> Equestrian Marine Corps > by KillerShadow 15 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Devil Dogs meet Pastel Ponies. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was supposed to be a routine mission. 'Take a squad and check the surrounding area' they told me. Now where are we? Stuck in a valley surrounded, out maned and out gunned. My name is Master Sergeant James Woods. Seven brave buddies of mine volunteered to go with me on this 'easy' mission. We were sent out ten clicks from base camp before we were ambushed. I lost three men already. All that were left was me, Pvt. John Rodriguez, LCpL. Ryan Luis, Pvt. William Martinez, and Sgt. Connie Morris. We couldn't radio for help due to the terrain and our radio was damaged. We were pinned down with little hope for survival. I looked around and saw my friends looking to me in desperation. Then something snapped. John picked up his LMG and started humming the National Anthem as he set up and started to fire. "Hey, James, are we going to sit here or are we going to give them hell? We are Devil Dogs." I smiled at Connie and drew my M16. "Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light" I looked over to see Connie starting us off on our final song. "What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming" This time it was Ryan. "Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight" "O're the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?" Now we were all singing as one solid voice. As I realized what we were doing I let a smile brush my face before a tear streaked my face. "And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air" "Gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there" We all took one last deep breath before charging at the enemy singing the last verse of our song. With a shout we yelled "Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave! O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" We all ran up hill with bullets firing and all hope of survival lost but replaced by pride for what we have done for our home. 'Lord,' I started praying. 'If we make it out of this, I owe you big time.' With that, there was a bright flash and then stillness. "Anybody know where we are?" I looked around to find that we were in a large field with apple trees on all sides. "Well, we're sure as hell not in Kansas any more, eh Toto?" We all looked at Connie, who had a large smile and a few cuts and scrapes. After a few moments, we all started to laugh. We were so thankful to somehow still be alive, that all the stress and fear washed away in our fit of laughter. It felt so good to relax for a few seconds and appreciate all that we have. "Ok, now, we need to do a weapons check." I looked at my friends, my comrades, my family. We were all battered and tired. "You know what, we need to find shelter. That is our main priority. Connie, you take Martinez and Luis and scout ahead. Stay quiet and remember your training." With that they took off. "So, James, where on earth are we?" I looked at John and shook my head. "I have no idea. For all I know, we could be dead and this is heaven. But let's try to-" I was cut off as I heard the sound of grunting and some trees quaking a dozen yards to my left. "Whoa boy. This is a lot more work than it looks, eh Big Mac?" I shot a worried glance at the Private, before motioning for him to get into the trees as quiet as possible. With a nod he was into the tree faster than a Camel spider chasing a man. I quickly followed his lead and disappeared a moment before an orange horse walked into the small clearing under us. "You sure you heard voices here Apple Jack? There's nothing here." "Ah'm sure big brother. Look, the grass is all smashed like somethin' big was walking around." At that moment, John had lost his grip on his gun, and it clattered to the ground. "Shit! we can't go loud, not yet." As I was thinking to my self, John dropped out of his tree and pulled his side arm. An 8in Glock 9mm, 1911 style pistol. "On the ground, now!" I looked at John and dropped out of the tree and put a hand on his weapon. "John, knock it off! We are not to kill civilians, am I clear?" He looked at me sweating and had a crazy look in his eye. "Damn it, John, I said lower your weapon." "Sorry." "No need to be sorry. Don't let it happen again. Connie, you three can come out now. No one is going to be firing any shots off until we find hostiles. Am I clear?" There were four clear, sarcastic 'Yes Sir's coming from the immediate area. "Now, lets find some people." As we were walking away, I heard a strange voice from behind. "What in Tarnation just happened?" I turned around to see only the two creatures John had almost killed. "You can talk?" I looked in such bewilderment it showed on my face. "Of course ah can talk. All ponies in Equestria can talk. Now who and What are you?" The orange pony had a confused look on her face. much like mine and those of my fellow Marines. "I'm talking to a pony. A Pastel Pony. Looks like this might be heaven after all. What do you guys think?" I looked back and all of my team had the same look. "Glad I'm not crazy." "What do ya mean by that?!" "Well, where we come from, ponies don't talk. In fact, no animals talk." The pony had a very angry look on her face as if I had insulted her. "No if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way Miss...?" "Apple Jack. Name's Apple Jack. This here's my brother Big Macintosh. What are your names?" "I'm James, this is Connie, that's John, next to him is Ryan and William. Now we must be going. Are there any people around?" The pony looked confused at my question. "What are 'people'?" I face palmed at this. "Let me rephrase that, is there civilization?" The mare nodded in a confused fashion and pointed North-West. At that exact moment, there was a loud 'Bang' and a large mushroom cloud formed in the direction Apple Jack was pointing. "Shit! Get to cover! Nuke!" We all dove for cover awaiting the shock wave and radiation. "What are ya clowns doing?! There was an explosion in Ponyville! Lets go check it out!" I wanted to yell that it was a nuke, but the mare was too far away. "She's right James. What do we do?" I thought for a moment. "We do what we were born to do. Once we get to town, we need to split up and find out what's going on. Stay in radio contact." My team all nodded at their orders and stood up with their weapons. "Marines, move out! Oorah!" The others followed my lead and raced down towards town. Once we got to town, we split up into three groups. Connie went with John. Ryan went with William, leaving me alone to walk into the deserted town. As I walked in further, there was a loud growling sound behind me. All of my instincts said to move to the side. As I did, there was a large blast of fire that almost singed off y eyebrows I looked towards the fire and saw a crimson dragon with beady yellow eyes with smoking nostrils glaring at me. "What the hell?! Squad, open fire on the Dragon! Take it's ass down to hell!" With that I drew my rifle and started to pelt the beast with holes. Then there was more fire to my left and right. After about 15 minutes of exchanging fire, we managed to drive the beast away into a dark forest. "Squad, sound off!" "We're good!" I heard Connie yell off to my right. "So are we!" "Good. Search and rescue time. Put out any and all small fires you find." As we were going around clearing out the buildings, a particularly loud scream ambushed our ears. "Somepony, anypony! Help!" The team and I rushed toward the sound. We stopped when a white unicorn with purple hair stopped us. "Please, Ma'am, what's the matter?!" "My sister and her friends ran into the forest! You have to help them! Who knows what kind of trouble their in!" The mare pointed at the forest where the dragon ran into. "No worries, we'll get them back. Connie, John, with me. You two keep looking for wounded and trapped ponies." The two saluted before running off. "James, what are we going to do?" I look at Connie, who wore a worried look. "We're going to find those children and bring them back." > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spikes POV "Twilight? Twilight, are you ok? That dragon sure did a number on us." I looked around and saw all of our friends but one. "Twi, where's Rarity?!?" "Spike! Spike, are you ok?" I turned my head and saw three fillies running towards us. I heard a groan and saw Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Apple Jack, Pinkie getting up from the ground. All of them had a few scratches where the dragon had hit them. Had Twilight not used the teleportation spell when she did, we would have died. "Hello!? Is there anybody out there? Hello!" I looked in the direction of the voices in a bit of surprise. 'Who would be looking for us while there's a dragon stalking around? "Hey, we're over here! We need some help!" I shouted the last part after looking over to Twilight and watching her collapse. Within a few moments, we all saw strange bipedal creatures wearing strange clothing that looked like it was made of desert sand. They were also carrying strangely shaped black sticks. "Help, Twilight is hurt!" "Don't worry kid, we've got her." One of the strange creatures picked her up and draped her behind it's head. "Anyone else need help?" We all looked at the creatures and shook our heads dumbly. "Who are you? And what are you? If you don't mind me asking." I could tell that the voice that spoke was Flutter Shy based on the lack of volume in her voice. "Not now, we need to get this one back to town now. Marines, move out!" The rest of us flinched at the shear power of self proclaimed 'Marine's voice. When we looked back, the strange 'Marines' were already a good distance away. James POV I was carrying a purple pony with a horn and wings. This had to the after life. "James, how's the pony?" I looked at the injured creature as we marched on. Her condition did not change. She was still out and had many a scratches and punctures from where I would assume the massive dragon had hit. "She's still the same. John, how much farther?" John looked back and made a hand signal to get low and stay quiet. We crept up to the town, peering through bushes. What we saw was nothing short of startling. There were hundreds of armoured ponies with spears looking around. "James, orders?" I looked at my team. I heaved a heavy sigh before speaking. "Well, we're out numbered. We need to find out how to sneak in and get this creature to a hospital. Have any of you seen one before we left?" I saw Ryan raise his hand. "Yeah, I saw one towards the center of town. It'll be tight, but I think if I distract them, we can make it." I was about to argue when William grabbed my shoulder. "James, don't try to stop him. Just don't." I gave both William and Ryan a nod. "Fine you can go. Don't kill or wound. Just lure them into the other part of the forest." Before Ryan could could stand up and leave, the group of ponies we met earlier caught up to us. Then all hell broke loose. "What the Buck! Why the hay did you just up and ditch us like that!?" I silently groaned as the blue and rainbow pegasus started yelling at us. "Hey! Who's there? Come on out!" I looked through the bushes to see half of the armed ponies walking towards us. Well, we're screwed. "Easy, we need a medic! A purple pony is seriously hurt! She seems stable, but we need to get her a to a hospital." I saw Connie walk out and tell the ponies of our situation. Once Connie had finished talking, she motioned for the rest of us to walk out into the open. "Ok men, we walk out and talk. Don't shoot, but keep your weapons ready in case they attack." They all gave affirmative nods. "Drop your weapons, now!" The ponies lowered their spears at us and prepared to charge. While under normal circumstances, I would have lowered my weapon, I didn't this time. "No. We will not surrender. This is merely a cease fire. Now, we need to get this one to the hospital now!" As I was about to walk away, a regal voice spoke up behind us. "Twilight! What have you done to her! What have done!" I whipped around to see a massive horse staring me in the eyes. She had a similar appearance to the one on my shoulders. Only this one was pure white with a rainbow mane flowing in the nonexistent wind. "We have done nothing. Can we go to the hospital or are you going to let her die? If that's the case, we will not allow that to happen." I griped the creature on my back with one hand, positioned to swing her to my front if we need to make a quick getaway, and the other on my .44 Magnum revolver on my hip. Then I turned away. > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I walked away. I had to. I wasn't about to risk the life of an innocent. I could hear many gasps of surprise and more shocked conversations bout what I had done. "If you need us, we'll be at the hospital. Then we're leaving." I glanced back and I swear, I saw a sad look in the massive creatures eyes. "James! What the hell were you doing! You could have gotten us killed!" "Listen, Ryan. How long have been out of basic training?" He gave a confused glance. "About 6 or 7 months. What does that have to do with anything?" "Hmm, still green round the gills. You wouldn't have died. That creature wouldn't have risked it. She didn't know enough about us to know that we wouldn't attack with that injured mare on my back." Unbeknownst to me, the larger pony was right behind me. "How about we remedy that, shall we?" I jumped out of my seat, drew my .44, and aimed at her, scaring the crap out of my team and the ponies guarding the pony currently looking down the barrel of my gun. I exhaled the air in my lungs before lowering my weapon. "The hell is wrong with you? You never surprise an armed Marine." "I'm going to ignore your first sentence. My name is Princess Celestia. If you don't mind my asking, what is a 'Marine'?" "We are an elite group of soldiers trained to protect the United States of America at all cost, even if means our death." I saw the princesses eyes widen in shock. "Where is this America? I've never heard of it?" I just rolled my eyes. "America is a county on Earth. Mind telling us where we are?" "You are in the land of Equestria. The magical land of ponies and other mystical creatures. I believe you've neglected to tell me your names." "I'm James, he's Ryan, that's John, William, and she's Connie." Each person raised their hand or saluted at their respective names. "I'd like to know how the hell we got here. One minute we were getting our asses kicked then, we're here. How the hell does that even work?" I looked at William and rolled my eyes. "Care to elaborate on the events prior to your arrival?" I looked around and eyed John, who currently had a confused look. "She wants to know what the fuck happened to us before we ended up here, smart ass." I directed the last part to John who glared at me. I then turned my attention back to the princess. "Well, we were fighting terrorists when a bright light went off, then we were in a large apple orchard." "Hmm, sounds like a summoning spell... Did you happen to see a large dragon in town?" I sighed. "Will you guys give the princess and me some time to talk? Go out and get some food or something." They all grumbled unhappily, but complied nonetheless. As soon as they left, I resumed the conversation. "To answer your question, yeah. We did. We fought it off, but it did some serious damage before we got here." Celestia had a surprised look on her face, as if something finally made sense to her. "So, it was you'r group that set off those explosive sounds. I heard them from my castle in Canterlot. I looked out a window and saw the massive creature tearing through town, with explosion-like sounds ringing through out town." I was about to respond, but a pony wearing a nurse's outfit walked out. "Your Highness, she's awake. You may see her now." I went to stand up, but was forcibly pushed back into the chair then everything went black. When I came to, I saw I was strapped to a chair in front of a table. I tested the bindings and determined that I was stuck. Then I noticed I was disarmed. I quickly raised my head and I saw him. In front of me was an angry white pony with alternating shades of blue in his mane. Then I laughed a hearty laugh. "And what is so funny?" I looked at him and laughed some more. "You ain't getting Jack Shit out of me ass wipe." He narrowed his eyes at me and began the interrogation. "What is your name soldier?! Answer me!" I glared at him defiantly. "How about, get the hell away from me before I kill you when I get loose?" The pony sneered at me. "Am I supposed to be scared?" I gave him my best Demon Smile, similar to the one my unit's DI* would give right before a massive PT** day. "Absolutely petrified. I am a Devil Dog, and I make the Devil himself turn and run!" I spoke in my most commanding voice possible, and this caused him to jump back in surprise. "Is that all you got? The 'Devil' or what ever must be a coward if that's your best." "Say what you will. I will not talk." Again and again he tried to get answers out of me, but I eventually got tired of saying the same thing over and over, so I started to recite the National Anthem one more time. "Where is this America, and what are you're plans to invade us?" "You know what, I'm tired of this bullshit. Take me to a cell or kill me already. We both know I ain't cracking and you don't have the balls to make me crack." I saw his eyes widen in anger and his horn lit up. I smiled. "That's it. Go ahead and attack me. Prove to me that you are a beast with no self control." Normally, I would not have lived this long if I were dealing with ISIS, the Taliban or AL-Qaeda, so I assumed I would not be harmed. He took a deep breath and lowered his horn as the magic fizzled out. I heard some talking out side and decided to try to escape. I bashed my head into the table, breaking my nose. I let out a scream of pain as I yelled for help. "Hey, get your filthy hooves off of my you bastard!" I then hit my head one last time faking a knock out as some one ran in to see what was going on. The next thing I knew, I was being carried out of the room as the white pony was getting yelled at. Once the voices faded, I took action. I opened my eyes and saw that there were two ponies carrying me and I slightly turned my head to see a blue pony, similar to Celestia, but smaller and with a flowing blue mane and a crescent moon on it's flank. I lightly patted my self down looking for my knife that was hidden under my shirt. It was still there. I then lifted my head, doing my best to act dazed, and disoriented. As I did, one of the guards noticed and got his buddy and the other pony to stop. Then I acted. Before any of them could react, I moved. I grabbed one by the mane and pulled him off of me. I pulled my knife and stabbed the other in the leg before punching him in the face and stabbing him again in the throat. As the other one recovered, I grabbed him under his chin and snapped his neck. The other pony looked at me in sheer horror at the acts I have just committed. I then threw my knife at her leg. When it made contact, she screamed for three seconds before I got to her and put her in a choke hold, cutting off her air way until she stopped moving. I didn't bother t check her pulse as I grabbed my knife and ran away as the sound of hooves approached. 'I need to get out of here now! *DI- Drill Instructor ** PT- Physical Training > Chapter 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earlier "Your Highness, she's wake. You may see her now." I looked at the nurse pony, thanking her. I heard a dull thud behind me, so I turned to find nothing but an over turned stool. "James? James, where are you?" I looked around one more time before heading towards Twilight. After my visit with Twilight, I went looking around for James. After talking with fellow soldiers, I found out that he was not in town. This made me worry. "What if he was Foalnapped! No, that couldn't happen. His men are here and I would have heard something. But that over turned chair makes me wonder. After that mental conversation and one last look around town, I was on my way back to the castle. As I walked in, a pair of guards ran to my side. "Princess! We need you in the Medical wing! Princess Luna is hurt!" I paled at the last part. "I'll meet you two there!" I then teleported. Present When I ran in, Luna looked at me and smiled. "Sister! We are rejoiced at your presence!" I looked over my sister with a displeased look. She was wearing a neck brace and had a large bandage around her right leg. "Sister! What has happened to you?! Who did this?!" I let out an angry tone I have never used before. "Well, We shall start from the beginning. We were walking with a guard who was giving his report when We heard shouting in an Interrogation room. When We walked in, there was one of the Humans that helped rescue Twilight. His face was bloodied and bruised. The Interrogator was none other than Shining Armour. We released the Human to bring him to the medical wing while the guard stayed to yell at Shining. When We were almost there, he woke up and killed the two guards carrying him. Then he threw a knife at me and put an arm around my neck, causing me to pass out." I looked at Luna in a horrified manor. "I can't believe Shining Armour would do such a thing." "Nor can I Tia. Nor can I." I looked at my sister and gave her a hug before leaving. James Oh Lord, what the Hell is going on? I was running away from my captors when I ran into another group of armoured ponies. I don't know what set them off, but they all attack me while a few went for reinforcements. While I managed to lose the guards, I some how got my self lost in the process. I heard a pop of sorts behind me. As I turned around, I saw a bright flash of light, then someone grabbed me from behind. At that moment, my training kicked in. I grabbed the arms holding me got them off and elbowed the creature in the ribs many times and threw them over my shoulder. When my vision cleared, I saw that it was a purple unicorn with wings. It was the pony I saved from the forest. "What was that for? I hadn't done anything to you!" The pony got up, shook her head and glared at me. At that same moment a louder pop and a brighter flash went off behind me. This time I dove behind the purple creature. When I got to my feet, I grabbed the pony and held my knife to her throat. "Stay back! I will kill her! If so much as one muscle twitches, she will need a new head." "Why would you do such a thing James? We both know that you won't, so please put the knife away and come and talk with me." I looked at the pony to see none other than Celestia standing there with a sad look on her face. "No! I want answers! Why did you have me kidnapped!" The princess looked even more sad. "I did not have you kidnapped. Shining Armour did that on his own free will." I could hear the confusion in the purple ponies head before she spoke. "Celestia, why would my brother do that? This isn't him. It had to be a changeling! It had to be!" The mare slumped forward and stared ahead. Trying to wrap her head around the situation was my best guess. "Princess Celestia! Shining Armour has awaken. He is willing to talk." The guard finished his report when he turned his look towards me. He got in a defensive stance and ignited his horn. "YOU! You killed Light Weight and Serenity Shield! Get behind me Princesses! I'll take care of this Mother Bucker!" With that he charged up a spell. Apparently Magic has recoil, seeing as how his magic bolt, instead of heading towards me, it was going to hit the purple pony that was standing a few feet away. My eyes widened as time seemed to speed up. With no hesitation, I dove at the mare and shielded her with my body. There was a loud bang and a bright flash, as if some one set off a flash bang. I felt a painful searing in my back. I opened my eyes to see every thing was blurry and the voices distorted, like you see in war movies where someone narrowly avoided and explosive, but still got hit with the shock wave. That is the best way to describe it. I looked behind the ponies and saw my wife, Rebecca smiling at me, while wearing the same dress I had bought her on our first date. Next to her was my daughter and my son. They were all smiling and waving at me to join them. I had a hard time trying not to tear up because they've been dead for almost 5 years. I tried to choke out their names, but I blacked out before I could. > Past revealed; James > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- James POV I awoke to find my self in a green plain with rolling hills and blue skies with clouds dotted here and there. I looked around to see my wife smiling at me with her entrancingly beautiful blue eyes. To my right were my children. My two boys and my daughter. They were all laughing and having a great time. I realized that we were having a picnic and I had fallen asleep. But I had developed an uneasiness about my surroundings. "James, are you ok? You seem distant." I looked at Diane and smiled. "I am perfect. I've got you, Chris, Allen, and Jessie. Life couldn't be more perfect." I let out a content sigh and leaned back on my elbows and closed my eyes. When I opened them, nothing changed. Diane was still there, my kids still being kids. After a few minutes, we decided to head back home. When we arrived, there were ambulances and police cars around our house. I slammed on the brakes and got out of the car. "Diane, you and the kids stay here. I'll go see what's going on." I slammed the door shut and ran to the nearest police cruiser. "Officer, what is going on!?" The officer tuned around and spoke in a grave tone. "Sir, there is a man in there holding an older man hostage, demanding that you pay him 50 Grand in cash. We are stalling him best we can until the SWAT team arrives." I looked towards my house in fear. 'Dad was in there! How did this happen?!' "I need a gun. Give me a gun! I need to save my dad!" My statement caught the man off guard long enough for me to take his firearm and make a break for my house. I heard many yells all around me, but I ignored them all. 'I'm coming Dad, I'll save you. I promise.' I ran through the open door and took a look around. I didn't get far when a shot stopped me in my tracks. "Stop right there! Give me the 50 Gs and this man goes free!" The crazy man held a high caliber pistol level with father's beaten face. I was about start to yell at the man to drop his gun and leave my house, but a shrill yelling stopped me. "Dad! Dad, are you ok?!" I turned my head, eyes wide, to see Jessie, Allen, and Chris run in through the door. The sudden noise and movement drew the attacker's attention as the pointed his gun at them and fired off 6 shots in there direction. Everything slowed down as he fired the sixth shot, then turned, shot Dad, then himself. I was in shock. I ran to my kids, all of them on the floor in pools of their own blood. I slid to my knees in front of them while I was yelling at the top of my lungs. "NOOO! Why, God, Why! I continued to yell and cry as I held my deceased children close to me. There were voices and people all around me, as I stood up and walked to the Ass hole who killed my father and children. I looked at the 45 in my hand and pointed it at the body and fired the entire clip into him. I then collapsed to my knees and started to sob uncontrollably. Then I started to shake. There are no words that I can convey that are strong enough for me to describe the man who killed my children who will never reach their 10th birthday. My father will never reach his 60th either. The next few days were almost unbearable. I sat awake for hours on end every night reliving those last 15 minutes and regretting everything that I didn't do to save their lives. I went to work at the local gym, but it wasn't the same. People would often walk up to me, offer me their condolences, and sometimes, even hug me. But it did little to heal the wounds. The next week was the funeral. The entire town of about 20 thousand people was there. The young, the old, the weak, the strong. They all showed up and shed tears over the loss of life. Diane was never the same. She would rarely eat and never left the house. One day, about a few weeks after the funeral, I got a text message from Diane in the middle of a staff meeting. "James, I can't do it. I can't live with out our kids and Dad. I'm sorry. I love you." I dropped my phone on the table and started to cry. "James, is everything ok over there?" I looked at Mr. Overland, my boss. He was about to ask again, but I stood up and dashed out of the room, running to my car, and making a mad dash to home. Running every stop sign and red light on the way. By the time I stopped at my house, I had 9 cop cars behind me and 18 cops chasing me as I ran inside. When I bust open that door, I saw the worst sight ever. My wife, the only person whom I had ever loved more than life itself, was dead. Hanging from a rope at the top of the rafters. Her eyes were puffed closed, arms livid, and face blue. She had blood running from the corners of her mouth. I heard the police enter my house yelling, but they all stopped mid shout at the sight before them. While I sank to my knees, some of the officers removed their uniform caps while others called ambulances, Dispatch, and the fire department to get a ladder to cut the rope. I was broken. My heart had been fractured before, but now. Now, I was but a shell of a man. I couldn't cry. I had no tears left. I merely crawled to a corner and got in the Fetal Position and rocked back and forth while shaking. Next thing I new There was Darkness. > Past revealed; James Pt 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I woke up a few moments later. I opened my eyes only to slam them shut from the blinding light above me. I slowly opened them again to let them adjust, but the light had dimmed. All around was the sound of war. The sounds that one never forgets. I stood up and saw many of the men and women I had known shouting and shooting. I heard a voice and felt someone shake me to my senses. "Woods! Orders! We're pinned down! We need orders!" I stared blankly at the private shoving the M4 in my hand. Moments later he was down. Then it all hit me. Sound was intensified, and a sharp stabbing in my arm went off. I woke up and shoved my self against a rock to use for cover. "Get to cover! We need to flank their asses! Private, take 3 men and go right! Gonzales, 3 men, go left!" The eight men all nodded in agreement and took off. "Suppressive Fire! We need to cover those men!" I heard an explosion go off to my right, and the screams of the men it hit rang in the hills. I heard many of the people yell angry war cries before throwing grenades and charging after the booms. It took an other 20 minutes but we did it. We won at a high cost. Celestia POV "James! Wake up! James!" I glared at the guard who hit the man "Twilight! Go get a doctor here now!" As the young alicorn ran off, I turned to the guard who coward away from me. "You are off duty until a Court Marshal can be filed. Dismissed." The guard hung his head in shame as he walked off. "No! Get down. Get down now be-" I turned to see James thrashing around on the ground. I couldn't wait for Twilight and the doctor anymore. I illuminated my horn and teleported us to the nearest hospital. I hurriedly walked down the halls of the hospital looking for a doctor as my sister walked by us with a smile on her face that soon disappeared when she saw my face. "Sister? What is the matter?" I ignored her as I continued my search for a doctor. All the while James still on my back muttering about what I can only assume was a traumatic battle in a war. James' Subconscious POV I rose in my barracks one Tuesday night. I woke because of an eerie silence while light streamed around the room. "What's going on, guys?" I stood up and walked to the TV to see a news cast from New York, America. I watched as a plane flew into one of the Twin Towers. I stood, wide eyed, as the plane made contact, and exploded. I could almost hear the screams of the countless people who died in that split second. I was in shock. Then, minutes later, an other plane hit. Then another. Finally, the buildings collapsed. I watched as men and women dove out of the burning buildings. I heard many of the men near me start to cry. A few of them had friends and family that were either in the planes or in the building. Myself included. My Mother and Father both worked there. My mom as a secretary, my dad as security. I sank to my knees as the tears ran free. I felt many emotions as I watched the towers fall, seemingly in slow motion. What kind of luck does one have to have ones parents killed in an act of terrorism? US Marine Corps Base, Afghanistan "Where is SGT. Woods? He was due back at 14:00." Major Montgomery was pacing the area worried about his brother-in-Law. "I knew I shouldn't have sent him out. I feel like something happened. Sgt. Hatch, I want you to assemble a team and go find James. Is that clear?" "Yes Sir. Right away Sir." Grant dropped the salute he gave before leaving to assemble said group. "Jay, I need you, Jose, and Kevin to get your gear and meet me in the Armory. We've got Search and Rescue duty." "Whose asses do we need to save this time?" Jay set forward in his seat with a thick cigar in his mouth. "Woods and his group. Montgomery is worried about them. Not that I blame him. Especially after the loss of his dad, sister and the family in the 9/11 attack. Now lets go." Grant was a man of almost absolute silence. His favorite weapon is the M40A5 Sniper. His trusted side arm is the M9 Beretta with a laser sight and silencer. Once Sgt Hatch reached the Armory, he grabbed his famed M16 with ACOG Scope, Canted Iron Sights (Side Mounted Iron Sight), Laser sight, and a Vertical grip. "Sgt! What's the emergency?" Lance Corporal Kevin Wilson ran in with his M4 on his back and the others behind him. "We are going to find my friend." > Chapter 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I woke up stiff as a board. I went to move my arms, but found that they were bound to the sides of the bed. I tested them and found that they held strong. Then I felt my knife being pressed into my hip. "God damn. What the hell happened?" I started moving my arms until I managed to grab my knife and cut my self free. I rubbed my sore wrists as I got out of the bed and stretched. First thing that caught my attention was the shouting. The language was one that I dreaded more than anything. The sound of pissed off Taliban soldiers and the fire of AK's. My instincts took over as I grabbed my sheathed knife, my .44 revolver, and crouched down by the door waiting to take out anything that dared walk into my room. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a very frightened unicorn who ended up almost hitting me with a bolt of magic, had I not knocked her head away from me. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Wait, Sargent?! What are you doing out of bed!?" Them mare looked as though she was going to put me back to bed like a child had an angry voice not cut her off. "Hands up! Don't move or I shoot" I recognized the voice as a lone Taliban grunt who knew nothing of the Marines. I gave a small smile as I lifted my hands and leaned down to whisper into the mare's ears. "Listen, I need you to hide the moment I provide a distraction. You don't need to see what I'm about to do. Am I clear?" The mare gave a small nod, then I slowly stood up, my hands still in the air, then I turned to face the slightly trembling kid who was pointing the gun at me. He looked no older than 19. That's the sad part of war. Who knows who you'll fight next. A kid, an Elder, or an Adult. As the kid took a step closer to take my knife and gun, he made a fatal mistake of looking away and lowering the gun. With a swift and powerful kick, I knocked him flat on his ass. "Run! Now!" I yelled, no doubt getting the attention of the kid's reinforcements. As he dazedly got up, he eyed my knife by his feet. Picking it up, he charged at me. With no other options, I sidestepped, tripped him and grabbed my knife before plunging it into his spine. The sharp sound of metal cutting through bone and flesh rang throughout the room along with the sound of dead meat hitting the tile with a dull thud. I stared at my hands and at the body. My first kill with a knife. Then without warning, the body twitched, before rolling over, revealing that I had not killed him, yet. The kid had tears in his eyes as he reached for me. "I'm sorry. He threatened to kill and rape my family. I am sorry. Allah have mercy on my soul." With that, his hand fell, and a slight gagging sound emitted from his throat before silencing as quick as it had came. His dead eyes, blood stained lips, and tear stricken face were all burned into my memory forever. Then I was slapped out of my stupor as the mare from moments before was in front of me, telling me that more were coming to the room. As I fled, I looked out a window, hearing more gunfire and the sound of magic being fired. I saw that the Taliban had taken over the hospital and had started firing as the princesses came close to try and negotiate. It didn't turn out well, seeing as how Celestia had a blood stain on her shoulder, face, and chest. I looked back to the front of the building and saw Luna on a rampage, firing bolt after bolt of dark looking magic at the humans. She then turned and saw me, a look of shock frozen on her face. In her moment of stillness, the enemy took advantage. I watched in slow motion as one of the men took aim and fired at the princess hitting her everywhere. In a moment of adrenaline, I looked down at the ground to see it was maybe three or four stories down, with trees. "Not good! Unicorn, I need to get down there now!" As she was about to argue, I drew my .44 and got close to the window. "No time to argue! Both princesses are down!" The last part seemed to win her over. With a flash of light, I down by the princesses and the royal guard. I looked around and saw my team providing cover fire so the ponies could escape. Following their example, I grabbed a gun from a fallen Taliban, and began firing with a vengeance. In a quick flash back, I saw all the faces of the people that have died that I cared for. My mom, dad, my in-laws, my kids, and my wife. This triggered something in me as I let all my rage down the area towards the people who were shooting at me and my brothers and sisters. > Chapter 8 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I ran behind a tree a few yards behind my team and the ponies. I checked the ammo in my pistol to see I only had three shots left. Looking back, I watched as my team moved up while covering the ponies pulling the bodies of their fallen, including Luna and Celestia, out of the fray. With out a second thought I holstered my gun and ran into the fight. I grabbed a rifle off the ground and started shooting at the Taliban, forcing them to take cover. When I was out of ammo, I ran at them with all of my fury. I disarmed a few of them and started beating them. Each punch broke something as I cut loose. The thoughts of my dead family fueled my punches and anger. With each swing, I saw their faces, I saw Celestia and Luna's pained expressions. After what felt like seconds, my team was yelling and grabbing my arms. I calmed down enough to see that I had bashed in the skulls of the enemy. In shock, I looked at my blood stained hands and at the horrified looks on the ponies faces. In fear of what I had done, I ran. I ran as fast as I could and as far as I could. When I stopped, I broke down. Years of suppressed emotion spilled from my face. "James? James, you here?" I heard the snapping of twigs and the pounding of hooves and boots on dry earth. I turned around and saw a dark shadow of a pony with a red horn meld back in with the shadow of the trees. Before I could think too much on it, my team and a few ponies came into the clearing where I was. "James! What happened!?" I looked and saw Connie drop to my side, holding me. "I saw them Connie. I saw my family." I leaned into my friend as I cried my eyes out. "Shhh. It's okay. Let it out. You guys go make sure the princesses are okay and tend to any wounded then bury the dead." Connie spoke with a calm yet firm voice. Once they left, Connie started talking to me again. "Tell me what happened." "I was there again. > Chapter 9 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- To all who read this; from now until further notice, this story is dead. I will not have the ability to edit this for a long while. Sorry for this. KillerShadow15. > Chapter 10 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A note to the readers; This story is going to be re-written. I'm currently working on the first chapter and will post when everything is ready. Wish me luck and I'll see you in the next chapter. Later. KillerShadow 15.