//------------------------------// // The Vanhoover Counter Assualt // Story: The Fog of War // by REDMAMBA //------------------------------// “Alright… drop’em,” whispered Kris. Both Dusty and Rainbow nodded at each other before quietly walking over and grabbing two sleeping stallions by the mouth and thrusting their blades into their necks. Both stallions eyes shot open at the contact of someone else's touch, but their pleas and warnings went unheard. As their blood spilled from their bodies, their eyes rolled into the backs of their heads before they finally went limp. Dusty and Dash took the now limp bodies and dragged them into a nearby bathroom and closed the door before locking it. Quickly, the two men and one mare left the battered and beaten home and moved onto the next one. Celestia and the Pies were fairing quiet well on the other side of the street. Pinkie and Maud snapped the necks of two of Sombras stallions while Celestia dropped her halberd on the neck of a third. Safe to say, that she severed all ties from his head to his body. The trio snuck their way out of the building and headed for the next. Outside, Shining, Shield and a small squad took point to watch out for any movement in the area. So far the plan was working well. Sombra’s troops were fast asleep. And since Celestia didn’t have to raise the sun for at least an hour… well, let’s just say they team was making a killing. Things were going smoothly, so far the team of leaders (albeit a sergeant and a private) were clearing houses full of small squads of men. They had cleared up a few blocks of homes since the beginning of the assault. Let’s just say it, they were cleaning house. Anyway, Celestia and her two commanders promptly left the house they were in and quietly snuck down the dark street and meet up with Shining and Shield. Kris, Dusty, and Rainbow came sneaking out of the house they just cleared and met up with the team of soldiers. “Harder head, either way Jerry dead,” whispered Dusty, “Ain’t that right sir?” he asked while looking at Kris. “Yes it is,” he looked at his man, “Except these aren’t Jerry’s” Dusty looked to the sky and shook his head in agreement before putting his attention back to the group. “This is going perfectly!” whispered Shining with confidence. “You better shut your mouth captain,” whispered Kris with authority and sarcasm while he looked at the captain, “because you may have just gotten us killed.” “Its war son, death is part of the job,” replied Shield. “Yeah, but death is bad for my health,” Dusty replied sarcastically. “Could we please cut the charade,” Maud said with her monotone voice, “We still have a town to take.” “Yeah, I still have a score to settle with Sombra,” Pinkie replied, darkly. “In time,” said Celestia while looking at the leader, “Right now our job is to take back this town,” she said with authority while looking around the group. “Then I suggest we move,” replied Kris. “Agreed.” With that, the three teams split off yet again. They cleared house after house, clearing them of the plague that is Sombra’s army. It was a bloody forty-five minutes before the teams made it to within two blocks of the amassed front line of Sombra’s forces. Here’s where things get tricky for the teams, with the sun coming up in fifteen minutes, men and troops have begun to stir from their slumber. They began to check times, go to the bathroom, or eat anything they could scrounge up. But for the team, things were looking up. Until the familiar roar of a Thompson filled the air. “Well shit,” Kris deadpanned while he held his smoking gun and looked at the slumped over body of the now deceased soldier. Dusty and Rainbow came running down the hall and into the bedroom and looked at the bullet ridden corpse before looking at Kris. He looked at them, “Bastard was in the bathroom, caught him on his way out.” “You do realize that you just alerted the entire force?” Dash asked, stating the obvious. “Yeah I do,” replied Kris with a hint of anger, “Come on, we have to get that flare up!” he order while turning and leaving the room. The trio promptly ran down the stairs of the two story building, through the living room and onto the street. Shining, Shield and his men turned to look at the trio as they burst out the front door. “What happened?” Shining frantically asked. The three ran up to the large squad, “I shot a man!” answered Kris, “Come on, we need to get that flare up!” Celestia and the Pie sisters came running out of the home they were in on the left hand side of the street. Celestia wore a face of shock, “What happened!?” she asked frantically. “I’ll tell you later!” replied Kris quickly, “Look, we need to alert our force NOW!” “You... halt!” ordered a deep male voice. The Elite Squad turned to see a stallion, clad in black armor. Without a second thought, Dusty raised his rifle and fired. The tink of the bullet connecting with the helmet filled the air while the back of the stallions head exploded in a mix of blood, brains and metal. There was no walking away from that. He fell to the ground in a heap of metal. “Nice shot!” complimented Shield. “Doesn’t matter! Because here they come!” screamed Dash while pointing past the dead trooper. Down the street from the hero’s charged a massive force as they poured out from sides streets. They all held shields and spears. The look of green eye holes in the helmets struck fear in the hearts of everyone. Well, everyone but two Americans. “Dusty grenade!” barked Kris while tossing the small, pineapple like object. Dusty caught the explosive device with one hand before holding it up and pulling the pin with his teeth. Kris did the same with his and the two men held their arms back like major league ball pitchers and prepared to the throw. The massive force made it another twenty feet before the men threw them with all their might. As the two objects left their hands the triggers released with a simultaneous ting. The two objects hovered in the air for what seemed like an eternity before they landed at the feet of the first wave of oncoming troopers. But the incoming force paid them no mind. They would come to regret that decision in the next few seconds. BOOM! The two small devices exploded, sending shrapnel in all directions. Whoever was caught within three feet of the blast was sent flying into the air where they ultimately crashed into their other teammates. Anyone else who was caught within the blast radius was ripped to shreds as the small fragmented pieced of the grenade flew through the air at supersonic speed. The mares and stallion with the two men were dumbfounded. Not only did they kill multiple oncoming troops, but they stopped the army as a whole. Soon, the sound of gunfire knocked the hero’s out of their stunned state of mind. Both Kris and Dusty opened fire with their weapons as they shot from the hip, spraying the block with lead. For the few seconds they were firing, multiple soldiers of Sombra’s army soon joined their allies on the ground. Through the shock and horror of the slaughter one word was heard, “RETREAT!!!!” ordered a female voice from the center of the enemy force. The force didn’t hesitate in the slightest. Because they turned tail and ran. Celestia, Dash, Shield, Shining, Maud and Pinkie, and the squad of Shields stallions watched as the massive group ran in fear before they slowly looked at the two men that just caused a massive amount of damage. Kris held his Thompson up and slipped the mag out and replaced it with a new one before closing the chamber. Dusty did the same; he grabbed a fresh bandolier and hit the side of his helmet with it to seat the rounds before gliding them into the magazine and smacking the charging handle of the rifle forcefully. While Kris cocked his sub-machine gun he said, “You better get that flare up,” he lowered the weapon and looked at slack jawed Celestia, “Because they will be back, and with more men.” She shook her head and regained her composer, “I need a couple of minutes to raise the sun!” she answered Celestia. “We’ll cover you to our fullest your majesty!” said Shining confidently. “Go!” she ordered. Everyone turned from her and headed down the street after the force with a new sense of confidence. Well, all except two… again. Kris and Dusty looked at her with raised eye brows. “What?” she asked out of confusion. “You raise the sun?” asked Dusty. “Of course… don’t you have somepony raise yours?” “No!” replied Kris. Celestia let out an annoyed sigh while she grabbed her face with her hand. She looked at the men, “We’ll talk about this later! Right now, we need our troops to attack!” “I’ll hold you to that,” replied Kris before he looked at Dusty, “Come on private, we have a battle to win!” “Hell yeah!” Dusty replied with ecstatic confidence. Both men promptly turned and made their leave down the street. They ran at full force after their squad mates. The faint sounds of swords and shields connecting in the distance as they approached their destination. On the horizon, the faint glow of the suns raised painted the picturesque mountains. As the men ran, they heard a loud and determined chant. “FOR THE PRINCESS! YEAAAAAAAH!” The faint roar of a charging army filled the air. Dusty looked at Kris, “Here comes our reinforcements!” “’Bout time!” replied Kris. Both men rounded a corner to see their squad in a fierce battle. But the attention on them began to fade as the Celestial Royal Guard came pouring in from all sides. Shields clanged and swords met. The attacking guard came in like a thundering tank. Anyone that wasn’t knocked off their feet were impaled by spears or swords. Both Kris and Dusty charged in head strong. The sound of wood connecting with metal filled the air as the stock of Dusty’s rifle connected with the helmet of an unfortunate soldier. Soldiers fell, both the guard and the dark forces. It was minutes before Celestia herself joined the fight. Throughout the entirety of the battle, two men –with their futuristic weapons and unique finding style- stood at its heart. They showed no fear, no remorse, only determination. The fighting felt like hours to every participant, but in reality, it lasted less than ten minutes. Sombra’s troops ultimately fell back and regrouped. They huddled back in fear as they watched one unfortunate soul drop to the ground by Celestia’s halberd. She stepped forward, along with her team of elite fighters. Kris and Dusty both reloaded yet again as they stared down the army. Celestia looked back at her gathered troops, “PUSH THEM BACK AND TAKE BACK WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS!” she ordered with a wave of her massive blade. Her army raised their weapons high to the sky, “YEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” She pointed the blade forward, “CHARGE!” “RETREAT!” ordered someone from Sombra’s Army. From there, it was ever stallion and mare for themselves. Many dropped their weapons to make themselves lighter. Some stood and fought… only to fall to the blades of the guard. Celestia looked at the retreating forces before looking back at her own. “Let’s show Sombra what we ponies can really do!” “YEAH!!!” Celestia lead the charge with Dash, Shining, The Pies, Kris and Dusty following close behind. By now Sombra’s men were in full retreat. Sombra made sure to build his force into an unstoppable, fearless army. But instinct overpowers the will to fight. Like most ponies it took a lot to fight this war, but Celestia was damn sure she would win and retake the Empire. The Guard never felt stronger! The continued to chase the retreating force to the end of Vanhoover. But little did they know that Sombra had one last trick up his sleeve. The a loud whistling sound similar to a falling artillery shell flying through the air. “Look out!” screamed Kris as he tackled Celestia to the ground. Right where they stood a massive explosion ripped into the ground sending dirt and debris in all directions. The same explosion forced Dusty to jump to the left while Dash, Shining and the Pies were knocked backwards to the ground. “Come on!” barked Kris as he started to stand up and help Celestia to her hooves. She grabbed to halberd and stammered to her hooves as they both made a mad dash for a nearby home. Kris used his shoulder to bust open the door. Both he and Celestia fell inside just before another massive explosion landed just outside the front door. Once again they both scrambled to the feet and took up cover next to one of the many windows. Kris looked at Celestia, “What the hell was that?” “Sombra’s dark mages,” she answered before peeking out the window with one eye, “He’s using my captured unicorn guards to fight against us.” “Ouch,” replied Kris as he peered out the window to catch a glimpse of his target. “I don’t see anything,” whispered Celestia. “Same,” replied Kris. He slowly moved away from the window and to the broken front door where he took a knee and placed the butt of his gun on the floor and held the front stock, “Dusty! You still alive!?” he yelled across the street. “I think so!” replied Dusty from inside the opposite building. Kris let out a sigh of relief while closing his eyes momentarily, “You see anything!?” Kris was risking a lot by screaming like this, but without a radio and Dusty having the only long distance weapon, he had didn’t have very many options. Dash ran up and stood in the door way of the home Dusty was in. She looked at Kris and ran her hand in front of her neck. “Dammit,” Kris muttered while looking down and to the side. He looked back at Dash and gestured with his hand for them to keep an eye out. Dash nodded in response before turning back and disappearing from the doorway. Kris crouched his way back and took up cover back in his original position, “Anything?” he asked Celestia. “Nothing,” she looked at him, “What do you think Sergeant?” He peeked out through the window at the war torn street. There was not much to it. It consisted mainly of two story homes a handful of apartments and a single clock tower where the street came to a ‘T’ intersection. Now, he had been shot at multiple times during the war but he knew a few tricks that were used. Since this was a team of mages they needed line of sight to make an effective shot. MG-42 nests need wide open areas to work effectively. So generally, in a town like Vanhoover they would set up on long straight streets with minimal cover. But they could set up anywhere whether it be high or low. But these attacks require time to send. The one that nearly hit him came from above. So it had travel time and arced like an artillery shell. Looking up from the street and to the tall buildings his next thought moved to a snipers nest. They like to sit up high where they have a clear field of view and can hit a target at long distances. They prefer to hid in dark and ruined areas full of debris. His focusing soon stopped at the nearby clock tower on the far end of the street. “Your majesty?” he asked not taking his sight away from the tower. She looked at him, “How far can you launch one of your attacks?” “About 1000 meters, why?” “And how far can the average unicorn do it?” “About 400… why?” He looked at her, “See that clock tower?” She looked back out the window and focused on the clock tower, “Yes.” “How far do you think that is?” he asked. She looked back at him, “By my guess,” she looked back out the window, “Approximately 300 meters.” That was well within the effective range of an M1 Garand. He looked at Celestia, “I have an idea… but you aren’t going to like it.” *** After making a mad dash across the street and explaining everything to Dash and Dusty he took a knee at the front door of the two story home and started to prepare himself. He didn’t like what he was about to do but he had to flush that mage out. He knew that he had some leniency by a couple of seconds before the attack hit him. But if this mage was good… he could easily kill the sergeant. Dash walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder, “I’d feel better if I did this,” she said sternly but nervously. “You have an army to lead lieutenant,” replied Kris, “I’m just a damn grunt. It’s my job to do stupid stuff… besides,” he looked over his shoulder at her, “I’ll be coming back,” he looked forward, “No fucking Nazi can hit me!” he said confidently yet smugly. “They aren’t Nazis,” Dash deadpanned. “I know… Dusty you ready?” Dusty finished making the final adjustments to the rear sight of his rifle before took up position next to his window. He rested the front stock on windowsill while doing his best to stay hidden. He focused the sites on the clock tower, “Ready!” “Here goes something,” he started to stand up. “Wait!” he looked over his shoulder back at Dash. She gave him a light kiss on the cheek which surprised the soldier, “That’s for being brave,” she said with a warm smile. Then she promptly slapped him across the face. His head recoiled at the hit, “Ow!” he held his hand to his burning face while he looked at her with shock written all over his face. “At that’s for being stupid!” she scolded while she balled up her hands into fists at her sides. He looked at Dusty who hadn’t taken his eyes off the tower. Dusty heard the slap and knew what Dash’s first sentence was about but didn't want to intrude. He felt his leader’s eyes on him, “Don’t look at me.” Kris looked forward and ignored the glare that Dash was giving him. He took a deep breath and shook his head side to side quickly, “Here we go.” He stood up and ran full force out of the home and headed straight for the clock tower. He didn’t focus on the building. His mind was just putting one foot in front of the other. Dusty kept focus on the tower while Dash and Celestia watched nervously as the man ran at a full sprint down the long street. As he ran a massive explosion behind him caused him to stumble slightly but he kept running. Dash tore her gaze away from Kris and looked at Dusty, “Did you see anything?” She nervously asked him. “No.” She looked back out the window and watched as Kris disappeared behind and plum of dirt and dust. For the few seconds he was gone she feared the worst. But as the dust faded she caught him still running head long for the clock tower. Another massive explosion went off, but this time right in front of the young sergeant. He fell flat on his back while letting out a painful ‘oof’. “Gotcha.” BANG! A lone gunshot tore through the eerily quiet streets of Vanhoover. The crashing of a lone body on the hard streets below signaled the success of Kris’ idiotic plan. He slowly stood up and walked over to the body. He noticed that it was a lone unicorn dawned in Sombra’s dark armor. A lone and bleeding bullet hole sat right in the center of the helmet. “Took you long enough you bastard,” Kris said with a slight hint of annoyance.