//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Mistaken Arrival 
// by SureFreeD 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 3: Support


They stood around a pony crowd, all their eyes on them, even more the Princess standing in front if them, they were in danger, afraid to be attacked, to be tortured. 
But no such thing has happened, the ponies welcomed any strangers, happy.
The marines locked in a stare with the Princess, one of them swallowed.
It was quiet, no one spoke.
The sarge cleared his throat as beginning to speak up, squeezing the stock of the rifle.
"As.. we were patrolling normally, we ended up here, with no doubt it wasn't the desert, at first we were confused by the sight and more shocked to see.. talking... ponies." His body trembled.
"I see... The princess looked over the Humvee. "And what is that contraption?" She asked them
"That is our vehicle, transportation device, so to speak." The young marine broke into the conversation.

Celestia took a closer look, she tapped it, it was obviously metal.
"What is your target here?" She downed her head and raised her eyes.

The marines looked at each other. "We're not meant to be here, as I just told, we were traveling the desert, you know full of sand and Taliban soldiers waiting to sniper your head off." The sarge responded to the Princess's question.

She looked at him confused. "Taliban, sniper, soldier, I don't know what your talking about, do you know where you are?"
She rose a bit higher, showing her length.
The marines sighed, scratching their necks, the young one rose up his rifle to his chest showing it off.
"And what is that, may I ask?" Celestia looked over the black long, that looked like a tube with an small ending.

He began to speak but was interrupted by radio chatter.
"Advising all ground units to take cover, multiple sightings of an AC-103 in the air."

Another voice came from the small radio in the sarge's shoulder pocket.
"AC-103 ABOVE, REPEAT ENEMY 103 IS IN THE AIR TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY!" 

They staggered, shocked that their area of battle is being flatted.

The two marines ran to the Humvee, starting the engine with a loud BANG from the exhaust, they drove off.

Without any seat belts, they began driving to the direction where they came in.

As driving more radio chatter was heard. "Taking heavy fire, un... *static* enemy, re *static* ing ba *static* p *static*.

They drove, feeling the bumps again, looked around, brown, everything was brown, as they looked around, in the desert again.
Seeing the battlefield between their men and unknown fighters, the Humvee stopped, the young soldier went to the back and took out a sniper rifle, M21, full magazine and semi auto, he went on top of the Humvee and aimed through, seeing the enemy they were Afghans.
He shot, first kill head shot.

Second shot, he missed.
Then he saw a Afghan shooting his AK at him from the distance, it took his shoulder, stumbled over the roof and fell into the sand.
He was picked up by the sarge, holding his hand and stood back up.

Then they saw it, the AC-130 flying above their heads.
It fired off a few shots, the two marines began running from it's sight but it was too high, it can still see them, the rockets exploded, the marines jumped as the explosion behind them forced it.

Falling behind couple of big rocks, hidden from the flying killing machine.
The young soldier was bleeding, his shoulder wound has opened, moaning with pain, the sarge quickly took a  bandage roll and wrapped it around the wound, applying pressure.
"Your gonna be fine, hold it" The sarge left the young marine, going over to the Humvee he took the rifles.
He got back to the marine and handed him his rifle. "Can you carry it?" He asked as the young marine cocked it.
"Sure as hell, I'm not gonna get shot again" He stood up, for a moment time froze, the sarge was about to say GET DOWN but it was too late, a white-red puff of smoke began raising from the marine's helmet, it was a metal sound.
He stumbled into the sand laying motionless, the sarge checked him.
He was dead, it was a sniper kill, went through the one side and the other.
Rage built up as he was watching the young dead marine, laying on the sand.
His eyes still open, the sarge closed them.
The sarge heard rapid fire from somewhere.

RA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA

Then the radio spoke
"Five seconds*

END OF CHAPTER 3