Chapter 9 (part 2)
A Slice of Life on the Battlefield

"Who would think ponies could fight, let alone hold their own against giant space monsters?" - Captain Brogan of Road not Taken

Many historians and remembrancers have pointed out that the Battle of Appleoosa was, when compared to the other battles of the Equestrian War, a rather quick and lackluster affair. And to an extent, they're right. See, even after the expansion, Appleoosa was still a frontier town, and was really small. As such, most orks left, not because they were forced out, but because they wanted a challenge.

It was, after all, the closest thing to a metropolis that Equestria had, with a population topping two million. Narrow streets and tall buildings made it a nightmare for vehicles, and gave snipers and infantry a distinct advantage. Guerrilla and urban warfare were the names of the game, whether you were a human, ork or pony caught in the crossfire.

During this time, most of the heroes fought the green horde, trying to reclaim part of their homeland. It was a time when normal folks became heroes, and heroes became Legends...

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Applejack's heart broke as she saw the city from her youth get turned into a ravaged ruin. She remembered walking down these very streets as a filly, looking for her purpose and her cutie mark. She remembered how beautiful it was, how high the towers were. Now look at it; it hadn't even been two weeks, and the city was a dying, wrecked battlefield.

She folded her ears against her head as another building collapsed under artillery fire. Was it her old school? A shopping mall her relatives would take her to? She didn't know, but she knew her childhood was slowly being teared down.

"C'mon, AJ," Vasquez called out, his voice carrying over the radio, "The crash site is on the next block." The farmer nodded, put her mouth over the trigger-bit of her saddle-mounted turret guns, and followed the human and his squad. They snuck around the city, heading to their objective with grim certainty and resolve.

Since the battle started, the allied forces had faced significant losses, and had to consolidate their forces into new squads. Guardsmen, while as a whole still reluctant to join xenos and heretics, were still experts in fighting Orks, and soldiers were being sprinkled around individually. Furthermore, some ponies and other Equestrian races were joining to fill in any gaps left, eager to defend their homeworld. Whether or not they knew how to fight was a different story.

As such, this particular squad was made of AJ, Vasquez, N'tho, 3 marines, and 3 Elite Minors. Derpy served as a resupply runner, showing up with ammo and snacks on occasion. Applejack wondered how such a clumsy mare could avoid being shot, but considered it to be "one of 'dem 'dere miracles".

Anyways, 3 hours ago, an experimental prototype - a Pelican loaded with melta cannons - crashed into an apartment in Ork territory. The mission - rescue any survivors or civvies, destroy the shuttle, and kill any Orks that get in their way. Sounds easy enough, right?

The problem was that the shuttle crashed on the top floor, 18 flights up. And odds are at least one or two Orks were already in the building.

Safely crossing the street, the squad made their way through the lobby and up the stairs (the elevators were busted, and were probably booby-trapped as well). The humans and Sanghelli were making quick work of the stairs, but Applejack began to feel the burn after the first ten floors. Climbing stairs wasn't the same as moving from tree to tree and kicking as hard as she could - it was a lot harder.

"Heavens to Betsy!" She gasped for air, having gone up sixteen flights, "How much farther do we have to go?"

"We're almost there," Vasquez told her, a little bit out of breath himself, "maybe another floor or two."

"Yuh know, it jus' occurred to me." AJ mused aloud, stopping for a breather, "This is where Cousin Rhubarb and Babs Seed used to live."

"Hope they got out in time. This ain't no place for the timid."
"Y'all tellin' me! Babs is just a filly, hasn't even got her cutie mark yet."

"Alan, Applejack!" N'tho called from above, "Come look at this!" The pony and human went up to the rest of the squad, and came across a grisly sight.

Orks had already been here. There were five of their corpses spread amongst torn-up humans and ponies. The entirety of the crashed squad and ponies surviving here had been slaughtered, blood and bullet holes covering the walls. Outside, they could see through a busted wall that an Ork Krooza crashed into the bay, causing many of the streets by the harbor to flood. The room remained silent as the Element of Honesty surveyed the carnage.

A thousand thoughts raced through her head. When she had fought in Appleoosa, she hadn't acknowledged the horrors that were around her. In the farmer's mind, Orks were organic machines, and ponies weren't even touched. But now, she saw the charred, stinking bodies of greenskins, and the half-eaten legs and torsos of those who might've been her childhood friends. She looked at the monstrous display, and felt... empty. She stared blankly at the sight as her mind tried to reconcile what she was seeing to what she knew and believed.

The Earth Pony blinked, and looked at him. Before she could speak, they heard something moving on the other side of the room. Everyone raised their weapons at the pile of rubble as a large piece of wood moved, revealing a brown filly with red hair and green eyes.

The pony's ears shot up, and she stepped closer to the rubble. "Babs?" She spoke in confusion.

"Cousin, its so good to see you!" The filly exclaimed, pulling a strap with her mouth. The strap was attached to one of the new models of the Spartan Laser, easily twice her size. "Those big green monsters came in after that shuttle crashed into our apartment. I hid under some rocks while they killed everypony. I'm the only one left."

"I grabbed it off a dead guy, when the monsters were... eating. I've even got a few kills on this thing." She turned the Laser to its side, revealing 4 long scratches.

Before the filly could say anything more, the ceiling collapsed between them, and an Ork Nob landed, a green giant of death. He stood as tall as a Hunter, holding a large metal slab in one hand and a long metal pole in the other. And like every other Ork planetside, he was super pissed-off.

"OI, YOUSE STOOPID HUMIES!" He bellowed, "GIT AWAY FROM ME PLANIE-TING! ITS MINE!"

Immediately everyone started firing at him, as Babs ducked for cover. Plasma and bullets struck the Ork's shield, causing superficial damage to it and him. He stomped forward and swiped at the squad with the shield. While some managed to dodge out of the way, many were hit and sent flying off the edge of the building. An Elite ducked underneath, and drove an energy blade into the Ork's leg. The Nob grabbed him, lifting him to his face.

He then bit onto half of his body, and tore him apart, swallowing him bit by bit. "Applejack, git outta here!" Vasquez ordered, as he tossed a grenade, bouncing of the shield yet still detonating. With his defense ruined, the Nob tossed it into the ship, causing it to fall back out of the building, making a crater down below. Part of the roof came down, pinning N'tho under a cabinet. The human and pony fired upon the Ork, unloading all their rounds on him. When they finished, the Nob stood, bloody but alive.

He stabbed the pole through Alan, getting him center of mass. AJ gasped in horror as he went down to his knees, hands wrapped around the protrusion. The pony stayed stock-still, memories of the past week playing before her eyes. See, the Mane Six had been so gung-ho about killing Orks - an unlikely activity by anyone's expectations - because the Princesses had placed a spell on them to mute the trauma. Killing Orks were no less troubling than killing parasprites, and were treated as such.

But now, someone AJ cared for, had fought with, getting connected to, was severely hurt. The spell stopped working, and she went into shock. The Nob shoved the pole into the floor, pinning the human in place before turning his attention to the pony.

He started walking towards the petrified pony, his long shadow casting itself over the farmer. He reached his massive arm to her, both of them unaware of a whirring sound building behind them. Before the monster could touch her-

A red blast of light shot through the Ork's chest, continueing on out the roof. Both the Nob and AJ were stunned by what happened, a hole instantly appearing center of mass. They heard the whirring sound again, and the Nob turned his head just enough to-

His head was promptly blown off by another blast of light. The decapitated body flopped onto the ground, smoke coming from the holes. AJ and Alan looked over to the corner of the room to see Babs, holding up a smoking Spartan Laser.

"No one hurts my family and gets away with it." The filly declared, her voice hard as stone. "No one."

AJ, now coming out of her stupor, rushed to Alan's side. He was alive and conscious, though the shock seeping in dulled the pain.

"Ah think Ah'm okay," He replied calmly, "It didn't hit anything important. Ah ain't bleedin' too bad, right?" She checked his back. He was bleeding, sure, but not enough to be life-threatening. It would turn out that the pole narrowly missed the vital organs, only slightly scraping his stomach.

"Ah told yuh to run." He chided. "You didn't listen to me. He could've killed yuh."

The pony looked away. "Like Ah was jus' gonna leave you an' my cousin here. You should know somethin' 'bout me, Al. Ah pride meself fer bein' the 'loyalest of friends and most dependable of ponies'. Ah'll never leave someone Ah care fer hangin'; not now, not ever."

The human and pony stared at each other's eyes, and they shared a moment of closeness and intimacy. Not in a physical sense, but in an emotional and spiritual one. It would've been rather touching, if the guy didn't have a pole sticking out of him.

N'tho stood up from the rubble, catching sight of the dead alien and the romantic subplot. He grunted as he made his way to the filly with the giant lasgun, who was also watching abject fascination.

"Probably." The Sanghelli answered. "Either way, I owe Cassius a beer now." He glanced over to Babs, and pointed to her butt. "What's that?"

Babs looked behind her, and gasped with joy. On her flank, a design had appeared while they weren't looking. It was a silver ring or sprocket, with the inside all black, except for a bright red dot in the center. Babs ran a hoof over it to make sure it didn't come off. It stayed put.

"Hah, I've seen that before. That's the 'Red Eye Achievement'. Its given to soldiers who manage to get five kills with the Spartan Laser."

The child looked confused. "So my special talent is… blowing Orks up with lasers?"

"Its nothing to sneeze at, youngling. Not many fighters get that award, what with the three second delay between shots. Whoever gets it must have great aim and, more importantly, perfect timing."

"Sure it is. Its as cool as any other talent others may have. Why don't you help your cousin get our guy out of that pinning predicament, ok?"

The filly rushed off, interrupting a near romantic moment. N'tho went to the edge of the building, looking at all the dead comrades at the ground below. Such a waste of life and talent, carelessly thrown away. But far more were to be wasted in the days and weeks to come...

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10:30 A.M.
Alliance Field Hospital
Thought of the Day: Life is what you do with the trials you've overcome.

Fluttershy was doing the one thing she felt she could do to contribute to the war effort; tend to the injured warriors. And if there was one thing Manehattan was making plenty of right now, it was that.

The hospital they were using was full of patients in various states of injury, and short on qualified doctors or medics. There were a couple pony doctors, several Task Force medics, and many Sororitas Hospitallers - a plethora of medical skill and magic - but the sheer scale of those who needed treatment was still overwhelming.

Fluttershy was tending to the wounds of a marine when one of the Hospitallers approached her.

"How is the patient?" The Sister of Battle demanded, all business. She had no patience for apprentices or rookies, and the xeno's presence was as tolerated as a case of herpes, Emperor's Blessing or not.

"He's still unconscious." The pony explained. "Internal hemorrhaging of the brain and stomach has gone down, and I just changed his bandages. He should be healed in a few days."

The human looked over the pegasus, and frowned. "You don't have a weapon." She observed. "Why?"

Fluttershy hid her face behind her hair. "I don't like fighting." She explained. "I'm not good with… confrontation. When I get angry, I don't like what I become."

"So?" Audri challenged. "Just because you don't like combat doesn't mean you can avoid it. When the time comes, you need to be ready to defend yourself and others. Its both your duty as a medic, and as an adult in general. Don't be afraid to stand up like a woman, lest you always remain a victim."

Later on, Fluttershy would comment on how, if there are truly greater powers that be, they must have a wonderful sense of ironic timing. Because no sooner had she said that, the wall across the room exploded, and a trio of Orks came in like the Kool-Aid Man.

They brandished their swords, and began hacking the wounded and nurses alike as reapers harvesting grain. Fluttershy squealed in fear, and ducked behind a table, shivering with fear as she watch the onslaught.

Audri raised a bolter pistol, firing a few shots at the monsters. The leader promptly kicked a bed - patient and all - at her, slamming her onto a table full of scalpels. One of the Orks raised a massive hammer and smashed it down upon her, crushing her and the soldier above her like a tin can. The Sister twitched several times, and then laid still.

Fluttershy stared at the body, and she felt something… click, in the back of her mind. A spark, that grew into a teeny tiny flame.

"You bastards!" A voice called out. An Ork yelped in pain, and looking down saw a brown Earth pony stabbing his leg. It was Filthy Rich, father of the late Diamond Tiara, who had broken his leg while rescuing fillies from an orphanage.

"NO I DIDN'T!" The Ork leader defended himself. "BUT I BET THE GIT HAD IT COMIN' SOMEHOW, BY GORK AN' MORK! AND SO DO YOU!"

With that, he lifted the stallion up, and twisted his neck 360 - like he was a pepper grinder for a salad of death. He then tore off the head and tossed it in his mouth, chewing it like pony-flavored gum.

"'EY BOSS," One of them observed, "DAT WAS ODDLY SPECIFICS OF YE! WHY SHOOD WE CARE WOT DEY FINKS WE DO?"

"I DON' LOIK BEIN' A'KUUZED OF DOIN' STUFF I AIN'T DONE! I AIN'T SOM' PUNY HUMIE WHO GOES 'ROUND SAYIN' I'S DONE MOAR TINGS DEN I AC'ULLY DOES! I'S AN ORK, I MAKES' ME OWN HYPE!"

Inside Fluttershy, that little flame was rapidly growing into a roaring fire. This wasn't some dragon hurting her friends, or a cockatrice attacking fillies. This wasn't Discord, or a hydra, or changelings, or any number of threats she's gone up against. This was an abomination that existed for no other purpose but to kill and spread misery. Perhaps in some part of her mind, Fluttershy believed that it was a kindness to the universe to remove Orks from existence, to make the world a better place by killing every last one of them.

But she wasn't thinking of that, first and foremost. Instead, she was filled with righteous fury and rage, a swirling torrent of Emperor-blessed anger that she had never felt before in her life. These bastards had gone into a hospital - a place of healing and care - and had just started killing people left and right. Sister Audri had said she needed to protect what she cared for, and by Celestia, she was going to do just that.

In a moment of time that would become one of the most idolized moments of the war, Fluttershy - the most scaredy-pony in all of Equestria - reached for the Gravity Hammer left by a Brute, and with the supernatural strength that she had always had but rarely used, lifted it up above her head.

"How… Dare… YOU!" She roared, launching herself at the trio. The Orks watched, stunned, as this little creature hefted a massive hammer like it was a stick. With the power and fury rarely seen outside a DBZ Parody or a grimdark fan video, she smashed the hammer onto the leader's head, crushing it with the hammer providing a satisfying Wha-Toom!

As both Orks raised their weapons, Fluttershy kicked one in the face, while swinging the backblade onto the other's head. The blade cut his skull in half, and the body crumpled beneath her. The pegasus swung the hammer back around, smashing him with another Wha-Toom!

The trio now dead, the wounded troops came out of their immediate cover, and saw their former healer standing raging and triumphant, covered in blood and wielding a massive hammer. A veritable pony Valkyrie.

But she wasn't done yet. Not by a long shot. Roaring with triumph and malice, she went out the hole the Orks came from, and blazed a path through the growing horde of greenskins, who had made a breach out of the city. That day, two things were learned.

1) Fluttershy was the strongest pegasus in the world when pushed, swinging a giant hammer and smashing skulls like she was going for a "Whack-An-Ork" record. No other pony - not even Big Mac or Snowflake - could demonstrate the sheer power and grace that she did as she imitated The Mighty Thor.

2) While Orks don't fear death, they do fear dying in an embarrassing manner. Could you imagine being an Ork, and telling Gork and Mork that you were krumped by a little pony with a giant hammer? They would never hear the end of it, and get laughed out of whatever afterlife the Orks believe in.

So the horde did what any "propah" Ork horde would do in that situation… They ran away from her as fast as they could, eager to fight die from something less cutesy and embarrassing. And from that day, Fluttershy would be forever be remember in Ork culture as "Dat Yellow Terrah wit te Big Ole' Smasha".

Several minutes later, in what used to be the suburbs of the city, several squads of the Taskforce and Imperium were taking a quick break, having just cleared this sector of Orks. They had finished piling all the bodies into one big pile and torched them to prevent spores, and many opted to have a quick meal before moving on. While each race and group kept to themselves, one Jiralhanae and one Astartes were resting by the bonfire by themselves, chatting about what could be considered "religious tactics".

"So," Cassius asked, "Is there anything in the Codex Astartes that deals with bio-hazard threats, like zombies or biophages?"

"Initially, yes," Longinus explained, "But it wasn't very… extensive, you see. During the time of Gullimen, the Plague of Unbelief hadn't happened yet, nor the Tyranids, and such threats were effectively non-existent back in the Primarch's time. However, after the Siege of Macragge, the Librarians and Chaplains have been going over the Codex, and writing new material for new situations, within the confines of what they believe our Father would write himself."

Before the Ultramarine could answer, the ground began to shake, and a rumble could be heard growing closer. Everyone looked at the road, and saw a large band of Orks running down the road… and past them.

"Come 'ere!" A voice roared, much higher than any Ork could reach. Right behind the mob, a tiny yellow pegasus was swinging a massive hammer, crushing skulls left and right.

"That's... Fluttershy?" Cassius sounded rather confused. "And she's... she's... uh..."

"'And YOU shall know that my name is Fluttershy, as I strike my Vengeance down upon thee!'"

"Did she just quote the Emperor's Scripture, while killing foul xenos?" Longinus said, dumbfounded yet proud.

"Did she just quote Sam' Jackson, while using a Chieftain's Hammer?" Cassius gaped, downright amazed.

"That...is… AWESOME!" They both practically squeed as their little pony friend became a badass as she smacked greenskins around like a boss. They looked at each other and the troops around them, making sure no one else heard their moment of non-machismo.

"That never happened, alien. Understand?"
"What never happened?"
"Exactly. Now, how many hits does that hammer have?"
"Depends. The old models have about twenty hits. The new ones have up to a hundred if fully charged. So..."

They looked down the trail the Orks had come from, and saw several dozen bodies scattered along its length. Odds were, Fluttershy was just about done with the battery, which meant the hammer would also get a lot more heavy without the gravity generator.

"When it gives out, she's going to be surrounded by a horde of pissed-off Orks who now see her as a worthy opponent. They'll tear her apart."

"What are we standing around here for, then?" Longinus demanded. "She'll need us."

The Astartes grabbed a power axe, and the Jiralhanae took a Brute Shot, as well as Armorlock and the Invincibility device. They hopped onto an old Brute Prowler, the Marine taking the driver's seat.

"Wait, do you know how to drive this thing?"
"I'm a Space Marine. Knowing how to use combat vehicles is second nature to me."
"But have you driven a Prowler before?"
"... I'll improvise."
"So no, you haven't?"
"Just shut up and mount the turret."

They zoomed down the road at incredible speeds. The other soldiers watched the entire thing with mild curiosity and surprising nonchalance - this was Equestria, after all, strange shit was bound to happen.

"Nah," A guardsman answered, taking a quick smoke, "An astartes and a super-xeno against the wimpiest Orks ever? They'll be fine. 'Sides, we only have a few minutes to eat: does anyone want to get up and get involved with a problem that'll solve itself."

The Orks had made it deep into their own territory, and many Orks were coming to their location, feeling the WAAAGH! tell them about a new opponent. But Fluttershy didn't notice or care about that. She was still hammering away at the pesky aliens, more than willing to keep going until the weapon became useless. And, sure enough…

Fluttershy fell to the ground, holding onto a hammer that suddenly became extremely heavy. The pegasus grunted as she tried to lift the hammer, but to no avail. She flopped onto the ground, feeling exhausted as her body ran out of adrenaline and rage.

All around her, Fluttershy saw Orks were surrounding her in the street, watching from the alleys and buildings, tossing carts and vehicles into the ways of escape. They had leery grins on them, seeing a recognized opponent with a revealed weakness. They pulled out swords, axes, DAKKAS, missile launchers, and every conceivable weapon known to Ork kind.

"WELL LOOKIEE 'ERE!" The biggest Ork said, "ITS A TEENY TOINY PONY, ALL ALONE! MEAT'S ON DA MENU, BOYZ!"

The Orks cheered, and made a charge. Fluttershy whimpered, certain that this would be the end. Thankfully, help came from an unlikely source, with a strange theme song from Alan's playlist heralding it.

"America, Fuck yeah!
Coming in to save the day now!
America, Fuck yeah!
Freedom is the only way!"

A Brute Prowler came flying off a hill, manned by a Brute on the gunner seat, and a giant Marine in the driver's seat. Cassius fired away at the mob, as Longinus bailed from the sled, bodyslamming one alien like a professional wrestler. The sled ran over a few too slow to dodge, and Cassius cleared a path for himself with the turret.

"Xeno, get Fluttershy!" Longinus barked, punching through an Ork's skull. The Brute reached her, just as one of the Mechboyz aimed and fired a missile at them. Wrapping up the pony in one arm, the Jiralhanae slammed a fist down to the ground, activating the Armorlock. The shield was just strong enough to protect them from the blast, although it left him without any protection. Thinking fast, Cassius activated the Invincibility device, wrapping himself in a blue-green aura strong enough to withstand the incoming Dakka raining down upon him. He scooped up Fluttershy and ran back to the Prowler, tossing her into the turret seat and leaping to the opposite side, drawing out his Brute Shot. He opened up on the aliens with incendiary/spike combo grenades, blasting his targets with exploding fire while hitting nearby threats with spikes to the face.

Longinus started swinging with his power axe, dismembering and decapitating Orks left and right. He was quickly covering himself in the blood of his enemies, his face scrunched up with contempt, chewing on the sour lemon that was combat.

The Ultramarine stopped dead and his tracks. In fact, everyone stopped what they were doing as something happened to his face. Slowly he turned to face the alien who said that - just your average, seven-foot-tall, wielding a three-foot machete, hating-everything-not-himself Ork.

"What did you call me?" Longinus asked, each word and syllable slowly and carefully spoken, as neutral as anyone had ever heard him talk.

"SMURF! I CALLED YAH A SMURF!" The monster explained. "YUR BIG, BLUE AN' A MARY SUE! NO ONE LOIKES YOU! WHATCHA GONNA DO, FOO?"

"Is that so?" The Ultramarine responded, dropping his axe, ignoring the strange rhymeness of the monster. Before anyone could say or do anything otherwise, he shoved both hands deep into the xeno's chest. With a grunt of effort, he stretched and tore the Ork apart, completely divided down the middle. Somewhere in the distance, someone announced, "Fatality!"

"No one. Calls me. A smurf. Ever." The Ultramarine warned. The horde began firing again - bringing out your inner Shao Khan isn't that impressive compared to creatures created to kill all the time. Longinus threw his axe at a Nob's chest, and jumped onto the Prowler as Cassius drove by. They deftly maneuvered around the missiles and bolters, flying over the hill and out of range within a matter of seconds.

"He offended me and the Ultramarines." Longinus explained. "I had to do that, its in the Codex."

"It is?"
"Indeed. Chapter three, verse sixteen; 'And should anyone insult or profane you, your brothers or the Legion, it is your solemn duty to insert your gauntlets into the abdomen of the offender, and tear him apart, so that all may know the majesty of your fury.'"
"Really? That sounds, what's the word?... oh, hardcore. And strange too, I guess."

"Um, excuse me," Fluttershy spoke up, still huddled up in the turret seat, "But… did I go… was I crazy for awhile?"

"You fought like the Emperor's Finest, Fluttershy. We couldn't be more proud." He grabbed her other hoof in turn.

"Does this… does this make me a killer?" She asked, a tinge of fear and hurt in her voice. The thought of becoming some kind of heartless monster was too much for her to bear.

"Kind of, but that doesn't make you any less of a person to us. You're still the adorable little pony we know, Fluttershy, and no amount of fighting or killing is going to change that."
"You have nothing to be ashamed of, dear. You fought to protect the people you care for, and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone should aspire to have the strength and courage that you displayed back there."

Fluttershy looked up at her two protectors, and gave a tiny smile. "Does this mean that… that you two are friends?"

The Brute and Space Marine looked at each other, appraising each other one more time. It was strange to think that no more than a few weeks ago, they were holding guns to each other's face. Now here they were, risking their lives for a cute little pony they've become attached to. "I wouldn't go that far." Longinus said. "But, I could consider him a comrade."

"Okay, I could live with that." He offered his fist to the superhuman, who in turn bumped it with his. Fluttershy's smile grew, as her two protectors became buddies, and they raced back to base in the ruins of the metropolis...

Peace and Isolation

by McKnight93

7.2- A Slice of Life on the Battlefield