"Do not attack the First Marine Division. Leave the yellow-legs alone. Strike the American Army." -Orders given to communist troops in the Korean War. Shortly after, the Marines were ordered not to wear khaki leggings.
The squad and the girls arrived at the Ponyville train station a couple of minutes later, and started boarding until one of the guards halted the squad.
"Halt! What are those things you are carrying?" He asked, raising his spear at his temple, but Twilight intervened.
"Woah, hold on! They're not here to hurt anypony! We need to go to Canterlot, it's an emergency!" Twilight exclaimed, but the guard wasn't convinced.
"I'm sure the other Royal Guards can take care of it without the help of mutant monke-" The guard was cut off as Marcus grabbed his throat and lifted him to his face. Marcus stared coldly and narrowly at the guard, who was making choking sounds as he strengthen his grip on his throat.
"What were you gonna call us?" Marcus said, getting right up into the guard's face, as he barley loosened his grip to let it speak.
The guard's eyes opened in shock that he could talk, but he then sputtered out frantically "N-nothing.. S-ir! ACK!"
Marcus squeezed his neck for about five more seconds before he threw him to the side. He motioned the squad and the girls to follow him into the train. They were shocked, as so were the other ponies around, but the squad and the girls followed quickly behind him, as the guard gasped for air, and coughed.
"Goddamn it.." Marcus thought as he took a seat and sighed. He then looked up to the girls, who were still wide-eyed at what he just did.
"What the hay was that, Hunter?!" Asked Rainbow Dash, flying up to his face.
He sighed again "Sorry.. just not used to being disrespected here. Or anywhere, really. Still though, I won't act like that again."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this, but she nodded and flew towards the seats. Jackson then looked around, taking in the look of the inside of the train.
"Dude... I think I just lost my man card." He said. Marcus chuckled while the others smirked.
"When I saw the outside of the train, my cool card and man card just burned in front of me." Marcus said, then turned to the girls "No offense."
"None taken!" They said in unison, smiling.
The train then started moving, slowly as it picked up speed along the way. Not long after, it was at full speed towards Canterlot.
"Alright then. Twilight, did the princess say why they needed us in Canterlot? I think the situation in Appleloosa is more.. well, drastic." Marcus said, with a serious tone.
Twilight pulled out the scroll out of her saddlebag and handed it to Marcus. He took it from her magical grip, unrolled it, and read what it said.
Dear Twilight Sparkle..
I have been informed from the underground Canterlot laboratories that a dangerous mishap has recently occurred at the biological section of the laboratory. As of right now, we have sent five elite guards down there to secure and detain whatever had happened. Unfortunately, I fear that they might be in trouble, since they have not returned from their mission. Reasons for what might have caused this are not known, but I feel that I should tell you that paramedics have brought the body of a Diamond Dog into the laboratories when a tragic attack happened outside of Appleloosa. What I will say next might disgust you, but due to several biologists being interested in what might have cause the wounds that were found on the body, they have decided to take sample of it to study it. Furthermore, I was told that inside the body were 'small, green, eggs' that seemed to grow in size. I have noticed that they looked similar to the eggs that one of the Cryptids Marcus showed us in his memorial flashbacks, and if what Marcus said to you is true, then we might have an extremely dangerous situation on our hooves. Tickets for you and the rest are inside the scroll. Please arrive to Canterlot as soon as possible, with Marcus and his friends.
-Princess Celestia
Marcus put the scroll down aside from him and spoke "Wait, you guys have an undeground lab?"
"Yeah. It's where we do research for new technology, medicines, magic spells, and other stuff. I've only been there once, but that was a long time ago. I can't even imagine how different it looks now!" Twilight said with excitement.
"Okay, but how deep is it? How many floors?" Marcus asked. Twilight thought for a bit, before answering.
"I don't specifically remember.. but I do know that it took quite a while for us to reach the first floor. And I think it has about two to three floors.. but I might have expanded since. It WAS a long time ago.. when I was a filly."
"Then we'll just have to ask Celestia when we get there. Speaking of which, how long will it take for us to arrive in Canterlot?" He asked.
"About four or five hours." Applejack said with a nonchalant tone.
"Really? Shit.. then let's hope that those Cryptids don't do any more damage.." Marcus said, inspecting the Honey Badger in his hands.
"How do you plan on taking those things out?" Rainbow asked as she watched him fumble around with the weapon.
"Well.. we're gonna go down there, use this.." He took the Vulture drone from behind his backpack, and showed it to her. The drone was about half size of Rainbow, but it was heavier, due to it having a remote M240 machine gun turret ".. and have it watch our backs as we clear out every room, find any survivors, and kill those Cryptids."
Fluttershy was shaken a bit from what he said, but she knew that these Cryptid things were bred-killers. During his flashback, she tried looking into their eyes, but saw nothing but murder and a soulless creature, bred to kill. She did not want them to kill them, but she fully understood why they had to, and she wasn't going to stop them anytime soon, as it would be futile anyways.
"So that means that we can't help you guys on this?" Rainbow asked. Marcus shook his head.
"We have more experience with this kind of stuff. I'm not saying you or the rest of you girls are weak, but we are trained for this kind of stuff. I think I proved that at the hospital, didn't I?" He asked. Rainbow nodded, but still couldn't help but break the ice and tell him who they really were.
"Yeah, we know that. But I still can't help but think you're underestimating us and our power, dude. Do you even know who and what we represent here in Equestria?" She asked.
Marcus knew exactly who they were, but he sure as hell wasn't gonna tell them that he did know, he was worried that it would freak the living shit outta them "Honestly, no..." He lied.
Twilight took control of the conversation "Well, let's past the time by telling you guys exactly who WE are." She said with a smirk. The Marines watched as they got out of their seats and stood straightly with pride. Then, Twilight walked up and handed Marcus a book from her saddle bags. On the front of it, it read "Elements of Harmony". The others then leaned in to read the cover. Marcus opened the book, and inside were six gems, attatched to golden necklaces. One was an orange apple shape gem, another was in the shape of a pink butterfly, a blue balloon, a diamond-shaped gem, a red thunderbolt, and in the middle of the book, was a gold tiara studded with sapphires and a magenta star-shaped gem in the middle. They gleamed in the sunlight as they looked at them.
"Damn, they look pretty badass. Even better in person, but nowhere near as beautiful as MY medal. Still.." He thought with a smirk, but was still awe struck at the sight that he was looking at. Then, Jackson looked at them with an eyebrow raised.
"Damn, these look like they costed a shit-ton.. but why're you showin' us this?" He asked. Twilight smiled and lifted the necklaces and the tiara out of the book and in front of the Marines.
"These aren't just some regular gems.. these are the Elements of Harmony. The most powerful force in Equestria. They were found thousands of years ago by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna from the Tree of Harmony. They each represent an element of friendship, and work when all the element wielders are together." Twilight exclaimed.
"So.. I'm guessing you guys the wielders?" Kayla asked. The girls nodded.
"Yes. There are six elements, honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty, and magic. I am the Element of Magic." Twilight said, proudly.
"And ah'm the Element of Honesty!" Applejack said with the same amount of pride.
"I'm the Element of Loyalty!" Said Rainbow Dash, huffing out her chest and smirking.
"And I'm the Element of K-Kindness.." Fluttershy said quietly, but with a smile.
"What about the other two?" Asked Jackson.
"The others are Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, but they're all in different areas right now, but you'll meet them soon. In fact, I think they should be back after you're done in Canterlot." Twilight said.
"So you've like what, saved Equestria several times from its destruction?" Jackson asked.
"Yep." They all said, smiling.
"Holy shit.." The squad said in unison, making the girls grin.
"Eh, it's not a big deal." Rainbow said, sarcastically.
"My ass it ain't! That's pretty fucking badass if you ask me!" Said Jackson, making the girls laugh.
"Seriously though, I can't believe that we've been talking to world heroes. Damn, it's an honor." Said Jackson as he got up and looked around the train.
"Well, you should know that it's an honor to know all of you, too. If anypon- I mean, anyone deserves respect here, it's you guys!" Exclaimed Twilight.
The squad chuckled and gave her a thumbs-up. Marcus then got up and put the Vulture drone on a table, and started double-checking the ammo for it, and its electrical systems. Twilight and the rest just watched as he re-fixated the drone with ease.
"Hey, Kayla! Can you pass me a box of ammo from inside your pack?" Marcus called out.
Kayla nodded and reached into her backpack for a box of 5.56mm rounds for the M240. Marcus took it from her hands as he attached the box into the M240 and connected it to the wires and cocked it. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the black phone device that was used to turn it on, but before he was, he switched the Vulture from 'engage' mode to 'passive' mode. After a couple of adjustments, he turned it on. The girls watched in awe as it hovered from the table and over Marcus' head.
"How fast is this little guy?" Rainbow said as she stood up and tried to swing at the drone with a hoof, but the drone swayed to the other side, making her miss as she frowned.
Marcus couldn't help but smile warmly and chuckle at this. She was acting like a cat swinging a dangling mouse from high up "It's actually pretty damn slow. I can walk faster than the thing, but it'll follow at the same pace if I just switch a few buttons."
Rainbow laughed "You sound kinda like Twilight when you said that. You're an egghead too?"
Marcus raised and eyebrow and laughed "Anything but. I just know how to turn this on. Seriously, I had to read the instruction manual five times for every damn part." He said, snickering. Rainbow smiled and shook her head. Then, they heard Thompson gasp.
"Holy shit.. is.. is that Canterlot?" Said Thompson, looking outside the window. "Already?... damn." Marcus looked outside and saw the huge castle on a cliff with a couple buildings below. How it was stable was beyond him, but the scenery was beautiful, he had never seen anything like it on Earth. He let out a slight gasp as Twilight chuckled.
"Yep, this is it. Quite a view, isn't it?" She said.
"I've never seen anything near this beautiful on Earth.." Kayla said as the view was cut short as the train went through a tunnel.
"Really? I'm sure there are at least SOME things that could compare.." Twilight asked, a bit taken back by Kayla's comment.
Kayla shrugged as the train came out of the tunnel. They were just outside the walls as the train came to a halt. Marcus took a deep breath, picked the Vulture from the sky, turned it off, and stored it in his backpack.
"Alright, let's go and clean whatever mess is down there.." He said as they all walked out of the cabin and stepped foot outside. As he expected, several ponies gasped in shock and surprise, but then Twilight spoke up.
"Don't worry! They're not here to hurt us! The princesses have requested them, and they are harmless!" She yelled out. Several of the ponies sighed in relief and walked away, but others kept looking in awe. The squad ignores their looks and followed the four girls towards the castle.
Marcus looked around him, seeing that several civilians were hiding from his view and rushing into houses or shops. He even saw a pony dive into a trash can, then poke his head out from it, which he though was comical, but he kept his composure.
"Thank God for my shades.." He thought as they walked along. Then, Jackson nudged him.
"Just like Afghanistan, huh?" He whispered. Marcus smiled and nodded "Ain't it just?"
After a while, they finally reached the courtyard. Marcus took in the scenery as they looked around. It was kinda similar to a courtyard they saw when they were stationed in a base near London. It was rare when they had free time, but damn, did they see some things there..
"Halt!" Shouted a Royal Guard. Marcus sighed as he and his squad knew what was coming, but were suprised to see that the guards didn't raise their spears at them, but instead, asked him a question
"Are you the creatures Princess Celestia sent?" On of the guards asked, still holding his spear in position, but Marcus could see that he was a tad bit nervous.
"Yes we are. Can you lead us to her?" He asked.
"They are busy at the moment, but I was ordered to lead you all to the elevator that will lead you to our underground labs. Follow me." The squad and the girls nodded and followed, but the guard halted the girls.
"Sorry, ladies, but this is a dangerous military mission." The guards said.
Rainbow retaliated " Like hay we are! We're going with them! "
Marcus admired her loyalty, but he knew that it was best that they stayed here " Rainbow, it's okay, we can take care of ourselves. We don't want any of you getting hurt."
"I know that! But this goes against my element! We can take care of ourselves too." Rainbow retaliated.
"And she ain't going alone." Applejack stated, stepping up front, with a determined look. The other girls followed, even Fluttershy.
" I hate to say it, but she does have a point, man.." Jackson said. Marcus sighed and thought about it for a second.
He looked at the girls again, knowing that he wasn't gonna win this argument "Okay, fine. But two of you have to stay here in case the princesses come back. Now, who's coming with us?"
The girls looked at each other, then huddled in a small circle and stated whispering to each other. Marcus couldn't make out what they were saying, but they then broke out of the huddle and Twilight spoke up.
"Alright then, Rainbow and Applejack are gonna go with you. Me and Fluttershy will stay here." She said. Marcus nodded as he turned to the guard.
"Look. I don't know if you trust us or not, because I don't give a shit, but you need to stay here with the girls. You don't know what we're gonna handle, but we do. And frankly, I have no plans on having any pony die down there, okay?" Marcus asked with a serious tone. The guard hesitated, but nodded.
"Then let me at least show you to the elevator. Also, if you find any other guards down there, bring them up as quickly as you can." The guard said in a worried tone. Marcus nodded as they followed the guard to the elevator, which was to the right of them. The doors were made of wood and metal, kinda like those that were on the Titanic, but about four times bigger and twice as tall.
"Here it is. Just press the buttons there, and go to the biological floor. That's where the incident happened. Good luck." The guard trotted away rather quickly, almost happy that he wasn't the one going down there.
..
"Alright, you girls are a out to witness how we deal with these fucks first-handed. This is your last chance to back out." Marcus said, looking at them with a serious look. They shook their heads wand walked into the elevator with determination.
Marcus sighed as they walked into the elevator, pushing open the gates. Thompson went over and pushed the button to head towards the biological area.
Marcus then pulled out a 30-round magazine from one of his pouches, tapped it against his helmet, and slid it into the Honey Badger, and pulling back the lever.
"Let's do this."
Rainbow Dash' P.O.V
Rainbow Dash knew deep down inside her that she might have done a very stupid decision to go along with them on this. Marcus was right, they had zero experience with the creatures he had shown them, and it scared her honestly, but her gut told her otherwise, no matter what feeling, she wasn't about to let them go alone. It would be against her element if she did so, and she knew that they had her and A.J's back.
"Let's do this." Marcus said as he pulled out the little machine from his backpack, and switched it on, but he then pulled out a strange dome device with straps around it.
"Alright, this thing'll make the drone not attack you girls. Here, let me put them on you. Jackson, put this one on AJ." Marcus then handed Jackson the same device. Rainbow nodded as Marcus started to put the device on.
"Oh, and uh.. watch it with the wings.." She said. Marcus nodded as he put the dome over her chest, and attached the straps on her back, not touching her wings, then he switched on a small switch on the dome, as it flashed white once, then he gave her a thumbs up.
"Alright, you're both set. Remember, stay behind us at all times. We don't need any of you going missing here, okay?" Rainbow nodded, along with Applejack. She watched as he and the others pulled out their smaller weapons from their hips, along with a flashlight. They held them both, with their flashlight below their weapons as the elevator slowed down.
"Alright, get ready, guys.." Marcus said as their raised their weapons up to the doors. The elevator stopped, made a beeping noise, and then slowly opened. The flashlights lit up the dark hallway as Jackson and Thompson walked out, kneeling and looking around them. Then, Marcus and Thompson walked out, with Marcus taking point. Then Applejack and Rainbow walked cautiously out, staying behind them.
"Jesus Christo.." Marcus said as he looked around. The walls were white, but they had several lines of crimson blood and bits of flesh covering them and staining both the floor and walls. There were a couple of lights still on, but other than that, it was pretty dim. She also saw that some rooms were broken into, explaining why several pieces of glass were scattered on the floor, and in the distance, there were several lumps on the ground, covered in blood and being covered with a couple of flies, which almost made her vomit at the sight.
"Alright, I'll take point, and have the drone fly over us." Marcus said as he slowly walked up, Rainbow watched as he slowly and carefully walked into a room. The lights were off and several scratch marks covered in blood were on the floor. He then walked JP to two unicorn ponies who were on the floor, with their coats ripped, shoeing several deep gashes, and covered in dried blood. He checked each of their pulses before turning to the squad, shaking his head as he got up to check on the other room.
Rainbow was horrified at the scenery around her, but she knew that she and AJ were in their protection,. Plus, they could easily defend themselves if the time called for it. Marcus came out of the room, shaking his head again as they kept walking down the hallway. The drone flew over her as it took point when they arrived at a four-way intersection. They all stood quietly as the drone looked around,.
"Alright, move u-" Marcus was cut off as the drone made a beeping noise and a red line came in view as the drone turned to the right side of the hallway. A screech was heard, but it was muffled out at the drone started shooting at the source of the screech. Rainbow yelped and covered her sensitive ears as hard as she could, along with Applejack. After what seemed like an eternity, the drone stopped firing and turned off its red line. Marcus walked towards the drone and looked to his right. He smirked as he signaled the rest to move up. As they walked forward, Rainbow saw the corpse of a Cryptic, with orange. Blood spattered everywhere, and it was resting on a body of a Royal Guard.
Rainbow stared at it for a while, in shock over seeing the body, but she was pulled back into reality when Marcus patted her on the head. She looked up at him, but was reassured as he stroked her mane as they moved along. They looked around as the squad cleared more rooms and checked more bodies, until they came upon the room that held the body of the dog, which held several green eggs that were huge in size and were proturging out of its body. On the doorway, there was the body of a guard who was missing most of its neck, and just outside, was the body of a unicorn scientist, who was barley recognizable.
Rainbow slowly walked over to the egg without thinking, and just stared at it. Then, it started moving slowly inside.
"Rainbow! Get away!" Marcus shouted, but before she could move, the egg bursted open, splattering green too everywhere, and onto Rainbow, making her just stand there in utter shock as a small Cryptid was standing there, covered in the too, and was looking around. It then put its eyes on her, screeched, and leaped towards her. Rainbow regained herself and tried to roundhouse kick the Cryptic, but she chose her timing poorly as the Cryptid pinned her on the floor. She tried to kick it off, but its claws swung at her left wing, causing her to shout in pain. Before it could do anything else, Marcus lifted the Cryptic from its armpits and threw it onto a wall like a ragdoll. Rainbow watched as he unsheathed his huge knife and sprinted towards the Cryptid,. She winced as the blade slid into its stomach with ease.
She heard Marcus whisper something before he pulled the knife out and pressed his pistol onto its lower jaw.
"Don't. Touch. Jamie." Then he pulled the trigger as orange blood splattered onto his face and shades, making him smile.