//------------------------------//
// Mountain Climbing 
// Story: Conversion Bureaus: Warhammer 40k The second battle for the Kaurava System 
// by Gunnerben55 
//------------------------------//


*Unicorn mountain range*


A small slip trench full of ponies watch as a tall two legged machine walks its way forward ahead of a squad or two of guardsmen. The ponies were keeping their eyes on the machine cause it had a glowing blue weapon on its chin and the ponies didn't want to find out what it did. The only unicorn in the group was keeping an illusion spell up where the walker wouldn't see them till the right moment but they didn't know one thing. The machine comes to a stop about ten feet away and a small object on top points at them and they freeze as the gun soon follows and the ponies stare at the weapon as it slowly starts to brighten.

Then a small blast comes from the side of it causing it to stumble to the side and turning its gun else where and the ponies in the trench drop the cover and fire a bolt of energy at the now exposed rear of the head. The bolt punches into the back where thick black smoke follows before the head explodes as its weapon over loads in a bright blue blast. The ponies then start to search for what attacked the walker to draw its attention. After a bit they spot a small metal barrel poking out of some rocks. "Glad those cannons aren't completely useless." The unicorn comments.

Two of the more curious ponies leave the dugout and head to the ruined war machine and look it over or whats left of it as the head was completely destroyed and its legs remained. "So these things lack armor... but have a big gun. Best we hit it before it hits us." One says. After a while they hear what sounds like marching and quickly gallop back to their hiding place. As soon they jump back to safety from the path the scout came from was full of humans marching forward with standards flying proudly and officers barking orders as the soldiers kept their weapons ready for any attack. They spotted the downed scout they slowed their march and the humans were watching in all directions weapons raised.

The ponies keep down until the blast of the hidden cannon is heard and the first rank is cut down as a canister shot turns them to meat. And what followed was every gun that had a line of sight fired on the cannon's hiding place and then a trail of smoke came from their ranks and flew into the firing position and a explosion followed as the gun was knocked out. The ponies then watch as the force starts to march once again and as they near potions are readied to be tossed onto the ranks. When they reached the edge of the illusions one guardsman walked though it and was surprised to see the ponies before a potion hit him in the chest and the transformation slowly began and soon the guardsmen were getting more bottles raining on them from the hiding spot before one tossed a small grey object in turn at the ponies.

The ponies didn't notice it until too late and the trench was filled with orange gas and they could see the guardsmen quickly put on their masks. The ponies then felt very sick and started to vomit and then blurry then darkness as blood ran from their noses and eyes. The deadly gas covered the trench killing all in and near it and the newfoals were dealt with quickly as the gas started effecting them as well. And not more then five minutes later the Imperial guard kept on their march ignoring the fifty-five lost men.


*At the pony command center*


The command tent was in full chaos as officers and nobles playing soldier run about with orders and a report from many of the humans using poison gas the newfoals call nerve gas and its effects are enough to even sicken the princess. A few level headed ponies were keeping her up to date. "Ma'am Winter's info was correct they haven't been able to get any heavy armored units up the narrow paths and those light scouts called Sentinels are easy to knock out for a charged spell." One of her night guards said next to her and she nods in return looking over the map as magic symbols mark the movements of human forces and the pony strong points.

"Has their artillery done anything yet?" She asks the pony who shakes his head. "Not sure why but they have not opened fire yet. We believe they are waiting for something but what, we can only guess." Luna only sighs as she thinks of what is keeping them back. A fury of wing flaps is heard out side as a messenger arrives and comes though the tent flap. "They have reached the first strong hold and are preparing for an attack!" He calls out and unicorns move the markers around where the human forces are at the first line.

But then the ground shakes. They all look around in confusion then the explosions follow as the artillery now with a target finally opens fire. The nobles barely keep it together or run out of the tent in fear for their own safety as the princess sits at the table looking at the map as the first line symbol flickers under the heavy barrage they can feel so far away. After a few minutes of this the barrage ends and the ponies calm down but Luna looks sadly at the map and the rest follow her gaze. The first line has gone dark and a unicorn slowly pulls the dead marker off the map.

"That bunker had two hundred ponies and they were wiped out before the attack even begun. Give a recall to any survivors to pull back to the second line and have the second line command center fortify and more shield spells be deployed to protect it from the human guns." The runner salutes and flies out of the tent to carry her word. She was about to turn her eyes back to some reports when her ears picked up some words she isn't to happy to hear. "If we slip out now we can ditch this and wait out this damn war we can maybe find a place in the human world when they take over." She hears a noble say to some of his lackeys in the darker corner of the tent.

She stands from her sit and walks to the noble who speaks the traitorous words and her magic sword slowly forms and it pokes the pony in the back of the head who turns to stare at the very angry princess. "Princess... yes... how can i help you...?" He manages to say backing away slowly. His companions have already departed leaving him to face the moon goddess alone. "I heard you speaking of leaving the country to die. That is called treason and we be punished for those words." She says coldly. "You were be put onto the front lines and fight and hopefully you'll die there where i wont come back to hang you!" She yells at him in near royal Canterlot voice.

The noble was frozen in place from her words and the fear he had for speaking out against them before he finally hung his head low and two guards took him away. She watches him before he disappears through the tent flap and sighs. "Everypony i'm going to take a short brake please keep everything in order while i'm out." Is all she says before she disappears in a cloud of dark mist leaving the make shift war room.


*Base of the mountain*


Matt and Johnathan sat on the back of a Leman russ as they watched some engineers tinker with some explosives with the idea they can make a path for the tanks. "Five rations they blow up half the mountain with us on it." Matt says and Johnathan chuckles. "If that happens you wont be able to give me what you owe... and you don't even have those extra rations." Matt smiles. "That's why i placed the bet on that where i wont have to pay up." Johnathan rolls his eyes at his partners logic.

They watch as another large rock was blown to pebbles by the sappers and a tank fitted with a blade starts to clear the way. "Maybe they can get a path made... I really hope they do i rather have a Leman russ then a sentinel backing me up anytime." Matt says watching as they rig another bomb. Out of the corner of Johnathan's eye he sees the girls walking their way with a cluster of boxes of extra ammo they are going to need in the fighting ahead. They walk up and place the ammo boxes by them. "How do you guys haul these things around?" Sykler asks rubbing her arms and the two just laugh.

In the distance behind them they hear the booming of another battery shelling the pony lines. Johnathan looks at the mountain range where the shells are landing watching smoke clouds rise over the hills and cliffs. "Going to be Rockclaw mountains all over again but less green skins and more grots." Johnathan hears Matt say and can't help but smile at the confused faces from the girls. "We'll tell you two later but right now." He points to where the sappers are blasting. "We're about to move out so mount up and hold on." They look to see the last large boulder destroyed and tanks already starting up and they climb up beside Matt and Johnathan.

A small convoy soon starts up the narrow path consisting of four Leman russes and one Hydra and more will follow when they get the path stable along with the tanks a few squads of guardsmen and one karskin squad were escorting. Most of the infantry marched along side the tanks while a few rode where their was room. The path they were on was a tight fit for the tanks and these tanks had been refitted without their side bolter mounts so they could fit with out trouble and damage to the tanks. After a bit of riding in quiet and listening to the fighting ahead they reach where the path opened up and ahead was a guardsmen squad pinned down by a pony machine gun in a pillbox in the rocks.

The tanks slowly fall out of the path and into a line facing the pillbox. The ponies saw the tanks and turned their weapon on them but it harmlessly burned out on the armor. Every gun slowly aimed and with a resounding blast all fired at once destroying the emplacement and the guardsmen yell their thanks and can once again start their advance. Matt and Johnathan set the bolter up on top of the turret of the tank they were riding and started to fire on the pony trenches ahead suppressing them as their comrades advanced. The girls were keeping their heads down behind them giving them a box of ammo when needed. Dove poked her head around the turret to watch as guardsmen got to the trenches and tossed in grenades but some didn't explode like normal others started to release thick orange gas that covered the ponies and she didn't see them leave. She holds back her lunch and gets back behind the turret.

The ponies in the trench learned fast and grabbed some of the grenades in their magic and tossed them back while a few even controlled the flow of the gas and pushed it towards the guardsmen and many die of the gas but it was short lived as they fixed with gas masks and kept pushing. With the minor tank support the guardsmen finally got to the trenches and bayonets met swords and spears as the tanks stopped firing so no friendly fire would happen but it was a sure win as the guardsmen merely over ran the ponies and many tried to surrender but only received a lasblast to the face or a bayonet to the neck. At the end the 252nd standard waved proudly over the destroyed pillbox that took many of their lives.

The guards took a short time to rest in the now quiet area as they waited for reinforcements. As they sat down and started to eat rations and chat while a few dug through the dead looking for trophies of the fight be it a sword to some of the gold armor the ponies wore. Johnathan and Matt found a small crater and set down the bolter and started to relax and dose off under the sun and the girls did the same but felt uneasy of doing this in the battlefield. As time went on the men started to hear something and it wasn't gun fire or anything they knew. 

The guardsmen started to look around in every direction then a their eyes go up into the skies when they spot a large dark shape coming towards them. The Hydra from the convoy takes aim and starts to pump shells down range at it but it doesn't seem to slow it down. Then they hear the roar it lets out as the massive monster lands on a ledge hanging over the battlefield and the guardsmen stare weapons aimed at it. The dragon scans the scene before it slowly as the tanks turn their battle cannons ready to fire. As soon it opens it maw and fires come forth all hell brakes loose.

Bolters, cannons and lasguns fire at the giant lizard as it spews forth flames to melt rock and guardsmen were turned to ashes in it. The lasguns are useless while bolters aren't as effective either but the cannons from the tanks did the damage but once it took to the air nothing big enough could keep up with it. The dragon circled burning any man in the open as most jumped into the trenches they just cleared or behind the tanks that were immune to the dragon fire. The crater where the group were hiding in a few other jumped in and one was busy yelling into a VOX requesting air support. Johnathan was busy sending another burst of shells at the beast but to no avail as it kept flying about.

Then over the sounds of battle they hear jet engines and sure enough a Vulture flies over head getting the dragons attention and it tries to chase the machine but the gunship outruns it very easily and turns to open fire with its auto cannons but it doesn't prove to be big enough. it speeds past the creature and comes around for another pass and it primes its missiles and once it lines up it sends two at its target. the dragon breaths its fire and one missile is set off by the flames but the other makes it to the dragon's soft under belly and with a explosion it falls to the ground with a large hole in its under side pouring blood.

The guardsmen cheer and wave to the gunship as it passes low over head before returning to the captured city. "Well... that was something." Matt says while unloading the bolter and Johnathan nods. "Yeah... first i seen that before... and i thought the chaos guys had some strange things." He looks over at the girls who were staring at the dead dragon with scared looks. "Uh... you two alright?" He asks them. "That... that was a teen dragon... not an adult." Dove says slowly and watches the skies slowly. The two gunners stare blankly before a massive roar is heard that shakes the ground. "May the emperor protect us..." Was all Matt could say as a shadow over head blocks out the sun.