Into the Fray

FOB Saigon, 01-09-1965

A knock came to Twilight's office door.

"Come in," she called out.

Colonel Moore entered the room with a large gray pegasus.

"Sparkle, this is your new squad leader to replace Lovelace. His name is sergeant Wave. I'll let you two get acquainted for now. When you're done Wave I want you with your squad, hooah?"

"Hooah, sir," Wave said.

"Alright, play nice now," Moore said before leaving.

"Okay, take a seat sergeant," Twilight said to Wave.

"I'll stay standing, thanks. Oh and also, last LT to call me by my rank and not my name got hit with his own helmet," said Wave in a calm, but firm tone.

"Oh... kay. So, what's your name then?" Twilight asked.

"Aren't you a bright one like the rest of the butter bars? I believe Moore said my last name when he brought me here. Is that too little for you, or are you gonna get us killed out there?" said Wave, still in a calm and firm tone of voice. "Listen, I'll be nice some since I don't know you, but I've been here longer than you, seen more action then you, and have been in the army longer than you. I heard your platoon sergeant is good friends with you, which is cute and all, but if you want to know the straight up Nam facts, being daft will get you and me killed, and I ain't dyin because a butter bar doesn't know how to comprehend things. Now, a little brief about me, spent the past year with the 25th Infantry, the eight before that was spent in West Germaney and patrol duty here with the 3rd Infantry. Oh and I went through Marine boot, but was kicked because of a knee injury that put me out of the Corps but not the army. Any questions?"

"No...." Twilight said. "Well my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm your platoon leader. You'll be working with 1st squad as their squad leader. Right now they should be wi-"

"I know where they are. Are you done?" Wave cut in.

Twilight sighed on the inside. "Yes, I'm done."

"Good. One last bit of advice, last LT to lose it in the field went home due to injuries from my buttstock," Wave said as he left.
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Camp 579, 13 Miles away from Camponian Border, 01-09-1965

A Huey swooped down into the open dirt field, kicking up dirt everywhere. Pinkie Pie, along with three other ponies she didn't speak to during the flight got off and watched as seven body bags were put onto the chopper along with one happy, departing soldier jumping on.

She was a part of the 101st Airborne Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol platoon. This was the in-field camp that they had called home. She looked around, seeing hooch like structures and outhouses. Watchtowers and wire. Medical tents and command tents. She then saw a sergeant that was waving her and the other ponies over. They walked to her.

"Pie, Beats, Proof, and Colt?" the sergeant asked.

They all nodded in return.

"Sergeant First Class Wind, I'm the platoon sergeant for the LRRP platoon y'all are in. No formalities for now, let's get y'all over to the supply sergeant."

They all then walked to a tent with three bullets in a circle painted on the front and roofs. They entered the tent to see a small standing area outside of a cage containing equipment, weapons, and three ponies maintaining the gear.

The supply sergeant stopped working and moved to the cage's slit. "You, pink one, step forward." He then walked back to the gear.

Pinkie Pie moved to the cage's slit. The sergeant returned with field gear. "Name?"

"Pie, Pinkamena D."

"Rank?"

"Private."

"Serial?"

"EQ55746574."

He then handed her her field gear, which was the basic field gear.

"Is this supposed to last me in a lurp?" Pinkie asked.

"Or how about I only give you a bayonet and a flask?" the sergeant snarled back. "I don't decided these things, I just give them out." He then walked back and got an M16 and five 20-round magazines and gave them to her. "456834867, that's your rifle serial, remember that."

"Yeah," Pinkie replied.

"Now get out my face," the sergeant said.

Pinkie walked back to sergeant Wind and waited for the other three to receive their gear. Once they were done, they all walked out of the tent and were broken up. Pinkie and Colt were going to be a part of 1st squad, Beats was going to be a part of 2nd squad, and Proof was going to be a part of 3rd squad.

Pinkie and Colt were taken to their hooch, which was an underground structure that had its roof just inches above ground level. When they entered, they were immediately hit with the smell of sweat, gun oil, and burning marijuana.

There were seven ponies inside. They had all stopped and stared at Pinkie and Colt. One stepped forward with his shotgun.

"If y'all gon make it through Nam, y'all gon follow us n get sum." He opened his shotgun's action and put it up to Pinkie's snout. "Get a whiff of this." He took a long drag from his pipe and blew it into the action of his shotgun. When the smoke of whatever it was tickled Pinkie's snout, she breathed it in. She began cough and teared up some.

"Is it gud?" the shotgunner asked.

Pinkie nodded and said faintly while still trying to get it down, "Hell yeah."

The shotgunner grinned and did the same with Colt.

When Colt inhaled, he was able to say with ease, "Dank kush brah."

The ponies in the hooch grinned and continued what they were doing. A sergeant stepped forward.

"Welcome to the smoke hut, allow me to introduce you to your wives," he said. Pinkie could tell he was high as a kite.

He walked them over to two hammocks that were empty.

"You both decide who has who, and just set your stuff on the floor when it's decided."

Pinkie muttered to herself, "This is going to be a long year."
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FOB Saigon, Officers' Briefing Room, 02-09-1965

Officers from the two infantry divisions on base and the 1st Cavalry were crammed into the officer briefing room. Generals were there to present a new method of going into the field.

"The army has decided to change how we go into the field," spoke up a 3-star general. "Instead of hiking and patrolling out with all of our gear on, the army decided to copy the marines and allowed ponies to scratch going out into the field with their rucks on, using the buttpack as a replacement instead. This is highly recommended, and I doubt anypony would wish to continue using their rucksack. Also, unlike the marines, the army has decided to make wearage of the fragmentation vest optional."

Twilight silently thought to herself that she wouldn't have to carry as much out into the field. Then she thought of Starfire and the thud she made as her body hit the ground, because of all of the weight she was carrying. Twilight hoped to never heard that sound again.

"Now that you've all been briefed on those changes, we're going to go over some routine figures. So far the only ponies the marines and us have fought are FillyCong. No regular army yet, and we're hoping it stays that way...

... That's all for now, I'm going to let the division commanders dissmiss you all by division. Don't forget to inform your peeps of the vest and ruck changes."