Chapter 35: Misconceptions
The Marines thought about what had happened that would want Celestia to visit them at such sudden notice. They then came up with their own theories as the Little Bird kept flying over the train.
"You think she wants us there for the Cryptids? Maybe we missed one down there?" Thompson said.
"No way, man. We never miss a Cryptid whenever we do a mission!" Jackson retorted.
"Oh shit.. what if that little royal prick that I sorted out snitched?" Marcus said with his eyes widening at the thought. He then clenched his fists. "Oh, I swear to God if that's the case.."
Kayla patted Marcus' shoulder. "Don't worry, Marcus. I think she just wants to know about what happened back at Appleloosa." She said, reassuring the entire squad. Marcus slowly nodded as he turned to Twilight.
"What else does the letter say?" He asked. Twilight handed him the scroll with her magic as he grabbed it and read it himself.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
There has been an extreme situation that must be resolved immediately. Please inform Marcus and his squad, for they will play a big role in this situation.
Princess Celestia
"Eh, I expected a better explanation. She must be in a rush then.." Marcus thought as he handed back the scroll to Twilight, but Randy had enough time to look behind him and notice the name at the bottom.
"Who's Celestia? The President?" Asked Randy.
Twilight spoke up to answer his question. "Kinda. She's one of the princesses of Equestria, alongside her sister, Princess Luna."
Randy looked at her with a bit of a confused expression on his face, before he turned around again and nodded. "Okay, I somehow understood that a bit, but I'll save questions for later." He said. The others nodded in agreement as they kept flying about twenty feet above one of the train cabins.
"So what's the plan then? Do you guys want to go and see why they got a Stryker, or what?" Mike said, turning around from his seat and facing the Marines and the girls. They all then looked at Marcus, who was pondering as he thought for a second, then spoke up with his plan.
"Let's follow the train and see if it's heading towards Canterlot. Since you guys don't know where it's at, just fly above it. If it isn't going to Canterlot, then I'm sure the girls here know the way." Marcus said as he turned to the girls, who nodded in response.
"Alright then, good plan. I'll bring us up another fifty feet so we don't scare or confuse the living shit outta the ponies that might be inside." Randy said.
"Uh, I think you might be a bit late on that one..." Rainbow said as she looked down a pointed a hoof at the train. The heads of ponies were sticking out, looking at the Little Bird. Some with a look of confusion, others with curiosity, and others with utter fear. Marcus also looked down and saw that some of the ponies were wearing gold helmets that resembled Spartan helmets. Randy and Mike also saw this as they rose the Little Bird up, the pony's heads getting smaller and smaller as they did so.
Shining Armor's P.O.V
Shining Armor was still sleeping, his head resting on the table, until he felt a slight shake, then a very faint voice.
"Shining, wake up! There's something you gotta see!" The voice said somewhat loudly, but it was then drowned out by what he could've sworn was faint maniacal laughter behind whoever was trying to wake him up. Shining groaned as he raised his head from the table, and cracked his neck side to side.
"Ugh.. what is it?" Shining asked as he rubbed his eyes. He then noticed that it wasn't only him who was shaking, it was the entire cabin.
"There's something hovering right above us! And it doesn't look like anything we know of, or anypony else in general!" The voice shouted. Shining opened his eyes, and saw that it was the Pegasus from his squad. The next thing he heard was a heaving buzzing sound. Like a fly, but much louder.
"What do you mean? Is it a group of Parasprites or something?" Shining said louder, since the buzzing itself got louder.
"No, it's not!" Sergeant Ironhoof said, rushing into the cabin and in front of Shining. "It's not even close!"
Shining looked at him with an eyebrow raised, then he looked out the window, and saw a swirl of dust surrounding the outside of the cabin. "A dust devil?.." He guessed, but quickly shook it off, since dust devils don't make a buzzing sound. The Pegasus saw the look of his confusion and pondering and decided to speak up.
"Look out the window and see for yourself, sir."
Shining complied as he lifted up one of the windows next to him, and poked his head out. He then immediately closed his eyes as the dust around him attacked his face brutally. He then slightly opened his eyes to the point where they were only slits, and saw a black, odd-shaped thing flying above the cabin at about seven or so. Shining couldn't see the front of it, but he saw that the back of the thing had a long, black, thick stick pointing out from the upper back. At the very end of it, was a rapidly spinning circular object, spinning rapidly like a parasprite's wings. It also seemed to have several odd barrels on one the lower sides of the 'wings'. He then saw what seemed like forelegs wearing boots and black pants sticking out from the sides of the object as it started to buzz even faster and more aggressive as it rose rapidly from the ground and disappeared from his point of view as the train went into a tunnel.
Shining then pulled his head back into the cabin, which was now being brightened by the lights inside, and turned to face Ironhoof and the Pegasus, who were waiting for him to explain what he saw.
"I have no idea what the hay that thing was, but I think I know who might be controlling it."
"What? Who?!" Ironhoof and the Pegasus said in unison. Shining then pointed to the door that lead to the transport cart, that was carrying the vehicle they found. It took Ironhoof and the Pegasus a while to figure it out, but once they put two and two together, their eyes widened.
"Wait.. no. It doesn't.. t-that means.." Ironhoof started saying, but Shining cut him off.
"I don't know, but I think they might not bee too happy with what we did.." Shining said, as the train came out of the tunnel and rolled into Canterlot. "Look, let's just take these things to Celestia and see what we'll do with them." He said, as he looked back out the window and noticed the object was now flying extremely higher than it was before, and going into Canterlot's airspace. "And see if we can't get an explanation for those things.." Shining then turned to Ironhoof. "Ironhoof, you're coming with me. Go gather up some of your Unicorn guards and tell them to transport the creatures inside the vehicle. We're gonna take them to Celestia."
Marine's P.O.V
After getting to a good altitude, they flew right next to the cart that carried the Stryker as the train disappeared into a tunnel in a mountain, which made Randy turn the Little Bird around to avoid a head-on collision. After a while, the train came back out and entered the city. Mike saw the city of Canterlot, and the castle, which made his jaw drop.
The girls and the squad saw this and they laughed. "That's exactly how you guys reacted!" Rainbow exclaimed, pointing at the squad, who rolled their eyes.
"And for good reason.. this place looks.. well, I've never seen anything like it!" Mike said in excitement.
"I'm sure there are at least some places from where you came from that could compare.." Twilight said, a bit taken back by his comment. Mike just shrugged as Randy lowered his speed as they approached the city. Marcus looked down again as the train was now in the train station they were at a couple hours ago, with some guards coming out and making a small circle around the Stryker, and started opening the back, but before he could see anymore, their sight was covered by a thick layer of trees from a nearby park.
"There is. Er, was at least. I'll show you when I get the chance, but for now, we got some business to deal with.." Marcus said as he turned his attention back to the inside. The Little Bird drastically slowed down as they entered its airspace. Then, Randy and Mike caught something at the corner of their eyes.
"What the hell are those?" Randy and Mike said in unison. They saw at least three blue and gold streaks flying towards them, leaving behind a gray trail a smoke. Then, Rainbow shouted back at the pilots as she looked upon the streaks soaring at them.
"It's the Wonderbolts!"
Mike turned around and looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "The Wonder-what?" He asked. Rainbow was about to respond, but Randy slowed down to a halt as the Little Bird hovered in the air. Then, he saw what looked like a Pegasus in a blue and gold aerobatics uniform fly up in front of the Little Bird.
"What the hell?"
His eyes widened a bit at the sudden appearance, but he remained calm as he saw the Pegasus look at him and point a hoof towards the ground. Randy looked at the direction the Pegasus was pointing at, and noticed that right in front of the enormous castle, was a courtyard filled with what seemed to be more ponies in gold and iron uniform in a secure formation leading to a huge pair of doors. Randy then looked back at the Pegasus, who shot its hoof out and pointed at the courtyard. He nodded as two more Pegasi flew next to the other and created a triangular formation alongside and behind the Little Bird as he slowly tilted it forward and flew down, the Pegasi staying well away from the rotors as he did so.
"What do they want us to do?" Mike asked. Randy then pointed at the courtyard.
"They want us to land right there."
Marcus then set Mike's MP5 on the floor behind his seat, and Randy's Winchester rifle behind his. "Alright, you guys stay near the Little Bird, and make sure they don't go anywhere near the thing. Remember the Rule of Engagement, while we go inside with the girls and see what the problem is, alright?" The pilots nodded as they got closer to the ground. The guards then, for some reason, aimed their spears and swords at them as the Little Bird got lower.
"What do you want us to do, Marcus? And are you going to attack them?" Twilight asked, poking his back.
"Just come with us in case. Besides, Celestia did say to come with us. And c'mon, Twilight? I thought we told you about our Rules of Engagement." Marcus said.
"Oh, sorry! I just didn't know if those rules applied to them." Twilight apologized with a sheepish smile.
"Well, they do. So don't worry about us. We're just here for.. well... I guess we'll see." Marcus said as Randy lowered the Little Bird onto the courtyard. A slight swirl of dust and debris formed. Not much, but enough to make the guards around cover their eyes with a foreleg. Marcus then put on his shades and unbuckled the straps as Mike shut off the weapons system, and electronics.
"Alright, let's go!" Marcus shouted
As soon as the Little Bird touched the ground, Marcus and his squad jumped out, and formed a defensive perimeter around, crouching, with Marcus and Jackson on the right, Kayla and Thompson on the left, as the Little Bird's engine whined and the rotors quit spinning. Marcus then saw some guards on top of the balconies aiming crossbows at them, glowing with a fiery magical aura. Marcus was still a bit shocked by their hostility, and didn't want to cause any trouble, so he turned to Jackson and gestured his arm in a 'down' motion. Jackson nodded as he lowered his M27, and Marcus lowered his Honey Badger. Kayla saw this and did the same to Thompson. Aside from the clanking of the engine coming from the Little Bird, the courtyard was then engulfed by a wave of silence until the girls stepped out of the Little Bird. The guards eased up a bit, and the pilots stepped out and stood next to the doors.
Twilight looked around nervously for a bit, while Applejack and Rainbow just looked around, also confused why the guards were acting so aggressive. The tension was so thick they could cut it with a knife, while Fluttershy hid behind the three, not looking forward to was could go down. The girls were about to question the guards, until the doors in front of them opened up, and out walked three guards.
Dempsey's P.O.V
"Are they awake?"
"I don't think so.. did Shining say to wake them up?"
"Not until we bring them to Celestia. Besides, I don't want these things to kill me too."
"Good point. Let's just get this over with."
Dempsey heard faint voices as he then felt a slightly odd and warm feeling envelope his entire body. He then felt like he was being levitated from where he was. Dempsey pulled his hands up to rub his eyes, but he wasn't able to, since he couldn't pull them any further. He pulled again, and saw that his hands were tied behind his back.
"Damn it.. what the fuck is going on?.." He thought as he grunted quietly in frustration. Dempsey then slightly opened his eyes and noticed that he was enveloped in a light green aura, and that he was being carried away from the inside of the Stryker. He then turned his head slightly and saw his partner, Kevin, was also being carried away in the same direction, but it looked like he was still out-cold. He then looked around and saw several more ponies around him, some wearing gold and iron armor, like the one he killed.
Like the one he killed..
Dempsey's eyes widened in shock as he remembered what he did. "Oh shit..." He then saw that some of the ponies with armor noticed that he was now awake. "Fuck me, and my PTSD, man..." Dempsey then was levitated up higher as he was put right in front of the face of the pony that was levitating him. He noticed that it was a Unicorn, and that it was glaring at him with a burning rage behind its eyes.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do, mutant ape..." The Unicorn said, bringing his face closer to him, and evilly smirking. Dempsey tried to spit at him, but he guessed that the aura of light surrounded him like a bubble, which would only result in the spit returning back to his face, but he still wanted to sock the Unicorn in the face for calling him a mutant ape. After a while or glaring at each other, Dempsey was lifted up into the air and carried as they started moving again.
Dempsey felt humiliated and disrespected by the way they were treating him and Kevin, but he couldn't really blame them for doing so. But he knew that one way or another, he was not going to be a prisoner in a weird world full of talking, colorful ponies. As he thought of this, he noticed that they were in a large hallway. On his left, were several windows. Like those he'd see in a church that displayed events. He then heard in front of him a pair of doors open, and several footsteps. "Or hoofsteps?" He thought as he closed his eyes, but he was quickly brought back to reality as he heard a conversation.
"Are these the ones that killed Romulus?" Asked a voice that sounded feminine and somewhat smoothly and calmly.
"Yes, Princess. I think this is the one that did it." Another voice said.
"Princess? Aw shit, here we go again..." Then, he was brought down as he was slowly re-opened his eyes. He then saw a very tall pony with pink eyes, a white coat, and a gold necklace with a purple gem in it. It looked like it was just as tall as Dempsey, but it had both a horn and wings. He also noticed that her mane and tail was multi-colored, and swayed majestically in the air, even thought there's not even the slightest breeze. "What the hell..?"
The so-called 'Princess' looked over at Dempsey, and then turned to Kevin, who groaned silently. "Very well. Thank you guards. Now, can you please go and tell Shining Armor to bring in Twilight and her friends?"
Dempsey guessed that the guards agreed as the light green aura disappeared from around him, and the ropes that detained them, along with Kevin. Dempsey then rubbed his eyes, and looked behind him, noticing that the guards were running down the hallway, and disappeared when they turned to the right. Dempsey then turned around and saw that the Princess was looking at him. What shocked him the most, is that, unlike the Unicorn, she wasn't looking at him with anger in her eyes. Instead, she motioned her head over towards Kevin, who was on the floor with one knee, groaning and rubbing his eyes. Dempsey rushed over to him to help him up.
"Ugh.. Jesus. What happened?" Kevin said as Dempsey put his arm over him, and helped him up.
"We're in another world, Kevin. Don't ask how, cause I have no idea.." Dempsey said. Kevin opened his eyes and the first thing he noticed was the Princess, calmly and patiently waiting for them to finish. Dempsey saw the look in his eyes, which meant he was about to ask a volley of questions, but Kevin just turned around to him.
"I thought we were in a Stryker?" He said, a bit breathlessly.
"We were taken in here after I did... something." Dempsey replied. He then turned to the Princess, who nodded slightly as she used a wing to signal them to come inside the room. Kevin looked at Dempsey again, who nodded. They then both nervously walked into the room, which contained two guards with spears guarding each side. As the Princess stepped in, the guards closed the doors and stood at attention, but not without giving a glare at the soldiers. Then, Dempsey sighed and spoke up.
"So I'm guessing that you know what happened, right?"
The Princess nodded as she sat down at her throne.
"Well, shit.."
Shining Armor's P.O.V
Shining Armor was walking down the hallway, along with Sergeant Ironhoof, and the Pegasus pony from his squad. They were walking outside to meet the creatures that were outside. As they walked, they heard the sound of buzzing slowly come to an end, and then an eerie silence. Shining got a bit nervous ever since he was informed that four of the Element Bearers were with the creatures, including Twilight Sparkle.
"C'mon, let's move!" Shining shouted as they sprinted down the hall to the doors, worried that something might happen between the creatures and the guards. They then approached the door, and stopped. Shining looked back at Ironhoof and the Pegasus, who nodded back at him. Shining then turned back to face the door, nodded, and pushed it open with his magic. Ironhoof and the Pegasus stood next to him, as they took in the scenery.
Shining noticed that there were six of the creatures, four of them wearing what looked like a black uniform of some sort with several pouches and other accessories. They also had helmets, one of them had shades, similar to Twilight's friend, Rainbow Dash's. He also noticed that they carried several long sticks, which he assumed were different variants of the weapon he found inside the vehicle. He also noticed the object that he saw in the sky, and that it was surrounded by the creatures, along with two of them on either side of what looked like doors. Shining then set his eyes on the Element Bearers, which were inside the defensive perimeter the creatures have made. Shining then set his eyes on Twilight, who also looked at Shining.
"B.B.B.F.F!" Twilight said, running past two of the creatures towards Shining.
"Twily!" Shining said as Twilight ran into him, hugging him. Shining returned the hug as he looked back at the creatures, who were now standing up. One of them walked in front of the other three and spoke.
"Alright. Kayla, Jackson, and Thompson, you're coming along with us. Mike and Randy, you guys stay here and protect the Little Bird. Do not engage unless engaged first, understood?" The creature asked. The others nodded in return. Shining was a bit shocked at this. They had the same Rules of Engagement as they did, but they looked more militaristic and combat-ready than his guards. The creatures walked towards Shining, with Twilight moving behind the other girls.
"Mind showing us the way to where Princess Celestia is?" The creature with the shades spoke. Shining was a bit taken aback, but he nodded as they stepped aside to let the creatures walk through. Twilight saw the nervousness in her brother's eyes, as she placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Shining. They're not gonna hurt anypony." She said as they walked along. Shining nodded, but he had a feeling that her statement might change soon.
Marcus' P.O.V
"Well that went better than expected..." Marcus thought as they walked along with the guards and the girls. "Didn't even tell us to take our weapons... noobs..." He thought with a smile. As they walked, they noticed more guards along the hallway, all of them giving him and his squad death glares.
"What the fuck is going on?..."
Marcus thought it was about time he got some answers into why the guards were acting like this, so he tapped the one know as 'Shining' on the shoulder. "Can you give me some answers on why the guards are acting so pissy? What the hell did we do?"
Shining looked back at Marcus with a slight scowl on his face. "Princess Celestia will answer your questions in a bit."
Marcus just rolled his eyes. "Damn, him too?"
After getting more glares than the time they were in Kabul, Afghanistan, they then approached a set of huge doors. Shining and another guard opened them as they all walked in. Then, two other guards shut them closed. Marcus then saw two other humans, both looking up at Celestia, who was sitting at her throne. The humans seemed like they were in uniform. Marcus and his squad rushed up to their aid.
"Hey!" Marcus shouted as they approached them. "U.S Marines!"
The two other guys turned around, and sighed a loud breath of relief as they noticed Marcus and his squad. Marcus noticed they they were wearing their combat gear, but not their helmets. "Are you guys the gunners from the Stryker?"
One of the guys' eyes opened in surprise. "How the hell did you know?"
Marcus shrugged. "Lucky guess. Also, when we got here, we noticed that the train was carrying a Stryker. But let's save those type of questions for later What are your guys names?"
"Sergeant Dempsey Grant, U.S Army, 8th Armored."
"Corporal Kevin Marston, U.S Army, 8th Armored."
"U.S Army? Eh, whatever. Could've been the Coast Guard.. heh." Marcus thought. He then nodded as he looked at Celestia. "So why did you need us here, and what was so urgent?" He asked.
"Well, there was an 'incident' involving the guards, and your soldiers." Celestia said.
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "What was this 'incident' about? Did they hurt one of your guards?" He asked. Then, he heard a voice behind him.
"He killed one of our own..." Spoke a Pegasus guard. The girls gasped in shock, while the Marines tried to comprehend what he just said.
"Wait.. what?" Jackson said, wanting to make sure he heard what the Pegasus said correctly.
"He killed one of our own!!" The Pegasus shouted more aggressively. He then gritted its teeth, shouted in anger, and rushed towards Jackson, being fueled with pure rage. Jackson started to raise up his M1014 to shoot him, but the Pegasus was stopped by a magical aura. Marcus and the others turned around and noticed that it was Celestia who stopped the Pegasus.
"Please guard. Resume your posture while we settle the situation at hoof- er, hand." Celestia said calmly. The Pegasus breathed heavily, with tears running down his eyes, but he complied as he got behind Shining and another guard. Then, Dempsey sighed heavily as he looked at Celestia.
"Look, Princess Celestia. Can I please explain why I acted the way I did?" He asked. Celestia nodded. "Okay.. I have a disorder called Post Tramatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. I'm assuming that this disorder exists here too?" Dempsey asked.
Celestia nodded. "Yes, but nopony has ever had PTSD for about 1,000 years."
"Holy Crap..." Dempsey thought, but he continued. "Alright. The reason why is because long story short, I've probably seen more combat then any of your guards. And that type of combat tends to mess your mind up. When I woke up, I thought that looters were gonna come in and take our stuff, and probably kill us. I had no idea that they were your guards whatsoever, or even the fact that we were in another planet! You've gotta understand that it was my instincts taking over for the sake of protecting myself and my fellow soldier here." He said, nudging at Kevin, who also nodded. "I know that what I did was probably unforgivable in your eyes, especially if you said that nothing like this had happened here before, but note that me and Kevin come from a place that has been invaded by newcomers who wouldn't give a flying fuck about who they killed."
Marcus then spoke up. "The Cryptids?"
Dempsey then turned around to face Marcus. "Yeah. How the hell did you know?"
Marcus smirked slightly. "Because you're looking at the members of CIF Team One, soldier."
Dempsey and Randy's eyes shot open "Wait, seriously? I thought you guys died back at the Exodus Launch Site!" Dempsey said.
"We did. Well, kinda. We got teleported here somehow, we met the ponies, the Cryptids exist here, yada, yada, yada. Now we're here!" Marcus said, spreading his arms. Dempsey then mentally replayed what Marcus said.
"Wait.. the what exist here?"
"The Cryptids are more wide-spread than you think. They exist here." Marcus said nonchalantly. Dempsey and Randy's jaws dropped at the sudden news. They were about to ask how, but Marcus lifted up a hand. "I'll explain later. We just got back from destroying a Hive. Oh, and speaking of Cryptids." Marcus then looked at Celestia. "The Hive and the Cryptid that killed the Diamond Dog are no longer." He said.
Celestia smiled and nodded, but she had another question. "Wait, are you all from the same planet? With the same situation?" She asked. They then all nodded.
"Yeah. If there's one thing we all have in common, is that we were all defending our planet from those Cryptid fucks..." Marcus said. Celestia nodded again in understanding. "Anyways, back on topic. I don't know what you think of Dempsey's actions, but they were not acted on purpose. We understand that a punishment might most certainly come out of this, but I'm sure that there's some other way we could repay this."
Celestia just sat there in silence as she went into deep thought about the entire situation. The guards wanted justice for their fallen friend, but she knew that it was just an honest mistake, unintended, but it was still her job to make sure that justice and equality was served and given rightly. The entire room fell into a deep silence, to the point where they could barley hear each other's heartbeats.
Then, Celestia got out of her deep thinking and looked at the humans, who were patiently waiting a response from her. She then spoke up. "I understand that what happened was an accident, but it is my job serve out justice no matter what, but I have seen your actions and your brave and honorable acts you all have done to your country and ours. I will not write this off due to youthful vigor and patriotism, but I will conduct and talk to the commanders of the Royal Guard and court martial. Aside from that, I wouldn't be too worried about it."
Everybody's jaw inside the room dropped to the floor. "Holy crap..." Dempsey thought. He then turned to the guards, who also had a look of shock, but also had a look of anger and curiosity.
Celestia started walking out of the room, until she turned around. "Also, I need you all to stay here in Canterlot for a day. Tomorrow you will be brought into the court." She stated.
"Not a problem, Princess." Marcus said with a nod.
Celestia started opening the door, until Shining Armor spoke up. "Princess, with all due respect, are you seriously going to let these creatures off that easily?! They killed one of our guards, for pete's sake!"
"Captain, I suggest you please calm down. And they have been through a lot in their lives. They deserve respect and honor, not an execution." With that, Celestia walked out of the room, leaving only the guards, the humans, and the girls by themselves.
Shining then sighed in frustration, shocked that Celestia let them get away with such an act. "So killing a guard means getting honor and respect?!" He said in disbelief. Twilight then slowly walked up to Shining, and put a hoof on his shoulder.
"Shining, she kinda has a point. They've been through things that nopony in here has ever gone through.. They deserve much more than what they have gotten." Twilight stated.
Shining looked at Twilight in shock. "What?... you too? What did these things do to possibly avoid punishment for killing a guard? What the hay have they done to deserve respect and honor?!" Shining said, with his voice raising at the last four words. Twilight flinched a bit at his sudden shout, but then Marcus walked over to them.
"Do you really want to know what we do?.." Marcus said quietly and calmly as he stared down at Shining. Shining stepped back a bit, but he glared back at Marcus with anger.
"Whatever you creatures have done.. will be nothing compared to what me and the Royal Guards have done in our history.." Shining said, the words dripping with cockiness and determination. When he said this, Marcus snapped. He then turned to Twilight, who saw that she and the other girls gritted their teeth and had an expression on their face that read 'Oh fuck'.
"Twilight... use that one spell to project one of my memories."
Twilight stepped back a bit in hesitation, but he saw that if she didn't, then something bad was going to go down. She then hesitantly walked towards Marcus, touched the tip of her horn onto his forehead, and played out yet another flashback on a window nearby as everyone/pony in the room watched.
December 17, 2017
Seventeen miles away from the coast of Nii-jima island, Japan
Onboard the U.S.S Wasp (LHD-1)
Marcus and his squad were stationed on board the U.S.S Wasp, an amphibious assault ship, after they got out of Ball's Pyramid and were taken to the ship via a V-22 Osprey. They were sent there to support the evacuation of Japan's surrounding islands. The Wasp has led several successful evacuation missions along the islands, and they were now preparing to conduct the final rescue operation on the island of Nii-juma.
Marcus was at the bottom of the ship, taking control of one of the ship's Phalanx CIWS turret systems, which consisted of a radar-guided 20mm Gatling gun on a swiveling base, similar to the ones he and his squad used to destroy the Kraken. He was controlling it via a computer, shooting down Gargoyles and giving the pilots on board the top deck some breathing room.
"Hunter! Hurry up, we got one mike before we head out!" Kayla shouted from the other side of the hallway. Marcus kept shooting down the Gargoyles until he saw one of the ship's AV-8B Harrier jets take off to the skies, turn around, and engage the remaining Gargoyles in the skies.
"I'm on my way!" Marcus shouted as he got out of the chair and let an waiting weapons technician take control of the Phalanx. As he ran out of the room, he picked up his ARX-160, which had a customized black finish to it, along with white streaks. He then caught up with his squad, who were waiting for him near a set of stairs. Once they noticed Marcus, they then ran down the stairs to the well dock, which contained a LCAC (Landing Craft Air Cushion) hovercraft awaiting them, the same one that took them on board the Stormbreaker.
"Double check your weapons and ammo. And don't take too much shit with you, this mission won't last long." Marcus said as they ran towards the hovercraft.
"Yeah, that's what they said in the movie 'Black Hawk Down'..." Jackson replied. Marcus didn't respond back as they ran into the hovercraft and double checked their entire arsenal. Marcus was right though, they only had to rescue a small amount of civilians from one of the abandoned villages in the island. The hovercraft then lifted its landing ramps as the Wasp's back doors slid open to let the hovercraft out. It then slowly floated out of the ship and into the sea, where the LCAC increased in speed and soared towards the shore.
Marcus then used the radio in his helmet to remind his squad about the mission. "Alright, here's the plan. We land on the shore, go into the village, find the rest of the civilians there, and take them back here for extraction via a Chinook helicopter before the Air Force drops white phosphorous bombs all over the island. As we do this, we'll have three Super Cobra attack helicopters supporting us from the air until we land. Any questions?"
His squad looked at him, and shook their head as they prepared themselves for the landing.
"I like that plan." Jackson said with a smirk.
Marcus nodded as they awaited landing. Then, the three AH-1 Super Cobra helicopters from the nearby U.S.S Makin Island, another Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, flew over them, pre-firing away 2.75mm rockets at the shores ahead. Then, they slowed their air speed and flew in a triangular patter above the hovercraft.
"CIF Team One, this is Deadly 1-2, along with Deadly 1-3 and 1-5. We gotcha covered up here." The pilot of the middle Cobra said over the radio.
"Copy that, Deadly. Mind doing a strafe run on the shores ahead to clear out any Cryptids hiding in the brush?" Marcus replied.
"Copy, moving into position now."
Marcus then looked above him as he saw the three Cobra's fly away speedily to the right and position themselves. They then lowered their altitude slightly and leaned forward as they opened fire on the shores ahead once more. The Cobra's Gatling guns and 2.75mm rockets streaked to the beach in front of them, blowing up huge walls of sand and black smoke as they did so. Marcus couldn't see them for a second, due to the black smoke and sand, but he then saw the Cobra's fly through without a scratch, then fly over the hovercraft.
"Strafe run complete. We'll stick around for a bit longer as you guys land, how copy?" The pilot said on the radio.
"Solid copy, Deadly 1-2. Landing now." Marcus said as he saw that the LCAC has slowed down and was now hovering over the beach. The landing ramp in front of the Marines then lowered and hit the sand with a thump.
"Go go go!" Marcus shouted as he and his squad ran out of the hovercraft and onto the beach. They then a leapfrog pattern, where one would move up at a time, while the others provided support until the one who was moving made it to their designated location. Marcus then went prone, the sand hitting his face as he aimed down the sights of his ARX-160.
"Be advised, CIF One, this is Lawman 2-6, we're pulling out of the beach. A Chinook helicopter will be on station to pick you guys up in three mikes. Go get 'em. Out." The driver of the LCAC said over the radio. Marcus looked over his shoulder as he saw the LCAC pull away from the shores and speed back towards the Wasp, along with one of the Cobra helicopters to serve as an escort.
"Contact!" Thompson shouted. Marcus turned back around as he saw seven Hunters rush at them with full intentions on slicing and dicing them. Marcus and the others opened fire, with Marcus using all of his thirty rounds to bring down one Hunter, as Jackson also went prone, shooting his Chain SAW at three of the Hunters. The Super Cobra's above then then opened fire, shooting steady streams of 7.62mm rounds from its Gatling guns at the Hunters, while making sure they didn't engage the ones that the Marines had already acquired.
"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Marcus shouted. The gunfire stopped as Marcus and his squad stood back up from their prone position, and ran into the brush, following a dirt trail that lead to the village.
"Be advised CIF One, this is Deadly Actual; pulling out now. Evac is on its way in two mikes. Stay safe out their." The Super Cobra pilot said as they turned their helicopters around and flew back to the ship.
"Understood. Out." Marcus replied simply as he ran through the brush. They kept running until Jackson looked up and saw a Scorpion perched on a branch. It screeched at him as it aimed its tail at him to shoot out a ball of yellow acid. Jackson however, was faster, pulling up his SAW and mowing down the Scorpion. It let out a death screech as it fell down to the ground below and in front of the Marines. Marcus jumped over the carcass and kept running, along with the others. Jackson jumped, but he tripped and fell face first on the ground with an annoyed grunt.
Thompson turned around and ran to help Jackson back up to his feet. "C'mon man, let's go." He said as he helped him back up. Jackson picked up his SAW, nodded at Thompson, and they both ran to catch up with Kayla and Marcus, who were already at the village, next to a large wooden hut.
Marcus motioned them to take position on the sides of the door. Jackson and Thompson leaned next to the door, while Kayla watched their six. Marcus then wordlessly counted down to one and kicked open the door. Screams were heard as the Marines entered the hut. Marcus then shushed their screaming as he used his hands to calm them down.
"Do any of you speak english?" Marcus asked. One of the civilians spoke up.
"I-I do.. are you going to get us out of here?" He asked. Marcus nodded assertively.
"You bet your ass we are. Tell the rest of the civilians to gather up in that corner over there, while I call in a helicopter to take you all out of here." Marcus commanded. The man nodded giddily as he turned to the rest of the civilians and spoke to them in Japanese. They then did what Marcus wanted them to do. Marcus then counted the amount of civilians as he spoke into the radio.
"Seven... eight... nine. We got nine civvies here. Seven children, one teenager, and one adult. We're ready for evac." Marcus said over the radio.
"Copy that CIF One, this is Sierra 4-2, pilot of the Chinook. Get your asses over here in thirty seconds; We're low on fuel as we speak." The Chinook pilot stated.
"Copy that, moving out now. Hold your fire to the northwest." Marcus replied as he motioned the civilians to follow him and his squad.
"Solid copy, out."
"Alright, let's move out before our skin peels!" Marcus shouted as he and his squad picked up as many of the children as he could and started running back down the trail, with the adult and teenager following close behind. They jumped over the Scorpion's carcass, making the children yell in somewhat happiness despite themselves. They then heard the deafening sound of rotors as they came out of the brush and noticed that the Chinook helicopter was just barley landing and opening its back hatch. They ran towards it as four Navy SEAL's with K7's stepped out, crouched, and set a defensive perimeter on the outside of the hatch.
"C'mon, Leathernecks, let's get a move on!" One of the SEAL's shouted, patting Marcus' shoulder. The Marines ran into the Chinook and set down the children on the seats. The adult and teenager then sat down beside them to comfort them. Then, the SEAL's started climbing into the Chinook as it rose up from the beach.
"Be advised, the island is now fully evacuated. It is now clear for the white phosphorus strike. I say again, you are clear for white phosphorus." The Chinook pilot said as they flew away from the island.
"Solid copy; Viking 4-7 and Viking 3-9 moving in to drop our payloads." The pilots of nearby F-35ll Lightnings said.
"Be advised, Viking 4-7, all units in the area are at a safe distance. You are clear for the strike." Godfather said over the radio.
"Copy that, dropping bombs now; Enjoy the fireworks."
Marcus and the others aboard the Chinook looked up at the sky and saw the F-35's fly over the entire island, dropping their Mark-77 bombs over it. They exploded in mid-air, and covered the island in white phosphorus.
End of Flashback
Marcus then blinked severl times as he shook his head to regain control of his bearings. He then turned around, only to see that four of the guards have fainted, and that Shining had a look of shock, awe, and horror. And his right eye twitched slightly.
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, even though it may be a bit too long, and I have an iffy feeling for this chapter. And the frequent flashbacks might be getting a bit annoying to some of you, but at least it gives them more of a hint on what they've gone through, and why the ponies should not fuck with them, while all the more giving them the reason to be grateful they're not their enemies. 
Also, for those of you who are pissed at why the humans haven't gotten a punishment, is because that will be revealed next chapter. Not as bad as you might think..
And give me your overall thoughts on this chapter! The next one will be filled with a volley of questions too, since the newcomers must know what challenges awaits them in this new world they're in.
Oh, and a little demonstration on what kind of weaponry the humans have to show the guards.
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Excellent work on this chapter!
I'm really liking the flashbacks as well, brings more depth to the characters. 
Great chapter, also one tiny correction, please don't hate me, The Bell AH-1W Super Cobra, doesn't feature a Gatling gun but rather a 20mm Gatling cannon, also you forgot the W in the designation. Also love the reference to MW, and I can not wait for the weapon demonstration to these little shit grinned, ass sniffin, GUARD who think they have seen shit, or that they are the best. HA a butter bar LT straight from West Point can force you glorified cops into surrendering. Also as JD said the flashbacks add more to the character, so I like them. Can't wait for the next update.
5178584 Glad you enjoyed it! And the flashbacks too. I have so many more planned.
5178699 Thanks for finding the error! I was thinking of the AH-1Z Viper when I used the Gatling gun. They're so alike.
And I thought NOBODY would find that Modern Warfare refrence! You deserve a cookie. If I had one..
Glad you also enjoy the flashbacks. I got a lot of 'em coming your way.
5178792 Yay free cookie I can't eat cause I'm diabetic, thanks tho my dog will love it
I have to say one thing in response to how the guards reacted: Was surprised that Shining was still able to stay conscious. Knowing them, they will probably need to allow for the human to have a punishment, although PTSD may lessen the punishment from heavy to a lighter one. Lets see how well they fare now.
Though I would bet that any rookie guard watching that would faint as well, because they have never seen that much war and death. Can't wait to read the next chapters!
5181301 Glad you enjoyed it, dude! As of right now, it's the largest chapter I've ever done in any of my stories, but it wasn't much. Besides, I like making long chapters.
I have a feeling you'll enjoy the look on their faces after Kayla shows 'em her Barrett .50 Cal.
5179296 The punishment won't be nearly as harsh as you might think, but as I said before, it makes sense because she knows they'll need their help in the near future.
And if thought those flashbacks were gory, you have no idea what I got in store..
Great chapter. But you might want to change the ARX 160 to the 100. The 160 is the .22 training version.
5182200 200-300,000 words at least. Will I be ending this? Like cancel it?
Oh hell naw.
And about the sex tag...
It's classified information...
5182689 Seems like it would, but with the electricity flowing through nearby Cryptids.
And the CBJ-MS? I loved it in multiplayer, but I always went with the K7 or the MTAR-X. I like weapons that reload quickly without the need for Weapon Specialist.
5183023 The Honey Badger WAS my go-to weapon until they took it out the last update. Stupid I.W.
I prefer using incendiary rounds and the Sentry Guns. I like supporting the team.
5183470 Oh I feel your pain on that one.. that's why I avoid people under Prestige 1.
Speaking of which, do you happen to have an Xbox?
I feel like a more visceral surviving by a thread scenario would have been better here, or perhaps one at least painting a more gruesome image of the Cryptids. That felt more of a "these guys are badass" type of story than a "this is what we were fighting and why we deserve respect" kind of story.
5185509 I know, but this is only one of many I have planned. Plus, the questions they will ask will build up to more flashbacks and therefore giving an overall reason and understanding once they put two and two together with additional explination.
5183714 Why not pump it again? It'a SPAS-12!
Should he do it again?
I like to know if the ponys have a duplicating spell to copy the weapons and ammo they have or can twilight sparkles bring more stuff from there world?
To let you know that I don't mind the flash back or the length of the chapter. To my way of thinking the more the better the chapter. I do hope to see more soon.
Dragonfox
5189150 I'm thinking about wether they have a duplication spell, or they can study their munitions and mass produce. I am leaning towards the second one, but the thought of having your shit ready in less than 5 seconds sounds tempting.
And you'll be seeing more soon. Just taking the weekend off.
Nope. It's there for a location.
rockets are measured in inches, not millimeters
Barely, not barley, i think you meant to write.
Also, cheers mate
Great story you're writing here
Celestia was definitely put in a tough spot in this one. If it were up to me though, I would have charged Dempsy with man-slaughter, or pony slaughter in this case. PTSD can be an understandable excuse, but it does not change the fact that an innocent life was taken and that the family is going to be notified that their loved one is dead. That's how I view this.
5245443 Not in the the military