I peered into a crate that had 'AR-1-.36 Munitions' written on the side of it. I took the lid off the crate, and inside rested rifles that looked like AK-47s. I picked one up and inspected it carefully, figuring out the new weapon.
"Sir! What are you doing?! We need to get out there now!" Someone said behind me.
"Everyone, grab a gun! Hurry!" I yelled to my men.
I left the armory, armed with the AR-1, Lucy, and a few pineapples. I tried to figure out where to go next before I heard a large explosion, followed shortly by cannon fire and gunfire. I looked behind me and saw pillars of smoke rise high into the sky.
Oh, that's where we're headed.
One by one, all of my guys gathered around me, holding the various weapons available to the soldiers in the DAF, even an RPGL-1 held by Bill.
"Alright everyone, we need to get over there," I said, pointing over to the pillars of smoke. "And kick Equestria's ass. Let's go!"
I ran at a pace that would allow me to get to the battle quickly, yet wouldn't exhaust me before I even got there. Basically, a fast jog. Everyone else followed behind me as we passed buildings all around us.
When we arrived at the Tarmac, they were scrambling all available planes, so crossing the runway would be tricky, if not illegal.
"Mat, are we going to try and outrun an airplane?! You're crazy!" Dylan said.
"We're Army, remember? We're all crazy!" I said before sprinting onto the runway.
I looked to my right when I was approaching the halfway point and barely saw an A-5 getting bigger and louder the closer it got.
"Oh shit, what am I doing?!" I said to myself, seriously questioning my intelligence at that moment.
I looked behind me and saw everyone running behind me, with faces that said 'Holy shit, I'm actually doing this'.
I looked back at my right and saw the A-5 was only meters away, so I fell to the ground right as the left wing flew right over my head.
God, I'm too lucky.
I got up as quickly as I could, still a little dazed by the fact that a plane probably traveling at 120 Miles per hour almost decapitated me.
"Mat! Holy flipping shit! Are you alright?!" Anthony asked me in a panicked tone.
"Well- I'm alive, I guess." I responded, still a little on edge.
"Come on, Mat. We're almost there!" He said.
We all made it across the runway and proceeded to the war zone, which wasn't that far from where we were. After a moment of running, we made it to the hill that somewhat concealed the base. We all began to climb up the steep hill one at a time, helping each other up and over.
When I got to the top, I saw the ensuing battle below; and it wasn't what I expected it to be.
I saw a huge line of Mk 1 tanks rolling towards the base, leaving a cloud of dust in their midst. Running next to the tanks were the infantry, making a valiant charge besides their armored brethren. T-4 tanks were the only thing keeping the ERA assault at bay, while howitzers began their deadly barrage of lead towards the enemy.
It was just as chaotic in the skies above the battle, as A-5s attempted to engage pegasi who were also trying to reach the base.
*BOOM!*
I looked down and saw an explosion erupt from a trench at the bottom of the hill. I swore I saw either a piece of wood, or someone's arm fly out from the explosion.
"Sergeant! Come over here!" An officer yelled to me from the trench, near the explosion.
I ran carefully down the hill and jumped into the trench, as did all of my men.
"What do you need, sir?" I asked.
"What?" The officer yelled. "I can't hear you! What did you say?"
"I said, what do you need, sir?" I asked much louder.
"I need your squad to man a howitzer just over there!" He yelled back, pointing to a howitzer position not far from here.
He turned his head to look at the howitzer, and I saw blood coming out of his ears.
"Sir! You're hit!" I yelled.
"I'm what?" He asked.
"Hit! H, I, T, Hit!" I yelled louder.
"What? No I'm not! I'm not in any pain! Besides, how can you even hear me over this ringing noise?!" He asked loudly.
"What ringing noi-" I said before realizing what he meant.
"Sir, you're going to be fine!" I yelled. "Your eardrums have burst!"
"What?!" He yelled.
I looked at his legs and saw huge lacerations, with a lot of blood pouring out of the wounds. He must have been in some sort of shock.
"Taylor! Get over here!" I yelled.
"Alright, I'm coming!" Taylor said, running towards me. "What do you need, sir?"
"This man needs medical attention." I said. "You take care of him, while the rest of us take the howitzer."
"Yes sir!" Taylor responded and immediately went to work.
We began to walk towards the howitzer through the trenches, trying to avoid stepping on the mangled corpses of three men killed in the explosion.
"Oh god..." Zachary said as we walked by.
When we got to the howitzer, I tried to remember how to operate a gun this large, which wasn't easy.
"Okay... I think this switch activates the firing pin." I said to myself. "Jones! Bill! Get a round ready to fire!"
"Yes sir!" They both said in unison.
"Everyone else, set up an MG over there and open up on any enemy that tries to take us out!" I ordered.
"Alright!"
"Yes sir!"
"Okay. Bill, is that round ready?!" I asked.
"Almost there, sir..." He replied. "Done!"
He picked up the heavy shell and shoved it into the loading barrel, locking the shell into place. I looked through the small scope and had my hands on both the knobs that maneuvered the gun. I soon found a target to fire at, a lone Mk 1, by the looks of it, making its way to the base. I began to spin the knobs, adjusting the gun so that the sights would line up with the enemy tank.
"Cover your ears!" I yelled, covering mine and holding the switch, ready to fire. "Firing!"
I pulled the switch.
...
"Uh... Sir? You gonna fire, or what?" Bill asked.
I soon realized I had activated the wrong switch, so I looked around frantically for anything that looked like a trigger mechanism. I saw a button close to where my foot was resting, so I assumed that was the firing button. I looked back through the scope and saw the Mk 1 still coming closer.
"Firing!" I yelled, pressing the button on the floor.
*BAM*
The round was sent flying towards the Mk 1, and penetrated its frontal armor, causing a shower of sparks to erupt from the hull. The tank soon caught on fire, forcing the crew to jump out of it, some of them burning on the way out.
"Clean hit!" I yelled. "That's one down-"
*ZOIP!*
A sudden force threw me out of the howitzer seat, and hard onto the ground.
"Ugh!" I groaned loudly, attempting to get up. "What the hell happened?"
"Jones is hit!" Someone called out.
Oh shit...
I got up and looked around for Jones, who I immediately found laying on the trench wall.
"Jesus, Mat. You're lucky you... you weren't killed sitting right next to that... that thing, heh." Jones said weakly, occasionally groaning.
"Oh god, Jones! You alright?!" I asked frantically.
"Just... God, I don't know what hit me..." He replied weakly.
"Okay, uh... look at me, Jones. Are you alright?" I said, crouching to his eye level.
"I think... I think I'm okay... just... just had the wind knocked out of me... I guess." He replied, taking a deep breath.
"MEDIC!" I yelled.
"Mat, I think he's okay." Bill said. "I felt something fly pretty close to my head, I don't know what it was."
"Then what happened to the... gun." I asked before seeing... what used to be the barrel of the howitzer. "Jesus Christ! What hit the cannon?!"
"I think that might explain it." Bill said, pointing to an Mk 1 that wasn't more than a few hundred yards away. "Where did the RPG go?!"
"Fred! Call for some support!" I yelled to Fredrick.
"I can't! All the frequencies are busy!" He replied. "We're on our own for now!"
"Shit!" I exclaimed. "Bill, where do you remember leaving the RPG last?!"
"I... uh... Oh!" Bill replied, running over to the wrecked howitzer. "Here it is!"
"Hurry! That tank is almost on top of us!" I said.
"Hey, new guy! Give me a hand!" Bill said to Zachary.
"The name's Zachary!" He replied.
"I don't give two shits about your name right now! Get over here!" Bill yelled.
Zachary ran to Bill, who was growing more impatient by the second. When Zachary got to him, Bill told Zachary to hold the RPG upright so that he could load the AT Grenade into the launcher.
"That tank is right on top of us! Take it out, now!" I yelled.
"I'm trying, sir!" He yelled back. "Got it! Clear the area!"
Bill picked up the RPG and aimed it at the Mk 1 that was just now coming within range. There was a loud roar as the grenade's propellant fired and activated the rocket, leaving the barrel at about 600 miles per hour.
The grenade hit the front hull of the tank and penetrated the armor, killing anyone inside the area of effect. A small fire bursted out of the drivers hatch, as the other hatches opened up to let the crew out.
"Mow em' down!" I yelled.
As the ponies climbed out of the immobile tank, our machine gun began to open fire, ripping them to shreds. Their screams of anguish were drowned out by the machine gun fire of our 30 Cal.
"Jesus Christ! Why'd you do that?!" Zachary exclaimed, obviously distressed.
"Isn't it obvious?" Dylan replied. "They try to kill you, you kill them."
"But they were running away! You could've spared them!" Zachary said.
"You don't understand-"
"I want to understand! Why did you kill unarmed soldiers-"
"That's enough!" I said loudly. "We have more important things to worry about right now. Stay focused!"
"Is everything okay here?! I heard someone call out for me!" Taylor said, running towards us.
"We- I thought Jones was injured, so I called out for you. He got hit by something when the Howitzer was destroyed." I said. "He's over there."
"Alright, I'll check him out." Taylor replied before walking towards Jones.
"Hey! One of them is still moving!" Dylan exclaimed.
"What?" I said.
"Yeah, one of the crew is still alive! He's gotta be in- Sir! What the hell are you doing?!" Dylan asked as I ran over to the pony.
Little did Dylan know, that I had an idea running through my head. A stupid idea, at that.
"Dammit, Mat! Get back over here! You'll die out there!" Anthony yelled to me.
But I didn't listen, I kept running towards the injured crew member.
I knew what I was doing, I knew I was risking it all to get that pony out of here, but I had to get that pony.
When got to the Mk 1 wreckage, I went over to the pony, who turned out to be a mare, and grabbed her by the shoulders, dragging her with me. Then I noticed something; She was missing a leg.
"What are you doing?! Let me go! Let me die! Please!" She pleaded.
I didn't listen, I kept walking back to the trench, with her in tow. I could feel shells detonating all around me, it was like a constant beating all over my body as the shock waves kept hitting me.
When I got into the trench with the pony, I dragged her over to where Taylor and Jones were and set her down.
"Mat! That was the stupidest thing you've ever done! You could've been killed, for God's sake!" Anthony exclaimed.
"I knew what I was doing." I replied, a little out of breath from running. "I was retrieving info."
"You- wait, info? What info?" Anthony asked, more confused than angry.
"Info that could turn the tide of this battle." I said, turning around and walking towards the pony.
When I got to her, she was already crying and I hadn't done anything yet. It was pitiful.
"Where'd you guys come from?" I asked her.
"My sister..." She sobbed, obviously traumatized.
"I asked you a question, miss. Where did this force come from?" I asked in a more authoritative tone.
"No!" She screamed. "I won't kill my sister!"
I probably wasn't going to win this by putting a gun to her head, but it was worth a try.
"I'll only ask this once." I said, pulling out Lucy and aimed it at the mare. "Where. Did. You. Come from?"
"I-I won't kill m-my sister." She stammered.
I fired a shot right next to her head.
"Agh! Appleoosa! Appleoosa! Please, no!" She cried, raising her forelegs to cover her face, one of them being just a stump with flesh and bone sticking out.
"Thank you." I said to her, holstering my pistol. "Taylor! How's Jones doing?"
"He's okay! He just had the wind knocked out of him." Taylor replied.
"Great! When you're done, patch up this pony over here, she needs serious medical attention." I said, pointing to the mare. "Fred! Are the lines clear?"
"Yes sir, I have a connection to the CC!" Fredrick replied. "They're trying to open up a main frequency for everyone to connect onto."
"What's the enemy's status?" I asked.
"I'll check, sir." Fred replied.
"Mat, you should've told us you were gonna just run out there, we could've covered you." Anthony said.
"I know that." I said.
"So you're just gonna leave it at that?" Anthony asked, crossing his arms.
"I didn't die, and we got important intel. I see it as a win." I replied.
"Well, this battle isn't won yet." Anthony said.
"Sir, I'm getting reports that the enemy offense if failing. Heavy casualties on their side." Fredrick said. "We should push them back within a ten minute period."
"Ten minutes?" I said. "Taylor, how is she?"
"Stable, for now. Glad I had a chance to talk to a doctor back in Les Manes, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to even work on her." Taylor replied. "You realize she's missing a leg, right?"
"Yeah, I noticed." I replied.
I walked over to Jones and sat down next to him, taking off my backpack and set it next to me.
"I'm tired." I sighed. "What about you?"
"Scared shitless. Man, I could've died then and there!" Jones replied shakily. "I guess my luck is holding out."
"Or God just doesn't want you to die yet." I said.
"Oh right, I forgot you were religious." Jones said.
"Nah, it's just a precaution." I said.
"I don't think that's how it works, but whatever." Jones said.
I looked up to the sky and saw multiple DAF Fighters, and occasionally saw a heavy fighter, the dreaded A-8.
"Heh, I wonder which one of those planes almost hit me." I said, pointing up to the sky.
"Dunno." Jones said. "Probably all of them if you weren't as fast as you already are."
"Maybe." I said.
"Have you ever wanted to be a pilot?" Jones asked.
"Plenty of times. I'd rather be up there than down here." I said.
"Sir! You need to hear this!" Fred said.
"Okay, I'll be there." I replied, getting up and grabbing my backpack.
I walked over to Fredrick, who had set up a small radio CP near the wrecked howitzer, and I crouched down close to the radio.
"Here you are, sir." Fred said, handing me the "phone".
"Alright." I said, taking the phone and putting it next to my head.
"-epeat, follow the enemy and capture them! I say again, follow the enemy and capture them! Waste no time!" The officer on the radio said urgently.
I gave the phone back to Fred and walked over to the prisoner. I guess we didn't really need her.
"What was your commander thinking?" I said rhetorically.
"Rose..." She kept saying to herself.
"What's next Mat?" Anthony asked, walking up to me.
I looked out beyond the trench and saw a whole slew of DAF tanks chasing a retreating ERA force. The field of sand that lay before me was covered in Equestrian bodies and blood, as their failed charge left few survivors.
"I think we're going to Appleoosa."