The Griffon War
chapter 2:
It didn't take long for the pegasi to get off the ground and in moments it was an all out aerial clash with both sides firing off shots and pulling aerial maneuvers. Also the occasional mid-air tackles. And along with the mortar fire there was now the occasional body falling from the sky. The air began to fill with smoke from the battle happening around me. Fear started to sink in as i gazed up at the havoc. Then it hit me... I was caught in the middle.
I was still on my back facing the sky with what might have been a slight concussion. I had no idea where Steamgauge was. He probably ran ahead not realizing i fell down. I had to start moving. I tried to get up but my hind leg wouldn't budge. I glanced down at it only to find out it was buried under several large planks of wood from the now collapsed section of wall that lined the trench. I gave my leg a hard tug but to no avail. Somehow it was jammed in there pretty good. Then i glanced past the debris on top of my leg. Staring down the trench only to the sight of an even bigger problem.
No more than twenty feet away from me was a griffon who was charging toward me at a very uncomfortable speed. Though then again he was intending to no doubt kill me so really any speed he was going would be uncomfortable. I pulled on my leg again but it was still stuck under the debris. I didn't have time to pull it out and run. Frantically i looked around me for my rifle and spotted it laying in the dirt. I reached for it but it was just outside of my reach. I stretched my leg toward it but it was still just barely beyond my reach. I glanced back at the sight of the fast approaching griffon. He had fire in his eyes as he ran in my direction. I reached for my rifle again but to no avail. Just when i need it the most its sitting literally inches from my hooves.
Then something slammed into the side of my head. I winced back only to gaze up at the griffon who was now standing atop me with a shotgun grasped in his talons. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes met his dark red gaze staring down at my pathetic looking body. I could see it in his eyes that he was enjoying my struggle. He raised his shotgun to my forehead. I clenched my teeth but somehow managed to keep my eyes open as the cold hard metal of the barrel touched my head. A tear ran down my cheek as i gazed up at the sky for what i thought would be the last time.
Then right as he was about to end it something slammed into his side sending him flailing into the trench wall. I could have sworn i heard bones break as he hit the hard wood. I glanced over to see a cyan pegasus standing over the two of us. Her stern face partly concealed by her rainbow colored mane. The griffons shotgun fell into the pegasi's hooves as she raised it to the collapsed griffon laying on the ground. As she pulled the trigger his head exploded in a bloody mess of brain and shattered skull that splattered across both her and my faces. The warm wet blood soaking into my hide as i lay there with my eyes wide. Thinking about it made me fell like i was going to throw up and believe me i wanted to. Then as quickly as she came she once again took to the sky to rejoin the ongoing battle at disturbingly fast speed. I'm not even sure i could physically handle the speed she was flying that.
And all that was just the in the span of about fifteen seconds!
"Hunter!" I heard Steamgauge calling me from somewhere ahead of me. His voice was barely audible over the surrounding chaos. "I'm over here!" i called out for him as i wiped my face of the bloody mess that had been sprayed across it. I tried once again to free my leg but it was still stuck.
Finally after what seemed like hours Steamgauge came into view from an intersecting trench that connected to the next one back. I cant even describe how relieved i was to see him at that moment. He ran over and noticing my pinned leg started digging it out. "How the hell did you manage this in less than a minute?" he finally pulled enough out of the pile for me to pull my leg out. It wasn't broken or anything. Just scratched up pretty bad. I got to my hooves "No time right now! Hoof it!" I scooped up my rifle and threw the strap around my neck so i wouldn't lose it again. Then we started running... Fast.
We knew the forward command post wasn't far and i think we both had the same idea. We get there figure out what to do next. We were both running as fast as our hooves would carry us. It could have been adrenaline or it could have been the fact we were scared out of our minds. Neither of us had been in a firefight before. The closest I've come to anything like it is paintball but that was all for sport. This was the real thing. There's no second chances out here. If we die then that's it we're finished. And as that thought hit me it scared me even more.
"Have you managed to get in touch with Crimson?" i yelled to him over the gunfire and mortar shells raining down on us. He shook his head as we turned the corner "Haven't seen her." we ran down the trench that was serving as the firing line. Several ponies in uniform were lined up at the wall taking shots at whatever was in front of us and occasionally somepony would try to hit an airborne target. I didn't pay much attention to them. "We need to establish a rendezvous point. Have you tried reaching her on your radio?" I yelled to him in between breaths as i jumped over a large box of ammunition laying in the dirt.
We rounded the next corner right as a mortar shell landed right next to us collapsing the wall near the impact "Well its worth a shot" he used his wing to reach into his saddlebag and pull out his radio headset. It was standard issue for the engineer corps. "Crimson!... Crimson Flame this is Steamgauge do you read?" The air was slowly filling with smoke and it was becoming harder to breathe. This made me uncomfortable since we were running for our lives. I wasn't even sure how long we'd been running for but we were almost to the forward command post.
I glanced over to Steamgauge who was still trying to get a hold of Crimson. "I'm getting nothing but static and there's too much chatter going on on every other channel" which meant we were on our own in the middle of a war zone.
The command post finally came into view. It was a small four room bunker built into the trench network and stood no more than a foot above the ground since it was on level with the trenches. My legs were burning at this point but i didn't care. We just had to get to that bunker and we would be safe until we received our orders. After that... well... honestly i didn't think that far ahead.
We practically dove into the entryway to the bunker which consisted of two armored doors at either end of a small plain corridor. I collapsed onto the hard concrete floor as the burning sensation spread to my chest and lungs. Steamgauge was leaned up against the wall as we were both trying to catch our breath. I took long laboring breaths as i used my wing to rummage through my saddlebag for my canteen. I pulled it out and practically started chugging down the cool liquid to calm the dry feeling that was growing in my throat.
I pulled the canteen away from my mouth after chugging down the contents for a bit longer than my lungs had the capacity. I exhaled and proceeded to breathe heavily and loud. I still wanted to throw up but i didn't. The battle was still going on outside and the commotion was now joined by what sounded like approaching armor. The raining mortar shells were making the ground shake causing the single overhanging bulb in the entryway to swing back and forth.
It wasn't until i got back on my hooves that i noticed the bullet holes in the concrete. They weren't in any particular pattern but scattered about the room. I pushed open the second door to reveal a dim lit room with a large table in the center and several stacked crates against the walls. Against the far wall was a large radio and just like the enter corridor the walls were peppered with holes from what looked like small arms fire. And then i spotted something that made me want to throw up even more.
I don't know how i didn't notice it first but slumped against the wall was an earth pony. His head was faced down and his black mane was splattered in blood that still looked fresh. His chest was riddled with holes and his whole torso was coated in blood. I winced back toward the door but spotted a second body beneath the table flat on the ground in a pool of blood. I nearly tripped over my own hooves as i backed against the wall. A third body was against a door adjacent to where i was standing next to the door that led to the entrance. He had a stream of blood pouring down his head from a hole in his forehead.
It was then that i finally threw up on the concrete floor.
I'll spare the details but it did get Steamgauge to enter the room out of curiosity. He looked at me with a concerned look on his face. Without saying anything i nudged my head over toward the three scattered corpses. At first he disregarded it and looked at me with more concern. "Are you ok" he asked me as i pointed my hoof toward the rest of the room. My brain couldn't seem to turn my thoughts into phrases that would come out of my mouth. He turned his head toward the table. At the sight of the body under the table he jumped back toward the wall almost knocking me down in the process.
The whole thing about death was completely new to me. Maybe not Steamgauge but i had never seen a dead body in my entire life. Basic training taught a number of things. How to handle a gun, use a grenade, discipline you so you follow orders and so on. But nothing could really prepare you for this. And now that i was here...i can safely say i was completely terrified.
I heard a crash in the adjacent room which made me jump. Steamgauge must have heard it too because he raised his rifle toward the door. He nodded toward heavy steel door "you wanna...check it out?" he said slowly not taking his eye off the door. I looked at him like he was insane and he shot me a glance "maybe overcome a few fears?" shrugging as he said it.
Overcome a few fears? Was he insane? In the last few minutes i had been shot at, had a gun pressed to my head, ran for my damn life, and threw up on the floor at the sight of a few dead ponies. I had the right to be scared out of my mind. However given the circumstances it slowly occurred to me that he probably had the right idea. It was raining death outside, i had nowhere to run, and i was in the middle of a war zone. If i wanted to survive i would have to step it up.
I raised my rifle and slowly walked toward the door. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as i inched toward it walking around the pool of blood that had collected on the floor. I glanced back at Steamgauge who had his rifle pointed to the door. He nodded at me and i kept moving slowly toward the door. I reached it and stared down at the dead pony slumped against the door. Seeing a dead body is one thing but touching one...yeah not today. i nudged him out of the way with the tip of my assault rifle and he slid down the wall. I flinched a bit as his head hit the floor with a resounding thud.
I pushed the heavy metal door slowly until it was open a crack. The room beyond was pitch black. It was supposed to be the armory. I couldn't hear anything except the vents blowing cool air into the bunker, the ongoing battle outside, and my heartbeat which was disturbingly loud. I pushed the door open further and positioned my ear between the door and the wall. I could barely make out the sound of heavy breathing.
"Hello?" i said quietly into the dark room. This might have been a bad idea. For all i knew it was an ambush. I hit the switch on the flashlight fastened to the barrel of my rifle and stepped into the room. The light beams shone off of the military grade hardware that was set on the weapon racks throughout the room as i scanned the room from left to right. Finally i saw it.
There crouched in the corner my light illuminated a pony wearing a blue uniform. I could make out it was a mare. Her yellow mane concealed her eyes as she raised a hoof to hide her face. Her grey coat almost blending in perfectly with the concrete wall of the room. I slowly approached her "hey..." i flipped on the safety to my rifle. I was shaking almost as much as she was and i didn't want to scare her by accidentally firing my rifle...or worse. "Hey take it easy it's ok" i moved slowly toward her "for the most part at least". I didn't seem to be calming her down but she wasn't lashing out at me. She was more like a frightened puppy.
I reached her on the other side of the room and knelt down by her. I put a hoof on her shoulder which startled her a bit but it did seem to calm her down a little. "It's alright" i said as i slowly stroked her shoulder "whats your name?". She slowly raised her head. She was still shaking but she seemed to be gaining my trust. I couldn't tell if she was looking at me with her mane still covering her eyes but i assume she was. She opened her mouth to speak. Her lip was shaking as she tried to summon the courage to talk "D-Ditzy D-D-Doo" her voice had a bit of a squeak behind it. It sounded almost like a filly.
I smiled a little. We were getting somewhere. "Hey Ditzy. I'm sergeant Hunter" i said as she finally relaxed lowering her hoof to the ground. She was still shaking a little but it was nothing compared to before. I looked her in the...well the face "I know your scared right now. I'm scared too. But my friend Steamgauge knows its time to step up" i patted her shoulder "you understand?"
She finally brushed her mane away from her eyes. It was then that i discovered that she was a bit...different. She was wall eyed. Her golden eyes looked at me. It looked like she had been crying. "Y-Your scared too?" she asked me still stumbling over her words. I nodded in response to her question. "B-but your a sergeant..." I stopped her before she continued "a higher rank wont get rid of the fear." She looked at me in fascination. And she did so for maybe half a minute. The whole time neither of us said nothing.
Then she reached out and hugged me. OK this is new we're hugging now. I was confused at first but i eventually wrapped my forelegs around her. I could understand. She was scared...even more than i was. The battlefield was a scary place and i knew that. I guess sometimes we just need somepony to comfort us. I don't know if that's what she had in mind but i went along with it none the less.
She let go after a little while and smiled at me. She looked pretty relieved. "Thanks...i feel better" she said to me. I smiled back at her patted her shoulder again "everything's going to be fine" i reassured her as i got to my hooves. I heard a crash followed by a lot of commotion coming from the other room where Steamgauge was still waiting. I rushed back over to the door with my rifle dangling from my neck. I pulled the door all the way open. Squinting my eyes a little as they adjusted to the change in light. When i could see clearly i saw Steamgauge standing near the entrance with somepony i instantly recognized. His huge frame towered over all of us. He had his light machine gun slung over his back against his thick uniform. "Big Macintosh" i sighed in relief "you're a sight for soar eyes" i said as he nodded in assurance. "ahem..." i turned to investigate the noise and was met with yet another familiar sight. "Oh...hey Crimson" i said as i was somewhat less than happy to see her.
She had fire in her eyes as she trotted over to me. She looked me in the eyes with an enraged look on her face. "This is why we take patrols seriously, this is why we do not slack off, this is why we went through training, AND THIS IS WHY WE ARE HERE!" she shouted right in my face. She had never done this before and honestly it was almost as scary as having the gun to my head. But something hit me as she continued to stare into my eyes. I am her superior...i outrank her...so why do i have to take crap from her? I was realizing a lot today...
So i decided i wasn't going to take it anymore.
"Is that how you address a superior officer?!" i barked at her which gave her a surprised look on her face. Yeah you've never seen me like this huh Crimson? "Because if you think you like to call the shots around here keep talking! We'll see how you like scrub duty for the next six weeks!" she was backing up now. Acting tough was something i was new at and honestly...it felt good. "Now if you are quite done trying to undermine my authority i suggest you shut your mouth and learn your place! Do i make myself clear?" she stood there practically shaking. Was i really that scary? Finally she spoke "Yes sir".
I was surprised at this point. I was changing. Not ten minutes ago i was running for my life through a trench scared out of my mind and now I'm standing up representing my authority as squad leader. Sure Crimson will be back to her pissed off self in a little while but i managed to put her in her place. In my book that's a win. If i can get Crimson of all ponies to back off then by Celestia i can lead this squad. I even forgot the dead bodies around the room for a moment.
I took a deep breath and trotted over to the table. I looked down at a large map that showed the trenches in the area. It wasn't exactly a maze but it was intricate none the less. I looked to Crimson "whats the situation?". She walked up beside me and i gestured for Steamgauge and Big Mac to gather around. Crimson moved her hoof across the map "most of the other ground teams are focusing on keeping the ground forces at bay. The air as it stands right now should be left up to the pegasi. They should be able to push them back so we should focus on the ground."
She pointed at the central trench span on the map "right now we're losing ground and the griffon forces are pushing us back. Reports are saying we've lost The Mound where they're focusing their troops." she paused so i would have time to process everything. That last bit was worrisome. The Mound was literally our front line. A large circular array of trenches set on top of a hill and outfitted with heavy gun emplacements, artillery cannons, and a substantially large garrison. If they had it under their control then they were in the perfect position to drive everypony out of the trenches.
I really wasn't in the mood but i had nowhere to go otherwise so i decided to roll with it. "Alright then that's where we'll focus" i said as i checked the clip on my assault rifle. I glanced over to see Steamgauge giving me one of his looks. "You know i hate it when you get that look" i said as i turned back to the map.
"Alright bare with me everypony. I think i have the workings of a plan" i said as i scanned the map. Everypony stared at me in fascination. Was it really that interesting when i came up with a plan? Apparently to them it was. I can't really explain how i do it either. My brain just somehow manages to process information at hand like opposition, material at hand, and other factors and somehow formulate it all into a perfect strategy. Granted I've never had to come up with a plan that involved us getting shot at but it's never failed me before. Now the stakes were just a lot higher.
Then everything came together. "Alright we need to drive them out of the Mound" i pointed a hoof at Crimson "i need you to get on the horn and coordinate an air attack" i then pointed over to Big Mac "meanwhile i need you to find a vantage point and lay down fire here, here, and here" my hoof landing on key points of the map with each 'here'.
I heard light hoofsteps from behind us which made me turn to investigate. Ditzy was standing there in the armory doorway with a blank look on her face as she stared at me. A shotgun was slung over her back. She trotted into the room slowly "c-can i help?" she asked as her face changed from blank to worried. Crimson gave me a doubtful look. Honestly i was a bit doubtful myself. I didn't want to be rude but i wasn't entirely sure she could shoot strait and i didn't want her tagging along if it was going to get her killed. I could have certainly used her.
I kicked the ground lightly. "Umm... Are you sure you're up for this?" i said as i scratched my head. She nodded promptly. I still wasn't entirely comfortable with it but she did have a shotgun with her so even if she couldn't shoot strait she did have a close range weapon with a large spread. Not to mention she probably wouldn't be here if she didn't make it through training.
Finally i gave in. "Alright you're with me and Steamgauge" i said as i waved her over to join around the map. She walked over and stood beside Big Macintosh with a half excited half worried look on her face. I turned back to face the map. "Which brings me to the hardest part of the plan..."
The three of us stood in the dimly lit entrance to the bunker. I was on my hind legs against the wall to the left of the door that led outside. I had my rifle out ready to shoot anything that came through the door. I glanced back at Steamgauge who was staring at me with a worried look.
"What?" i asked him arching a brow at him.
He sighed and looked at me with a skeptical look and his one good eye. "Forgive me...sir...but i don't feel comfortable with our role in this plan." he said as he glared at me. Steamgauge rarely disagreed with me. Being best friends me and him had a mutual agreement that i was the smart pony and he was the muscle. Sure i would turn to Big Macintosh if i needed a door or two bucked down but Steamgauge was a pretty good alternative. Point being if he disagreed with me he was REALLY against it.
"Look...i admit it's not one of my best plans but it's the only one i could think of that has a chance of succeeding." i reassured him. He sighed with a roll of his eye and went back to checking his rifle. I'll be honest i wasn't entirely comfortable with my plan either. Maybe if we had more ponies in on it i would be more comfortable with it but we only had the five of us. And i was still worried about our fifth temporary member.
I glanced over at Ditzy. she was sitting in the corner of the room fiddling with a small rock about the size of an egg. I watched her for a little bit. What was she doing here? Somepony so innocent and care free. She almost seemed like a filly. Yet here she was. In the middle of a war zone wearing a blue combat uniform with a shotgun slung on her back. I guess war calls for pretty desperate measures but she seemed so innocent. Whatever she was doing here it was something i was going to bring up with command.
She looked over at me. Probably noticing that i had been glancing at her this whole time. She had that perplexing look on her face as she raised her hoof and gave me a tiny little wave. I waved back at her in about the same manner when Crimson walked into the room. She looked at me with her usual serious face. "If your going to make this work you better move now. The air strike is on its way." i nodded to her and cocked my rifle before getting back down on all fours. Ditzy slid the rock into her pocket and pulled the shotgun off her back. Steamgauge trotted over to the door ready to pull it open. "Now you'll need to move fast if you want to make it through the trenches in one piece."
I nodded again. "It shouldn't be a problem."
She rolled her eyes "just come back alive Ok?" I nodded and she turned back to the command room. I turned to the door. Ditzy and Steamgauge were already standing ready. I took up the same place as before off to the side of the door. I sighed and after a few seconds finally nodded to Steamgauge. he gripped the large door handle in his hoof and using what seemed to be more effort then necessary yanked the heavy metal door open all the way. I was the first to run out into the trench soon followed by Ditzy who was close behind and then Steamgauge who had taken up the rear.
Immediately i was having second thoughts about my entire plan. As we ran everything was exploding around us as mortar shells continued to rain down on everypony on the battlefield. A thin layer of smoke had settled making it harder to breathe and since we practically had to run for our lives right now that did us no favors.
We moved quickly up the network of trenches occasionally passing by another squad laying down gunfire on what we couldn't see over the top of the trench wall. One team ended up following behind us and i had to assume Crimson radioed ahead telling them to lend support.
Then we arrived at the front line. It didn't take long for us to start noticing casualties. The dead and wounded littered the trench and had the medics hard at work trying to save everypony they could. The majority of the fighting force was still holding together but it was hard to tell how long they would last. The casualties slowly accumulated as we approached the mound. Three teams had formed barricades around the connecting trench who were laying down heavy fire attempting to keep the griffons at bay. They were slowly getting cut down by the occasional spray of bullets coming from the mounted MG positioned at the opposite end of the trench.
I ducked down behind a crate back from the rest of the teams. I looked at my watch. One minute until Crimson's airstrike hits. All i had to do was stay alive until then. How hard could that be? I was behind everypony.
Then something slammed into my back knocking me to my stomach. Instinctively i rolled onto my back with my lightning reflexes and with my eyes shut thrust all four hooves into it. My hooves impacted whatever it was with quite a bit of force. I couldn't see but it sent whatever it was flying off of me. I opened my eyes again to see a dark brown griffon stagger trying to recover from the blow. I didn't hesitate. This time i had my rifle. I raised it about a foot away from the griffons head. He noticed it. I could see it in his eyes. He knew i had him. I knew i had him. So why was a hesitating on pulling the trigger?
We stared at each other. He knew i could see the fear in his eyes and i knew he could see mine. Neither one of us moved or spoke. We just stood there as the battle ensued around us. Being shot at was one thing. Seeing others dead was another thing. But nothing that's happened today compares to the fear that came out of what i was about to do.
I had trained for this and i knew it was expected of me. But as i squeezed down on the trigger with my hoof it instantly washed over me sending all sorts of unwelcome chills down my spine. I just killed somebody. All it took was me doing one little thing to end this griffons life. I fell back behind the crate. How could anypony go on knowing that they've done something like what i just did? It felt horrible. How did it come to this? I was better than this. We all were.
Just as i was about to throw up again my watched beeped. It was barely audible over the surrounding chaos. With great difficulty i pulled myself back to reality. I looked overhead to see seven pegasi fly in out of the battle happening overhead flying right at our position. They flew low over our position and right at the machine gun position and firing teams that were preventing us from moving forward. The resulting explosion left a horrible ringing sound in my ears which faded quickly enough. I looked up over the crate to see that it had paid off. I wasn't counting on explosives but it did the job well enough.
I could sulk about how much war sucked later.
I jumped over the crate and ran up to the front of the squad. "Move up!" i shouted pointing my hoof forward. Not long after Steamgauge was running along side me with everypony else close behind. We made it up to the now destroyed machine gun position. The trench split in two directions which formed a circle around the entrenchment itself and the two teams we had along with us each went down the two separate paths. I turned to Steamgauge and Ditzy. "Alright with those two teams clearing the surface we're going to clear out the underground complex, silence the artillery, and we'll all meet up in the middle once everypony else is finished up outside." They both nodded and we ran down the south trench.
After a short distance we came to the first tunnel. It was a dimly lit passageway held up by large wooden supports every five feet or so. We moved in carefully. We all had our guns poised ready to shoot anything that jumped out.
I was trying to push the thought of killing to the back of my head. I was a soldier it was expected of me. I was starting to think they were asking too much.
We turned the corner and the first artillery gun came into view at the top of a dirt slope headed to the surface. We took cover behind two stacks of boxes on either side of the tunnel. Steamgauge and Ditzy were opposite of me. I peeked out from behind the box. There were maybe five griffons up there but three of them seemed to be operating the massive gun. For the moment they were unaware that we were down here but were clearly aware of the larger force blazing through the surface.
Steamgauge tossed me a grenade i caught in my hooves. I looked back up at him as he pulled out another grenade. he was signaling me that we would throw them simultaneously. I nodded, pulled the pin, and bit down on the plunger. He had his grenade ready as he signaled me to throw it. I flung my neck in the griffons direction releasing the grenade from my jaw in the process sending it hurtling toward the unaware bunch. I took cover behind the box and covered my head with my hoof.
The grenades went off almost simultaneously. The resounding explosion managed to refrain from damaging my eardrums unlike the last one. It was over in an instant and i brushed the dirt that was thrown up by the explosion out of my blue mane. I peeked over around the box to see the broken artillery gun surrounded by five dead griffons. I'll spare the details but lets just say that's the third time today i wanted to throw up.
I gestured my hoof forward and Steamgauge ran up in front of me. I followed close behind and Ditzy was taking up the rear. We moved through circular ditch that housed the now inoperable artillery gun to the tunnel on the opposite side. We ran down into the tunnel. As Steamgauge ran past a griffon jumped out from behind a nearby stack of crates. Before he turned and had time to fire at him i raised my rifle and put two bullets through the side of his head. The griffon instantly fell to the floor. To my own surprise i was somewhat Ok with having killed another griffon. Maybe it was because i was trying to protect my friend but i was more disturbed by how i was Ok with killing this one.
I looked up to see Steamgauge staring at me with a shocked look on his face. "Thanks" he said hesitantly. I managed to nod and we ran off. Ditzy was running along side me. I glanced over at her. Her face looked like a nervous wreck. I hadn't even seen her fire her gun.
We rounded the corner and were met with a barricade of crates near the next incline that led up to the surface. We all ran toward it but before we could get behind it a griffon on the surface spotted us and opened fire. I fired off a few rounds to try and coax him to back down but then the rest of his squad came into view.
From there it only got worse.
The three of us immediately turned and ran back the other direction. We weren't anywhere close enough to the barricade to make it before we were mowed down. We ran toward two stacks of crates on either side of the tunnel not too far back from the barricade and even as we did that we were being fired at by the entire griffon squad who were moving carefully behind the larger barricade.
We ducked behind the two stacks of crates. Once again Steamgauge and Ditzy were across from me. I pressed myself against the thick wooden crate. We were being pounded from the squad of six griffons who were now dug in behind the larger barricade in front of us. Neither me or Ditzy had any grenades and Steamgauge only had the two. Odds were not in our favor.
I held my rifle around the side of the box i was behind and started firing blindly. It got them to ease up and stop firing for a few moments until my rifle clicked. I brought the rifle back behind the crates and slammed my hoof into the switch on the side of the rifle to eject the now spent clip. I slid a new clip into the rifle and started firing blindly in short bursts.
Once again they took cover behind their barricade. Steamgauge started firing as well but he was peeking out from behind cover to see what he was doing. I yelled at him to get back but he couldn't hear me over the gunfire.
And that's when it happened.
A bullet slammed into his head as he was taking cover again to reload. Blood flew from the hole in his head and all the way out the back as the bullet punched straight through his entire head. The impact sent him falling backwards. There was absolute fear in his eye as he slumped to the dirt floor of the tunnel. I just stared at him. There wasn't the faintest movement.
Steamgauge was dead...
My closest and oldest friend...was dead...
The surge swept over me like a tidal wave. First it was sadness but then it was quickly turned to anger.
"Ditzy throw me your shotgun!" She complied and threw it across the gap between the crates. I fired blindly at the barricade spraying everything by moving my rifle back and forth. I spent about half the clip before i moved out and ran toward the barricade. Before they could react I spread wings and lifted myself into the air launching myself over the barricade and onto an unsuspecting griffon. I raised the shotgun to the griffons head and pulled the trigger. His head exploded sending all sorts of gore in every direction. I closed my eyes as the mess splattered against my face.
I quickly opened them again, turned, and threw the shotgun at the griffon to my side. The gun impacted his head and he fell to the ground. Not dead but i did hear a faint crack as the gun hit him. I flipped out my rifle and mowed down the rest of the team in one sweeping motion as i spent the rest of my clip. And just like that it was over. The entire squad was dead and i stood breathing heavily.
Then i came back to reality. I looked around at the mess i had made. I just single-hoofidly took down an entire griffon team out of pure, uncontrolled rage. I dropped my rifle on the ground and stood for what seemed like hours. I dropped myself to my haunches and looked down at the ground.
A tear rolled down my cheek and landed in the light brown dirt. Just like that i was sitting there crying.
What had i become? I just lost my best friend and i killed six griffons without even thinking about what i was doing in the aftermath and...wait... "Steamgauge..." i flung myself to all fours and started to run. I jumped over the barricade and practically tripped over my own hooves as i ran to Steamgauge who was lying on the ground.
I knelt over him. Blood was still streaming out of the hole on his head. His eye stared blankly straight ahead up toward the flimsy ceiling of the tunnel. He wasn't moving. He wasn't breathing. He was gone.
My best friend who was always there for me whenever i needed him and who i had known since even before i earned my cutie mark was gone forever.
And there were tears. I started to cry over him. The tears rolling down my cheek and landing on his combat gear and soaking into the thick fabric. I couldn't help it as i sat there and cried. Everything in that moment seemed like a bad dream i couldn't wake up from. There were mixed feelings of sadness and rage building inside me. And as much as i hate to admit it i wanted to give into that. I could have cried over my lost friend until the heat death of the universe but i knew it wouldn't do any bit of good. I wiped my eyes with my hoof. I don't know how much time had passed but it felt like minutes. I really needed to check my watch more often.
But as i sat there over Steamgauge curiosity got the better of me at one point. I looked at his eye patch. He never did tell me why he always wore it. And as much as i hated it the burning curiosity in me needed to know why. I reached down and carefully slid the eye patch up and over his head and onto the ground. Out of respect i wont say what i saw in it's place. Some stories are better left untold.
I reached down again and closed his eye then laid him down on the floor of the tunnel. The last thing i did was pick his eye patch up off the ground. I looked at the black patch on the string as it dangled in my hoof before placing it in my pocket. It wasn't much...but it was something.
I looked up to see Ditzy standing before me. I can't imagine what she must be thinking about all this. All she did was stare at me with a blank look. The stress must have been getting to her by now. I really didn't want to do it to the mare but i picked up Steamgauge's rifle and held it up to her. She looked down at it for a while a her face went from blank to to confused. I sighed and looked at her. "We cant stay here. We've got a job to do and we're gonna finish it." I put my hoof on her shoulder "i need you to stay strong. I cant do this alone... I'm just one pony. So i need you to do this with me." Our eyes met as i said "can you do that for me?" She looked back down at the gun as i pressed it to her chest. Her eyes went from worried to serious as she nodded once at me and took the rifle.
Everything that happened after was mostly a blur. We had run out into the fray fueled by pure adrenaline, motivation, and my need for revenge. We secured the Mound within four minutes with the aid of Big Macintosh who had made it into a support fire position and Crimson's air strike she managed to call in. The other squad who followed us in called it a damned act of heroism. Sure didn't feel like it. We were laying against a trench wall by the Mounds central artillery gun. Ditzy sat next to me. I felt like shit and i probably looked like it too. We had received orders to hold our position until reinforcements arrived.
The other team was holding down the fort. The occasional mortar shell rained down on us. Only once in a while did somepony have to fire their gun since the battle started turning in our favor. With effort the griffons were pushed back and we were only being attacked by the occasional sortie of fliers.
Crimson showed up after not too long and Big Macintosh wasn't far behind. Reinforcements were showing up little by little and soon enough it got to the point where we could almost completely relax since we had a large enough garrison to defend the entire Mound.
I looked up at Crimson over on the other side of the artillery gun. She was staring at me with quite a concerned look. Something i had never seen before. She slowly trotted over to me and stood two feet in front of me. "Wheres Steamgauge?" was all she asked. I clenched my eyes shut and lowered my head. I reached into my pocket and held up his eye patch. She stared at it. What more was there to say? She knew what it meant. We all did.
There wasn't time to mourn as our ranking officer Colonial CornCob trotted up to us. I shoved the eye patch back into my pocket as i stumbled to my hooves and saluted. He looked at me. "Sergeant Hunter?" i nodded "you and your team have been requested back at base. The chopper will be here in two minutes" he saluted me "fine piece of work you did here soldier" was all he said as he turned and left.
Crimson looked at me. I told her to inform Big Macintosh and she trotted off. Ditzy sat next to me as i put my hoof on her shoulder. "You can come back with us and get re-assigned. Nopony needs to go out there alone." She gave a light smile and nodded. I sighed and we sat in silence after that. It wasn't long before i could here the helicopter off in the distance.
Once back at base Ditzy was sent off somewhere and we were rushed to the briefing room. Several other squads were gathered there in rows of chairs facing a map of the city of Loinengrad detailing entrenched positions. We sat near the middle row as there weren't many seats to chose from. The rest of these teams looked like they had been through the same hell we'd been through. They were all tired, sweaty, and more than a few were spattered with blood.
It wasn't long before the commotion stopped and i looked toward the map to see that the door to the right had opened. Out stepped a large dark blue alicorn with blue eyes and majestic flowing mane and tail.
Princess Luna herself.
The single fact that she was in the same room as me was almost enough to give me a panic attack. I was in the same room as a royal figure that i look up to. Somepony that I could never hope to comprehend. Somepony centuries older and wiser than me. What was she doing here?
She stepped over to the map. She face away from the crowd. Clearing her throat she began "As I'm sure you are all aware we have been besieged. Our enemy has fortified their position outside the city with reinforcements set to arrive within the next few hours" she turned and faced everypony "you have been selected out of the rest of our teams because you stand out amongst your peers...you are better" she indicated a spot on the map "the enemy has entrenched their position within the large mine located several kilometers outside of our line of defense." She looked over all of us "this is where you come in. We need several teams to infiltrate the mine and shut down all operations within. This task will not be an easy one and the position is far too defended to stage a frontal assault." she stopped for a moment and then asked "any volunteers?"
A commotion rose within the room between the other teams. It was a lot to take in. "What do you think Hunter?" Crimson asked me as her and Big Mac looked at me. My instinct told me not to go but the rest of me said otherwise. The war began only a few hours ago and already i had killed so many and lost my best friend. I wanted a bit of payback and I'd be damned if i was going to sit by and let the griffons slaughter off even more of us.
I raised my hoof "I volunteer!"
Everypony else in the room looked at us and Crimson gave me a look that said i was getting smacked in the face later. Apparently i inspired other ponies in the room as a few more squad leaders raised a hoof.
Luna nodded in appreciation. "And while i have you all here i will also add this." her horn flashed and the map changed to a picture of a gold and black insignia that looked a bit like an arrowhead. "We are at war... you are all aware of this...as the princess of the night i am assuming control of several assets within our brass to bring a new element onto the battlefield. As of now you are all selected candidates for standing out amongst your peers" She gestured her hoof toward the insignia. "As of now i am establishing a new office. One that shall focus on espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination." She faced the crowd.
"Welcome to the Ministry of Strategic Service"
"Welcome to the MSS"