Garret
“Okay, guys, listen up. The drop is in five. Get ready to jump...”
I looked around the drab gray interior of the C-130 as we flew over Iran for a HALO jump. I stood and shuffled to the door that was where I was to drop from. I was taking part in the confidential operation called “Operation Spearhead”. Spearhead was the combined assault of all the military branches to capture Bin Laden. The attack would start when the full Delta company dropped into the compound from fifteen thousand feet and then-
“Open the doors so the cavalry can get in,” said the commander as the C-130 continued on. A faint orange and purple glow could be seen around the windows of the plane. Then it happened. A force worse than any AA gun could make shook us around inside the plane. Imagine some idiotic kid shaking up a soda can before opening it. We were like the soda in the can.
Our left wing caught fire and the near-200 people around Sam, Jake, and I looked like they pissed themselves. The plane was shaking horribly and then after a bright flash it was over. Immediately men began to bail out of the doors we were lined up at and were deploying the chutes. I turned and saw the plane spinning towards a.... Forest? I turned to see where Sam was.
“Sam, there aren't any forests in Iran, right?” He just shook his head as we began to land in a large opening in the forest.
“I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a forest where we were heading...”
Fast Skies
I was bored as ever. Just a few days ago, my parents kicked me out of the city and into a country town called Ponyville. At least I had my new friends, the Element holders, to keep me company. It’s not bad that they’re celebrities, either.
As I was trotting with them into the park for a picnic, they began to chat about, well, everything, I guess.
“Darling, when are you going to find a new dress?” I turned to see Rarity staring at me along with the rest of the girls. “No offence, but those rags that you brought simply are not proper fashion! Especially from such an extravagant place as Manehatten!”
I sighed. “Rarity, like I said before, my family’s poor and I don’t want a new dress until I can pay for it.” Rarity looked like she was about to cry. Realizing my mistake, I said, “Rarity, I understand why you want me to get a new dress. But please understand my situation. I just wouldn’t feel right.”
Rarity smiled back and helped Twilight set up the picnic blanket. Just as they finished, there was a loud bang and bright light followed by the strangest noise ever. It sounded like somepony was.... Humming. The girls all turned and gasped at what they saw: some large, gray bird had one of its wings on fire and was spinning out of control. It looked like it was going to crash in the Everfree Forest. Strangely, the back end of the bird opened and things began jumping out. They didn’t look like they could fly, and I thought they were going to fall to their dooms. But then, sheet-like objects opened above their heads and they slowed down.
“Girls! We have to go see what the hay that was!” Twilight said.
Fluttershy was the next to speak up. “Girls, she’s right.” Everypony gasped. “Whatever that was, it looked hurt. Those things that jumped must be hurt, too,”
Everypony just looked at her then each other. Then we began to run towards the smoke reaching above trees into sky.
Garret
I just looked around at the trashed C-130. It was on fire and spewing black smoke. All the people around me were either dead or dying. Only a handful of us had survived the crash with soldiers getting suffocated in their chutes or getting stuck in the plane when it crashed. Sam was trying to get the radios working, desperately trying to get us a ride out of... Wherever the hell we were. The other living soldiers were gathering ammo and weapons from their fallen comrades and burying the bodies of the dead. There were still some snipers that were walking around, securing the perimeter. As they walked around the small clearing caused by the plane crashing, one of the snipers called out.
“I’ve got movement over here!”
I, being the highest rank alive, walked over to investigate the noise. It got louder and louder until some strange animal jumped out. It had the head of a lion, body of a bear, and tail of a scorpion. If I wasn’t too busy fearing for my life, I would have said this was the scariest thing I have ever seen.
“What the hell is that?!”
“Jesus!”
“All I wanted to do was eat my bagel...”
People shouted and quickly decided that the best option available to them was to shoot the crud out of the monster. Turns out, it actually was the best option. The roar of the beast’s death was the loudest thing I’d ever heard.
Fast Skies
The girls were halfway to the crash site with Rainbow Dash and Fast Skies leading the way. While the seven were running, a loud ear-splitting roar could be heard.
“Girls, that sounded like a manticore,” Twilight turned to see Fluttershy hiding behind her mane.
Suddenly, a loud, raspy-sounding voice yelled,”I’ve got movement!”
“What in tarnation was that?” yelled Applejack when suddenly popping sounds filled the forest. Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her mane.
“Come on girls! Look we’re almost there! Just keep walking,” said Twilight, who was in an eager mood to see what in hay those strange beings are. Then the girls poked their heads out of the bushes and gasped at what they saw. Dead bodies all around covered in bags and strange clothing. Other creatures were stripping them of strange metal discs and were burying the bodies, singing a strange tune...
Garret
Sam and I looked around at the soldiers doing their tasks, unloading supplies, and burying bodies. Then one private that was obviously terrified started up a familiar song.
“March along, sing our song, with the Army of the free
Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory,”
Slowly, the men around him started to sing along.
“We're the Army and proud of our name
We're the Army and proudly proclaim
First to fight for the right,
And to build the Nation's might,”
With each word, more and more men joined until it was a roar filling the forest.
“And The Army Goes Rolling Along
Proud of all we have done,
Fighting till the battle's won,
And the Army Goes Rolling Along”
Everyone was smiling, just because we were still alive throughout this nightmare. Then, a purple blur caught one of the snipers eyes. “Contact left!”
Immediately, soldiers stopped singing and smiling and pointed their weapons at the bush in question. A small gasp could be heard.
“Everybody! Fall back into the plane! Use it for cover!” I shouted over the sound of boots stomping the ground. Soldiers were running into the wrecked and smoldering plane from every direction, hoping to get some view of what was in the bush.
Twilight
I looked at the creatures in front of me. They were singing some strange song about “Army” and some god.
“Twilight,” whispered Fast Skies, “What the buck are they doing?”
“I don’t know, Fast, they seem to be singing some sort of song. But I don’t know any of the things they are singing about.”
Apparently, I turned just enough so that a part of my leg stuck out of the bush. Then my heart stopped when I heard one of the creatures roar, “Contact left!”
I turned my head to see that all of the creatures had their strange L-shaped objects pointed at me. I gasped and slowly backed up. Then suddenly, a creature with a single green stripe on its arm spoke up. “Everybody! Fall back into the plane! Use it for cover!”
I watched as the creatures began to back up into the strange metal bird. Then, I noticed that the wings were stationary. I looked over at Fast Skies and whispered, “Fast, I don’t think that’s a bird, I think its a self-propelling Sky Chariot.”
Fast cocked her head at me in a way that seemed to say, “Really? You don’t say?” She looked at me through narrow eyes.
“Twilight,” she said, looking at me, “I’m going to go see what they want.” Before I could stop the red mare she ran out of the bush and into the clearing.
Garret
Everybody in the plane gasped as they saw a small horse walk out of the forest. All eyes turned towards me, seeming to ask me what to do.
“Hold fire!” I yelled and slowly walked by Sam. “Sam, follow me.” We walked out of the downed plane and towards the single horse. “Sam, it barely even comes up to our chests.”
Sam looked at the horse and said, “So it is.” Strangely, he didn’t seem surprised by any of this.
Then we turned to the equine standing in the opening. I made a quick scan of the area and turned to look at the plane. “Well are you guys going to hide from a horse or come out here?” I yelled. Immediately after I said this, the doors on the plane opened and out came the surviving men.
They lined up behind me in a simple line formation and I turned back to the equine standing In front of me.
One of the soldiers snickered “Hey guys look we were scared by a mini horse!” All the soldiers burst out laughing.
“HEY!” came a voice. All the men stopped laughing and turned stared wide-eyed. “I’m a pony!” It said.
If this was a cartoon world the soldiers jaws would have hit the ground.