Sunset sat on a hilltop overlooking a city, relaxing in the shade of an old tree as she reminisced with her old mentor/mother. two-star General Sol, one of the three who had taken her in all those years ago, it was a shame Uncle Ymir died not long after her enlistment; he would be proud of all she's done. Thinking of him reminds her of when mother let her declare war, back when she was just a Lieutenant, a butter-bar on her way to silver. Just after her first attack from Them.
Uncle would've liked the Chaos she made.
Six years ago
Lieutenant Sunset Shimmer stood atop the serving counter in the mess hall as she cleared her throat to quiet the crowds, her voice booming from every speaker across the base. Once all were silent and focused on her, she started her speech with a hard sigh. “It is with heavy heart that I bring you this news. New orders from HighCom, human shields are to be considered ‘Acceptable Casualties’ in future engagements with Zealot forces.” An uproar tore from the assembled masses, one that continued until the LT fired a pistol shot into the ceiling.
“I know.” She said, her voice low and devoid of any emotion. ”But this is what HighCom says, and from what we know shooting them ourselves may be a mercy.” More uproar from the crowd. Sunset ignored them and continued. “We must not let hesitation allow any of those fanatics to escape, even if it means shooting through our own men.”
“We cannot let any of these psychopaths live!” She shouted, her voice ringing throughout the room. “For hundreds more will pay the price. We will hunt them day and night, through mud and blood, we will not stop until their order is crushed. They say their cause is just as they murder, no, massacere our men, women, and children in the streets. They have forgone the uniforms of warfare and hide among the people, waiting to strike.
They scream of their Rights when we kick in their doors and drag them from their guns and their bombs. They cry of oppression and genocide when they lose gunfights in the street. They dare plead for mercy in our courts when they showed our Children None!” She cried, her voice deafening as it boomed for all to hear.
“They hide in holes waiting to strike at the right time, the right target, and hide in the crowd when they face consequences. They say they’re doing God’s will, I say, and I’ll say this to their face, they’re nothing but brainwashed zealots following a coward insane! Their wounded’ll rather die than face punishment, and will try and take you with them.” She spat, before continuing with a new thunder in her voice. “From now on the UNDF is at war with these terrorists, all are to execute any wounded you find, they may be waiting for you to help them.
They wanted this… Holy War!” She spat, venom dripping from her maw. “And We Will Give Them War!” The crowd erupted at her declaration. “We will hunt them in the dunes. We will fight them wherever they strike. And We Will Burn Them From Their Tunnels! We will not stop until their religious force is Burnt from this earth!” Sunset cried, the base around her erupting with raucous roars of angered warriors.
Present
"It was only a few days before their next attack, and while it was outside of our territory and the news complained that we were extreme on the response; well, the amarican people we saved certainly weren't going to complain about the 'Winged Beasts' that arrived to rain death upon the terror group.
Heh, 'Winged Beasts' I'm told that's what they screamed when our helicopters arrived." Sunset said, chuckling as she remembered the first big retaliation against the Zealots. Leaning back against a stone block she sighed, plates of food lay forgotten beside her. "They called us Demons after that strike, monsters rising from hell to smite the 'true believers'
'Demons' eh? Heh he, I like it"