BLITZ

by The Commandant

Chapter 11 - Appleoosa

"All around me are familiar faces,
Worn out places,
Worn out faces.

Bright and early for the daily races,
Going nowhere,
Going nowhere.

Their tears are filling up their glasses,
No expression,
No expression.

Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow,
No tomorrow,
No tomorrow.

And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad,
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had-"

"Ryan, what the hell are you singing?" Cole asked, interrupting Ryan's mumbling.

"Mad world. Don't you know it?" Ryan replied.

"I know it!" Dylan said. "And I bet anyone who remembers Earth will know it, too!"

"Thanks, smart ass." Ryan replied.

"Don't mention it." Dylan said.

"God, you're still annoying as ever, Dylan." Hodge said.

"Hodge is right." Anthony called out from the driver's cabin.

"What? No way!" Dylan said sarcastically.

"I can also agree." I said. "You're the loud one."

"Oh, come on, sir!" Dylan exclaimed.

"What? It's true!" I stated.

"No! I'm the quietist there is!" He stated sarcastically.

"Nah, I don't think that's true." Bill said. "You're just a loud and annoying son of a-"

"Wouldn't that make you a son of a bitch as well? Since we're related and all." Dylan said.

"I guess I forgot to mention 'smart ass'." Bill said.

"How about we change topics? Let's talk about how the newbie flipped out when we did our job!" Dylan said, specifically targeting Zachary.

"What?!" Zachary exclaimed. "I-You guys shot at unarmed soldiers!"

"Yeah we did. It's our job." Dylan said. "It's also yours."

"I know! But we could've taken them prisoner-"

"I am not taking prisoners." Dylan said coldly.

"But they could have families! Children to take care of! A wife, a husband, a-"

"They. Aren't. Human." Dylan said. "They want all of us dead, so we're returning the favor."

"So we just-"

"Enough!" I yelled, finally losing my tolerance. "Dylan, Zachary, shut up! I don't want to hear anymore about this ag-"

*BOOM*

The truck jerked harshly to the right, as shrapnel and dirt flew through the open-top of the truck, some pieces bouncing off the side.

"Jesus Christ! What the hell... Oh god." Ryan said, shifting from a terrified state to a shocked state.

And I soon realized why he was shocked.

...

Sitting next to him was Dylan, who had a massive hole in his face.

...

Shit.

"DYLAN! NO! NOOO!" Hodge yelled in anger.

"Oh shit... Oh shit... Oh shit! SHIT!" Zachary yelled in terror. "OH GOD!"

"Dammit..." I said in shock.

"What the hell happened back there?!" Anthony called out.

"Dylan... Dylan's dead." Fred said, trying to stay calm by taking large breaths.

"Wha... Oh my god..."

"We're gonna die just like Dylan! I don't want to die!" Zachary cried. "I DON'T WANT TO-"

"PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!" I yelled, grabbing his shoulders, succumbing to frustration and shock.

"I... I can't! Screw this war!" Zachary cried.

*BOOM*

"Holy shit! M-Mat! You need to come up here!" Anthony called.

"Wh-what is it?" I stammered.

"It's the flipping ERA line! It's massive!" Anthony called back.

I made my way up to the cabin and saw a huge line of howitzers and tanks lined up to stop our advance.

"Jesus..." I said.

"Do we even have enough tanks and infantry to breach that line?" Anthony asked.

"I don't know." I replied.

"Whoa, everyone else is stopping... What the hell?" Anthony said, stepping on the brakes. "What are they... holy crap! It's a super tank!"

"What?!" I said, trying to find what Anthony was looking at, managing to almost forget about Dylan.

"Just over there, by the other column!" Anthony said, pointing to the alleged super tank.

Then I saw the hulking metal behemoth, slowly crawling closer towards the town called "Appleoosa". Equestrian tanks were firing everything they had at the super tank, which had little to no effect on the beast's advance. It's basically a naval cannon welded onto a mobile gun platform that is extremely well armored. I won't go into specifications, so let's just say it is a metal super monster.

It's massive turret turned towards one of the Mk 1s and fired a round that could be heard for miles. I couldn't tell which one it hit, so maybe it missed the shot entirely.

Then, as if a hornets nest had been poked, seemingly massive amounts of pegasi began to fly out the little town of Appleoosa.

"Oh my god..." Anthony said.

Then the hordes dived towards us.

"Shit." I said, knowing what would happen next would not end well.

I climbed back into the rear of the truck and grabbed my AR, pointing it skyward at the hordes. Everyone else saw me and did the same.

Gunshots rang out across the desert as infantry and Anti-air truck fired at the pegasi. I fired in short, controlled bursts to keep my aim steady and true, while saving ammunition at the same time. I saw three pegasi fall from the sky, which I thought was the result of me killing them.

"Look out!" George yelled, pointing to a group of pegasi that were closing in on us fast.

"Prepare for close quarters!" I yelled, equipping Lucy.

The first pegasus that landed on the truck instantly had a hole put in its head from a .50 Caliber round. Then more began to land on the truck, one trying to pry Anthony out of the drivers seat.

"Gah! Get off me you son of a bitch!" Anthony grunted, struggling to stay inside the truck.

"I'm coming, Anth-" I said before being grabbed by a mare pegasus. "Agh!"

The mare was trying to pick me up off the truck, so I flailed my arms, trying to grab at something. My hand met the mare's mane and I pulled down as hard as I could. I managed to chuck the light-weight pony onto the floor of the truck, and I put Lucy to the mare's head, pulling the trigger. Blood splattered onto the floor as the mare's lifeless body shook for an instant, her face that of utter shock.

I looked up and saw the pegasus that was after Anthony fly towards me. I instinctively ducked as the pegasus flew over me and rolled onto the floor, and soon out the door screaming.

"Mat! You alright?!" Anthony asked, peering through the rear cabin window.

"Fine. You?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine- Mat! Behind you!" He called.

I rolled onto my back and saw another pegasus zooming towards me.

Why are they after me?!

Luckily, Lucy had already gotten to the pegasus before me, and I instinctively pulled the trigger. The pegasus fell with several holes in her body, thanks to the guys all around me shooting her.

"They're pulling back!" Bill yelled.

And sure enough, they were in retreat. Most of the pegasi that went in to attack us never made it out alive, and some were still being shot down.

"Guys, we're going in!" Anthony called back to us. "Take a seat!"

The truck moved forwards with the rest of the assault formation, advancing closer to the town. Our tanks rushed towards the enemy line, which would hopefully distract the enemy from firing at the infantry trucks behind them. ERA howitzers threw heavy shells our way, attempting to hit and destroy the T-4 tanks.

From what I could see, the ERA defense was being obliterated by the sudden charge made by our tanks. Shells were flying everywhere, tanks were ramming one another, and some of our aircraft were flying overhead. Some of our forces went around the town and surrounded it, trapping the nearly powerless Equestrians.

By the time we broke through their lines, the Equestrians were more than willing to give up the fight. However, when I saw one standing by a howitzer, I wasn't ready for it to end yet. I became so angry, so full of rage, that it scared me.

I just let my emotions take over.

I jumped off the truck and ran full sprint towards the unsuspecting stallion. If anyone had said anything to me at this point, I didn't hear it. I leapt into the air and landed on top of the earth pony, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He yelled in surprise as I tackled him to the ground, almost smashing his head against the hard steel of the howitzer. He had hardly any time to react before I started beating his face with my bare fists, delivering a stronger blow with every punch. Each time my fist came in contact with his face, Dylan's and Jacob's faces appeared in my vision, filling me with more and more hatred.

When the stallion realized he was being attacked, he tried to buck me off, but his legs couldn't reach me since I was sitting on top of his chest. It wasn't long before my fists began to scream in pain, forcing me to stop punching him, so I switched to my bayonet and began to stab at his chest. He soon stopped screaming and started choking as his lungs filled with blood.

Around that time a mare pegasus flew up to me and bucked me off of the dying stallion, who had covered me in his blood. Even though I was stunned for a bit, I got up off the ground as soon as I could and ran towards the mare, who wasn't expecting me to recover so quickly. I grabbed her neck and threw her against the howitzer's steel frame. I held her by the throat, which kept her pinned against the gun. She wildly flailed her legs and wings, trying to somehow free herself of the deadly grip I had on her.

"Pl-please... Do-don't kill me..." She choked, her eyes wide open, filled with fear and tears.

I ignored her, raising the blade of the bayonet to her neck and slowly drove it through her throat. She tried to scream, but only gurgles escaped her mouth. I let go of her neck, retracting the bayonet from her throat, and walked back towards the truck.

I could still hear her drowning in her own blood.

"Jesus Christ, Mat!" Anthony exclaimed, running towards me. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Nothing." I said coldly.

"BUCK YOU, YOU MONSTER!" A pony yelled behind me.

I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face the pony who dared to even confront me. When she saw my face, her eyes changed from anger to fear in a matter of seconds. Then I pulled out Lucy and started to run towards the pony, who was laying next to the stallion's corpse.

"Shit, Mat!"

Anthony grabbed me before I could get anywhere closer to the pony, and held me back with all his might. I struggled to break free of Anthony's grip, but it was to no avail.

"SCREW YOU! SCREW YOU ALL!" I furiously screamed at the pony, who seemed scared out of her mind.

"Mat! Calm the hell down!" Anthony said forcefully.

"NO!" I yelled, trying with every ounce of strength I had to break out.

I was able to force my right arm free, and I started firing Lucy at the pony. One bullet hit her in the left leg, tearing a huge chunk of flesh from it. She screamed at the sight of her leg being held by small strings of meat and muscle, which bled severely.

"Goddammit Mat!" Anthony yelled in exhaustion. "Taylor! Get out here now!"

"Yes sir!" He called out, running towards us.

"Taylor, bring that pony over by the truck, have Welder help you, and patch her up! Now!" Anthony ordered.

"Yes sir!" Taylor said, and ran off towards the pony, giving me an occasional glance.

"Mat, you need to calm down now." Anthony said, a lot more calm this time.

I didn't say anything because I was sobbing. Not because I shot the mare, but because I was beginning to register Dylan's death.

"It's not fair!" I cried. "It should've been me!"

"Mat, listen to me," Anthony said, looking me straight in the eyes. "the men need you. Crying over one man doesn't bring him back! It also won't save everyone else!"

I just stared at him with my watery eyes, not saying a word. I could hear the mare whimpering as Taylor dragged her across the dirt.

I looked towards the ground, hoping that God or some entity was there.

But I only saw Anthony's boots.

"Mat?"

---

"I don't know, Anthony. Some people just aren't really ready for war, I guess." I said.

"Yeah..." Anthony said, looking at the fire we had set up.

There was a long silence that went on for a while, with us just staring at the burning pile of wood, sitting down close to it on the sandy dirt.

"I... I remember the first time I shot a pony." I said. "Saddle Arabia, 2021. It was... weird."

"They're almost like us, that's what's so scary." Anthony responded. "They just seem so innocent... but then they aren't. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I know..." I replied.

"I know... why you went and killed two ponies, but at the same time, I just... Mat? Is something going on that I need to know about? Anything at all?" Anthony asked, looking directly at me with a concerned look. "You didn't do anything like this until... until San Fransiscolt."

"Like what, bash a pony in the face with a spade? They deserved it." I replied. "They all deserve it."

"Mat, what I'm trying to say is something's going on with you, but I don't know what cause you won't tell me!" Anthony exclaimed. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't. Why would you even come to that conclusion? You're my closest friend!" I replied, a bit distressed.

"Mat..." He said, getting up off the ground and standing. "Is it the war?"

"No."

"Then what the hell is it?!"

"I don't know what your talking about..."

"Please tell me!"

"IT'S THEM!" I yelled, pointing to my men. "I just... I feel responsible for their lives, and when I lose one... I just feel like I lose a part of me. I don't know..."

"Mat..." Anthony sighed, sitting back down.

"I mean, Dylan was a huge part of our squad..." I said, starting to cry. "I've already lost two men within a month! I... I don't know what that would mean for us..."

"It's not your fault... You do the best you can to keep them alive, and that's what matters, Mat." Anthony said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "The sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be."

"You guys are like the brothers I never had..." I said, putting my hand through my hair.

Anthony didn't say anything, he just leaned in and wrapped his arms around me, embracing me. I returned the embrace, beginning to cry on his shoulder.

"Thanks Anthony." I sobbed, patting him hard on the back.

"I'm always here for you, man." He replied.

And with that, we went to our separate sleeping bags and laid on top of them, gazing at the star-filled heavens above us... Which always brought up a burning question in my mind.

"Anthony?" I said quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Which one of these stars do you think is our sun?"

Author's Note:

Here it is! I hope you enjoyed it!

Be sure to tell me what you thought! Thanks!

Comments

[Emeraldleafeon]

I like this story. I can't wait for more!