For Honor, Glory and The Empire

by Bronycommander

Chapter 4 Meet the US-Marines

Chapter 4: Meet the US-Marines

The filly tried to run but tripped. “What’s wrong Tojo, scared?” the marine asked mocking.

In fear, Flute crawled backwards against the wall, praying that the soldier wouldn’t find her.

Then, the marine jumped around the corner, firing a jet of flames.

To protect herself, the foal used a shield spell. However, as she was still a filly, her magic wasn’t very strong, the shield lasted only for a few seconds against the flames.

As the shield collapsed, she tried to move to the side to get away. While evading it, her left side and hooves were burned, she screamed in pain, tears leaving her eyes.

Miller was shocked upon seeing what he had burned. A filly crying in pain as she looked at her burning fur.

“Miller, what’s going on?” Miller’s commanding officer asked as he walked to him. He was shocked too upon seeing Flute. “My god…”

“Sergeant, is there a problem?” Private Polonsky joined them. As Energetic as he was, he aimed his M1 Garand at the crying filly. “Don’t move!”

She looked up with a very sad expression, “P-please…make it…stop…”

Polonsky looked at her, unsure what to do. “Lower your weapon, Private!” Roebuck ordered and the private obeyed.

“Sir, the only thing we can do, is to put her out of her misery.”

“No Polonsky. She’s a child and I will not her die on this rock. CORPSMAN!!!” Roebuck yelled.

Flute, despite the pain, managed to look up. Miller had brown hair and eyes, Polonsky blond hair and blue eyes, the Sergeant dark brown hair and brown eyes.

“What happened?” she heard a new voice. It belonged to a soldier wearing a medical bag with a cross on it, his uniform had also crosses on it. He had black hair and blue eyes with she mistook as purple for a second.

“Oh my…you poor. I'm here to take the pain away.” The Corpsmen knelled down and got ointment out of his backpack. “Could you hold her?” He asked his comrades which agreed and held her by her unburned legs.

“This might sting a little bit.” She screamed more in pain as the Corpsmen applied the ointment on her burned body parts. The marines held her as she struggled but slowly calmed down, as the pain became less.

“See, my dear? All better now.” He also applied sterile bandages around the affected area with gauze pads which took the pain away. Then, the young Corpsmen took a scissors out to cut of the burned fur which was painful but she only let out cries through gritted teeth.

“Second degree burns. You were very lucky.” He looked at her body parts were blisters had formed.

“T-thank you.” She managed to say trying to suppress tears.

“Sarge, we should bring her out of here to a safer place.” Polonsky recommended.

“I agree kid but the 200 mm makes that impossible. We have no other choice but to her with us. What’s your name?” Roebuck asked the filly.

“T-tootsie Flute.”

“That’s a nice name. My name is James Elliot.” The Corpsmen introduced himself.

“I’m Sergeant Roebuck and these are my men Private Miller and Private Polonsky.”

The privates looked at Flute with a guilty expression. “I’m so sorry for hurting you, I thought you were an enemy waiting in ambush.” Miller was very sorry.

Flute’s reaction surprised them all. “It’s alright, you’re at war, you couldn’t know that.” She tried to stand but fell down with a cry of pain.

“Let me help you.” James shouldered his rifle and gently picked the foal up being careful of her wounds.

“Thank you.” They started to walk along the tunnel.

“So Flute, what does a child like you on this rock?” James stroked her mane.

“It’s kind of a long story.” She told them where she came from, how she landed here and how Sato found her and took care of her. The US soldiers had sympathy for her.

“Your poor child. I promise with my honor as officer, that you will be save and got of this rock alive.” Roebuck smiled sad at her.

“Thanks. This is the M1 Garand, right? Sato told me about it.” She pointed to Polonsky’s rifle.

“Correct. Standard issue for us. Semi-automatic, powerful, accurate and reliable. 8 rounds, loaded via stripper clips. It’s notable for its distinctive metallic ping sound when an empty clip is ejected. It can be reloaded without expending the clip but that’s takes longer and is complicated. As standard issue sidearm, we have the M1911A1 .45 also known as Colt.45. 8 rounds and very good stopping power.

Our squad leader uses the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, BAR for short. 20 round magazine. It’s a squad support weapon, used to lay down accurate suppression fire at enemy positions.

Miller is using the M2 Flamethrower. As it name suggest it fires flames. Useful to destroy a well-fortified position.”

Flute trembled lightly. “I-I know, one of your comrades almost burned me before…” She couldn’t finish it as she buried her head into James’s chest.

He patted her. “Shh, no one’s gonna hurt you anymore.”

Flute sniffed. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I use the M1A1 Carbine. Also semi-automatic, lightweight, accurate and compact. Has magazine of 15 rounds. Ideal for soldiers that work behind the front or have to carry heavy equipment like me.”

“Wouldn’t you lose your protection as medic when you carry that with you? My mother told me once about the Geneva Convention.”

“Well, the Japanese do not accept the Geneva Convention and so, also attack me without mercy, so I have no other choice to protect myself.”

“I understand. You have to kill to protect yourself.”

“Yes.” At the exit, James slipped because of the mud. While Miller managed to grab his hand, James lost his balance that Flute fell out of his arms and slipped the hill down into a rotten corpse at some sandbags.

She screamed as she looked at the with maggots littered corpse, into the skull and crawled backwards. Her right foreleg was covered in maggots.

The Corpsmen saw her distress and carefully climbed down to her. “Don’t worry.” He used his knife to shave the maggots of her, she breathed heavily in shock and fear.

The filly had to vomit. “S-sorry.”

“None taken.” He took a cloth out of his pocket, cleaned her, then took her on his arm before climbing up.

Flute could see how Roebuck was writing something in his Diary. He made no effort to hide it.

AA fire from the airfield is knocking our planes right out of the sky. Taking this airfield is our only priority. Whatever the cost.

“Alright men, we regroup with another squad nearby Stay sharp.”

They moved up until they came across Marines inspecting a dead pilot in a crashed F4U Corsair.

“Poor bastard must have been shot down this morning.” James felt sorry for the pilot.

“Fuselage is still smoking...Check for survivors. Be careful of booby traps,” Roebuck warned the marines as he remembered what happened on Peleliu one year ago.

A marine checked the body. “He's all snarled up on something...” Flute heard a clicking sound. “Grenade!” The plane exploded.

Banzai Chargers attacked. „BANZAI!!!”

“BOOBY TRAP!!!” Polonsky yelled.

“Damn!” Miller stumbled from the explosion.

“AMBUSH!! Keep 'em back!” Roebuck fired his rifle as James ran to some sandbags while firing his colt. After putting the filly down, he switched to his Carbine.

Risking a look over the sandbags, Flute saw how every Imperial soldier that tried to charge at Miller was effectively burned. They were running straight into their death.

Polonsky knocked a Charger down and shot him at point blank range, while Roebuck killed another with the butt of his BAR.

A third Imperial knocked James down, he pushed the rifle aside and stabbed the Japanese into the neck before throwing the body off himself. “You’re alright?”

“Uh-huh,” Flute replied lightly scared.

“Can't believe they'd booby trap our dead…again…” the young private was disgusted.

“Me too.” The unicorn shared it.

Another squad of Banzai Chargers attacked. “It’s another damned ambush! They're all around!” Polonsky fired his rifle.

“Keep it tight!” Roebuck covered Miller so he could get in range.

As the area was cleared, they moved up. “Shh…Nothing bad will happen to you.” James patted her. She just pressed her head against his chest.

They came to a bunker. The foal heard a loud metallic “clang.” Polonsky’s helmet was shot off but he didn’t care. The Corpsmen picked it up and putted it on her head. “For your protection.

While it wasn’t her size and hindered her sight a little bit, Flute couldn’t complain about it. Better safe than sorry. She thought as the Corpsmen got her to cover and provided covering fire for Miller.

Miller burned the bunker, it exploded and the soldiers inside screamed. The child couldn’t bear it.

“Good work! Airfield's about a half a mile north.” Roebuck complimented his comrade as Flute heard the sound of an engine.

Looking up, she saw a flaming plane, bigger then the rigged plane she saw earlier, flying down and crashed on the other side of a hill.

“Bastards just took down another one.” James was worried.

“All the more reason to keep pushin'. Every plane we lose makes our job harder.” Roebuck checked his ammo.

Thy came to a trench near a large Japanese stronghold. James dived into the trench to protect her from bullets, the rest followed.

There was a sound of an engine. James spotted 2 Type 95 Ha-Go in the distance accompanied by infantry.

“Those are Jap tanks.” He pointed it out.

“We have to take them out! Miller, use the Bazooka! Polonsky, use Rifle Grenades against the infantry!” Roebuck fired at the Japanese soldiers.

The baby-blue pony saw that Miller switched the flamethrower for a bazooka that was on a crate, while the other private putted a grenade on his rifle, firing it into the air towards the enemy.

Again, she heard the clang sound. James’s helmet got shot off, he grabbed it and putted it back on. “I’m okay, didn’t feel a thing!” He spoke to show he was unharmed.

The marines took the infantry out, while Miller destroyed one of the tanks. James quickly reloaded and fired at a soldier riding on the tank. Direct hit.

Miller fired again the bazooka. He hit the tank’s tracks, immobilizing it.

However, the Ha-Go was still operational. It aimed it’s canon at the Marines. “Fall back!” the Sergeant ordered.

“Oh crap!” James shouted as he picked the foal up. They retreated as the tank fired, the shot missed.

The second shot missed too but threw James to the ground. Flute let out a painful cry as she landed on her injured side. She froze in fear as the canon pointed at her. Tootsie closed her eyes. I’m sorry, mommy… Then, she got blown backwards by an explosion. The foal expected to be dead but apart from the pain caused by the landing, she felt still the wind brushing against her fur. I-I’m alive? Flute slowly opened her eyes, seeing the Japanese tank in flames, realizing that the explosion was caused by something else, not the cannon.

“Damn!” James got up and checked her.

A Sherman tank had destroyed the hostile tank, moved up and fired a round into the building.

“You’re alright?” Flute nodded with gritted teeth to keep herself from crying. He gently picked her up as they moved to the airfield, covered by the Sherman.

She heard how the soldiers let out a war cry.

“Move up and take out the AA Guns! We are taking this airfield today! Miller! Take out that first gun crew!”

“On it!” He used the flamethrower while James stayed in cover with Flute. She covered her eyes from the battle sounds.

Yet, they took all AA guns out. “Nice work, Marines! Let's give Major Gordon the good news.” Roebuck looked at a radioman who nodded.

“Yes, sir. The airfield has been held... Repeat, the airfield has been held.” He spoke into the radio.

“Uh guys… we got a problem.” Flute spotted MANY Imperial soldiers moving in in the distance.

The Sarge grabbed the radio. “Sir, Japanese reinforcements coming in north of the airfield... Request immediate air support. Yes, Sir... understood.”

Polonsky used a green flare.

“Everyone take position. Eyes forward. Stay strong. We are holding this airfield!”

James manned a Type 92 MG, Polonsky another while Miller manned one of the AA guns.

The foal covered her ears from the loud MG and AA fire. Polonsky and James took out the infantry, while Miller destroyed every truck that moved infantry in.

“They're bringing up tanks!” Polonsky yelled.

Miller took them out with the AA gun.

Again, Flute heard the metallic clang sound, this time, her helmet was shot off. She used her magic to set it back on.

The US-marines held bravely their ground until their planes made a bombing run, wiping the Imperial soldiers out.

The radiomen reported in. “Yes, sir. The airfield had been held... Repeat, the airfield has been held.”

“Good work, Marines. Now get some rest. You have earned it.”

The hearts of the soldiers melted as Flute let out a cute yawn. Despite all the battle sounds, she was getting tired, and it became evening.

They all had a good dinner, James tucked their little friend in. “Goodnight, sweet dreams.”

“Thank you.” Flute yawned. “I just hope Sato or his friends weren’t long them.” She sounded worried.

“I’m sure they’re doing fine. I doubt they would attack us upon seeing how good we take care of you and how they were taught of American culture.

Flute smiled. “You’re right, I have to be fate in that. Good that you gave me that helmet, otherwise…I probably hadn’t survived.” She was afraid to die.

James inspected the helmet. It had a dent from a ricocheted bullet.

“You really think this helmet can stop a bullet? It can stop a pistol bullet but that’s it. Those helmets are made to protect us from splinter and fragments.

“But still, it saved my life. Goodnight.” She drifted off to sleep. James couldn’t help but smile as he also fell asleep, to be ready for the next day of this battle.

Author's Note:

A little...misunderstanding but her first encounter with the US Marines still went good. And yes, those Marines are Miller, Roebuck and Polonsky from Call of Duty World at War. We know that they fought on Peleliu Island in 1944 and later on Okinawa in 1945 but it was never shown where they fought between those 2 battles, so I thought Iwo Jima would be good to close this gap.

The Corpse scene was based on a scene from the TV show the pacific but unfortunately, the video got deleted. The tank scene was based on this. The chapter was based on the mission Hard Landing from the game.

Comments

[General Sparky]

More struggle at iwo jima. This will not end well.

[Bronycommander]

8292710
Yes, after all, it was one of the bloodist battles and the only one where the US had more casulties then Japan

[Purple Patch]

I'm here to take the pain away

Uh, nowadays this always sounds questionable, like some cult leader or drug dealer.
I'd just have him say 'I'm here to tend to your injuries.
Ugh! There goes Tootsie's sleep for the next few nights.

[Bronycommander]

8310566
I see. THat Line is actually said by the Medic Enemy in Payday 2, I thought it would suit to calm Tootsie down.

[midnightwolfGX]

Well, if there's one thing Flute is a natural at, it's cheating death! But at least she's okay! I'm surprised none of the Marines were questioning why there would be a pastel-colored cartoonish pony in their world... but I'm sure there are more pressing matters at hand!

Yeah, I would've read this sooner... but I've been way too caught up with studying for final exams. I'll keep at it, though!

[Bronycommander]

8904117
They dismiss it due being at war. And Good Luck with your Exam!

[Bronycommander]

10111585
Well, i took some Inspiration From it. Plus, we Never saw what happened to miller and co between that and okinawa