Chapter 1
I was jerked awake and pulled from the bottom bunk where I had been sleeping. I slammed against the cold hard concrete that made up the floor. Still half asleep and eyes barley open I found my bunk mate screaming about a parade or something along those lines.
“Parade what parade its 3 A.M.” I said still struggling to wake from such a sound sleep.
He looked at me like I was the dumbest pony in the world. He yelled again “No you dumb ass an arade.” I was still not hearing him clearly, who could with all these bells going off. I stopped to think as he continued to yell at the others still asleep.
“What in equestria is an arade…….arade……….air-….Oh Shit…….AIR RADE!!!!!” I jumped to my feet and ran around the barrack pulling every single sleeping recruit I could get my hooves on off their bunks.
Uri had the biggest look of relief on his face. Now he wasn’t the only one trying to wake up 30 sleeping solders. Once they were mostly awake Uri and myself ran to our bunks and threw on our white t shirts, blue digital bands, black belt and black hoof guards. Uri grabbed a white coat off his bed hook; I ran to my bunk box and grabbed a folded piece of paper and stuffed in in my pocket. We took off out of the barrack 45 and made a mad dash for the armory.
“Parade you’re kidding right.” He said with a nervous chuckle.
“Oh shut the hell up, I’m going on May 12 hours of sleep this week, maybe you could have found a better way to inform me of the situation.” I said back, even though we were joking with each other, we both had no idea what to expect when we got topside.
When we finally arrived at the armory Brigadier general Iron Blood was already fully dressed and ready for battle.
“Iron Blood what’s going on?” yelled Uri as we turned the corner towards the armory.
“The Tataros army launched a surprise attack with their stealth fliers; they hit barracks 15s-24w pretty hard. How soon can Uri and you be in the air?”
“Right away sir.” I said as a barrack assistant finished fastening my metal, silver bladed wing guards to me. As soon as he finished I headed to the back of the barrack and grabbed my silver trines helmet. As I placed it slowly onto my head, it was cold as ice and my vision was narrowed by the thin eye slits in the helmet. I tuned around to see Uri fully dressed in his iron wing guards with his oversized white lab coat. After all he was the field medic and a damn good one.
“You ready Silver wings?” He said with a nervous tone. I could see from where I was he was shaking. To be honesty so was I.
This wasn’t our first battle, but never the less, anything and everything could happen to us out there. Fear is just a natural reaction. Uri and I ran to the launch ramp of our barracks where we met up with the rest of our team. Uri and I walked to the front of the pack. Behind us stood 30 soldiers, 30 Young Pegasus fresh out of the academy. Were they all ready for what is out there? Some were shaking so much you could hear their armor rattle. A ring sound that pierced my ears like a needle. In a battle like this the slightest hesitation will cost you your life. I slipped my hoof into my pocket and pulled out the piece of paper. I unfolded it to revel a picture of an earth pony from my home in Ponyville. An earth pony, the most honesty and hardworking pony’s I have ever met, and the love of my life, Apple Jack.
I folded the picture and put it into my pocket again.
“Orders sir?” I heard a voice behind me say.
I turned to see a young Pegasus with a nervous look on his face. I looked over him and saw all my men shaking some not showing it at all, some with tears starting to form in their eyes. I looked at Uri he gave me a reassuring nod.
“Prepare for full charge.” I said reading myself for take-off. I could hear some begin to shake more franticly.
I tried to bring the words to my mouth to sound the charge, but I couldn’t I was too scared, too scared to see what’s out there, too scared to be the one who has to send these men to their death, too scared to scared to never make it back to her. Uri put his hoof on my shoulder, I looked at him, he knew hoe scared I was and I knew the same for him. He should be the one quivering in fear he has a family back home, a wife and a young Pegasus daughter. How could he seem so brave knowing what he would leave behind?
“5”
If he could go out their then so could I.
“4”
He took his hoof from my shoulder.
“3”
Who cares what’s out there.
“2”
I refuse to let these men be hurt.
“1”
I Will make it back to her.
“0”
“CHARGGGEEE!!!”
Chapter 2
I shot from the launch ramp and into the war zone. Uri wasn’t far behind, and to my surprise every single solider was shooting from the launch ramp in to battle. I grinned slightly, I was proud that my men were hear to fight.
“Uri take team A and head for barracks 15-18, I’ll take B team and hit 19-24.
“Roger, Good luck my friend.”
I signaled B team to follow me to Barrack 19. I heard an ear piercing scream and whipped my head around to see one of my men plummet to the earth blood spuing from his right wing. I changed directions in time to see a battalion of Tataros solders flanking my men. I picked up speed and flew straight threw my men and collided with the solider at the head of the pack. I could feel ribs snapping like twigs inside his body. Blood erupted from his mouth an eyes, as he cried out in pain.
“You two see if that victor is all right.” They shot off words the ground to tend to the screaming victor.
I shoved the half dead solider off my shoulder and went after his retreating companion. He turned back for a second to see where I was. Bad decision I used that moment of hesitation to get under him and fly straight up into his stomach. He caught my wing and I felt a wet warm liquid splash against my face. He wailed and went silent. I flicked my wing up fully severing him into two.
I floated in the air watched as the two halves of his body plummeted to the earth. I lightly pushed my clean wing guard against my face to whip some of the blood off. Once I it away from my eyes I took a second to observe the battle field.
This place was once an open grass land, the perfect place for farming, playing, or just watching the clouds go by without a care in the world. Now there was no grass just patches of dirt and fire, blood was splashed all over the ground. A river that once ran as blue as the sky now was tainted with blood from the bodies that fell by the water edge. A horrible sight.
“SILVER WINGS!!” I came back to reality to see my men calling me back to the. They had made it to barrack 19.
I dropped into a nose dive to pick up speed, moments before I hit the ground I leveled out and shot towards the barrack. I few by piles of bodies, the earth pony units slashing at the Tataros solders with their huge Bowie knifes in their mouths. In my open they were the most brutal killers there were. I began to slow down before I reached the barrack.
As I landed at Barrack 19 all my men were staring at me. Well my blood caked wings and face.
“What’s….What’s our situation.” They all came back to reality.
“12 dead, 13 wounded, 3, missing, and 3 unharmed.” A Pegasus said holding a clip bored.
“What of Victor?” I said hopefully. I needed some form of good news here.
“Victor didn’t make it sir.” Said a voice from behind me. I could tell by his tone of voice that he had been crying for quite some time.
I turned to see Malakas, Victor’s elder brother…..
My heart sank and I walked over to him. He was sitting next to victor’s lifeless body.
“I…..I was supposed to protect him. I promised him that I wouldn’t let him get hurt. But now he’s…..he’s De-“I stopped him before he could finish his sentence.
I reached down and pulled victors tags from his neck and put them in Malakas’s hoof. I stood up straight, and tuned to my men.
“Malakas, take your brother and return to the base, thunder run go with them, make sure they make it there?”
“Yes Colonel.”
They took off back towards the barracks, I cursed a few times. I could have done something if I hadn’t been so far ahead. We had to push on to the other barracks but moving in a huge group like this leaves us open. I split the remaining 28 men into 4 groups of six. We took off to the reaming barracks I went alone to barrack 24. It was the last to be hit so there was still the chance that solders were still there. With a little luck a captain might have stayed behind to raid the fort.
I took flight in to the smoke filled sky. The sun was beginning to rise, there was still little light but it made to easier to see the black uniforms of the Tataros solders. Barrack 24 was in sight, there was a large figure standing outside the door of the barrack. I squinted my eyes to hopefully get a better look at it.
I flew in closer and was able to make out a star on his shoulder.
“Damn smoke.”
I slowed my speed and began to drift in. I could make out 2 stars now…….then a third……and …….. A Fourth
I was finally threw the smoke and I landed not 10 feet from the figure.
Shaking I realized who it was…….The most infamous general of the entire Tataros army
General Moribus Teramos