• Published 26th Jul 2014
  • 2,944 Views, 70 Comments

Original(And Cancelled) Silent Protectors - HonestAJ4President



2 Delta Force Operators find themselves in the Everfree Forest. Instead of showing themselves to the ponies, they hide in the shadows stopping crime and being Ponyville's silent protectors.

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Day 2

Day 2
SFC David Grayson

I awoke in the cave. I got and stretched. I heard my bones crack and I grunted as I realized that sleeping on a cold stone floor with only an ACU(Army Combat Uniform), a smoldering fire pit and a thin layer of leaves staving off hypothermia wasn't the most comfortable place in the world. I walked over to Elliot and kicked him lightly. "Up and at 'em, man. I want to be overlooking the town before most of its population is awake."

"We really got to stop starting the day like this. Uh, I wish we had some duct tape. At least we would have a semi-decent hammock." Elliot said, also cracking his bones.

"All in due time, man. Fill your canteen and put on your ghillie suit." I put on the ghillie suit that we had fashioned after the incident with the wolves. I took out my canteen and held under the waterfall. I remembered the basics from survival school; don't drink stagnate or sea water. Only drink moving water, or urine if you're desperate. I walked back into the cave and grabbed my M4A1. I screwed on my silencer, didn't want to risk having to fire close to town unsilenced. I looked at Elliot and saw him filling his canteen. He turned around and I asked him "Good to go?"

"The Totally Fucking Lost Duo is Oscar Mike. We should follow the tracks back." I nodded and found the tracks in the clearing. I looked up and saw dark clouds moving overhead.

"Looks like rain, and the darker the cloud the more rain. We should hurry before the tracks are washed away."

After about an hour of following the tracks, we saw the end of the forest. "Where should we set up?" I asked

"Why are you asking me?"

"You're the sniper. You're the expert at setting up a spot to overlook a place for hours at a time."

"Well you're higher up. It's your final decision."

"Well I'm making it your decision."

"Fine, um, up there. Good overlook, lots of cover and an easy escape route. Natural choice."

"Lead the way." We moved to overlook and took out our binoculars. Looking through them, we could see many ponies moving around.

An Hour Later

"Uh, this is why I don't hunt or fish. Too fucking boring." I groaned, bored out of my fucking skull. I may be the highest enlisted rank in the US Army, but that doesn't mean I can't be bored on duty.

"If you're so fucking bored, why don't you just walk down there and say 'Hello, I've been watching you for a few hours. Take me to your fucking leader.' Now shut the fuck up and keep watching or take a fucking nap." snapped back Elliot.

"At this rate, I wonder how long it is before we're at each other's necks." I said after a few seconds

This got a chuckle out of him and he responded "A few hours, at best. At worst, I'm gonna throttle you the next time you open your mouth."

"Alright, I'll keep my finger on the trigger." We shared a chuckle and went back to watching. "How long do you think it'll take them to figure out we're watching them."

"I don't know. Maybe some adventurer will find our skeletons, maybe those ponies that came looking for us yesterday are behind us right now with clubs, waiting for us to turn around before smacking us on the head." he chuckled a bit before saying "I've thought about this."

I chuckled and said "I can tell."

"Hang on. Ponies from yesterday are coming our way."

"Drop the binoculars. Glare, there must be glare of the lens. We should bail." I said with a hint of panic, slowly getting up.

"No, lie as still as you can. Don't want to blow our cover when they don't even know we're here. There couldn't have been a flash, we're in the shade. Maybe they're just going for a walk."

"You better be right." I said settling back into the place I was lying. I saw the ponies walk into the forest and overheard the conversation

"-plejack, Rarity don't worry. I'm sure Applebloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootalo are fine." said the voice I recognized as Purple.

"Ah know Twi, but it doesn't stop me from worrying." said Country.

After they left earshot, both Elliot and I said "Maybe we should lend a hand."

"Guess we're in agreement." I said

"Yep." Elliot answered

"Oscar Mike." I responded. We got up from the position and made out way into the forest.

After around 30 minutes of searching, we heard a loud, high-pitched scream. We looked at each other for a few seconds before bolting in the direction of the scream. Our progress was blocked by a ravine but we saw multiple wood wolves staring down colorful blobs. "Set up firing position. Silencers off, we need to draw the ponies from before's attention." I ordered, steadying my rifle on a tree stump. I judged the distance and compensated for bullet drop. The wolves began moving forward and I began firing.

There was a flash of lightning, a crack of thunder and the thudding of rain. I heard Elliot say "Dramatic timing at its best." The 2 wolves dropped dead and the small ponies looked in our direction.

I took the initiative and shouted "RUN YOU FOOLS!" before firing again. The ponies ran to the left and left view. "We need to move. The only thing they'll find are shell casing." We ran in the other direction and after an hour, by pure luck, we found our base. There were a 5 deer drinking from the pond and we screwed on our silencers. We were able to get a single deer and after gutting it, we were cooking venison. We only hoped that the ponies were able to find them. We went to bed with a full stomach and a (mostly)clear conscience.

Comments ( 56 )
Arxsys #1 · Jul 26th, 2014 · · 1 ·

Huge problem with your story. Why would the Sergeant Major of the US Army be in the field? That is the HIGHEST ranking NCO in the entire army. As in only ONE of them. That is a desk slot. Hell, above E-4/5 the majority of folks ride a desk. Also, nobody calls themselves "operators" anymore.

Not to mention, you went with the usual cliche of popping up in the Everfree and pretty much deciding to give up on their service to the United States. Not to mention everything just happens to speak English.

You seriously need an editor, fact checker, and overall TLC for the story. There is NOTHING military themed about this other than the fact you say they are in the Army. Sure as hell don't act or sound like it. More like two frat buddies that decided to go out for a weekend hunt.

I'll just break things down as I see them.

-Random suppressors just sitting around in pouches? Plural? One suppressor is all you need, and they aren't that great anyhow.
-To be honest, it reads like you know nothing about the military and are completely just winging it. Nobody in their right mind would call a Sergeant by anything less than their rank and name unless they want their ass to get chewed.
-A sniper is only part of a team. There is no lone sniper, and they are issued a M4 or similar along with their usual rifle.
-I'll leave the setting up camp alone, but there is literally no way Twilight would be able to hear the comms. Those are multiphase encrypted units.
-Sleeping on the ground is something every soldier is trained not to do. Especially stone. Cold ground kills more people than cold air.
-The entire line about drinking from moving water is horribly wrong. Beaver fever is a hell of a thing. Your OC has died of dysentery.
-You don't screw suppressors onto a M4. The most common issued suppressor is the Gemtech Halo that has a twist lock. Lower it over the flash hider and rotate the locking ring. They are also starting to issue AAC and Surefire cans, but those are QD as well.
-Binoculars and scopes are issued with antireflection devices (ARD) that screw into the optic.
-Nobody says crap like "oscar mike" unless they are on comms. Moving/displacing/frag out/etc yes, but saying shit in NATO is just silly.
-They are trained soldiers, at least that is what you want us to believe. You don't need to be told to find a good spot to fire from.
-Unless it is 500m or more out, there really isn't bullet drop to worry about.
-Lastly no soldier, even the guys in the defac would forget how to get back to where they are camped. Basic orienteering 101. Considering Delta is supposed to be the best of the best...
-Oh, and they would have had a few days food and water in their rucks. Game would never be taken near camp, let alone cooked while trying to stay hidden. Same with a fire of any sort. Smoke can be seen/smelt for miles.

Comment posted by Watcher Pumpkin deleted Jul 26th, 2014

As much as i like the idea , Arxsys here , is right
you might consider what he said and i'm sure you can fix all those problems .
i'll still give you a fav to see how the story evolve

If you're going to continue with this, you might want to promote that E3 into an E5 and knock the SMA down to E7. I have never in my 4 years in the Army seen an SF below E5, and I drill at the same place and to school with guys from the 20th Group.

Also, 90% of everything you see in the media (TV, movies, video games) about the military is wrong. There are groups here that are dedicated to helping civilians write military fics. Ask one of them for help.

Guys, if you don't like it then write your own story. This site needs more of them. JohanssenJr, thank you for serving your country to defend freedom, and democracy.

4754108

Seeing as how it's been a full 24 hours already without a single reply, I don't think the author is paying much attention to the comments on this story.


Also if I may insert one of my nitpicks:

"Uh, this is why I don't camp in Call of Duty. Too fucking boring." I groaned, bored out of my fucking skull. I may be the highest enlisted rank in the US Army, but that doesn't mean I can't be bored on duty.

Okay listen buddy I know that you think Call of Babby is like the highest standard of military games but I think you need to be educated about Operation Flashpoint/ArmA.

Also yeah a trained soldier would totally compare a situation in real life to a video game. /sarcasm

4758332 Honestly, the site needs better QC controls. The story approvers have been totally overwhelmed. Hell, there was illegal content in the featured box a week or two back because there is so much needing to process it didn't get caught. Both sides of the coin really. The Author has just as much of a right (so long as he is an American) to write such things, as I do to correct him on what content is silly.

4761980 Yeah, I'm getting that feeling. *shrug* I did my due dilligence trying to help. If Rage Reviews or one of the other groups has at it, I'll probably just grab the marshmallows and enjoy the flames. :rainbowlaugh:

4761980 I'm currently on vacation with my family for the week and don't have much time to write. Changed it to 'don't for hunting or fishing' and don't have the money for a gaming PC so currently, the most realistic thing I've got is Battlefield.
To everyone else, thanks for the criticism. I'll take it all into consideration the next time I get a chance to write. To all those reading who have served, thank you.
Also, cdn.motinetwork.net/motifake.com/image/demotivational-poster/1103/priorities-celebrities-marines-media-demotivational-posters-1300133182.jpg , our medias priorities are fucked

Great chapter, i look forward to the update.
Also, ponies need to prep to be pwned
image.blingee.com/images19/content/output/000/000/000/7d9/795103449_246808.gif

great Story so far, Keep going

Daddy! NO! As he hits the ground, her mother picks her up and continues running away.

Okay so he went from first sergeant to sergeant major of the army. A sergeant major, as mentioned before is a desk job more or less. Not only that the dude must be pushing fifty as that rank is, as said before, a one person rank and usually would take about 30 years to reach. Need to get this stuff right mate.

Also phone typing sucks lol

A good start. Looking forward to how it progresses.

4804550 At first he was a PFC but at the recommendation of Arxsys, I changed it. I guess I wasn't as through as I thought. Thanks for bringing it up or I wouldn't have caught it

Ok, before I even start. How much of your military-based knowledge is taken from games/movies/ other culture and media-based products and how much of it is taken from reliable sources like previous operators and books?


4754108

Your OC has died of Dysentery.

Yeap, that's about how you could sum this whole thing up, huh?

4754108 Wow I'm not even the author and some of this information will be put to good use for my story Lazarus, thanks mate!

This story is made entirely of Counterstrike Fanboy Syndrome.

4755888

here are groups here that are dedicated to helping civilians write military fics. Ask one of them for help.

Where can I find these groups? I know a good amount about weapons and ways of waging war, but my area of expertise is in irregulars like militias and mercenaries, especially eastern European. I'm not terribly familiar with the western ways and I'd like to get some help with those for some upcoming fics I'll be writing. Thanks.

Also, it's "Protectors." Protecters doesn't even pass spell-check, dude.

Also, you should call it a suppressor, not a silencer. Silencers don't exist.

4808536

Military Fic Help
Military Bronies

Just be sure to ask for ACTUAL service members/veterans, we're glad to help. You just have to make sure you don't get some JROTC/ROTC tard or some kid who's "thinking" of joining/hasn't shipped yet.

Just remember, the "little things" are what makes or breaks a military story. The little things in this case being SOPs/Regs and behaviors moreso than knowledge of tactics and the parameters of equipment. Hell, 90% of the time we don't even know the actual nomenclature of over half the stuff we use (for instance, I have no idea, nor do I care, about the actual designation of the shelter truck that goes with the Q37. All that matters is that I know what it is, how to operate it, and how to maintain it). So always avoid as much technical jargon as possible.

Also, IMAGERY!

"Fine, um, up there. Good overlook, lots of cover and an easy escape route. Natural choice."

IMAGERY! IMAGERY IMAGERY IMAGERY! Up where? What is this place? Behind a rock? Amidst some trees? What do they see? What do they feel? How can I as the reader possibly fall into the story if I don't have all this data?

4810430
Thanks!

Just be sure to ask for ACTUAL service members/veterans, we're glad to help. You just have to make sure you don't get some JROTC/ROTC tard

I've dealt with ROTC guys. I know who who is convinced that they know everything about the military and that anyone who learned anything even tangentially related elsewhere, especially anything different or differently is a complete moron.

All I can read is military circlejerking, military circlejerking, military circlejerking.

4810445
This, my friend, is what is known as a Formless Void.

a completely totally undeniably jesus christ what the fuck accurate depiction of military soldiers!

4811807
...You bring up some good points. People should listen to them.

4811807 don't worry, I didn't have to read it, I read a review which contained about 75 percent of the story, and trust me, I have no intention of reading the other 25 percent.

This story is a god awful, straight from CoD, cookie cutter, just your average terrible MiE.

4812312 trust me, you'd be in with the commenters if you read this drek

4812525
4812279

I care less.

Story idea is meh but at least there's killing of some sort

4812525

You saw the light?

YFW before called out:

shaylude.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/10455445_508717145924283_1606848291331396020_n.jpg

YF Now:

x4.fjcdn.com/comments/When+I+am+losing+on+Shogun+2+Total+War+_a5e912468ba1ed652fd0ad3ead1cf208.png

DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU DO STORY?

YOU MAKE PEOPLE REGRET THEIR LIFE CHOICES.

AND SHED TEARS!

You're a prom night dumpster baby, AKA your typical eleven year old COD fancunt.

4811436 ah, knew that had a name. Thanks.

Heh gaiz, 1 pL3h t3h c411 0f du+y 4nd 1 wr1t3 t3h p0ny fixxinz upv0t3 4nd 5ub5cr1b3 plxxxxx

Diarrhea-tier. That's the particularly drippy level below shit.

To all you people who are "oh so deeply offended" by this story (I personally haven't even read it, but I have a good idea what to expect), imagine something like this as the fulfillment of your wishes for "realism":

FPS-fan wank suddenly sounds a whole lot better, doesn't it? :trollestia:

I like The concept of the story, it may have been a bit more interesting if the ponys were anthro but that's just my opinion, keep up the good work.

As a combat med in the Army, this brings up some fun memories ^.^

Hross #40 · Aug 7th, 2014 · · 1 ·

Oh, God. Was this written by a twelve year old boy? Why spell every instance of the word "two" in numerical form? Why? And the "military" jargon is even worse than the premise itself.

4813567 No, it doesn't. Because only a 12-year old thinks that FPS-wanking into a story makes it a good military story.

If the plot needed guys with guns, it could have just as easily been to deer hunters from Alabama. But given that this NEEEDS to have military guys in it, it ought to at least accurately represent what being a military guy entails.

4816713

It might as well have been a story about a pair of gun-wanking NRA members who sleep every night with an AR-15 to give them sweet dreams. They were out on target practice in the woods and wound up in Equestria somehow. Their first reaction: "yay, we get to shoot stuff!"

That would at least have contained a bit of social commentary... :trollestia:

Meh. Extremely subpar. The low word count should have been warning enough. :ajbemused:

I'll be waiting for more! This story is so awesome! :rainbowkiss:

4818171 cringechannel.com/wp-content/sp-resources/forum-image-uploads/spaih/2014/05/OW-THE-EDGE.jpg

Making fun of the NRA (which i dont know why you would) is low hanging fruit. Try harder m8 your b8 wasn't too gr8

4846334

Well, I didn't want to go this far... :ajsmug:

Also, whoever said it was just "b8"? If the story "National Rifle Association: Shooting Stuff is Magic" ever showed up, I'd like, fave, and promote the shit out of it... :trollestia:

4846479 lol. Stealing ur originul idea

When's next update?

I LIKE special forces fics and I will up vote!
4811807 you have dones well you get a moustaches :moustache::moustache:

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