//------------------------------// // Two Steps from Hell // Story: Summoning Equestria: Arrival // by NicieLunar //------------------------------// =///A few weeks after the graduation ceremony, 0700 hours\\\= It was 7 AM in the bustling city of Manehattan. The sky was clear and Equestria is busy as usual. Ponies and other creatures were going about their day's and enjoying their lives that harmony had brought upon them. Inside one of the apartment blocks in the western district of the city, there is a bacon-haired mare sitting in her chair while enjoying her morning coffee. After few days of her graduation, Sunset Shimmer and all of the new graduates were assigned into the 212th Legion that was stationed in Neigh York. The Equestrian military basically provided almost all the needs that their troops needed: starting from housing, healthcare, bits, and daily necessities. They also allowed their troops to settle in their areas, only being called upon into service when needed. As the sun raised above the city skylines, Sunset took a sip of her coffee and looked up at the Manehattan skyline. She hadn't been this relaxed in months, constant military training can do so much to this young mare. Everything was quiet and peaceful, just the way she likes it. As she was about to take yet another sip of her coffee, her roommate came in. "I'm back! I brought us some breakfast from the nearby restaurant." Dusky Sight said happily. Sunset turned towards her friend and looked at the bag she brought. "What did you bring this time?" -Sunset narrowed her eyes at her friend- "It better be not one of those foods that you gave me a few weeks ago..." Dusky Sight chuckled nervously as she took a step back. They both still remembered the incident which resulted in Sunset Shimmer being sent to the hospital due to the fact that the food that Dusky Sight brought was expired. "How was I supposed to know that it was expired? It's not my fault the ponies there forgot to inform me about the expiration." Dusky Sight says to defend herself. "Valid point, but oh, I don't know, maybe it's because of the fact that within the container, the smell and look of the food inside was obviously well past its due date. I mean, for Celestia's sake, it was all mucky in texture and horrendous in smell!" Sunset Shimmer replied. "Erm..." Dusky Sight trailed off as her defense immediately came tumbling down. Maybe she should have looked at the obvious signs. Sunset Shimmer sighed before speaking, "It's all in the past now, Dusky Sight. I've already forgiven you a long time ago." -Sunset Shimmer sets her coffee aside before patting the table next to her- "Place it here and we'll eat. Well, we'll eat right after we check if it's safe to eat." Dusky Sight nodded before she placed the bags on the table and started placing out the food she bought from the local restaurant nearby. As Dusky Sight placed down the food, Sunset saw two servings of seasoned fries from the Los Pollos Harmones and alongside it, two servings of veggie sandwiches from Sandwich Hub. Dusky Sight also brought a set of Colta-Cola bottles as drinks. Sunset who by then was very hungry, quickly grabbed one the sandwiches with her magic and started chowing down on it like someone who hasn't eaten for weeks. Dusky Sight couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Sunset quickly gunning down her sandwich and drinking her Colta-Cola like no tomorrow. Dusky Sight didn't blame her though. During their time training at the military academy, she and other recruits were fed food that couldn't even be called food at all. (By the way, this 'food' is called Nutraloaf.) Dusky Sight sat down and started eating her breakfast alongside Sunset Shimmer. Dusky Sight didn't feel like eating a whole sandwich so she chose to try out the seasoned fries. As she bit into the fries, she quite liked it. Salty but not too salty, just how she likes it. "Hey Dusky, can you turn on the radio?" asked Sunset Shimmer as she bit into her sandwich once more. Dusky Sight turned towards the radio beside her and turned it on. It was static at first, then the radio found a signal and tuned into it. "Good morning, Equestria! My name is Amethyst Rose and welcome to the ENN. For today, we will report on the recent events that has occurred." "What's the news about? Well, it's a bunch of Kiwis taking over New Zaeland! You heard me right, ponies, kiwis are taking over New Zaeland!" As the voice finished her sentence, Sunset spat out her drink she, of course, was drinking. "Kiwis taking over New Zaeland!? That's preposterous!" Sunset said aloud. Dusky Sight could only snicker at Sunset's reaction. These days, news outlets basically just report on stupid news stories or ridiculous hoaxes from Canterlot. One such hoaxes is how Princess Celestia is speculated to have committed questionable acts with her sister, Princess Luna. She knew it was false, but it further reinforced her idea that news outlets prefer to report on ridiculous hoaxes and stupid news stories instead of the truth. "Also, just a few hours ago, Seeddam Hayssein, the governor of the Iraqquus province, declared its independence from the United kingdom of Equestria and announced the creation of a new nation called the 'Republic of Iraqquus' and appointed himself president." "He said he did this on the basis of 'injustice' and 'inequality' which the southern provinces have proclaimed to have suffered for decades. Also, from reports in our ENN branch in the provinces of Maregypt, Claybanon, and South Africolt, the newly formed Iraqquus Liberation Army had begun an invasion with its neighbor, the province of Keuwait. Already, casualties on both sides have risen above 100, and it seems it won't stop anytime soon." "As of now, the president of the Republic of Iraqquus has not revealed as to why his forces have begun invasion upon another province, but from various ponies, it is speculated that they could have easier access to the sea. Moments after the news of the invasion, we received a statement from Princess Luna herself in which she would mobilize the Equestrian military to repel the Iraqquus invasion of Keuwait, or at the very least, halt their advance." Dusky Sight stared at the radio as the voice continued on. She looked towards Sunset who was too staring at the radio with a stare. Neither of the ponies expected this type of news, especially at a time like this. The United Kingdom of Equestria had not been hit by a full blown province rebellion such as this in centuries. "Due to the unexpected situation that has befell upon the province of Keuwait, many economic experts predict that there will be an increase in electricity and energy prices since imports of energy crystals from Iraqquus and Keuwait will be stopped indefinitely." "That's all we can say about the situation at hoof. We can only hope that the Alicorn Princesses and the Equestrian military will quickly quell this rebellion and bring harmony back to the United Kingdom of Equestria once more. This Amethyst Rose, ENN, signing off..." Dusky turned off the radio when the broadcast changed into a commercial, making the room as silent as ever. She couldn't believe what she heard, she refused to believe, but it had to be true. Even news stations wouldn't lie about a provincial rebellion. The room they were in suddenly felt heavy as the two ponies could only stare at each other, unable to find the right words to say. The silence continued for several seconds until one of their friends came barging in. "Hey girls! Have you heard the news? There has been an uprising in the south! General Commander Obay Wind's Kenobe ordered us to assemble at the Neighchorage military air base in twelve hours." Flower Jade said excitedly. Sunset and Dusky let the information flow between their heads for a second before reacting. "Wait, what? Why us? Shouldn't there be other legions that are better at dealing with this rebellion than us?" Dusky Sight asked. "What she said. Most of the ponies in the legion haven't seen combat, even us. What makes us eligible to fight against this provincial rebellion?" Sunset Shimer was curious. She wasn't exactly concerned, she's been training for some combat, she just never expected that they would be picked to fight a rebellion and this early on after graduation. "Well... I don't know exactly, I was just relaying orders from our superior." Flower Jade replied. "Sweet Faust, we've just graduated! How on Equus can high command think that we're capable of fighting?" Dusky Sight said with a worried look on her face. "Hey, come on, look on the bright side, we finally get the opportunity to be deployed to the real battlefield and not those training fields. No offense to whoever designed it, but it gets boring after a while." Flower Jade said nonchalantly. "Oh come on, surely that has to be..." While the two ponies argued amongst each other, Sunset remained in her seat. Hundreds of neurons fired in her brain as she tried to come up with a reason of how this could possibly happen, how on Equus such an event could happen despite the relative peace. The first thing she thought of was that rebellion itself should be impossible. How come? Well, it's because organizations like the Royal Bureau of Investigation, or the RBI for short, should have detect and prevented this uprising long before Seeddam Hayssein and his cronies even began planning for the rebellion. She looked backed into her memories. She still remembered the event that happened a few years ago where one of the RBI agents came to Canterlot Castle. The agent informed her mother and her aunt about a possible uprising in Cheineigh led by a revolutionary leader named Lmao Zedong. Her mother and aunt acted quickly by sending out several special battalions to eliminate the rebel leader before it grew too large. Also, she realized that Iraqquus actually didn't really have much justification for their rebellion. Due to their magic crystal mining industry, the Iraqquus province became one of the richest provinces in the region. Their economic wealth almost rivaled that of a province in the Europonean region. The excuse that Seeddam Hayssein listed were basically absolute horseshit. The second problem is that from all the legions that existed throughout Equestria, why was her legion being chosen? There were other legions that are better at this sort of problem than the 212th Legion. Various theories started to form in her mind, one of which was about her mother deliberately letting this rebellion to happen and specifically sending out the 212th Legion to test her if she was worthy for Alicornhood. Then again, that wasn't her mother. She wouldn't allow thousands of ponies in pain when she could stop it. She's an advocate for peace, harmony, and friendship. Saying that she allowed the rebellion to happen would completely be unlikely of her mother. It would also mean that her mother is sending she and her friends to a possible early grave. 'What if I die? What if I don't survive the battle?' Sunset asked in her mind. "Erm... Sunset, are you okay?" Dusky asked worriedly, but it fell on deaf ears. Sunset started to panic. All kinds of possible events ran through her mind. All of which resulted with her death or the death of her friends. 'What if I get crippled and can no longer cast magic? No, what if my friends die because I wasn't able to help them?!' "Equis to Sunset, are you there?" Dusky asked again, but Sunset paid no mind to it. 'Sweet Faust, I really didn't think this through...' "Sergeant Sunset Shimmer!" Dusky said loudly, slapping her hoof onto the table. Sunset snapped back to reality and realized that she had ignored her friend. She saw both Dusky and Flower Jade with worried expressions on their faces. "S-Sorry about that, I was just... daydreaming." "Daydreaming? No offense, Sunset, but that didn't look like any normal daydreaming to me." Dusky Sight said. "I have to agree with her there, Sunset. You seemed to be panicking there, are you alright?" Flower Jade asked, concerned for her friend. Sunset looked at her friends and smiled weakly, "Yeah, I'm alright now. There were just some things on my mind, that's all." Flower Jade and Dusky Sight looked at each other before shrugging. They could always ask about this later on. Right now, they have bigger problems on their hooves. "Alright then, Sunset. Finish your food and drink and then pack your things. We'll be leaving soon and group up with the others." Dusky Sight informed. As Sunset ate her food, the question of what was about to happen swirled throughout her mind. She hoped, and she hoped, that she and her friends will be safe from whatever harm comes their way. =///Twelve hours later, Neighchorage Air Base, 2100 hours\\\= Under the night sky of Equis illuminated by Luna's moonlight, over twenty thousand REAF soldiers lined up waiting to be transported by military airship. If one were to look at the massive crowd of REAF soldiers, they would notice that the majority of them were nervous. Some were even shaking, but were nonetheless reassured by surrounding ponies. As they awaited for their transportation, a high ranking officer spoke up, "Listen up, everypony! Saddle up and get ready to make your way to the LZ! We'll be leaving in 15 minutes. If you are not ready by then, you WILL be left behind and WILL clean the base with anypony left behind!" After hearing what their commanding officer said, the ponies began gearing up quickly. They packed various things ranging from: MRE's, weaponry, armor, equipment, and various other things found commonly on the REAF soldier. Just like the rest of the soldiers, Sunset and her squad prepared their military gear. They all wore the same standard military armor as other troops in the REAF. Of course, there were only a few minor differences such as the red and white stripes used by Crystal Tender to indicate that she is a medic, and purple-bluish stripes used by Sunset to indicate that she is both a battle mage and the leader of her squad. With her military gear, Sunset also brought a saddle bag filled with magical crystals that could be used as backup sources of magical energy if needed. Also in the bag, she carried her personal diary. She often writes many things on her mind in her diary, so this was more of a thing for her than for anyone else. As the group began finishing gearing up, the area around them began to grow quiet. The staging ground was full of ponies, but it was like only a select few were there. It was understandable though, all of them were both excited and nervous about their upcoming deployment to a real situation instead of the usual training situation. Sunset took a deep breath before looking at her squad. She silently hoped that she and her friends can make it through the campaign alive. Despite not showing it, she truly did care for her friends. She never expected that she herself would socialize, let alone make friends in a military academy. She chuckled softly at herself, the thought of her making friends in such a quick fashion was crazy, but here she was, leading her friends into a potential danger zone. "Alright, is everypony ready?" Sunset asked. "I am ready, I think..." replied an unsure Emerald Ace. "Mhm." Thunder Spark answered calmly. "Absolutely." Flower Jade answered confidently. "Erm... yeah... sure." Dusky Sight answered uncertainly. "Of course!" Crystal Tender answered energetically Sunset Shimmer smiled at them. She was glad that they could all stay together as one squad and she could be the one leading them. She promised herself that she would keep them safe, and she planned on keeping that promise. As the ponies at the staging grounds talked amongst each other, the sounds of 'whup-whup-whup' can be heard from a distance. At first, the ponies dismissed it as strong winds so they didn't pay it much mind. As time went on though, the sounds only got louder and louder. The ponies began to look to look around their surrounding areas, but could only spot what they have already seen around the staging grounds. Finding nothing of interest, they took their gaze to the skies, and they gasped in amazement. Up above the staging grounds, lights began to break through the cloud cover. It wasn't daytime, so the ponies were curious as to what was causing the lights. Moments later, they received their answers in the form of a spectacular entrance. The clouds broke apart, the noise grew incredibly loud, and up above the staging grounds revealed one of the United Kingdom of Equestria's prized achievements, an air fleet. Despite not having a dedicated air force, they had one hell of a corps called the Airship Air Corps, and the ponies on the grounds reassured that. "S-Sweet Celestia, that thing is huge!" cried out one of the pony soldiers. "Where on Equus did the UKE find this type of funding?!" exclaimed another. "Oh my Faust, that entrance is awesome!" yelled out a very excited Crystal Tender. The airships were grand and incredibly huge. Some sported four propeller engines while some held eight. Various types of weaponry can be found on the sides of the airships while some held barely any. The logo of the Airship Air Corps can be seen, displaying it to all those that pay attention to the airship. The spotlights on board the airship were bright, illuminating the staging grounds below. It was bright, but it didn't hurt any of the pony's eyes due to a special magic being involved. As the airships began to land, the winds generated from the propellers blew back most of the ponies as the gargantuan airships grew closer and closer to the ground. The airships landed with a mighty thud and with it, their entrances opened up to carry the soldiers to Iraqquus. There were more than 40 military airships deployed in this operation. More than enough to transport twenty thousand troops and their supplies to all parts of Equestria, or in this case, Iraqquus. The air fleet consisted of 15 Province-Class Airships and 25 City-Class Airships. All of them were commissioned from various provinces in Coltlombia. Province-Class Airship : EAS Flowerida, EAS Idahoof, EAS Ohayo, EAS Neighbraska, EAS Mareland, EAS Neighvada, EAS Windsconsin, EAS, Haylabama, EAS Haywaii, EAS Ponysylvania, EAS Neigh York, EAS Coltorado, EAS Maressissippi, EAS Mareizona, EAS Califoalnia. City-Class Airship : EAS Trottawa, EAS Mareami, EAS Vanhoover, EAS Seaddle, EAS San Franciscolt, EAS Mareputo, EAS Dayllas, EAS Bronclyn, EAS Wilmareton, EAS San Antoneigho, EAS Chicacolt, EAS Atlantrot EAS Horsululu, EAS Whinnyapolis, EAS San Dineighgo, EAS Lasso Ageles, EAS Detrot, EAS Applewood, EAS Baltimare, EAS Manehattan, EAS Bostone, EAS Fillydelphia, EAS Denvier, EAS Las Pegasus, EAS Horuston. "Alright everypony, board your designated airships! If you can not find your designated airships, go towards anypony wearing a green vest for assistance!" informed one of the high ranking ponies. Soon enough, the entire legion began making their way towards the airships. They carried with them their gear, equipment, and personal belongings that were small enough and didn't break any rules of the REAF. Of course, there were some that didn't know their designated airships, but were helped by ponies wearing a green vest. In the crowd, Sunset and her squad began making their way to their airships: the EAS San Dineighgo. It was quite a travel since their airship landed quite a bit away from them, and it didn't help that the legion was only beginning to organize themselves, but after some time, they made it. Their designated airship was all the same like the rest. The only way to tell it apart was its printed name on the side and some customization paintings that were also on the side of the airship. They got in line and walked slowly towards the entrance. "So, how do you feel about the upcoming deployment, Sergeant Sunset Shimmer?" asked Dusky Sight. Sunset Shimmer turned towards her with a sigh, "I have no clue, some part of me is excited while the other is nervous..." Dusky Sight laid a hoof on her friend, "It's alright to be nervous, Sunset. I mean, I'm still nervous about this, but knowing that I'm with ponies I trust, that eased my mind a bit." Sunset smiled weakly at her words, "Yeah, I guess you're right. But still, there's just that..." -she trailed off momentarily to find the right words, but couldn't find it at all- "I don't know... that feeling you get when you're unsure of something." "Oh, you'll be fine, Sunset. Besides, you have me and the others, right guys?" both Sunset and Dusky turned towards the rest of their squad, to which Sunset was greeted with reassuring smiles of her friends. "Of course!" smiled Crystal Tender. "I'll be here." said Flower Jade. "Mhm." plainly replied Thunder Spark. "I-I mean, I won't always be there, but I'll try my best!" said Emerald Ace. After the positive words by her friends, Dusky Sight turned towards Sunset Shimmer with a soft smile, "We're here for you, Sunset. We'll get through this together because we're a team, and we're friends." Sunset smiled back, "Thank you, Dusky. I am grateful to have you as my friend." -she turned towards the rest of her friends- "And you guys as well. I really needed that." Her friends nodded positively in response to her words. Two minutes later, the group was within the confines of the airship. After Sunset and her friends walked in, they immediately placed down their gear/equipment in whatever room they were told to go and sat down. The airship was kind of a mix between luxury and functionality. For luxury, there were rooms dedicated to each squad or group, there were viewing platforms for each pony to visit, and there was a mess hall for the ponies on board. For functionality, there was the obvious such as: the armory, the bridge, engines room, dedicated areas to weapons, and more. After the group settled down, they and other ponies on board began to feel the airship slowly rising into the air. Some ponies such as Sunset and her friends rushed towards the viewing platforms to get a look at the action. They saw themselves growing higher and higher in altitude and soon enough, they were above the clouds. Minutes later, the PA came to life, "Mares and Stallions of the 212th Legion, this is your captain speaking. Welcome aboard the EAS San Dineighgo, one of the many airships apart of the Airship Air Corps. Winds are decent and the weather outside is... decent. We'll arrive at our destination in thirty-four hours so sit tight and ready yourselves." As soon as the PA came on, it came off as quickly as it went. The ponies, including Sunset and her friends, soon enough returned to their rooms and began to rest for the upcoming mission. As Sunset laid on her back, staring ahead of her, she grew worried once more. The thought of the dangers ahead kept her awake. But, she reminded herself that she and her new found friends were doing this together, and not alone as she is used to. Her worries soon faded, as soon enough, she went to sleep. =///Thirty-four hours later, few kilometers from Syrea-Iraqquus provincial border, 0700 hours\\\= Above the sky of the central Asina region, the same fleet of airships that left Neighchorage Air Base were flying undisturbed above the desert region below. In one of the cabins of the EAS San Dineighgo, Sunset and her friends were sleeping together in bunk beds that were provided. The journey from North-East Coltlombia to Central Asina was smooth sailing since hours earlier, the flight path had been cleared by the weather pegasi stationed in the area. The ponies, both the crew of the airships and the soldiers being transported, enjoyed their smooth ride. Their beds were comfortable and soft, the food was decent, and the view was magnificent. The only complaint the crew received was the heating system, or lack there of. Even though the experience was good for the soldiers, all good things must come to an end. "WAKE UP YOU LAZY FILLIES! GET TO THE DECK OF THE AIRSHIP RIGHT NOW OR HELP ME FAUST, I WILL ORDER MY OFFICERS TO FORCIBLY PULL YOU OUT OF YOUR CABINS, WHETHER YOU'RE READY OR NOT!" General Obay Wind's voice was blaring loudly throughout the airship's PA system. Everypony in the airship woke up with a startled mind. This was not how they wanted to wake up on their first deployment. The reflexes from their three months of training suddenly flashed in instant as they immediately got off their beds, readied up, and made their way to the deck, post haste. They all crowded into the deck. Most were obviously tired, while some few were up and ready with high energy. In the crowd of ponies, Sunset and her friend stood near the front and like the rest, they seemed tired as well. "Sweet Celestia, what's even the time?" questioned Crystal Tender tiredly. "Uhh..." -Thunder Spark turned to look at a clock nearby- "Early o'clock?" "Woah, that is early." replied Crystal Tender. As the soldiers settled down on the deck of the airship, General Obay Wind spoke up, "Listen up! We are nearing our destination! Get your gear and ready up in ETA ten minutes! Once we make landfall, meet up nearby the stage so you can get an idea on what's going to happen! You are all dismissed!" As soon as they were dismissed, the soldiers took off in a hurry. Ten minutes was not a lot of time to ready up, so they had to use every single second. They took their belongings, equipment, gear, and whatever they brought along for their first deployment. As the other soldiers and the general left, Sunset Shimmer took the time to look at the window. What she saw was that the land that should have been filled with filled with trees and life, was now replaced by a lifeless sandy desert that stretched as far as her eyes can see. This was the first time Sunset had ever seen a desert other than in the books. It looked really different when seen in pony, and the pictures found in the books she read didn't do it justice. She turned away from the windows before heading back to her room to ready up. She took one last glance at the desert below, then she walked away. Everything was just about to get started. (Author's note : This part of the story will be heavily inspired by scenes from the movie 'JARHEAD', it's okay if you haven't seen that movie yet.) =///Forward Operating Base Harmony (FOB Harmony), 0710 hours, a few kilometers from the Iraqquus border\\\= The airships landed with a mighty thud upon the desert sand. All the soldiers began to dismount from their airships and unloaded their equipment and supplies for the upcoming operation. If one were to observe from afar, the scene would've been similar to ants working about. Imagine this scene but replace the Boeing 707 with an airship, a big airship. Sunset and her friends got off the EAS San Dineighgo along with the rest of the soldiers on board the airship. They were greeted by the desert sun, high temperatures, and a flurry of activity within the FOB. The soldiers that got off looked around their surroundings, and they could witness the EAS Idahoof making its descent towards one of the open areas of the FOB. In another area, various war elephants could be seen. Their backs were mounted with heavy ballista's, each mount looking very intimidating. Sunset gasped at the sight of the mighty beings and the weapons they sported. If memory served her right, the tip of the ballista bolts were enchanted with explosive magic, very explosive magic. So, if the bolts were to hit its intended target, the tip would explode and destroy everything near it. Despite it being a genius piece of pony innovation, this magical weapon were one of the main factors that caused Equestria and all of Equis to never develop artillery or tanks. Setting that aside, Sunset and her friends lined up with the amassing troops near a stage. They all had to wait there for up to twenty minutes for all the troops and supplies to be unloaded from the airships. So, to kill time, the soldiers conversed with each other. Whether it'd be about the deployment or something else, they managed to entertain themselves for the time being. After all the preparations were done and over with, a pegasus stallion emerged from a nearby building with decorated armor. As it turned out, the pegasus stallion was General Obay Winds Kenobe, the General of the 212th Legion. He looked at the crowd of ponies down below. He knew that he was about to deal with a bunch of ponies that had never seen any combat in their lives, had never seen any form of violence except from stories or from some act. This operation was going to be their first taste of war, and knowing ponies that had never seen war, this was going to be difficult. He felt bad for them, but alas, duty comes first. Despite this being a new legion, and despite their inexperience's, he promised himself to help this legion become one of the very best the UKE had ever seen. He walked up the stairs and onto the stage. In front of the stage, there was a megaphone, and it seemed that it was for him. He walked towards it, all proud and mighty, but with a sense of calm. He stopped in front of the megaphone, and adjusted it to his height. He took a deep breath, and spoke loudly into it, "Attention!" The ponies down below ceased their conversations and immediately payed attention to the general. "Good morning, legionaries!" he said. Everypony answered in unison, "Good morning, sir!" "For Faust's sake, did you just land in a potential war zone or a funeral parlor? Good morning legionaries!" "GOOD MORNING, SIR!" Everypony answered in unison, but in a louder tone. "WHOO! I just felt my high ground shaking!" the general said. [*All the legionaries start laughing*] The general cleared his throat before speaking once more, "For those of you that don't know me, I am General Obay Winds Kenobe, and I am in charge of this legion. We are now apart of Operation Desert Shield. Right now, just north of us," -he pointed his right hoof north- "Seeddam Hayssein has got one ten thousand Iraqquus soldiers." -he layed his hoof down- "Now, I must make it clear, some of those mare and stallions under his command have been fighting since you were nine or ten years old. They are tough, they are nasty, and they will stop at nothing. They've even used nerve potions against Keuwait's population. Now, I must warn you, what I'm about to show you is not for the light hearted." Behind the general, a picture popped up, a nasty picture. All the legionaries looked stunned and angered of the picture showing a Maregypt stallion being caught in the nerve potion's effects. (Note : Nerve potions are basically the Equis version of Nerve gas. Its invented by Zebranica Empire in 670 CLD) "Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, 'let's kick the hay out of them' and 'let's show 'em who's boss!', correct?" General Obay Winds Kenobe asked. "YES, SIR!" everypony answered loudly. "Haha! That's the answer I'm looking for! Unfortunately, the princesses have a lot of jaw bonin' to do, so for now, these rebels who have pillaged poor little Keuwait are not in our reach yet. Our current mission is to protect the magic crystal fields until further notice. Mares and gentlecolts, I'm talking a lot of crystals, a LOT of crystals. So, you will hydrate, you will train, you will adjust to this desert, and you'll hydrate some more! After those things, you will be ready, and you will maintain a constant state of alertness so that soon, Seeddam Haysssein will regret pulling this sorry act!" OORAH!!! "We're gonna kick some rebel flank!" one of the soldiers said enthusiastically. "Hahaha! What did you say?" the General Wind's asked with a smile. "We're gonna kick some rebel flank, sir!" The soldier repeated. The general laughed a hearty laugh, "Oh hay, colt, you're gonna win the Medal of Honor all by yourself with that attitude! What's the rest of my Legion going do?" "Kick some rebelflanks!" everypony answered in unison. "You know what? I think it's time for me to retire because I can't hear a BUCKIN' THING!" "Kick some rebel flank!" everypony answered in unison. "Haha! That's the spirit, ponies!" -the general smiled- "Now, setting that aside, I have something to say before we all go." He cleared his throat before speaking, "Out there, a bunch of innocent ponies are under a cruel rule. A government in which uses inequine weapons against civilians. They are monsters, but like all monsters, they get defeated. We may not be the best, we may not be the brightest, but with time, we will become those things." "Now, I am aware that this will be your first taste of combat, and I am aware of your concerns, despite how enthusiastic you all may seem. But, I will assure you all, I will do my utmost best to keep this legion and its troops safe. You all have training, and you will all use that training to the best of your ability." "This is the UKE's first provincial rebellion in years, mares and gentlecolts, and it's the most troublesome yet. It'll be quite hard to defeat his soldiers, but may I remind you all again that we are the UKE's most finest fighting force! We are its sword and shield, and we shall uphold our duty like many before us has done!" "We will defeat them one way or another, no matter the cost. Be it rain or shine, windy or not, we'll beat them. Dismissed." =/// Somewhere in Iraquus (or somewhere near it) \\\= Imagine this scene but replace the marines with ponies. The 212th Legion marched across the desert landscape. As they marched, ponies from every unit started singing a song, a song that was sung throughout the history of the REAF's history. ๐…  ๐…  ๐…  ๐…  ๐…  ๐… United Forever, Hurrah! Friends, hurrah!๐…  ๐… Down with the traitors, Up with the stars; ๐…  ๐… While we rally round the flag, friends, Rally once again, Shouting the battle cry of Harmony. ๐…  ๐… We are springing to the call Of our brothers and sisters gone before, ๐…  ๐… Shouting the battle cry of Harmony; And we'll fill our vacant ranks with A million freeponies more, ๐…  ๐… Shouting the battle cry of Harmony. ๐…  ๐… We will welcome to our numbers ๐…  ๐… The loyal, true and brave, ๐…  ๐… Shouting the battle cry of Harmony; ๐…  ๐… And although they may be poor, No nation shall be a democracy, ๐…  ๐… Shouting the battle cry of Harmony. ๐…  ๐… So we're springing to the call ๐…  ๐… From the East and from the West, Shouting the battle cry of Harmony; ๐…  ๐… And we'll hurl the rebel crew From the land that we love best, ๐…  ๐… Shouting the battle cry of Harmony. ๐…  ๐…  ๐…  ๐…  ๐…  ๐…  They sang other songs afterwards. Besides, there's nothing much to do in a desert biome so they had to kill time somehow. =///More than seven hours later, 30 kilometers from the Iraqquus capital Bagshdad, 1500 hours\\\= It has been more than five hours since they left the FOB. They walked at a moderate pace through the desert, but it was really hot. Even with the general's permission to rest for fifteen minutes for every hour of marching, several ponies (especially unicorns), fainted from exhaustion and heat. Thankfully, these types of incidents can easily be taken care of since no one had died from the heat or exhaustion. They were halfway from the border to the enemy capital, yet they encountered no enemies during their journey. The only notable thing that they saw were abandoned villages during their march. If one were to think about it, those villages would've been the perfect ambush spot for a large marching army. So, with them being empty, it confused the officers and some legionnaires. Even so, the general still ordered the troops to stay alert. He did not want the ponies under his command to be caught off guard and hit by an ambush. =///Meanwhile\\\= "Argh... this is so boring! Flower Jade complained. "Yeah, and my leg feels like it's going to fall off." Emerald Ace commented. "Oh come on, guys! Don't be like that. I'm certain that the rebels will soon be showing their flanks soon enough." Crystal Tender responded. Sunset remained silent as her friends talked with each other. She kept her eyes fixed ahead and was growing anxious by the minute. To her, it felt like they were heading straight into a trap. Her focused gaze suddenly stopped the moment once a voice spoke to her. "Hey, Sunset?" the voice asked. Sunset turned towards the voice and saw that it was Dusky Sight, and she seemed worried? "Yes, Dusky? What's wrong?" Sunset replied. "I don't like this one bit. Everything feels strange for hours on end." -she looked around herself before turning to Sunset- "Do you remember about the battle in the Teutoburg Forest that we read about in the academy library?" The Battle of Tehutoburg Forest, she remembered that event in one of her history books. It was one of the most disastrous battles in Equestrian military history. It happened in 0015 CLD when the United Kingdom of Equestria was still a very young nation. The 034th Legion, led by Commander Hurricane, went on an expedition to the northern Germane province. Their goal was actually to find and integrate other pony tribes that had not yet joined the United Kingdom of Equestria, that being the Thestrals (A.K.A batponies) to be precise. As expeditions go, this one was thought to be plain and simple, but they couldn't have been more wrong. As night came upon the 034th Legion, hundreds of thestrals suddenly ambushed them. The battle lasted for hours, and it soon ended in the deaths/missing of over twenty thousand ponies. One of the survivors from the expedition commented that, "Everything was quiet on that day. Everypony was getting worried, but the commander wouldn't listen to us. He said that the thestrals were just weak barbarians who couldn't put out a fight, but he was brutally wrong. I still remember how the one of the thestrals brutally chopped up somepony's legs up and sucked their blood as if they were a mango.' Thankfully, both parties made peace a few years later, but the event had never been forgotten. "Yes, I remember it quite well. Why do you ask?" "Think about it! No enemy in sight, we're out in the open, this is just like the battle." Dusky responded. Sunset lightly chuckled at her friend's behavior, "Don't be ridiculous, Dusky. To attack this legion out in the open will be equally bad for them since we have better equipment." Sunset assured. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but I'll still keep my eye out." They continued walking under the hot, bright sun. It was a couple of steps later until Sunset stopped in her tracks. Her friends stopped as well as they turned to look back at Sunset who was staring at something in the distance. To most normal ponies, this was just a plain firmament lensing effect, but Sunset knew better. She had been taught magic for her entire life by her mother, and one thing her mother taught her was to identify cloaking magic. "Sunset, you good?" asked a concerned Thunder Spark. No response from the sergeant. "Sunset?" he asked again. Sunset turned her head towards Thunder Spark with an anxious look on her face. "We're walking into a trap." she muttered. "What?" She replied louder this time, "We're walking into a trap. Spread the word!" Sunset quickly dashed over towards the front of the legion, quickly leaving a group of confused friends and those that were near her. "Sunset, wait! What are you doing?!" Dusky yelled out as Sunset grew further and further away. "IT'S A TRAP!" she shouted back. As soon as those words left her mouth, everyone within an earshot turned their gazes to Sunset Shimmer who was running towards the forefront of the column. Even the general, who was ways away, turned to look at the sergeant as she came to a screeching halt. Before anyone within the legion could ask what Sunset Shimmer meant, Sunset's horn shone brilliantly in the daylight sun, a swirl of dust began to gather around her, and she began to chant in an ancient dialect. Soon enough, after she finished chanting, he horn shone as brightly as it could, and fired one of the most deadliest offensive spells known to equinity, the 'I'M FIRING MAH LAZOR' spell. The laser arced into the horizon, and with a bright flash, a multitude of explosions happened in the distance. Kร… Bร–ลŒM The horizon's view began to falter and shift. What was once an empty land soon changed and revealed an entire army of rebel troops that sported multiple heavy weapon such as the Ballistae, Trebuchets, and Petrary. Realizing that they were no longer hidden, the rebel troops prepared their crossbows and began crewing their heavy weapons. A flurry of yelling and a ton of movement can be heard, even from the 212th Legion's position. The general saw this, and turned to face his legion of soldiers. He won't allow them to harm a single pony in their first strike. "SHIELDS UP!" The general yelled out. The unicorns in the legion frantically channeled their magical energy into their horns and began to cast the famous 'THEY SHALL NOT PASS' spell. With a flash, a magical forcefield surrounded the entirety of the legion, and in the nick of time. The moment the forcefield was ready, a wall of arrows, ballista bolts, and two-ton rocks, were deflected harmlessly by the forcefield. The rebel troops, seeing as their initial strike failed, launched salvo after salvo against the Equestrian troops. They knew that as long as they continued to shower their enemies with arrows and whatever projectiles they had, their shields will soon falter since the 212th Legion had to take cover under their shields for they could not launch an effective counter attack. (All of this is possible due to their use of the Repeating Crossbow MK1 supplied by their foreign benefactor which comes from the continent that lies to the east of Equestrian continent. The crossbow was capable of firing more than five arrows with one magazine in semi-automatic fire.) Though a genius piece of Griffon innovation, this crossbow is one of the main factors that caused the Griffonian Empire and all of Equis to never develop a gunpowder weapons. =///Meanwhile\\\= "For Faust's sake, how many arrows do they have?" Thunder Spark said with annoyance. "Must be in the billions." Emerald Ace replied. "If so, we're going to be here for hours! This is absolute horseshit!" Thunder Spark cursed. "Calm down, Thunder Spark, we need to figure out how to stop this instead of complaining. The shield won't last forever." Sunset Shimmer remarked. She was right. As the group turned to one of the battle mages near them, his horn began to dim, and he had collapsed due to exhaustion. Multiple ponies nearby ran towards the tired battle mage, and began to treat him on the spot. The situation was beginning to grow grim, and for the moment, they had no plan. "Sunset, I have an idea if you're willing to hear it." a voice said. Sunset Shimmer turned to the voice, and saw that it was Crystal Tender. "Well, let's hear it out. Besides, we don't have anything at the moment so any idea is better than none." responded Sunset Shimmer. Crystal Tender continued, "Do you remember that one time at the training field when you and Dusky Sight accidently used that strange wind magic to repel that javelin? Is it possible to use it here?" Sunset raised a hoof towards her chin, and started to think about it. The magic Crystal Tender was referring to was discovered completely by accident when she and Dusky were practicing at the training grounds when, a few weeks ago, one of the ponies accidentally launched a javelin at her and Dusky. Sunset reflexively fired an air blast magic at the spear's general direction while Dusky created a wind vortex to strengthen her wind blast. The javelin was successfully repelled, and both the ponies might have accidently created a magical combo. "But that was completely on reflex, Crystal. We never even tried it again after that." Sunset replied. "Yeah, Crystal Tender, we don't even know if it'll work. For all we know, it could be a flop." said Dusky Sight. "Oh, but it's worth a try! It's better than sitting around while being showered with arrows." says Crystal Tender. Sunset Shimmer sighed at her friend's behavior. Why must she always be so positive? Then again, due to her optimistic views, she came up with an idea that may possibly work. "Before I say my answer, does anypony else have any other ideas?" Sunset asked. They all shook their heads in response. "Alright then, let's do it." Sunset turned towards Flower Jade who was currently standing beside Crystal Tender. "Flower Jade, call in a pegasi legionaries unit and tell them to create a wind vortex around here. I know how to stop this stalemate." Sunset ordered. Flower Jade's eyes widened at the unexpected order, "Y-Yes, give me a minute." Flower Jade picked up her military radio and relayed her orders to any pegasi units under the legions command. After a few minutes, she got an answer and were told to sit tight. "We got it! They're allowing the deployment of the RA-10 Ground Attack Team to create the wind vortex you asked for. Estimated ETA is 2 minutes!" Sunset Shimmer smiled at the news, "Well done, Flower Jade! Sit tight, guys, I'll tell the general about the plan." Sunset turned away from her friends and ran towards the front of the legion, weaving between soldiers and heavy weapons alike. The sounds of projectiles bouncing off the forcefield can still be heard, but she doesn't care. Her mind was on one thing, and one thing only. She was grateful that they chose to march closely to the front, because soon enough, she was in front of the general. The general was surprised at her appearance, but nevertheless, he raised a brow at the mare, and spoke, "Sergeant Sunset Shimmer? What's the meaning of this?" "General, I have a plan and you may want to hear it." 2 minutes later... After waiting for two minutes, the RA-10 Ground Attack Team sent towards the legion flew above them, out of the range of the rebel troops weaponry. Soon after their arrival, Flower Jade's radio went off. [R]: "This is Wind Rider with the RA-10 Ground Attack Team. You called?" Flower Jade picked up her radio and responded, "Read you loud and clear, Wind Rider. Are you aware of the plan?" [R]: "A wind vortex, strong and proud, correct?" "That is correct, Wind Rider, proceed with the plan." [R]: "Roger that, Wind Rider out" With the confirmation from Flower Jade, the RA-10 Ground Attack Team neared the border of the magic shield and began flying in circles rapidly to create a wind vortex. Slowly, but surely, a wind vortex formed and grew bigger and bigger with each passing second. After Sunset felt that the vortex was big enough, she began to gather her magical energy in her horn and begun chanting yet another powerful spell, this time dealing with wind magic. After she finished chanting the spell, she fired her air blast magic towards the vortex above her. The RA-10 Ground Attack Team had been notified before she had fired the spell, so they were already ways away when the spell contacted the wind vortex. With a massive boom, the wind vortex itself quickly expanded towards the rebel troops, like a tidal wave made out of wind. Any projectiles that were in the air was immediately blown back, hitting some of the unfortunate rebels troops with their own arrows. The battlefield went silent as all the ponies in the 212th Legion and even the rebel troops, were stunned, shocked, or even amazed by what they had just seen. Such a thing had never been seen in pony history, or any history for that matter. The stuff that Sunset Shimmer pulled off was something out of fiction. Three seconds passed, and the silence was interrupted by Flower Jade as she stood on her forehooves, and pointed towards her enemies. "Let's drop some shit on those motherbuc-!" "OPEN FIRE!" the general ordered. The battle mages in the 212th Legion quickly dropped their defensive shield magic spells to deadly offensive spells. They charged up their magic in a quick fashion, and fired volleys of heavy explosive magic, AKA ' WHAT'S UP BUCKERS!' for those that are not unicorns. The spells sped towards the lines of the rebels troops, and they barely had time to react. The big explosions that happened afterwards devoured the rebel forces whole, especially those on the front lines. Within less than a minute, the enemy troops lost more than 1/4 of their total number and lost a substantial amount of Ballistae and Trebuchet siege weapons. Not wanting to give the rebel forces any time to recover, General Wind's gave the order to charge towards the enemy position. "LEGIONNAIRIES, CHARGE! FOR EQUESTRIA!" yelled General Wind's at the top of his lungs. "FOR EQUESTRIA!!!" Everypony in the Legion shouted in unison The ponies in the 212th Legion, ranging from the unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, and even some thestrals, boldly charged towards the enemy position, firing spells, projectiles, or even rocks found on the ground. The rebel troops were yet again caught off guard by this, they had never expected a new legion to do such a bold act, and because of this, many of them fell victim to the legion. Hundreds of rebel troops died to the Equestrian legionnaires, but that didn't stop them from retaliating back. They would not allow their new republic's independence to be taken away without a fight. The rebel forces launched their own counter attack upon the 212th Legion, fighting tooth and nail against the new encroaching legion. They fought with swords, bows, spells, and any form of lethal weapons they had at hoof. Many legionnaires fell to their weapons, but an equal amount of rebel troops died as well. They failed to push back the Equestrians because they were completely outnumbered. Despite their combat experience, even a well experienced army can get overwhelmed with an army equally as trained as them and as well equipped as them. Even their new crossbows, despite being in semi-automatic mode, wasn't very effective at close range so they had no choice, but to go old school. =///A few minutes later\\\= The tides of the battle started to fall against the rebels favor, but that doesn't mean the 212th Legion didn't suffer casualties of their own. One of the surviving enemy Trebuchets had managed to score a hit on one of the Equestrian's war elephants, smashing it by two-tons of rock, killing both the unfortunate rider, and the elephant. It created a sickening splat that made Sunset Shimmer and other ponies want to vomit. "Horseapples! This is slaughter house! A slaughter house I tell you!" cried out Emerald Ace. "ARGH! Call the ambulance! Call the ambulance, ahaha! But not for me!~" said Flower Jade before she smashed one of rebel soldier head into smush with her warhammer, scattering the brain matter across the desert sand. "Oh my Celestia! What the buck is wrong with you, Jade?!" Thunder Spark said in disgust. "She's gone mad!" declared Dusky Sight while firing an arrow at one of the rebel soldiers. "Stay focused on the battle, guys!" -she fired another offensive spell- "I don't want to lose anypony today!" Sunset Shimmer shouted. "Oh let me guess, is it because that going to be a lot of paperwork?" joked Crystal Tender as she tended to one of the injured legionnaires. Sunset Shimmer whipped her head towards Crystal Tender, "For Faust's sake, Tender! Really?!" Sunset said, frustrated. The battle continued on for several minutes, and the rebel numbers started to dwindle. They had suffered more than five-thousand casualties, almost 3/4 of their original number. With no other option available, the rebel commander had no choice, but to retreat. A horn sounded amidst the battle, and a call for retreat. After hearing the sounds of a trumpet, and a call for retreat, the rebels tactically ran from the battlefield, putting in one more strike before they head back. Seeing the enemy trying to retreat from the battle, General Obay Wind's ordered the Legionaries to chase the rebel troops down. They 212th Legion followed his orders, and managed to capture at least 800 rebel soldiers while the rest managed to run away. All the 212th Legion had to do now, was to treat their wounded, and evacuate them from the battlefield to receive proper medical treatment in the FOB. The dead? They will be properly buried in their home provinces, and be remembered for their services, despite their services unfortunately being cut short. Thus, with that, the first battle for Iraqquus was now over.