Camaraderie

by walk-in closet brony

Chapter 3

If we don't end war, war will end us.

- H.G. Wells

One mile north of Ponyville, Equestria 7:45 PM

Captain Ross felt a cool sensation overwhelm him as he passed through the electromagnetic field that the device created. It was no wonder there would be no armored support. The portal was only about 8 feet in diameter and 7 feet high. His men were instructed to slowly pass through the arch in rows of four in order to maintain a steady, controlled stream of troop input. They were told to lock arms so as to not be separated during the transition from their world to the next. Ross made the first daring step while coupling his arm to Sgt. Avery's, who was coupled to Lt. Mildred, who was coupled to one very nervous Pvt. Martin.

Fwump!

In less than a second, Ross, Avery, Mildred, and Martin face-planted onto a soft, grassy surface. Ross looked up, spitting dirt from his mouth.

Wait, dirt?

"Uhhhh, Captain?"

But Ross was too flabbergasted at the sight set before him to acknowledge whoever said that. Ross thought he was staring at a painting. Dainty trees and small hills pocked the rolling grasslands that he now looked upon.

What happened to the laboratory?

"Cap?"

Ross looked to his left and right in order to locate the speaker. He observed Lt. Mildred mouthing words to him.

He talkin' to me? Ross thought in his groggy state.

He saw Sgt. Avery staring in awe at something in front of him. To his left, he noticed Pvt. Martin emptying the contents of his stomach.

What are you looking at Richard? Ross thought as he stared at the beleaguered sergeant.

Ross stood up and began scanning the area. His head slowly panned right.

Hmm, lets see. Some shrubs, a few clumps of grass, a bunch of horses clad in armor, some kind of- wait. What?

Ross squinted at the group in front of him. What he saw nearly put him out.

Captain Ross observed a large number of quadrupeds bearing armor that looked like it belonged in a medieval times exhibit. They were no more than a few feet tall, the tallest in the center almost reaching up to his neck. All staring at them with curious looks.

Fwump!

Behind them, four more soldiers fell, looked up, and had the same reaction as sergeant Avery. They just stared. This went on for 45 more minutes until all of the 1st marine division emptied into the land, all the while not making a sound.

_______________________________________________________________

One mile north of Ponyville, Equestria 8:30 PM

In the waning light of the day, Captain Shining Armor looked on in nervous awe. The seemingly never-ending stream of humans finally ended with a loud whoosh, confirming that the portal behind them had closed. Aside from the occasional gasp of shock from the humans and the uneasy breaths from his guard ponies, it was eerily quiet the whole time. Shining Armor was reminded of how odd these strange, bipedal creatures looked the moment the first few stepped through the doorway to their world.

These were definitely different from the other humans he had seen.

They wore weird, camouflaged clothing that was covered in pouches filled with Celestia-knows-what. Each of them carried these clumsy looking tubes with grips that those hands of theirs easily contoured to. He could only assume they were all male, taken from their gruff appearance. All the humans shouldered a pack of some type on their back and bore a round helmet that capped their head, somewhat similar to his own when he was on parade duty save the feathered crest on top.

The two groups stared for what seemed like a century when one of the humans decided to break the ice.

"Uh, hello?" Dared one of the humans.

Although they all looked the same, Shining Armor had eyed this one peculiarly for the duration of the stare-down. He looked well defined and bore two silver bars on his uniform.

Was he the leader? The confused pony thought.

"Are you the, uh... marines?" Ventured Shining Armor.

The group of humans recoiled at the sound of his voice.

"Holy SHIT! That thing just talked!" Shouted one of the humans.

"Mother of god..." One marine speculated as he slowly removed his glasses.

"Can you say something else?" One of the marines beckoned at the pony captain, the entire group consumed with boy-ish wonder and slowly advancing at the startled ponies, now rid of all fear at the expectation of speaking to what they assumed were just talking animals.

"Um, welcome to Equestria. I'm cap-" Shining Armor was interrupted by a thunderous roar of acknowledgement from the humans.

"Did you hear that?"

"Holy crap that thing talked!"

"Wait till the guys back home hear about this one!"

The distinguished human stepped forth.

"Alright shut the fuck up!"

Both groups cowered slightly at this.

"Are you uh..."

The human pulled out a small slip of paper from one of his pouches and read it aloud.

"...Shining Armor?" The human guessed.

Shining Armor sighed in relief that he was finally able to speak without interruption.

"Yes. Yes I am. Captain Shining Armor, and I would just like to-" He was once again interrupted by none other than the distinguished human himself.

"Charmed." He noted, not really seeming to care.

"I'm Captain Arthur Ross. United states marine corps." Ross informed with a quick salute.

"You said this was, um..."

He pulled out the slip of paper again.

"Excess-tria?"

"Equestria." Corrected the now slightly annoyed Shining Armor.

"Right. We're under direct orders from our commander to assist you guys in any way possible." Stated Ross.

"Great. Well, we can start by fortifying the town south from here. " Said Shining Armor.

"Lieutenant Swift Wind!"

She approached the pony captain, her head held high, and stood at attention in order to land a good first impression on the humans.

"Captain?" She inquired.

"Reorganize the troops and regroup in town. I want standard sentry positions just like we discussed earlier. Is that understood?" Ordered Shining Armor.

"Yes sir! You heard the captain! Form up and regroup in town!"

The group of guard ponies assembled fast and marched at a quick pace toward the village.

"Captain? I assume you can follow us in proper order as well?" Asked Shining Armor, testing the humans, expecting an undisciplined, mindless rabble to ensue.

"You got that right pretty boy." Said Ross, undeterred by the pony captain's snark remark.

"Fall in! Column formation! Sergeant Avery, address those ranks!"

"Aye skipper!" Said the soldier, walking down the neat aisle of troops.

"Suck in that gut private!" The human said, whacking the other in the stomach.

"Lieutenant Mildred, mark time!" Ordered Ross.

"Yes sir! Left! Left! Left right left!"

Shining Armor was surprised to say the least. Here he was expecting a pathetic excuse of a fighting force from these seemingly young, undisciplined troops, but instead he got a formidable unit that was able to march in time and formation.

He was glad they were on his side.

"Coming captain?" Asked the human commander as he marched alongside his unit.

Shining Armor blushed in embarrassment. He pondered his question as he observed the manner of equipment the humans carried and the pride they bore on their faces as they briskly stepped by, following his own soldiers into town.

_____________________________________________________________

Ponyville, Equestria 8:36 PM

Captain Ross and his marines marched double-time to catch up to the ponies already headed into town. He passed by the pony captain Shining Armor a few minutes ago and didn't even bother to take a glance. He already didn't like him.

"So cap, when are we getting relief from the rest of the divisions?" Asked Sgt. Campo.

That was a good question. First, they had to establish radio contact with general Taylor in the capitol city and without a satellite to go by, they had to resort to simple radio com-link.

"Can't say sergeant. Maybe sometime tomorrow. We still need to speak with the general about the situation at hand." Answered Ross.

"Gotcha."

Ross continued on in silence. His men did so as well. This surprised him, as his marines were always so brash and talkative. Maybe it was the fact that they had just stepped into a world completely different and alien to their own.

"Your soldiers are very obedient."

Ross swung his head right to the voice that had just hailed him. It was the pony captain, Shining Armor.

"Yep. Any disobedience they had in them was roughed out during boot camp." Ross said.

"Boot camp?" Said the estranged pony.

"Heh, it's pretty much just basic training."

"That doesn't sound that bad." Said Shining Armor, not seeming to be impressed.

"Yeah, only you've got 3 pissed-off staff sergeants yelling down your throat every five seconds. The food ain't much either. Well, it's never anything special when it comes to being a leather-neck."

"Leather-neck? I thought you were marines?"

"Oh, it's just a nickname. Call us what you like, we're still just marines."

"Ah, I see. All my soldiers you saw back there are just royal guards. You see, we Equestrians don't have a military. We haven't seen any real conflict since the changeling invasion a few months ago." Said Shining Armor.

"A what-ling?" Asked the confused human.

"Changelings. They used their cloaking abilities to infiltrate the palace and impersonate my wife on our wedding day in an effort to overthrow our current rulers."

"Jeez, and on your wedding day too. That's rough." Said Ross.

"Yes, and now they've returned to ransack our country and call it their own. They're the reason we're at war now."

"So that's who we're gonna be fighting then? Changelings?" Asked Ross.

"That's right, and we'ed best be prepared when they come. Their armies number in the millions. Their queen, Chrysalis, raises them in hives like bees. Growing up, they're taught undying devotion to the queen, even if that means giving your life for her. They're fanatical in nature and don't usually submit to capture. One would rather die before it was taken captive by us."

"Damn. Sounds heavy, and you guys don't have any military to combat this threat?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Yet, your guards act as a para-military force. By the way, how many you got?"

"250 guards. Most of them haven't seen combat yet though."

"Shit. A bunch of greenhorns." Said Ross in disbelief.

"Excuse me?" Said Shining Armor.

"Raw recruits."

"Oh." Said Shining Armor, his voice trailing off as he stared off into the distance.

It wasn't until now that he truly realized how desperately they actually needed the help of the humans. Two hundred and fifty guards against millions of changelings driven by vengeance since their last humiliating defeat at the hands of him, his wife, and his sister and her friends. Just contemplating that made it seem the most foolish move in equestrian military history.

They were going to have to train a lot more guards.

"Hey is that our town?" Questioned Ross.

In the distance, Shining Armor could see a small village with many quaint, little houses dotting the cobblestone streets.

"Mm-hm. That's Ponyville." Confirmed Shining Armor.

One of the marines in the column broke out laughing.

"Snrkkkktt, ha ha ha, Ponyville? Please, someone turn off Disney channel."

"Disney- What?" Asked Shining Armor, confused as why the human was laughing.

"Forget it, it's nothing. Oh, and private?" Said Ross.

"Uh, sorry sir."

"Yeah, shut the hell up."

The combined forces of humans and ponies approached the outskirts of the humble town and began to walk slower, nearing their final destination and ready to rest after the long eventful day for both the races.

"Well we'ed love to get the dime-tour but we got buisness to take care of. I can however, offer up some of my boys to help patrol the perimeter."

"Good, we'll need the extra eyes to watch out for changeling raiding parties. Although, we haven't actually come in contact with them yet."

"Alright. I'll assemble my guys and order them to fortify some of your positions. Don't worry, they're pretty vigilant. Harris over there once stayed up for about 3 nights straight on one can of Red Bull."

"What's Red Bull? You know what, forget I asked." Asked Shining Armor, unsure whether the infinite stream of human oddities would ever end.

"Alright lets get to work. Everyone fall in on me!" Said Ross.

The marines shuffled into the somewhat confined quarters of the town square, eager to hear what Ross had to say.

"Alright listen up. Where gonna establish radio com-link with General Taylor and find out about when we're getting reinforcements. In the meantime, we need to assist our friends here in fortifying the town, so I need 1st squad to cover the north and west sides of town. 2nd squad, you guys have the east and south. Everyone else fan out and get some shut-eye. I want shifts changed every half hour. Got it? Good, lets hop to it people!"

In an instant, much to the surprise of the guard ponies watching, the marines sprang forth from their listening stances to find their ordered positions rather quickly.

In less than a few minutes, the human soldiers managed to locate gaps in the defenses and positions of interest and filled them in quickly.

In other words, the humans stuck to themselves, and the ponies preferred it that way.

_____________________________________________________________

Everfree forest a few miles south of Ponyville 8:56 PM

In the advanced darkness of the Everfree forest, a tired, panting set of hoofs could be heard running towards a growing campfire. If whatever light that could shine through the thick leaves of the Everfree were there, one would notice a dark, galloping figure dotted with holes. But it was night, so any attempts at spotting a creature like this would be futile.

Perfect conditions for a changeling scout.

The changeling captain, a tough, lumbering behemoth halted the changeling.

"Scout, report!" Ordered the captain.

With a few words that couldn't be heard through his heavy panting, the scout leaned in and whispered to the captain.

"I see. Hasten to her royal highness's tent at once."

And he did so with such speed that could have rivaled any flying courier.

The tent that housed the queen of the changelings wasn't much, but it was massive compared to the small rags the changeling soldiers were provided to sleep on.

"Your highness 'pant' I've urgent news." Spoke the scout with the utmost respect upon unfurling the flaps of the tent.

"Then speak and begone. I have a war to fight." Spoke the changeling queen in a cold, unforgiving voice.

"The ponies have fortified the town of Ponyville with a small detachment of guards."

"Tell me something I don't know fool. You're wasting my time."

The guards in her tent tensed and prepared to remove the meaningless scout from her royal highness's view.

"No wait! There's more, much more. The humans have allied themselves with the ponies. They've sent military forces to aid Celestia and her infernal nephew, that Shining Armor."

"Hm, the arrival of the humans was unprecedented, but no matter. Tomorrow, we will assault the town and crush their meager defenses!" Said queen Chrysalis with a triumphant, determined voice.

"Now get out of my sight. I must relay these orders to my commanders."

"Yes my queen." Said the humble soldier as he bowed and quickly backed out of the tent to rejoin his unit for the coming attack.

______________________________________________________________

Ponyville, Equestria 9:45 PM

"God damn it! Why wont this fuckin' thing work?" Yelled Lt. Mildred.

"I don't know, adjust the frequencies. Try straightening out the antenna." Added Captain Ross.

Ever since Ross gave out the orders to strengthen the perimeter defenses, he and a few others, including Shining Armor and some of his troops, holed up inside the town hall and began to fiddle with the small radio they were given. The entire town had been evacuated by then and most of the homes were free for the soldiers to occupy.

"Perhaps I could be of some assistance?" Chimed in Shining Armor.

"Naw, I doubt it. This is some heavy, military-grade equipment right here. Even I don't know what to do with it." Said second lieutenant Harding.

Swift Wind stood on the side, wondering just what the hay was going on. She had been observing for quite some time now since she had set up the outer defenses.

"Maybe I could take a look at it?" She braved.

"No thanks missy. I'm afraid you might break it even further." Said Mildred.

"Eh, let the girl try. It's not like we're getting anywhere." Said Ross, motioning for her to have a go at it.

Being a pegasus, she hadn't much skill with anything technological at all. That was a job for the egg-heads back in the research departments.

She trotted up and observed the strange, metal machine.

It was plugged in to a portable battery that gave it power. That much she understood. The rest was a mystery. The screen was just blank static and made a peculiar buzzing noise whenever the humans fiddled with the nobs and handles. Swift Wind was confused but didn't want to look like an idiot in front of her commanding officer let alone the humans. So she did the only thing that came to mind at the time.

She gave the machine a quick, hard buck.

Everyone reeled back at the sight of her kicking the box and the one named Harding screamed in such a high pitch one would think a filly had just seen a ghost.

"Jesus, look what you did! You... you.. fixed it." Said Harding in awe.

Indeed she had. The screen came to life with different symbols and a distinct voice crackled through the receiver.

"Ross? You there? Its Taylor." Said the voice.

Ross scrambled for the receiver and stuttered a surprised answer through the microphone.

"I- uh, yes sir! I'm here. W-we're all here, sir." Said Ross

"Good, good. How're you enjoying Equestria?"

"Um, it's fine sir. Very accommodating." Said Ross.

"Alright, and you arrived without any problems?"

"Yes sir."

"Great. I don't suppose you've made the rendezvous with the detachment of guards we sent you?"

"Yes sir. We're encamped in the town of Ponyville and awaiting your orders."

"Okay listen up. The rest of the marine divisions and the other countries will be arriving in two days."

Two days? What are we supposed to do until then? Thought Ross.

"You're to hold that town until relieved by reinforcements sent by the princesses. As we speak, they're training more guards and have sent out a decree stating all towns and refugee camps are to begin training a local militia in order to combat the changeling threat, which I trust you've learned about by now."

"Yes sir I have."

"Good. I expect a full sitrep tomorrow by 1700 hours, Got it? That's five o'clock."

"Understood sir."

"Okay. Good luck captain. Taylor out.-"

Talking could be heard in the back-round of the general, interrupting him.

"Why art thou speaking into a metal box? Doth explain at once." said the voice.

"I'm communicating to my troops on the front-lines. Now please-"

Taylor was once again interrupted.

"How dost thou speak-eth to thy soldiers if we are here? Might they be housed in that small box? Allow me to look."

Muffled sounds could be heard on the mic, followed by Taylor's voice.

"Your highness, please get away from the mic." Said Taylor.

"We see nothing! It's just a black box!"

"Give me that!"

Shouts of protest could be heard in the back-round followed by more muffled noises.

"Sorry captain, like I said earlier, good luck and godspeed."

The radio stopped crackling and Taylor's voice could no longer be heard.

It was quiet for a while, everyone exchanging awkward glances for a bit until Mildred piped up.

"What the hell was that?"

Everyone stifled a laugh and went on their way, now well informed and well armed to deal with the coming threat.

_____________________________________________________________

Ponyville, Equestria 11:34 PM

Captain Ross and Shining Armor had gone out to inspect the perimeter defenses surrounding the town and after close examination of a few sandbag walls, palisades, and tripwires, the two plopped down in an empty foxhole to wait the night out.

"Well. the defenses seem ready. All we gotta do now is wait."

"Yeah, unless we get attacked." Said Shining Armor.

"Damn, and I thought I was the pessimistic one." Said Ross, chuckling to himself.

The cool night air was interrupted only by the distinct chatter of the troops and the torches that lit the small village. Ross looked over at one of the campfires and sniffed the air.

"Mmm, smells good."

"I've been meaning to ask, what is that stench?" Asked Shining Armor.

"Gee, I don't know. They could be cooking any number of things."

"Cooking? Since when do field rations require cooking?" Asked the estranged pony.

"Well, maybe Hoffman's cooking his homemade sausages. Or Wilson might be heating up his beef jerky the way he likes it." Ross said nonchalantly.

"Wait, What?" Yelled Shining Armor.

"Jeez, calm down! What is it?" Asked Ross

"M-meat! You EAT meat?" Said the pony in disbelief.

"Uh, yeah!? Protein! You ever heard of it?"

"Oh my-"

Shining Armor couldn't finish his sentence due to the fact that the daisy salad he'ed eaten earlier had filled his mouth.

"Damn, are you alright?"

"NO!" Shining Armor said between convulsions.

Finally finished, Shining Armor spoke angrily toward this beast he had lost all respect for.

"That is vile! You can't just kill something and eat it! That would be stooping to the changeling's level!"

Sgt. Avery came by wondering what the commotion was, holding a grilled sausage in his hand.

"You okay skipper? I heard screaming."

"Yeah we're good. Pony boy over here is just having a breakdown." Said Ross with a grin on his face.

"Jeez what for?"

Shining Armor looked up and convulsed again, actually seeing the meat being devoured first-hand.

"Dear Celestia get that out of your mouth!"

Swift Wind approached the group, curious of the commotion as well.

"Captain? Are you alright?" Asked the lieutenant.

"Don't look lieutenant, it's too vile to bear witness to!"

"What-"

But Swift Wind was too late. She saw what was in the human's hand and understood immediately. She pulled a hoof to her mouth just in time to stop it from releasing it's contents.

"Oh for the love of- we eat meat! Deal with it!" Said Ross.

Shining Armor got up and left to go find a different place to think in order to piece together what just happened. Swift Wind did just the same leaving Avery and Ross sitting there with the fresh stench of vomit lingering in the air.

"You want to bunk down with us for the night skip?" Asked Avery.

"Much obliged sergeant." Said Ross, quickly getting up in order to vacate the bile filled hole he was sitting in.

______________________________________________________

Ponyville, Equestria 10:00 AM

After calling a meeting the next morning with his soldiers and telling them the ghastly truth, Shining Armor and his troops had to tolerate the fact that all humans ate meat, as sick as it sounded. After that mess was cleared up, the two armies ate breakfast and resumed positions in their dugouts. This time, the two races shared foxholes, including Shining Armor and Captain Ross.

"Still can't believe we got 'em to share foxholes." Said Ross

"Yeah I get ya'. My soldiers were just as reluctant to hunker down with your men."

Even if they agreed to share their defensive positions, they still obviously didn't like it. Ross and Shining Armor could hear the evidence clear as day.

"Get yer' damn hoof off my leg."

"Quit steppin' on my tail!"

"Get that wing out of my face!"

"Stop hanging your clothes on my horn when I'm asleep!"

Although the arguments often sounded comical, the commanders had to continuously step out of their trench and approach another in order to quell a growing stalemate.

"These guys never learn do they?"

"Yeah, if only we could get them to get along better." Said Shining Armor.

"Better start packing up toiletries, last time I left my toothbrush out it-"

Ross was interrupted by a shout from a nearby guard pony. They recognized him as the scout they sent out that morning. Panting, the guard began to speak in ragged breaths.

"Captain! I've spotted a changeling army approaching from the south! They're about 3 miles out. If we hurry, we can intercept it and bring the fight to them!

"Excellent. Assemble the troops. We'll meet them on the field and charge them head on. This ends here." Said Shining Armor.

"Whoa whoa whoa! What?!" Yelled Ross.

"Didn't you just hear? The changelings are on the way! Prepare your men for battle and get ready to march out."

"Your kidding me right? You aren't really just going to walk right out there and meet them head on are you?"

"Um, yeah. That's the idea. We're an army. It's what we do. So I suggest you rally your men for battle while I do the same."

Ross couldn't believe what he was hearing. They still fought like line infantry. He could only imagine the amount of losses they would suffer. Memories flooded into his mind of videos he was shown in history class of battles like Gettysburg and Antietam back in the 1800's. The blood. The carnage. No, war had changed, and he was about to turn the tide of battle in their favor.

He could use that to his advantage.

"Firstly, no your not! Your going to stay right here and dig in with us. If we're gonna do this where doin' it our way." Said Ross.

"Bu-"

"Secondly, we ain't gonna form up into battle lines and go Tom Cruise on them either. That's just stupid." Chastised the now angered Ross.

Both ponies and humans alike stood up out of their foxholes, curious to find out what all the bickering was about.

"So I suggest you rally your soldiers and get them dug in. We'll handle the rest." Said Ross

Without allowing another word to be said, Ross took off toward his own men, leaving one embarrassed Shining Armor behind.

"Alright gather round guys!"

The marines formed up in circle, with captain Ross in the center.

"Listen up, we've just received word that a large changeling force is on the way."

Groans and incoherent mumbling could be heard from the men.

"I know, I know. Hey, what did you expect, we geared up for a full combat zone. Anyway, we need to start posting troops at our defenses and begin setting up the mortars. Jack, that's you. I want them positioned in the courtyard in the town square.

"Aye skip!"

"Jacobs, gather your sniper team and put 'em up in that bell-tower."

"You got it cap."

From afar, the guard ponies hadn't even begun positioning troops. They just watched the humans and how quickly they reacted to Ross's orders.

"Mildred, take your men, and strengthen the east and west side of town. Harding, you got the north and south sides."

"Yes sir!"

"Aye skipper!"

"Listen, I don't care what differences you have with these ponies, but I need you men to hunker down with them for this one. We'll be too spread out if we don't. I want at least one rifleman in each foxhole. Avery, position your SAW gunners so they have firing lines on all sides. Oh, and keep your AT-4's at hand. You never know when we might need 'em."

The marines nodded briskly, now pumped up for the battle to come.

"Got it? Good, lets get this done!"

"Hoorah!"

Shining Armor stared at how easily Ross was able to issue orders like that. Quick and precise.

"Company, gather around!" Yelled the pony captain.

The ponies organized themselves in a neat circle, with Shining Armor in the center.

"Change of plans, we're going to 'dig in' and protect the town." Shining Armor said slowly, unfamiliar with the term "dig in".

He received nods from his troops, signifying they understood and were ready to carry out his orders.

"Good, Swift Wind?"

"Yes captain?"

"Split the troops up in two groups. Send 125 guards to the east and west sides and another 125 to the north and south."

"Yes sir."

"Okay, I know you may not like these humans right now, but they're our best bet at fighting the changelings right now, so I want at least one pony to each foxhole. Unicorns, be ready to fire your lethal knockout spells when I give the order."

Lethal. There was a word they hadn't heard in a while.

"Pegasi, refrain from flying. You'll be an easy target for the changelings. Understand?"

He received reluctant nods from each of his troops. He sighed in discomfort though.

They really are raw recruits. He thought.

And they were. No one in the group before him had any combat experience before, not even him. The only real fighting any of them did was during the first and final hours of the invasion during his wedding, and even then it was over before anyone could really throw in a good buck.

"Then lets move out."

"Yes sir!"

Shining Armor trotted over to Ross and his lieutenants in the middle of town to help oversee the defenses.

"Anyways, I want- Oh, good it's you. Come over here." Said Ross, gesturing with a hand.

"We're just finishing up the preparations."

"Good, good. Hey, what are- mortars?" Asked the confused pony.

"What those?" Said Ross, pointing at the courtyard.

Shining Armor looked behind him and witnessed quite a sight. Four large tubes were being propped up on the ground and a few of the humans were standing next to them, fiddling around with the nobs and handles. He remembered these from the beginning when the humans first arrived. He thought there was something off about those larger tubes.

"Yeah those." Said Shining Armor, his voice trailing off.

"Those are our M252 mortars. They're light, compact, and pack one hell of a punch when you aim 'em right."

"Those are projectile launchers? How are you supposed to hit something when you point them up at the sky like that?"

"Heh, no no. They launch a highly explosive round using trajectory and angle. Good for defending small towns like this one." Ross said, looking through his binoculars.

Explosive? What were they getting themselves into?

__________________________________________________________

Ponyville, Equestria (2 hours later)

Corporal Higgins was posted in a small foxhole on the south side of town accompanied by a jittery unicorn named Yellow Star. They'd been sitting on opposite sides of the dug-out in order to avoid conversation with one another, no matter how awkward the silence was.

Yellow Star wasn't exactly excited either. He was cold, hungry, and sitting next to a creature he had never seen in his life. The fact that they were about to start killing things when the time came wasn't helping either. He needed to say something though. If the changelings that were on the way didn't kill him, the silence would.

"So, you got any family back home?"

Yellow Star recoiled at the sound. Mostly because it wasn't coming from his mouth.

"Uh, yeah. Two younger brothers, one older sister, mom, dad. You know." Said the unicorn.

"Got a girl?" Asked the human.

"Heh heh, yeah." Yellow Star levitated a small locket out from underneath his breastplate and clicked it open. By now, the human and the pony had inched closer.

"See?"

The picture was of a young mare in her prime and smiling. The inscription "come home soon" was written on the bottom.

"Heh, yep. That's a keeper." The human said with a warm smile on his face.

"How about you?" Asked Yellow Star.

The human pulled out a picture from his front-left pocket, facing it in the direction of his partner. It showed a feminine version of his species grasping the shoulders of two smaller humans. They were all smiling.

"My wife and kids." Said the human, his face plastered with a goofy smile. Probably remembering better times with his family.

"What's her name?" Asked the unicorn.

"Lilith. That's my son, Kenny and my daughter Julia." Said Higgins, pointing to each corresponding figure.

"What's your wife's name? He asked.

"Emerald. Her name is Emerald." Responded Yellow Star.

"Any kids?"

"We were thinking about it. But then, well... all this happened." Said the unicorn with a frown.

"Oh, I see." The human said, trying to change the subject.

"Higgins. Chester Higgins." The human said extending a hand.

"Oh, Yellow Star." Said the pony, holding out his hoof with a smile.

The two shook and all was quiet again.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you. What are these?" Yellow Star said, carelessly levitating a small metal ball out of a nearby crate.

Higgins went wide-eyed.

"Jeez don't touch that!" He said, lunging forward and grabbing the ball.

"What, what'd I do!?" The pony frantically asked.

"Don't touch these. They're highly explosive fragmentation grenades. You'll blow yer' ha- hoof off with these!" Scolded the human.

"Highly explosive? Those look like something you play ball with." Said Yellow Star.

"It'll be one hell of a game of catch then, huh?"

The two stared at each-other for a moment, contemplating Higgins' form of off-color humor.

"Snrrkktt, HA HA HA!"

"Heh heh, HA HA HA!"

Both of them burst out laughing, prompting stares from all the other foxholes. Were they actually getting along? The others in their units couldn't believe it.

"Heh, that was a good one." Said Yellow Star.

"Yeah. I oughta' use that one again!" Said Higgins.

They would have enjoyed the moment longer if it hadn't been for the sound of trumpeting and the sight of two thousand, bloodthirsty changelings charging from the tree-line.

______________________________________________________

Comments

[walk-in closet brony]

Here ya go, have a longer chapter. Sorry it took so long to actually get into Equestria. I just didn't want it to be like, " There was a portal and the humans went through it and they all lived happily ever after! The end!" That would have been ridiculous. I also apologize it took so long to get to the fighting. Like I just said, It needs to make sense.

Also, have a moustache

[Gyvon]

Loving the interaction between the ponies and Marines.

[someguyudontknow]

I can't wait to see the ponies reactions to "human" warfare!!! Its gonna be epic.

[boragath]

the changelings are about to get a marines boot shoved so far up their asses.

[Earthpatriot117]

So it begins...
Lol

[SonicStreak5344]

Here we go! The first battle!

[bronyclone1497]

I wonder what an m163 would do to a row of changelings.