couldn't do it for himself? No, now all he could think about was the Earth. And what the aliens had done to it. Boston attacked and decimated, sending troops to New York to defend it, only to be ambushed and pinned down. Moore had been in Mexico, assisting them when he got the news. The Rangers had been sent in to provide relief to the trapped soldiers, but when they got there, what they found was a devastated city with so many dead bodies, Moore had to keep his eyes shut to prevent an incident with his PTSD. They always said that gray skies were things you only saw in war movies. But with all the dust, ash, and smoke in the air... It had become reality.
"I hope so." Moore said, fumbling with his gun as Jacob placed his dog tags back to where they had originally been. Just then, Rainbow Dash's voice comes unto Moore's radio.
"All units be advised, radio contact with the Local Protection Teams has been established. We have arrived in the city limits of Detrot. Hoofington isn't that far from here, so be on alert. Out." Moore sighed and looked to his right, seeing Predator resting his arm on his gun.
"Thanks again for coming. We need all the help we can get." He said. Predator looked over to him, although wasn't able to read his face thanks to the mask. He shook his head and made a short motion with his hand as he spoke.
"Don't mention it. Humans or not, they're still civilians right?" Moore nodded, looking back to his front.
"Yeah. They are. Glad to know some of you think that way." He said as he observed two SRTF members conversing about something.
"Don't worry about Apex. He's just had a long day. Heck we all have really, but what can I say, he's young." Predator said. Moore turned his head back over to the SAS operative, seeing him continuing to balance his arm. He couldn't help but remember Hank, the youngest of their company. For the first time in a while, he thought that the young Private was lucky for something. He died before he could see another world he cared about attacked by the aliens. Moore was about to speak again, but was interrupted by the radio.
"Something's coming up in front of us. Doesn't look like anything we've made. Should we stop it?" A male voice said. Moore looked up slightly, wondering what he could have meant.
"This is Alpha-1 Actual, what does this thing look like? Over?" He asked.
"Looks like some kind of... CRAP! IT'S SHOO-" A deep boom sounded from outside the carrier, followed by the carrier rocking wildly in it's tracks. Thrown off balance, Moore threw his hand against the walls of the vehicle. Around him, soldiers gave each other panicked glances, while some grabbed their weapons out of instinct. Moore was wide eyed as the carrier continued to rock, the familiar sound of gunfire and explosions ringing in his ears.
"What the heck is going on?" He heard Rainbow Dash shout from the radio. Looking to the back of the carrier, Moore quickly grabbed his rifle, and gave his squad the order to evacuate.
"Lower the doors! Everyone get out of this thing!" He shouted as loudly as he could, another explosion sending the carrier into yet another uncontrollable tremor. Moore tripped, but caught himself at his hands as the sound of gears working and turning came into his ears. Looking up, he could see the door beginning to open, and through the cracks, saw fire and a destroyed carrier behind him. Moore shook his head. This couldn't be happening... Could it? The doors whined as the carrier came to an abrupt halt. Moore was almost thrown forward, but managed to keep himself rooted where he was. The door fell open, making a loud thud as it hit the ground. Moore sprinted out, as soldiers followed his lead.
"AMBUSH!" He heard Frank shout, followed by the sound of a grenade going off. A scream of pain came from Moore's right, forcing him to look that direction. Stepping back, he gasped at the sight he was witnessing. A royal guard, blown completely in two, with intestines trailing out of his body. He screamed in agony as another soldier rushed over to him, only to be gunned down. Looking up, Moore could see the cause of the attack, a large, four rotor powered aircraft. A ball of blue shot out of it, aimed right at the carrier Moore had been in. There were still troops inside when it exploded. The carrier burst into flames as Moore covered his eyes, closing them to block out the light from the blast. Moving his hand away, he saw Jacob raise his rifle and fire at the aircraft, which began to shift around to it's side.
"All units! This is Alpha-1 Actual! It was a trap! Get out of your vehicles and engage the enemy!" Moore shouted as he quickly sprinted over to his now destroyed carrier, throwing a dead, horribly burned body out of his way as he slid to a halt behind it. The dirt of the ground flung onto his face, making Moore sweat. Looking over the vehicle, Moore saw the sides of the Alien vessel open, revealing several Alien soldiers standing with their weapons in front of them. Flames emitted from devices on their backs, which he quickly realized were jet packs. He scowled as he ducked back behind the carrier. He had forgotten all about their use of jet packs in war. Looking to his right, he saw Frank rushing over to him, along with Jacob.
"How the heck did they know we were coming?" Frank shouted as he came to a halt in front of the carrier, opening fire once he did. Moore shook his head, popping up to fire at the hostiles in the air. Jacob prepared a grenade, throwing it once he had pulled the pin.
"Just shut up and start shooting!" He shouted as he tried in vain to hit a maneuvering Alien with a jet pack. Without any success, his weapon gave a clicking noise as he continued to hold down the trigger. Ducking down, he dropped his mag to the ground, reaching back to grab a new one. As he slammed his mag into his weapon, an explosion sounded to his right. Looking to is right, he saw another carrier engulfed in flames, with another alien aircraft hovering above it. Moore growled in anger as he positioned himself at the hostile vehicle, firing on it as it began to turn to the side.
"Right side! We got another one!" He shouted. Slowly, the side of the aircraft opened, slightly above a carrier that had not yet been destroyed. The door came crashing down as SRTF troops poured out of it, with Rainbow leading the way. With haste, Moore redirected his fire, now aiming at the slowly opening carrier doors, revealing even more aliens with jet packs. Rainbow and her squad launched themselves at the aliens, pulling them off of the aircraft and stabbing the ones they could. Moore provided as much fire as he could before moving up to gain some ground.
"Move up! We have to gain as much area as we can! Form a perimeter around the buildings and use them for cover!" Moore shouted as he sprinted to a small, two story building. With a slide, he came to a halt as gunfire rushed past him, sending dirt flying onto his face. The town wasn't abandoned, as evident by the mobs of ponies running around in panic, and local protection teams running forward in an attempt to fight back. Farther north in the city, Moore could see yet another aircraft with guns blazing at them, mowing down any resistance in their path. Moore turned to fire at the warship, although an explosion prevented him from staying where he was long.
"Hostile infantry units are on the ground! All units advise!" He heard a male voice shout into the radio. Pinned behind the building by infantry, Moore readied a grenade as a group of LPTs were backing up, all while trying to use bombs to take out as many as hostiles as they could. After waiting a few seconds, Moore threw his grenade at the advancing enemy, who were now beginning to take cover behind the wreckage they had created. Jack, Predator, Apex, and Swift soon joined Moore at the front lines, with Jack aiming his Javelin at a warship. SRTF runners rushed forward to meet the enemy, with the pegasi flying above the enemy gunfire and slamming down on them from where they were. Moore reloaded his weapon as Jack fired off his missile and quickly adjusted back behind the wall of the building.
"Mother Bird this is Alpha unit! An enemy ambush has us pinned down in the outskirts of Detrot! Requesting air support and additional ground forces, over!" Moore shouted as he popped out from his cover, firing rounds nearest to where the aliens were taking refuge. The bricks making up the cover chipped and sent shrapnel flying everywhere, but still maintained it's integrity. An alien popped up from it's hiding spot and fired rounds right at Moore, barely missing him. As the bullets from the weapon pounded into the wall next to Moore's head, he ducked back behind cover as a Guard flew onto the rooftops along with LPTs and an SRTF member.
"Alpha unit be advised, all available ground support is already en route, but they are encountering HEAVY opposition. Jessica is on her way to provide aerial assistance but she will take some time, try to hold out until then!" The Princess said in response to Moore's call for back up. Looking to the right, Moore could see Jacob and Frank leading several ponies into battle through the gaps between the buildings in front of them. Another explosion caused by an alien warship caused the entire tip of a building to be obliterated, sending a team of SRTF operators falling to their doom as they were crushed by the debris. Slightly ahead, Moore could see LPTs getting the jump on hostiles, forcing some of them to retreat farther back into the city, but others managed to hold their ground.
"The LPTs are getting hit hard, try to buy them some time!" Moore shouted as he ran into an alley between the buildings. Civilians were running through them as well, screaming and panicking as they searched for refuge in the attack. Behind him, Jack and several other soldiers were following behind him. He skid to a halt as he came to a turn in the buildings, sprinting as fast as he could as another alien aircraft made itself known.
"All LPTs! This is Alpha-1 Actual! What is your status? Over?" He shouted as he came to yet another turn, finding aliens landing on the rooftops of the buildings. He took aim at them, and fired, the recoil of his rifle beating his shoulder with every shot. The aliens dropped dead as Jack opened fire as well, and pegasi swarmed them. As Moore dropped his empty magazine, a response to his question came over the radio.
"Staff Sergeant! Thank Celestia you have arrived! The aliens have attacked every area of the city! We're being overrun! We're down to street fights in the crowded areas of town!" His radio blasted as shrapnel flew at Moore from afar. Moving behind a building, he quickly looked out from his cover, seeing several aliens opening fire on him and his team. He moved his head away from the edge of the building before the aliens could open fire on it. Readying another grenade, he heard a long whining in the air, and looked up. His eyes went wide, making him freeze in place as Jack and the other soldiers began to take cover. An alien Warship was right overhead, it's gun pointed right at Moore.
"John! What are you doing? Get out of there!" He heard Jack shout. Snapping out of his trance, Moore dived out of the way of the aircraft, quickly taking refuge behind a building that obscured it's sight. An explosion blew parts of the previous building at him, which he blocked with his arm. Running onto a narrow street with buildings lining it's sides, he came across a group of LPTs, some throwing bombs at the rooftops where aliens fired down at them. The rest were escorting civilians into buildings, trying to get them away from the slaughter. Moore slid to a halt as another explosion caused the top half of the building to his right to be reduced to rubble and shrapnel, burying itself into his gear. Moore could already feel the cuts along his arms sting as opened fire on the cockpit of the aircraft. As soon as he fired five rounds, the air craft burst into a spark of fire and destroyed parts. The heat from the blast forced Moore to throw his hand up to block his face as pieces of the aircraft crashed into buildings around it. When Moore removed his arm, he saw a jet rip through the flames, afterwards making a sharp turn to the left.
"All units, Sky Watcher is in the airspace. Over." He heard Jessica's voice say into the radio. Moore smiled and shook his head. He figured that it hadn't been M4 rounds that took that thing down.
"Bout' time you got here Newel! I was starting to think you didn't care!" Moore shouted as he turned around and sprinted off to the LPT teams. The teams had managed to fend off the aliens in their immediate front, allowing them to move on to other areas of the city. To his right, he could see Jacob and Frank attacking ground units as a group of Unicorns and Pegasi worked to take out flying enemies.
"Stop whining A-1 Actual. Where do you need me to go?" He heard from his radio as he made another turn, finding even more aliens firing at a squad of SRTF soldiers making their way up to them. Moore opened fire on them from the side, dropping three aliens before he was forced to reload. The LPTs and other Rangers moved up, allowing Moore to reload as he jogged alongside them.
"Bravo Team is held up at the front of the city! Get over there and help them advance!" Moore shouted as he kicked open the door to one of the buildings, ducking under in order to get in. A group of panicked civilians met him when he entered, one of them screaming in terror. The building has several overturned tables, most of them piled in front of one another. Each group of tables had four of them. No doubt they were meant to serve as makeshift barriers. Jacob followed him inside, placing his back against the wall once he was inside.
"There's too many of them! We can't hold the city!" He shouted as part of the doorway burst open from an explosion. Moore covered his eyes from the dust being blown into the air, while the civilians were now screaming uncontrollably. Uncovering his eyes, he saw a cloud of dust forming at a large hole in the wall, where a group of three aliens quickly entered inside. Jack grabbed one and threw it onto the wall, stabbing it with his knife. Moore dived behind one of the groupings of tables, as guns pounded them. The first three tables shattered completely, sending small wooden shards all over the room. Using what little time he had, Moore ran up and fired two rounds, each one hitting one of the alien. The hostiles screamed in pain, covering their wounded areas as they screeched an almost wraith like scream. Moore took this time to eliminate them, their blood splattering against the walls. This provided no relief, however, as another explosion blew the front of the building in, a large piece of it smacking right into Moore. Pain erupted into his entire body as he felt himself get thrown across the room, coming to an abrupt stop at the back of the room. He kept his mouth shut as he let loose a howl of agony, trying to keep himself collected. Looking down, he could see a large portion of the building completely on top of him, making him unable to move.
"Son of a... GAH!" He shouted as he let loose with a growl of pain. His entire body burned, and he could hardly breathe. Jack quickly rushed over to him, grabbing the debris with both of his hands, and grunting as he pulled with all of his might. Moore grit his teeth and closed his eyes as he pushed the debris away from him with Jack's help.
"I got you John! Hang on!"
...
Predator covered his head as another explosion blew debris and dust all over the area, making it difficult to see anything. The American pilot's support was helping, but it just wasn't enough. Shaking his head, he looked over to Apex, who was still firing away with his weapon. While they had been able to get farther into the city, the aliens just had too many tricks up their sleeves, and Predator couldn't call out every single position. Hostile units on the roof were getting the best of them, and with the Warships destroying the buildings that the ponies were using, there was no way for them to stop them. Predator popped up and fired a few rounds down the street, hitting another alien. Ducking back down, he dropped his empty magazine as Swift popped up and fired a shot. Right when he did, however, he got shot in his shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Swift!" Predator shouted, worried for his ally. Swift gave a groan of pain, but pushed himself up with his gun.
"All units! This is Alpha-1 Actual! Fall back from the city! If we keep up like this, we're all dead! Over!" Predator heard from his radio. Ducking back behind the building, Predator attempted to ready a grenade, but an explosion from the side forced him to cover his face. Looking in that direction, he could see a Warship firing away at approaching ponies with it's automatic turret as it fired it's rockets at the American Pilot. The tracking capabilities forced her to cease fire and try to shake them, preventing any assistance from her.
"I REPEAT! ALL UNITS FALL BACK! GRAB AS MANY CIVILIANS AS YOU CAN AND GET THE HECK OUT!" Predator's radio blared. The SAS operator finished cooking his grenade, and threw it at the alien aircraft. The explosion threw off it's pilot, causing it to strafe unwillingly. Using this, Predator readied an EMP grenade, throwing it once he got the chance. The Warship became engulfed in a blue ring for half a second, before there was a powering down noise as it nose dived right into the ground. The ground flung dirt and dust into the air as the air craft slid across the ground, it's blades still spinning in an attempt to get it back into the air. Because the alien vehicles were powered almost completely by electricity, and not fuel, an EMP was devastating to them, even in a small size like an EMP grenade.
"No! We can take them! Reinforcements just showed up!" He heard a female voice shout from the radio. With haste, he leaped over the destroyed carrier and kicked the glass creating the cock pit, shattering it. The alien in the seat looked up to face Predator, the holes that were supposed to be it's eyes not giving any indication of it's emotion. It began reaching for a weapon, but Predator fired a round too quickly for it to attack.
"THAT IS NOT A SUGGESTION RAINBOW! GET THE CIVILIANS ONTO WHATEVER TRANSPORT IS AVAILABLE AND GO!" He heard Moore shout from his radio. Looking to his front, he could see the aliens beating down several soldiers, as others advanced towards them with bullets flying. The pilot had managed to shake the missiles by this point, and had fired a missile onto the oncoming hostiles. The fighter whined over head as it made another sharp turn, possibly coming back for another pass. Predator knew this would only slow them though. An AC-130 was barely enough firepower to give the humans a fighting chance, there was no way a single fighter jet would get them a victory. As much as he hated it, he had to retreat.
"You heard him! Get out of here! Grab the civilians and let's go!" He shouted as he hopped down from the carrier. It was able to provide him a wall as he busted down a door, raising his rifle. Several unarmed ponies cringed in terror at the sight of him, though they were overcome with relief when they saw that he was a human. Predator shouted for them to move, using his arms to motion to them. He made sure each one made it out of the room before he fell back. Running as fast as he could, he saw various ponies and humans prying open doors, with each one either motioning for civilians to get going, or some of them even carrying them on their shoulders, or cradling them if they were small enough. Predator stopped for a moment to look behind him, seeing the aliens begin to climb over the downed Warship...
...
Adams carried John on his side, grunting as he worked to keep up with the civilians. John had groaned in agony the moment that he had picked him up, meaning that several of his bones had to have been broken, if not worse. The Staff Sergeant was doing his best to run with Adams, so that they could move faster, but it was to no avail. Ahead, he could see a group of soldiers meeting the civilians as a Warship began to attack, but an attack from Jessica managed to keep them from harming the soldiers. Just in front of them, Frank motioned with his arms for the civilians to move, with Jacob carrying an unconscious Guard on his shoulders. Frank turned and saw his allies, growing wide eyed when he saw the blood covered John.
"What the heck happened?" He shouted.
"Just help me get him to safety!" Adams shouted back. Frank seemed dumbfounded, but shook his head and rushed over to help. Another group of aliens began to come from their right, but John raised his pistol to fire at them.
"There's more on the streets!" He shouted as he fired shot after shot, as Frank took his right arm and placed it around his neck. Adams shook his head and ran as fast as he could, trying to keep in sync with Frank as they lifted John off of the ground. Bullets slammed into the walls behind them, forcing them to fall behind the buildings. As Adams tried to shift, someone made a wrong step, causing all three of the Rangers to stumble and fall. Adams managed to land on his knee, as did Frank, but John groaned in pain again. Growling, Adams pushed himself up.
"Come on! We can make it!" He shouted. As he pushed himself forward, he could see gunfire coming from in front of them. A carrier. Adams pressed forward as Frank released John and raised his weapon to fire back, trying to keep the heat off of his teammates. An open carrier door showed Derek firing away with his rifle, it's scope missing from it's normal place. Civilians piled inside, each running as far back into the carrier as they could, not bothering to take a seat. Adams groaned as John fired with his pistol again, accompanied by Frank.
"Get in! Jessica's keeping them occupied!" Derek shouted as he dropped an empty magazine, reaching for a new one. Adams pushed a little farther, groaning as he stumbled into the carrier, collapsing onto the ground. John crashed into the side of the carrier, causing him to scream in pain. Civilians continued to rush inside, with Frank holding off what few aliens had not gone after Jessica. He stopped firing as he turned and made his way inside, just as the last civilian made it's way in. John grit his teeth and held his rib cage, panting heavily as tears came out of his eyes, despite his efforts.
"Shut the door, we're out of here!" Derek shouted as he fired one last shot, hitting the final alien in it's head. The door to the carrier steadily closed as Frank leaned on the wall, exhaling as he tried to catch his breath. Adams pushed himself to one of the benches, though he didn't bother standing up to sit on it. Across from him, John continued with his ordeal, as the carrier door finished shutting.
"What is the plan from here?" He asked as he opened his eyes and looked over to Derek. The Sergeant looked down at him, asking what had happened. John angrily shouted at him to answer the question, causing Derek and a couple of the civilians to jump. Stammering, Derek gave his response.
"Jessica's gonna keep em occupied while we get away. Once we're at a safe distance, she'll make her way out." He said. John nodded and rested his head against the bench, where Jacob had set the unconscious soldier. Looking down the carrier, Adams saw him kneeling down, observing a wound on small child, who was crying in his mother's forelegs. Adams shook his head and panted heavily. What had they gotten themselves into?
6. Bitter Results and Conclusions
6 Hours Later...
Rarity paid the street vendor five bits for the tomatoes she had bought, smiling as she wished him a good day. Despite Frank being suspiciously called away for some sort of military operation, it was still a good day. Sweetie Belle and her friends had managed to stay out of trouble for a few days now, and they had even become pretty successful with a new column in her school's paper. The column contained poems by soldiers in the military, something everypony seemed to thoroughly enjoy reading.
As of right now, all she was doing was some shopping. Nothing special was going on, but she was running a little low on food at home, so she decided to head into town and buy some groceries. As she reached the next street vendor, she noticed him smile and tip his hat to her, to which she smiled back. A nice peaceful day in town was just what she had needed.
...
Moore groaned in pain as the carriers slowly began to roll into Canterlot, or rather what remained of them. Any that had managed to escape being destroyed had still taken hefty gunfire. What had started as a decently sized response team of twelve carriers had been reduced to broken down grouping of seven. Given, another reason there weren't as many carriers was because some had already returned to the towns they had originally been in, but even including those brought the original amount to twenty-nine, with only eighteen returning. The first carrier opened, revealing Moore and his team slowly making their way out, with the Staff Sergeant slumped across the shoulders of Jack and Frank.
In front of them, several random civilians stared wide eyed. The other carriers began to open, an assortment of soldiers, civilians, and wounded operators coming out of them. Moore groaned as he tried to keep himself from shouting out, not wanting to alert the ponies any more than they already had. A majority of the soldiers were screaming out orders, telling others to help with the wounded or make way for refugees. Moore didn't want to add to any of that.
"Get me to the castle... I have to inform the Princess of the situation..." He said through grit teeth. Jack looked at him with an emotionless frown.
"No Staff Sergeant. You need medical attention ASAP." He said with a solid tone. Moore tried to argue, but Jack and Frank had their minds set on getting him to a hospital. Guess he couldn't blame them.
...
"Get your butts moving! We have civies and a wounded man who need medical attention! GET MOVING!" Predator shouted as he rushed the ponies in uniform out of the vehicle. He didn't know how things went in this world, but he did know that he had to get the wounded immediate attention. Swift had tried to say he was okay to fight, but Predator would have none of that.
"Hustle up! Get to the nearest hospitals, move!" He heard someone shout as he rushed out of the vehicle, pointing his weapon forward. Aiming down the sight, he looked left and right before lowering the weapon. Looking behind him, he saw Apex hurrying civilians out of the vehicle, with Swift holding his shoulder. Blood was coming out of it less generously now, but there was still a decent amount of it soaking his shoulder.
"Get to a hospital right now, We'll handle this." Predator said as he looked around to see several other civilians chattering uneasily, with some even appearing genuinely frightened.
"Sergeant I'm fine, you need my..." Swift tried to say.
"NO I DON'T! Just get to that hospital! That's an order! GO!" Predator shouted. Swift backed away slightly, momentarily shocked by Predator's outburst. Before he could respond, Predator walked over to Apex, who still had his weapon pointed forward.
"Apex, I'm going to that castle, I gotta warn those Princesses about what's going on." He said as he gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. Apex looked over to him, lowering his weapon from his shoulder.
"What about the ponies?" He asked.
"Just take care of them, get going!" Predator said as he motioned another group of refugees along.
"That's not what I meant. I meant about their military. We've been in a stalemate with these guys for three years, what the heck are we supposed to do with these low-tech ponies?" Apex clarified. Predator froze a moment, thinking about this. He had been blatantly ignoring that fact, mostly because his mind had more questions on it's forefront, which he still hadn't resolved. Things were just happening way too fast. If it weren't for his training, he would probably be freaking out about now. Growling, he shook his head and moved forward. Never giving Swift his answer.
...
Barns set John down as easily as he could onto the bed, though he was groaning and moaning with every movement. Barns' entire side was soaked in blood, making him feel hot and sticky. Nurses rushed out as quickly as they could, clearly packed and struggling to keep up with the sudden patients.
"Hang in there John, you're gonna be alright." Jack said as he gripped his leader's shoulder. John shook his head and growled.
"I'm in the hospital, now get to the castle! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna need to know what the heck's going on!" He shouted as a nurse came over to him, trying to quiet him down. A doctor came close behind her, preparing a needle with some sort of fluid inside.
"Staff Sergeant, things are crazy out there! The streets are flooded with refugees and wounded, we have to..." Barns tried to say, but John just shook his head.
"Let Derek and Jacob worry about that! Get to that castle!" John shouted as the doctor stuck the needle into his right shoulder, pushing the syringe down. Barns was pretty sure that was morphine, so John wouldn't be fully aware of what was going on for much longer. So there was no point in arguing.
"Come on Jack, we have to go." He said as he picked his weapon up from it's dangling position. Jack looked over to him, about to argue, but Barns was already out the door.
...
Predator shoved the palace doors open, gaining surprised reactions from several guards inside. Walking inside, he saw numerous guards moving around, clearly on full alert, but from what? Had word of the attack spread that quickly? Throwing these thoughts out of his mind, he rushed over to the center of the castle, ignoring Kestrel to his left. The corporal had decided to stay at the castle in case something happened, and to try and establish good relations with the Princesses.
"Sergeant, what's going on? Word of the wounded are just now coming in, what happened down there?" Kestrel asked as he jogged to the side of his acting commander. Predator didn't advert his gaze forward when he answered him.
"Things went wrong. That's what happened." He said, keeping his view focused in front of him.
"I gathered that much, but what went wrong?" Kestrel asked.
"Look, I don't time for this, I need to inform the Princesses of the situation." Predator said.
"What situation?" Kestrel persisted. Predator growled in aggravation, and turned to face his squad mate.
"I'll tell you in a minute, now where are the Princesses? He demanded from the corporal. Kestrel shook his head, and Predator growled as he turned away and placed his palms on his forehead. This was absurd, everything was going wrong in a nanosecond, and there was nothing he could do to warn the Princesses. The stress of everything was starting to get to him.
"This can't be happening... I'm stuck in some place God knows how far from home, I haven't slept since 30 hours ago, and those abominations are still running around!" Predator shouted as he punched a wall, his fist stinging from the impact. The sound of footsteps came in from behind him, and Predator turned to face that direction. Two of the Rangers from earlier, Barns and Adams if he remembered correctly, were coming in as well. One of them turned to face one of the guards, while the other stopped in front of them.
"Good to see you made it out alright, at least some things are going right." He said as he carried his LMG in front of his chest and abdomen. Predator turned to face him completely.
"Barns is it? What happened to your leader? Moore?" He asked.
"Wounded, an entire floor crashed right on top of him, we had to get him to a hospital." He said as the guard the other one had been talking to rushed past them.
"Frank, he's going to get the Princess, she'll be out any minute." He said. Memorizing his name, Predator watched as Barns nodded and turned back to him.
"Great... Things just keep getting better and better." Predator said as he shook his head and rubbed his forehead. Trying to ease his breathing, he looked over to Barns again, who was still in the same position as before.
"What's the situation at the hospitals?"
"They're completely packed, I don't know how many wounded we can get in there." He said.
"Do you have ANY good news?" Predator nearly shouted out of irritation. Barns rubbed the back of his head, and looked down at the ground. Predator blew into the air, and began pacing back and forth. That was a habit of his whenever he was stressed out, and he was more than stressed right now. His head was roaring with questions, but with very few answers going back.
The guard from earlier came down, and announced the arrival of the Princess in the hall. The Rangers instantly got on their knees and bowed their heads, with Kestrel simply bowing his head and placing a hand on his chest. After a few seconds of hesitation, Predator followed Kestrel's lead.
"Predator, Corporal, Specialist, I'm glad to see you're all alright, but what about the others?" A authoritative, somewhat frightened voice asked. Looking up, he saw Princess Celestia standing before them, her eyes full of worry.
"Princess, Jacob and Derek are alright, but John was wounded in battle, almost an entire building fell on him." Barns said with haste. The Princess' eyes grew wide, and she gave a frightened gasp. Predator stepped forward a few seconds after that, not wanting to waste any time.
"Your highness, this is a serious matter, those aliens were ready for us. They've clearly established a highly capable battalion on the planet, and your troops are not equipped to handle them!" He said with a boom in his voice. The Princess shook her head as Barns looked placed his hand forward in a calming position.
"We managed to get civilians and most of Local Protection Teams out of the city, we're relocating to temporary hideouts until we can figure out where they can go." He said. The Princess closed her eyes and nodded, placing her hoof on her forehead.
"Okay, good, my ponies are safe... This is good..." She said.
"This is the farthest thing from good! You're overcrowding your cities, the aliens are making mincemeat of your forces, and the Rangers you've been relying on for years now can't keep up with them!" Predator shouted in an angry tone. The Princess began to breathe heavily, while Kestrel placed a hand on Predator's chest.
"Sarge... Calm down, I know things aren't going well, but blowing up about it isn't going to help anything. The stress of everything is getting to you, so just relax, and we'll figure this out." He said. Predator shoved Kestrel's hand off of him, and shook his head. He had no idea, he hadn't seen what he had... How easily the aliens had been able to hold them back...
"I must focus on the ponies that have lost their homes, I have to make sure they are kept safe. Corporal, I want to find Shining Armor, and alert him of the situation." The Princess said as she tried to remain calm. Barns saluted and rushed off into the castle, leaving Adams as the only Ranger standing before her.
"Specialist, I need to inform Twilight of John's condition, whatever it might be. She deserves to know." The Princess said as she turned to face Adams. The Specialist gave a short bow.
"Of course Princess." He said as he made his way off out of the castle. Predator shook his head and began to walk out as well, before the Princess called out to him.
"Please understand I'm doing my best... I only want to protect my ponies..." She said with a calm voice. Predator turned to face her.
"Well you better figure something out quickly. We're all doomed if this keeps up."
Planet Earth
London Airspace
Captain Adrian Everett readied himself as he sat inside the Blackhawk helicopter taking them to the drop off point. His team had been reassigned to defend London after the UK sent troops over to Iran to repel an attack on a number of cities. NKSOF teams would be sent to the States to make up for the loss of the Rangers. Practically every harsh feeling between nations had melted away when the aliens invaded, and the rest were obliterated by the first year of warfare. This was World War III. There was no room for hostile relations.
"Drop Zone thirty seconds out." The pilot said as Everett looked over to Sergeant Lincoln sitting beside him. The soldier had been in South Korea when the world went to hell, and now he was fighting not in North Korea, a former enemy, but the UK. A loyal ally to the US for hundreds of years.
"Prep your gear! We're Oscar Mike the second we hit the ground!" Everett shouted as he stood and readied his weapon. The assault rifle in his hands was a M8A2 "Railer" Carbine, a recently created weapon that had the power of a 50. caliber sniper rifle, while still maintaining the recoil of an M4. The invaders had made the gun industry busier than ever, trying to find a weapon that could counter the unbelievably resilient armor that the aliens were equipped with. This was the first time American forces would be using the weapon, as well as the first time the weapon would actually get a taste of live combat. Rather than test dummies and targets.
"Ten seconds out." The pilot said as Private Johnson opened the doors on the side of the helicopter, allowing the sound and sight of gunfire to fill the air. The Blackhawk shook and bumped as it got closer and closer to the drop point, but Everett remained standing. The sergeant made his way over to his side, the white medical cross on his shoulder right making a sharp contrast the dark skies around them. Another private made his way in between them, a long grappling rope in his arms.
"Hostiles are locking on, get your butts moving Captain!" The pilot said as the private dropped the rope, unraveling as it plummeted toward the ground.
"Go, go, go!" Everett shouted as he motioned for the private and sergeant to get on the rope. The soldiers grabbed on and moved down as the helicopter continued to shake. Placing his weapon at his side, he crouched down and grabbed hold of the rope, sliding down behind the sergeant.
On the side parallel to him, the other private and a corporal were going down as well, with yellow lines of gunfire illuminating the skies. The stench of burning flesh and blood stung in his nose as he touched down on the destroyed asphalt, which contained several missing pieces and numerous dead bodies, humans and aliens alike.
"What's the plan from here? Command wasn't exactly generous enough to be detailed." Lincoln said as he got up from his crouched position and started jogging to the east. Everett started off soon after, with the rest of his team coming right behind them.
"Same as it was at home, find the Marines, reinforce them, then back the aliens off, that's it!" He shouted as he saw a civilian rush through the streets to grab a weapon that had probably been dropped by another Ranger. To the man's right was another squad of Rangers, another team of five.
''Cept' this time it's the Royal Marines, not our boys." Corporal Reeves said. Everett paid him no mind however, instead focusing on contacting Command.
"Warlord this is Reaper 4-1 Actual, we've arrived at the drop off and are proceeding on foot to the rally point. What's the status on the Marines, over?" He said into the radio as a group of what looked like police forces escorting civilians into their homes, with some hiding behind buildings and checking the alleyways between the buildings.
"Reaper 4-1, this is Warlord, be advised, Marines are being hammered by enemy fire. They're holding out but they need assistance ASAP get your rear ends down there. How copy over?"
"Roger that Warlord, we are en-route with a second Ranger team, more on the situation as it develops, out!"
Three Years After the Events of " Guardians of the Elements of Harmony "...
Moore pointed his weapon forward, moving silently through the trees. Behind him were Jack, Jacob, and Frank, all three of them training their weapons forward. Over the past three years, their duty to protect Equestria hadn't ended, even with the defeat of the Chaos Bringers. Even then, Griffons, winged beasts that seemed to have growing hostilities with the ponies, changelings, shape shifting equines that despised them, and an assortment of wild beasts still plagued the pony kind. For the most part, the Griffons and Changelings stayed away from ponies, after one unified attack on a town ended in numerous dead. Three days ago, however, a disturbance was detected in the Everfree forest, somewhat like the ones when the Rangers first arrived. However, instead of a white flash, this was more of a sudden burst of light, not a steady growth. A team of Guards and SRTF troops were sent to investigate, but never reported back. Princess Luna, of course, had become worried sick after the first two days, but Princess Celestia remained hopeful until the third day, when she too became worried. Not wanting to risk more lost troops, she sent in them, not because they were expendable (they by no means were), but because they were the best they had to offer. If anyone could get to the bottom of what was happening, and get those ponies back safely, it was Moore and his team. Of course, they hadn't gone alone, Rainbow's SRTF team had also been commissioned, and were not far behind them. Jessica had stayed back, volunteering to keep the ponies safe while the Rangers were away. Derek was still with them, but had set up camp a few miles back, providing overwatch from a ridge he had found. A new scope created from the magic of the unicorns allowed him to magically see through trees, although he could still see the outlines of them. Moore couldn't get over just how well these ponies had managed to adapt to war after their initial shock.
"Heads up, I got movement to the north." Jack said from behind. Moore looked over to him, seeing him crouched down and looking left. His weapon rested on his shoulder, still pointing forward, ready for whatever may be coming. Moore nodded and crouched down as well, ordering Frank and Jacob to follow suit.
"Papa Eagle, confirm visual on your scope, over." Moore said as he checked his weapon. Surely enough, he had one bullet ready to go in the chamber. Even with his training and experience, he was always careful to keep an eye on his ammo. It kept him alive. If he didn't keep these routines in check, he would probably be dead by now. He pointed his gun at the direction Jack had specified, aiming down his sights.
"Negative Alpha, I have zero visual on tangos. All I see is you and a couple of birds. Over." Connors said as Rainbow and her team had caught up to them. The SRTF armor had changed in the past three years, now becoming made of a lighter, more maneuverable protective plating, similar to kevlar. However, their armor was not made to stop bullets, instead focusing on slashing wounds and stabbing wounds. As they were constantly on the front lines, in front of Moore and his team. Of course, this fact also made it clear that while the Rangers were good shots, every once in a while, they would make a wrong shot, nearly hitting a pony. So the development for a bullet proof version of the armor was created, and was produced not long after. The armor still wasn't as good at stopping bullets as kevlar, but it was a start.
"Miss anything?" Rainbow asked as she went into a staling position, facing the same position as the Rangers. Her team quickly followed suit, making sure to stay behind her. Her team consisted of three stallions and two mares, each of them following the same position of Rainbow. Moore shook his head.
"Don't know yet, Jack saw something but Derek can't find out what's there." He said as he shifted his weight, gaining a few cracks of sticks and twigs from below.
"I copy your last Papa Eagle, we're going to proceed forward. Keep your eyes open and call out anything that seems out of the ordinary, over." Moore said as he motioned for his team and Rainbow to get up, and proceed with caution.
"Roger that Alpha. I have visual on you. Stay frosty." Connors said into the radio. Moore stood up, and pointed his rifle forward.
"Copy that. Out." Moore said as he moved along, checking several different parts of the forest. Behind him, his troops remained vigilant, making sure to keep an eye out for what may be lurking in the shadows. Radio contact with the team that went in before went down, even after heading to their previous whereabouts before going MIA. Moore had a bad feeling that something terrible had happened to them, and couldn't help but feel responsible. Even if it wasn't his fault, he still felt like it was. Probably just the fact he was the first guardian, and therefore he felt the most responsibility. Looking back over to his right, he observed the deep, dark shades of green in the forest, where a few different types of wildlife were swinging from the trees, and or carefully watching the squads that intruded on their domain. Nothing severely dangerous, but it still was enough to remind Moore that more than just that may be lurking in the shadows.
"Man it's hot in this forest. What I wouldn't give for a cold bottle of water right now." Frank said. Moore turned to face him, seeing him wipe his forehead, relieving the large amounts of sweat that had accumulated there.
"You have a water bottle with you don't you?" Moore said with a raised eyebrow. Frank chuckled.
"I said a COLD bottle." He said while emphasizing on the cold part. Moore smiled and shook his head, moving back to the task at hand.
"Won't take long Frank. Soon we'll be back and you can have all the cold water you want." Jacob said with a reassuring nod.
"I hear that." Jack said with chuckle in his voice. Rainbow looked up to Moore, raising an eyebrow.
"Aren't you guys supposed to be able to work without that much water, or something?" She asked with a confused tone. Moore shook his head.
"We're not thirsty, we're hot." He said, clearing things up for the mare. Rainbow gave an acknowledged nod and followed him, making sure to keep her eyes trained forward. Moore had to admire how much Rainbow had matured over the past two years, becoming a battle hardened soldier did that to you. She was still her happy, fun loving self, but she had lost her careless nature. Sure she was still a daredevil, but now she was more aware of consequences of her actions.
"Alpha, this is Papa Eagle, I'm detecting heat signatures from my radar, but I still can't see what it is. It's to the west of your current position, over." Moore heard from his radio. He held up a fist, ordering his troops to halt. The cracking of sticks and twigs came to a stop, as the Rangers and SRTF troops froze in place, bringing their weapons forward. The SRTF members readied themselves, going into an aggressive stance, leaving them ready to pounce with large force. Moore looked to the west, and stood with his weapon trained on it's position. He was about to say something when he heard the sudden words:
"Don't move."
...
The voice was unfamiliar, and was clearly meant to be threatening, and by all means was. Moore turned to face his attackers, sure that they were the source of the attack. What he found instead, left him frozen in a combat stance. Standing in front of him were four men in black suits, three with gas masks on. The fourth one, who was pointing a handgun at Rainbow Dash, was instead wearing a ghille suit, allowing Moore to see his eyes, which were a mix of anger and uncertainty. A fifth one, also in a ghille suit, was carrying an unconscious, clearly injured one on his shoulders, but he was wearing a pilot outfit. Moore stepped back, shocked to see more humans. How were they here? Any human arrivals in Equestria were being monitored, that way they could be tacked down and brought to safety. How had they not found them?
"I said don't move. Don't make me pull this trigger." One with an M4 said. From his accent, it was clear that these men were from the UK, although this man in particular had an English accent. The other two, one carry a shotgun, and the other carry what was clearly an MP5, stepped forward with the other one, aiming their weapons at the Rangers. Moore kept his own weapon trained on the hostiles, making sure to keep himself calm. Their serious nature suddenly made him realize that these guys were SAS operators. Moore relaxed slightly, and loosened his grip slightly.
"We're not here to hurt you." He said calmly. The one with the shotgun stepped forward again.
"Is that why you've been following us with those weapons for the past fifteen minutes?" He said angrily. Frank stepped forward as well, causing the soldier with the shotgun to point his weapon at him.
"We're not carrying these things because of you dirt bag. We didn't even know you were here." He said back to the soldier. The SAS operator pumped his shotgun, causing Jack to step forward, and angrily glare at the soldier.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He said, his voice growing deeper than usual. The SAS operator with an MP5 pointed his weapon at him in turn, while the first one kept his weapon trained on Moore. Moore tightened his grip again, pointing his gun at the SAS trooper. The second ghille suited soldier looked over to the first one.
"We can't risk a firefight, not with Bloodhound KO'd like this." He said with authority in his voice. This one had a thick Scottish accent, unlike the first two soldiers Moore had heard speak. The first ghille suited soldier turned to face him, but the one pointing his weapon at Moore turned his head to face him.
"Shut up Kestrel, I didn't ask for your input. When I need help from the FNG, I'll ask for help from the FNG." He said angrily. Focusing his view back on Moore, the soldier stepped forward slightly, staring at Moore from beyond the lens of his mask.
"Who in the bloody heck are you?" He asked with a growl in his voice. Moore glared at him, keeping his gaze and aim fixed on the soldier's head, just in case a firefight did ensue.
"I could ask you the same question." Moore said with grit teeth. Rainbow stepped forward now, only for the one with a handgun to aim his gun at her again.
"Listen here bub, I don't know who you think you are just pointing those at us, but you better get out of here. Or we will kick you flanks." She said angrily. The first one pointed his M4 at her, clearly freaked out by his discovery of her ability to speak.
"Bloody heck... Things just go from bad to worse..." The one with the MP5 said as he moved his aim from Moore to Jack, Jacob, Frank, and Rainbow. The first one once again aimed at Moore, his mask still making him appear as serious as possible.
"Just answer the stinkin' question. Who in God's name are you yanks?" He asked with the same hostility in his voice as before. Moore grit his teeth, starting to get angry at the man in front of him. All he had done was pester him with mistrust and anger since he found him, not even trying to be civil about all of this. Still, things weren't going to get better if they just kept shouting at each other.
"I'm Staff Sergeant John Moore, 1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment. The men with me are Corporal Jacob Hans, Corporal Frank Barns, and Specialist Jack Adams. The pony you are pointing your gun at it Sergeant Rainbow Dash, and if you don't point your weapon away from her, I'll fill your guts with lead faster than you can even blink." He said with a growl in his voice. Moore didn't care about what this guy thought of him right now, if they so much as even shot at Rainbow, he was going to kill them. Even if they were his own race. The SAS operator turned to the one with a ghille suit, and nodded. He nodded back and pointed his weapon as Jack now, still keeping his angry look.
"Our turn, who are you guys?" Moore asked, moving closer to them now.
"Uh... Alpha..." He heard Connors say. He seemed frightened, but he didn't care.
"Not now Connors!" He whispered into his radio. Keeping his weapon up, he looked back at the soldiers in front of him, while Jack looked to his right.
"SAS team Sierra-Echo from the 22nd Regiment. I'm callsign "Predator". The man with an MP5 is callsign "Swift". The one with the Spas is callsign "Apex". Our sniper is "Archer", and his spotter, "Kestrel", is carrying Bloodhound on his shoulders." The first SAS operator said bluntly. There was no emotion in his voice, just mistrust. Clearly these SAS troops didn't trust Moore enough to even give him their actual names, not that Moore cared right now.
"John!" Connors said into his radio, a bit more assertive this time. Moore told him to quiet down again, and focused his aim on the SAS soldiers.
"How did you get here?" He asked, his voice still coated with anger.
"We were chasing some teleporting alien aircraft when an EMP went off. Landed us in this hell hole." He said angrily. Moore lowered his weapon slightly, his eyes growing wide. The aliens? The war was still going on? How could this be right? More importantly, if the men who were chasing the aircraft... Did that mean...
"JOHN! IT'S THEM! THEY'RE HERE IN EQUESTRIA!" Connors shouted in distress. That's when Moore heard the gunshots.