Living on the line

by Frost338

So it begins...

I suddenly awoke to the screeching oh the siren. "What the fuck!?" I yelled as I looked out the window to the perimeter walls of the base. When I looked out the window, my eyes widened in shock. There were explosions going on all around the base! I shot to my locker and grabbed my Kevlar vest and put it on. I grabbed an M4 and and about twelve mags and rushed outside into the battle. What I saw when I reached the wall I saw at least a battalion of griffons charge out of the Everfree Forest. I heard the distinct THUD! of our artillery. Explosions from the 155mm guns shook the ground as it tore the griffons to pieces. "Wait until they get within one thousand yards of the walls to open fire!" I commanded across the wall. Our artillery was killing and maiming the griffons as the kept running across the field. "Ready! Fire!" I yelled.

My name is Frost. A short name for most ponies, but it's still my name. I'm currently the commander of the thirty-first infantry division, Equestrian Army. I've only lived in Equestria now for about three months, even though I'm twenty-two years old. I'm a human. I was sent here after my death in the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan by Princess Celestia for one reason, to defend Equestria from the griffons. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I enjoyed my peaceful time in this world, but now my time has come to lead Equestria to victory!

Even though I am a division captain, I still operate in a combat squad. My squad members are, Pvt. Applejack, our support gunner, Cpl. Rainbow Dash, one of our squad rifleman, me, our other rifleman and Pvt. Twilight Sparkle, the squad medic. We are the best in Equestria, but this really was our first time to prove it.

CRACK! The first shot. All of the sudden, automatic weapons were being fired from all across the wall. I was still waiting for them to get closer so I could make every shot count. While I was waiting, Applejack ran up the ramp with her M60. "Sorry I'm late Frost." she apologized in her southern accent. " you haven't missed the fun yet." I replied "Set up the sixty here and open fire!" I yelled as I fired two shots at a griffon flying at the wall. His head exploded and he fell out of the sky. Then I heard the whir of miniguns as a few pegasi flew overhead and ran a strafe run over the field. The griffons appeared to just fall apart as the miniguns tore them apart. To me this battle was just beautiful. Red and green tracers from our guns and blue tracers from theirs illuminated the night. Explosions looked like fireworks on the fourth of July when I was a kid. It was spectacular. Just then, the man to my left fell over, shot in the shoulder. "Twilight!" I called as the purple unicorn dashed up the ramp. "What happened!?" she yelled. "He's shot in the left shoulder I told her. She nodded, performed a pain relief spell on him and teleported him to the aid station in the center of the base.

"Where's Rainbow Dash!?" I shouted down at Twilight. "She is in Cloudsdale getting the thirty-fourth regiment back from leave!" she yelled up to me. "Applejack, hand me your headset!" I told Applejack. "Here ya go Frost!" she said handing me the special forces radio headset. I took off my helmet and put it on. I then strapped on the headset and replaced my helmet on my head. I switched the radio on then switched it to our squad's line. "Rainbow Dash, where the fuck are you!?" I screamed into the headset. "I'm on my way. Spitfire said she would have the regiment mobilized in about three hours." she said. "Alright. Try and hurry the fuck up! We need everypony we can get!" "I'm two minute out! Just hang on!" she said to me.

Jaze's POV

As the fighting picked up, I had to grab any ammo I could get my hooves on. I had picked up Dark Blaze's M249. 'He doesn't need it anymore' I thought to myself. Then a heard a Loud roar. I turned to see seven griffons holding a chained up ursa minor. "Battery, this is Sentry 1-1! I have eyes on an Ursa minor coming out of the forest!" I radioed to the artillery crews. "Roger that Sentry, switching to airburst shells."
"Roger! Thanks Spark, I owe you one!"
"All in a days work Jaze."
I feared our artillery. These guns were the most powerful weapons in our arsenal. I would hate to be on the receiving end of it. Especially the airburst frag showers. They made us do time in a pit in training where they would launch non-lethal airburst shells at you and you would have to get as few paint spots on you as possible while running a mile across a field. It sucked then, now I feel kinda bad for the griffons, having to run through thousands of pieces of shrapnel falling from the sky.
Then I heard five consecutive thumps that snapped me out of my daydream, and heard the shells screech toward their target. A second later, the shells exploded about five feet above the Ursa, showering it and its handlers in speeding white hot shrapnel. I heard the Ursa roar in rage as it charged the wall. Then I saw the commander shoot a 40mm grenade at it. The grenade embedded itself inside the Ursa, which gave a cry of pain before the grenade exploded, tearing it in half. Just after this, the griffons started to fall back to the forest. "They're retreating hold your fire! I yelled to my unit.

My name is Midnight Jaze. I am a Staff Sergeant in the Equestrian Army's thirty-first infantry division, seventh earth pony regiment, second battalion commander. I am twenty-one years old, and I am engaged to Rarity. I met her at a fashion show in Canterlot my sister made me go to. We talked about Ponyville and I told her I was a Canterlot magic school graduate. Yeah, I know, I'm in an earth pony regiment but I am a unicorn. That is actually how it works in most of the units of the army. Unicorns of the academy get field command positions and the other ponies get infantry assignments. I don't think it's fair, but I don't get a say in things up in the castle so I deal with it.

My unit was down about twenty-five ponies in total, killed and wounded. We were given the all clear and told to go get some sleep before our turn on the wall again.

First chapter is done. Got to introduce both OCs and the beginning of the war.