The car we'd gotten had taken a serious toll, but it was inevitably alright. The rounds fired from the truck were apparently old and rotten, causing it to not even have the penetrating power to go through the aluminium frame of the car. It could break the window and some ponies (Applejack in particular) had glass lacerations. They're nasty gashes, plus they bleed a lot. These mares hadn't seen much blood in their time, at least all but applejack. She managed to keep her calm while we pulled behind the Bradly. The crew chief jumped out, asked to see hooves. When he saw the seven ponies heaped in the back things changed quickly. He pulled all of them out, except for me. I got out and cooperated.

Octavia was indifferent to the National Guard, but these were armored cavalry units. We were thrown into the back of the Bradly, where a squad was sitting in all the benches. We stood near the back, there was hardly any room. They all looked at us, one of them recognized me. I saw him before too, and I knew where. Yakyakistan, 5 years ago. His name was Bronze Star, long lineage of soldiers and he wasn't exempt when he had the torch handed to him.

I remember him from the time he spent cracking jokes with me when we finally got out of the freezing cold area of Yakyakistan and finally made it into the deserts. We went from wearing parkas to pulling guard duty in gym shorts and a tee shirt. We had a commander we worked with, Red Shine, who would get on our shit if we did. I wanted to apologize for getting him in deep shit (since if we did anything he'd get in trouble with the brass) but he died before I could. I remembered Bronze Star saying that he'd never re-enlist. Way before he got into his first fight, and when he did he was quiet about the topic. It was odd seeing him again. Especially here.

He stayed silent when we nodded, soldiers are like wolves. We recognize one of our own. There were some soldiers that didn't give off the feeling and then there were those who you just knew were legit. It wasn't an honor thing, it was a logic thing. Ponies who've been through their baptism of fire automatically recognize another. Probably how me and Octavia got it off so quickly had something to do with that. That and the fact that she literally was forced into poverty.

Oh the irony, how things change.

The intercom came on, it was Iron Brigade's voice. He must've gotten back to the main HQ and is now relaying orders.

"Our enemy has decided that a full offensive was a good idea, they're wrong. We're going to show them what the real force of the Equestrian military. We didn't finish the fight last time in Yakyakistan and I'll be damned if they try to finish it in Equestria. They've pulled a flanking maneuver using the remnants of their units in Whinnyapolis. The situation isn't looking good, but we've already mobilized air and ground support. Air cavalry and Ground cavalry are on their way in an ETA of 20 minutes. You will not be returning to Tybriss. They've taken that out of our options. We're making them pay for every life they took. Kill em all."

The APC sprung to life as it turned around. It ran over the car we were just in. While all that was going on a medic was working on the wounds he could. I could tell the job was to kill off the resistance that took down the train station and (most likely) had a foothold in the southern block of the city. I knew what I'd do.

"Yo Star? You still remember me?" I shouted across.

"Hell yea I do, how'd I forget?" He had a flat Boston accent, which fitted his physique well. He was a black on yellow pony, it made him look like a long strip of caution tape. Ironically he looked nothing like either of his parents, his dad was a Brown on Black stern pony whereas his mom was Pink on Purple. Nopony knew where he'd gotten that look.

"Well we're back. I don't need to give them my DD214 to show them that I'm going to fight here."

"Go for it buddy, but you got a gun?"

I raised the mac and looked down the open chamber, there was a round in the mag and one in the chamber. How many were left in the magazine was anypony's guess.

"I have two shots."

"Well take mine." He shouted back, handing me his Beretta. I instantly remembered my training, it was almost instinct.

Well, I never was fond of using both my hooves, I prefer accuracy. I can't complain.

"Just don't break it." He giggled across. Reminding me of the last time I used his handgun.

"What does that mean?" Octavia asked.

"I'll tell you later tonight."

The 2 minute drive felt like an hour.

"DEPARTURE DOORS OPEN!" Came through the intercom, then all the lights turned red. The doors swung open and we were greeted with the immense fighting that was blocked out by the noise proof cabin. I rushed out with Octavia, but told the medic, who was currently working on Applejack in amazement that she hadn't taken a head injury, to keep the others here. Last thing we wanted was dead royalty.

The rounds seemed to be coming from all directions, something I'll never forget. It gave this feeling of calmness amidst insanity. I pulled the Mac, there was a small barricade where I could confirm at least one pony. I rushed towards a downed truck that was flipped towards its side, it was coincidentally where Bronze was. The squad was working away at the units ahead with slow methodical bursts from their M16s. The APC couldn't provide support, it had to pull out to avoid RPGs. Speaking of the devil one flew right over the truck and slammed into a street sign, punching right through it until it hit a building.

The squad kept up solid communication. Telling eachother everything.

"Reloading! Mag out!"

"Roger cover fire!"

When one would reload, the other would take on his target. Half a second later he'd be back online and ready to roll.

Then I saw movement in a small apartment complex behind Star.

"Star, we got movement in the building behind you. They're yaks."

"Roger!"

We both turned and ran to the front door. I braced my shoulder and rammed right through it. Bronze jumped through the window in room next to me. I saw him through the open door. He raised his M16 and looked for targets. Room clear.

"Looks fine to me, you sure you saw something?"

It was awfully peaceful here, so even if that wasn't the case at least we had some quiet.

"I saw movement."

As if staged the yak peeked his AK around the corner and fired a short burst. He obviously wasn't an experienced fighter. he was probably forced into this. A round ringed off my plate carrier, which threw me the floor after knocking all the wind out of me. Star already was on the counterattack, he rushed through an open door in his room and took a right turn. This put him facing the Yak from his right side. The yak looked over, he was on heroin, a common drug that these fighters were bribed with.

The dangerous thing about it was a few things, it made you violent, but even worse it made you feel no pain. The yak swung his rifle to Bronze Star, who put a three round burst his target's chest. The yak stumbled but didn't fall. Bronze had enough of it, he clicked it onto semi auto and unloaded the entire mag one trigger pull at a time. The yak only went down when one round rung through his neck. I had gotten back up and only saw the pool of blood. I heard the metal clack against the ground, it was the empty magazine. I got up and pulled my mac, rounding the corner to check if he was still alive, the yak didn't look like a yak anymore but his heart was still beating. He was already in shock and would bleed out soon.

That was when we got steps on the floor above us. I motioned to Bronze to not shoot until we knew who it was. We both went up the stairs with our weapons drawn. I led the way, Star had his hoof on my shoulder behind me, and without my knowledge Octavia behind him. She'd picked up the AK from the yak. The feel of it was unfamiliar to her. It made her uncomfortable having the heavy and unbalanced weapon shouldered.

A yak walked around the corner, I shot him three times with the Mac, which clicked on the fourth shot. I didn't have any extra magazines so I just dropped it and pulled the handgun. The yak stumbled backwards and then fell to the front. Looks like there was at least one not jacked up on heroin.

We cleared the two story building, there was no more of them. The back door was open so it'd explain how they got in.

The fight had died down when we ran out. The bodied of dead Yaks and Ponies were piled in the center. It was a way of getting a body count of how many of Banner's men had gotten killed in the mess.

There was one injury, a shot to the arm, that the medic who kept the others still was working on him. It wasn't a serious hit, it had just bounced off the bone and gotten lodged between the two bones in his hoof. It was odd, but he managed to get it out. That soldier was evacuated from the vicinity. The sector was clear. Apparently there was vastly less ponies than we'd assumed that were at this location. Twilight was there, since she was put in charge of defense it became standard that she be here. She saw the wounded soldier and held back tears, She'd never seen anyone hurt like this. It was surreal to her, almost as if she didn't understand it.

The bodies that were piled was an even harder sight for her. She was always taught that bodies should be buried, but these ponies just threw them in a heap and poured gas on them. When they lit it on fire she was irate. I calmed her down then asked her a question that had been on my mind during the entire fight.

"Where's the national guard?"

Author's Notes:

You have a new character: With a very angst-y character design. Yep it's intentional.

Oh also: Prepare for all out war, things escalate from here.