//------------------------------// // Hard landing // Story: Ponyenstien: The New Order // by OldSchoolCatholic //------------------------------// Hard Landing In my dream, I can smell the roses. My wife calling me for dinner. The children playing with the dog. Then I hear the roar of the engines. I remember what I am protecting. We come from the night. ~ "Eye open Starbust, I need to take a piss. Oh shit, flak. Goddamn flak everywhere." Luckily Avo didn't take that piss earlier or we would have been royally fucked. "No, not today dammit, I will not die in this metal death ball." "Shit, the sixth engine is on fire. Starbust, you need to shut off the fuel lines to engine six before we're blown to hell!" Avo screamed over the head set. "Your going to need pliers and some wire." Ok, need to find those tools. Oh, damn that hurts. Stupid flames. Ah, here we go, next to the circuit board. Why can't Avo leave his crap were it needs to be. "We're losing altitude, head to the back off the plane, quickly. I will open up the cargo door." Sprinting through the flames, I found a knife and sliced through the straps off the equipment. An explosion knocked me back. Fucking flak. "Hurry up back to the cockpit Starbust, we got changelings inbound." Damn, why is it just Avo and I. This thing so freakin huge, surely they could spare at least three other ponies. "I can't fly all day you know, even with changelings blown bits off this metal ball." "Ok Avo, just calm your nips, I'm coming." I replied. Sweet Celestia's ass, climbing this stairs are hard. "Hop into the turret there." "Yes sir, Captain Obvious." "Ha, that's Major Obvious. Now tear those damn Jerrys apart." I placed my hooves into the controls. I aimed for the squad flying towards me. For being some what smart in designing those machines, they are stupid when it comes to dogfighting. After what was a small eternity, those damn creatures gave up. I have a fire in engine six, five, four and in the cockpit. Thanks Vulture one, bandits nearly got me there. Straight ahead, shoot them, shoot them. Come at us Starbust. Shoot them. The Changeling crashed into our plane, sending me flying. I am a deaths gates. She greets like an old friend but Avo calls me back. "Come on Starbust, don't die on me know." "No Avo, I ain't leaving you." Vulture One, come in Vulture One. Vulture One, this is Condor Nine. Condor Nine, you are crowding me, ease off. Negative Vulture One. Avo, you need to shuffle over and make room. "Starbust, pull up the radar" Thank you, Avo. Condor Nine, I see solution and gas leaking off your left wing. Flies like a concrete fridge. Thanks Avo for th- Shit, put out the fire, put it (static) Condor Nine! Condor Nine, come in. Damn it, that was troop transport. This is Condor Nine. Who is this? Private Copper, sir. Of the 109th airborne sir. Ok Copper, I need you to look at the stick in between your hooves. Yes sir. Pull up the stick until you the dial on your left reaches zero. Yes sir. Can you do that for me? Yes sir. I think it's working. Can you do one more thing for me? Yes sir? Have a man by the side door. You going to get visitors. "Alright Starbust, we're going to jump to Condor Nine. Their pilots got knocked out and we need to save those kids arses." Avo explained. I gave a quick nod. At this moments I wished I was a Pegasus or at lest an unicorn. When life gives you lemons, make grape juice and wonder how you did, I always say. We jumped, rolling across the tail of the plane. The unicorn medic caught us and levated us over to the door. "Thank you, my good sir." I said with a simple nod. "Come on Starbust, no time for grab ass. We have to fly this plane to the drop zone." "Command, Condor One through Eight is down and Vulture Two through Six aren't responding to radio calls. We have to abort." "No Vulture One, this is our last chance to take out Tirek." "Goddamn it. Copper, go tell your boys to get ready , we’re going in hard.” “Yes, sir.” “Good kid. Damn. Can’t see shit in this fog. OH FUCK!” ~ It’s been five years since Tirek came from hell. Its been a losing war and doesn't seem to be getting any better. Celestia ordered a large invasion against Chrysalis changelings and Tirek. I can feel the death sweet embrace, her kiss close to my lips. But this isn’t the time. I got a war to when. ~ I heard Avo’s voice ring in my ear “Starbust, you there?” “Yes, what do you need?” “Copper’s unit and I are pinned down by some type of automated turrets.” “Crap, coming over to help you.” Ok. Inhale, one, two, three, four. Exhale, one, two, three, four. OK, time to find the weapons locker. Of course, karma’s a bitch. The gun locker was knocked cleaned away, about 34 yards from the body off the plane. I sprinted across the open beach. Only one Thompson with two clips. “Ok Starbust, we’ll lay down cover fire for you. Just keep your head down and take out that MG. On your mark.” “Now.” I dashed across the field, to the trenches in front of me. “Stay in the airplane until I destroy the turret.” Ok, now, where is a map? Shit, patrol. Got to move. Celestia damn, he scared. A quick knife to the neck put my nerves down. I moved away from his body and headed toward the MG nest. A guard spotted me and opened fire. After a few shooting, slicing and grenading minutes later, I moved towards the MG nest. A commander, apparently controlling reinforcements and the MG at the sametime. I took him out quickly, without making a sound. “Ok Avo, move up and lets take this trenches. For Equestria!” “You heard the pony, charge, for Equestria!” The ground shook from the hooves of the Equestrians paratroops charging across the open beach. A booming sound shook the ground. “Move quickly, to the trenches!” I saw the source of the booming. A large, four legged beast walked out. Any ponies in the open were torn apart or burned to a crisp. “Damnit. How many made it?” “Three platoons made.” Avo replied. Ihale. On, two, three, four. Exhale. One, two, three, four. “Ok, we can take down Tirek’s fortress. Lets move.” A buzzing sound filled the air. A high-pitched scream rippled across the trenches. A battalion of changelings rushed towards us, shocking any fresh blood new to fighting Changelings. “Look for brightly colored changelings and destroy them. Work your way down the ranks.” “Grenade” “Left side” “Reloading.” 'Their everywh-” “Move up. Watch your back and watch for any dead comrades coming to you.” A changeling jumped, trying to rip my flesh from bone. Luckly Copper saved my ass. “Thanks Private.” “Maybe you will return the favor one day, sir.” “GAS!” Everything goes back. ~ My people murdered....... So many times......... I lost count “Wake up soldier.” It was all blur to me as I felt hoofs holding me down as I tried to get up. I blinked a couple of times to get my vision in check until I felt a palm of a hand slapped me across the face. My vision focused and what I saw made my blood boil inside my very veins. Standing above me was none other then Tirek himself, the one responsible of throwing Equestria into madness. The one responsible for so many young kids dying in this war. The one that I am going to kill. "Finely awake Captain. Who are you?" "Go buck yourself." I growled but he just smiled, as if he was amused by my anger. “So, we will have some sass, eh? That is a damn shame Captain because I was hoping that you would be corporative with me." "With what?" As soon as I asked, Tirek motioned to his changeling guards and my heart started bounding when I saw private Copper and Avo. "LET ME GO YOU BLOODY BASTARDS!" Avo yelled at the changelings, which gave him a quick buck to the stomach as the changelings held down Avo and Copper to the ground which I then looked at Tirek. "What do you want?" "Ahh I see you want to be corporative now with me now." "I said......What do you want. Just let them go." "Ahhhh se that's the problem Captain Starbust, you are a resilient pony.....And I like that. So I decided to see what would break you." "Don't listen to him Captain. He's a bloody wanker." Avo growled which made Tirek turn to him. "You know I like the eyes on this one." He then walked over to Copper and grabbed his head. "I like yours to." "Get your bucking hooves off him." I said to him. I was ready to kill every damn Changeling in this room to save them both. "Captain Starbust I want you to make a choice for me. In your opinion, which one of these two that you care for should I dissect. If you decline, I should put the scalpel to both of them and we would be here all day, it would make matters simple.......All you need to do is look to the that you would have me dissect." “You will save me sir, right?” Copper questioned. “Shut up Private,” Avo barked, “Let Starbust chose.” “Come on Captain, I don't have all day.”