After walking for hours I decided to remove my helmet, attaching it to my vest I run a hand through my sweat soaked hair. Scanning the road I see no signs of any movement and decide to rest my legs for a moment, stepping off the road I slowly lower myself onto the soft grass using the makeshift poncho as a mat to rest on. I've been on the move since leaving Beakmund, that on top of my injuries has left me feeling exhausted. How the hell am I going to get back? I'm stranded behind enemy lines with no rations, low on ammunition and with no way of contacting friendly forces.

I need to find some food and shelter. Reaching to the rear of my vest I remove my canteen from its pouch, unscrewing the cap I take a lengthy drink. I just sit there thinking over the days events as I stare into space. Blitz is now dead and Sky Mist has been injured, not to mention Blaze having a mental breakdown, one by one the Section is losing its members. I shouldn't have engaged with the execution squad like I did, I should have played it smart, instead I let my anger take control of me which resulted in the field hospital being discovered. My actions cost the town it's only functioning medical centre, who knows how many will die without medical care.

With little options I slowly begin to rise from my position, my legs threaten to give out from under me as I rise on account of the injury which only seems to be getting worse as I move. Wrapping the cover back around me I begin to limp back onto the road, Who knows, maybe the covers will hide the fact I'm a human but somehow I highly doubt it, I haven't found any other species here which walks on two legs apart from a baby dragon.

I make my way down the road for another two hours without any signs of life, the sun is beginning to set preparing the sky for the moon to take its position. Reaching the top of a hill I look down to see a small isolated farm down a small dirt road, with no signs of military units I decide to risk it and make my way towards what I presume is the farmhouse. Hobbling closer to the building the farm appears to be tranquil, you wouldn't even realise that there was a war going on. Throwing caution to the wind I knock on the door and wait for an answer. This is likely a stupid idea.

A feminine voice calls from behind the door, "Who is it?"

I didn't think this through. What am I going to say? 'I'm a Lieutenant in one of the armies fighting within your country, oh and I'm also an alien species.' Not knowing what to say I decide to just risk it, "My name is John, I have been injured and need help. Can you help me? Or do you know somewhere I can go for shelter?"

Opening the door I am immediately met with a sword hovering inches from my face, "Are you a soldier?"

"Yes, I am."

Her eyes narrow as the door opens more. She is a chestnut brown Griffin with a white head, her form seems to be a bit more slender compared to the other female Griffins I've come across, though that may be because she isn't covered in armour. "Royalist or Militarist?"

I swallow hard creating an audible gulp, in my condition I won't really be able to react if I give the wrong answer, "I'm with the Equestrians"

Her stance relaxes slightly, lowering the sword from my face she still hold it in a way so she can easily strike, "So you're helping the Royalists."

"Yes I am, not that I have a say in the matter. I just follow orders."

Her hawk-like eyes look me over, "And what exactly are you? You certainly ain't a pony."

"I'm a human."

She considers her options before holding her hand out to me, I don't know if they're called hands or not but that's what I'm going to call them. "Your weapon, then you can come in." Weapon not weapons? She obviously isn't yet familiar with firearms. I draw my sword and hold it out to her, as she takes it I also remove the bayonet which was hidden in my vest and present it to her. Taking hold of them she steps back from the door and holds it open, "First door on the left, take a seat then I will come and take a look at your injuries."

"Thank you," Stepping through the door I remove the makeshift poncho and place it on a free coat peg. I make my way through the door as directed and find myself in a room which acts as the kitchen, dining room and lounge. Pulling one of the chairs back I swing the rifle around from my back and lean it alongside the table next to me before sitting down. Looking back over my shoulder I watch her as she closes the door behind her and moves to the chair next to me, "Is there nobody else here with you?"

She rests her sword against her chair as she places mine and the knife on the far end of the table out of my reach, "Just me, my father and brothers were conscripted to fight like many others. Don't get any ideas just because I'm alone, I can hold my own against most Griffins."

I throw the medical satchel on the table and begin to remove my armour, "Well I'm not a Griffin."

"No, you clearly aren't. I've never even heard of a 'human' or anything that looks like you. Where are you all hiding?"

"Nowhere anyone here can reach," -I lift the armour over my head and drop it on the floor alongside my rifle- "We aren't exactly from around here."

Grabbing the satchel she drags it towards herself, "If you are with the Royalists then why are you here? You're kinda far away from the rest of them."

"I can't exactly say, all I can tell you is that I was deployed behind enemy lines."

"By yourself?"

Sighing I run my hand over my injured arm, "No. I stayed behind to buy the others time to escape, I took a bit of a beating but managed to get away."

She opens up my satchel and starts to remove all the medical kit, "Take off that uniform then, you need to get those wounds cleaned up."

Sceptically I raise my eyebrow, "Have you even got any first aid experience?"

"I learnt a little from my dad, he was a vet for the local farms before the war broke out," I start to remove my shirt as she threads the curved needle ready to suture my injuries. With my shirt off I'm able to get my first proper look at the gunshot wound on my arm, digging around for the bullet had probably made it worse but I didn't exactly want to walk around with a bullet lodged inside me.

We remain silent as she cleans and sutures my arm, since suturing the palm wouldn't exactly be the most practical and because the cut wasn't deep we stuck to cleaning and bandaging that wound. Once that was completed she repeated the process on my injured leg, I had to strip down to my pants for that but I honestly didn't care, it was good to get out of those damp and mud covered clothes. Once she's finished she begins to repack my medical equipment, "So you said your dad and brothers were conscripted? I take it since you helped me once you found out I was helping the Royalists that they were the ones who recruited your family?"

She moves across the room and selects a blanket from the chair, making her way back to the table she passes it to me, "Yes, as they were pushed further back from Griffonstone the Prince invoked conscription for those who could fight within families who served in the past. Since my father was ex-military years ago he was drafted, when they came to get him they also conscripted my brothers. The only reason I didn't go was because of my age, I was also allowed to stay behind to watch over the farm."

"How old are you?" I wrap the blanket around my exposed flesh to keep me warm.

"Seventeen, in the Griffin Empire they only allow those who are eighteen to serve in front line combat. My dad lied and said I was sixteen since I look younger, they wouldn't take on someone that age to fight."

"That's the same for me back home. You can join the army at sixteen but don't expect to see any combat until you reach eighteen. In the past when we were at war many would lie about their age in order to be allowed to fight, often those who were fifteen or sixteen were able to slip past screening to get sent to the front line."

She pauses as she glances to my dirty clothes still resting on the table, "I'll clean those for you. Head upstairs and wash up, you can stay for the night but I will be keeping your knife and sword until you leave."

Standing on my aching legs I nod to her, "Thank you... I'm sorry I didn't even ask your name."

"I am Janine."

"John," Holding out my hand she quickly takes and shakes.

"I know, you already told me at the door. Please clean up, John. We can talk more once you are ready."

I smile to her as I begin to leave the room. Pausing I watch as she begins to take my uniform, while she isn't looking I quickly reach over and take hold of my utility belt with the thigh holster and Glock still attached. She doesn't know that it's a weapon, I can just say it a piece of armour for an officer back home.

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After having cleaned the dried blood and mud off my body I make my way back down the stairs towards the kitchen. Walking back in I am met with the beautiful aroma of bacon, I will never get tired of that smell. Moving back to my seat I relax as I adjust the blanket around my body, the utility belt and holster are often catching on the blanket but I'd rather keep my pistol on me, "Something smells good."

Looking back to me she smiles softly before returning to finish off her cooking, "I figured you would be hungry seeing as you didn't have any food on you, and judging from your canines I guessed that you eat meat."

"Well I'm an omnivore so I can eat most things that are edible. I've been unable to eat meat in Equestria so I'm taking any opportunity I have which allows me to have some," -I look to Janine as she begins to serve the food on two plates- "So what have we got to eat?"

"Bacon, sausage and black pudding pilaff. I hope that's okay for you."

"Definitely I used to love that back home. I'm surprised that you even have black pudding, a lot of people back home used to me a bit iffy with it," I patiently wait as she brings the food over and sets it in front of me, grabbing a fork I begin to tuck in as she takes her own seat.

"So what have you got planned when you leave tomorrow?"

"I need to keep heading towards Wingston, or at least keep heading north till I find the Royalist forces."

"No offence to you, but you will kind of stand out as you walk across the country."

"I'm not that ugly," She just smirks as she shakes her head, "I know, I will just have to stick to back roads and avoid towns and any military units."

We continue to eat in silence, I'm focused on my food as it's the only thing I've eaten since I left to get the Major. Janine shuffles slightly as she leans closer to the table, "When I was cleaning your uniform I found this thing made of glass and metal in your pocket. What is it?"

Turning my head I look to where I left my armour and rifle to find that my lighter and phone had been added to the pile, "It's called a phone. It's a device which is used back home, but it doesn't have as much use here."

"What does it do?"

Putting down my fork I reach for my phone and start to scroll through it, "It's primarily used to communicate with one another, it can also take pictures, make audio and video recordings and allows me to play music."

She looks to me dumbfounded before switching her gaze to the phone, "How can that little thing do all of that?"

"My species are mush more technologically advanced than any of the ones I've come across here."

"Can you play some music then?" Scrolling through my music files I select one of my favourite songs. Pressing play I lay the phone down as it begins to play 'Supermassive Black Hole'. We continue to eat as the song continues to play, credit where it's due she sure can cook.

We both finish our meals by the time the song ends, getting up I carry my plate over to the sink, "What did you think then?"

"It was certainly unlike anything I've heard, and I've listened to DJ Pon-3"

"Hey, Muse is my favourite band of all time," -Washing my plate I look over my shoulder to Janine as she gets up and moves alongside me- "And who the hell even is DJ Pon-3?"

"She's a famous Equestrian musician, she regularly performs in some of the largest clubs across Equestria," I take her plate and begin to clean it along with mine, yawning I look back out the window into the night sky, "It's only eight-thirty, are you really that tired?"

"I've been up since yesterday, I'm fucking knackered."

"Well, you can always get some sleep. Are you okay with sleeping on the couch?"

I towel dry the plates before setting them down, looking to Janine I start to make my way across the room, "Yeah, that would be great. You don't mind if I get some shut eye now, do you?"

"Of course not. I'll make my way upstairs for the rest of the night than to give you some privacy," -Janine starts to head for the door- "Goodnight, John."

"Goodnight," I watch as she leaves the room, once I hear her reaching the top of the stairs I throw the blanket over the sofa and remove my holster and utility belt. Pulling the pistol from the holster I place it underneath one of the cushions before climbing onto the sofa myself. Pulling the blanket over my body I rest my head back and close my eyes, in my exhausted state I have no trouble at all falling asleep.

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Thankfully I was able to sleep through the entire night without anything bad happening, in fact I only woke up when Janine decided it was time for me to get up. When I woke up I decided it was best to leave as soon as I could. My clothing was now dry and Janine was also kind enough to provide me with some food and water for the rest of my travels. I decided it would be best to keep the gun cover I appropriated to use as a rain poncho and to act as a makeshift basha to sleep underneath, I tied it off around the shoulder straps of my vest for me to easily carry which only makes it look like a cape. With it being time to leave I equip my vest and utility belt, with my rifle having no ammo I sling it over my back hiding it under the cape.

Reaching the front door Janine is waiting there for me with my sword and bayonet, "You may need these."

I smirk as I take them both and place them both in their respective scabbards, "Thank you, I owe you big time for letting me stay here."

Smiling she leans against the door, "Well you're certainly welcome. It's been nice having some company around for a change."

Stepping out the door I stop to look back at her, "If you ever find yourself in Equestria then feel free to look me up. Other then that if you ever need a favour then send a letter to the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville, I pay off my debts."

"I may hold you to that. Take care, John."

Waving to her I continue to make my way back up the dirt road to take me back onto the hill. I take one last look at the farm before focusing my attention on the sun, based on its position I am able to determine which direction is north and begin to walk in that direction. I probably should have asked how far away Wingston is but I can't be arsed to head back to the farm.

I follow the road for the next few hours, I come across the occasional civilian who tends to gawk at me but other than that they're no cause for alarm. When ever I got closer to them they would move to actively avoid coming into contact with me, I don't know if I can trust them so whenever I get near them I position my hand over my pistol ready to draw if required.

One pair particularly stands out as they halt alongside their wagon and begin muttering to each other, they don't even take their eyes off me for a second. Stepping around them I wait till I'm a good distance away before letting them out of my sight. Moving further down the road I hear a pair of beating wings approaching me from the rear, spinning around I duck at the last minute as one lunges directly towards me with a swing of his sword. The quick dodge on my part causes me to lose my balance, drawing my pistol I take a knee and line up the shot.

PHAT PHAT

The shots miss as he rolls through the air, looping back around he comes in for another attack. Aiming down my sights I once again take aim for the shot, as I ease the trigger I'm interrupted when a sudden force impacts with my back causing me to collapse onto the floor, my pistol escapes my grasp and is thrown ahead of my position. Quickly rolling I narrowly avoid a shovel as it's swing downward on top of me. This crazy birch is trying to kill me with a shovel!

With no other option, I quickly get to my feet and draw my sword as the male lands alongside the female. I slowly begin to back away from them towards my pistol. The thing that strikes me as odd is the fact that they don't appear to be military, It seems that I'm being attacked by a pair of civilians. Not really wanting to kill civilians I lower my stance slightly, "Get back!"

They both begin to circle around me in opposite directions, the male starts to address me, "It's nothing personal human, we need that money."

"Money? What money?"

"That money can feed a lot of families," Money? The fuck is he talking about?

I halt as my foot comes into contact with my pistol, "This is your last warning, leave now!"

Just kill them and be done with it. You can't save them all.

My eyes dart to their cart where I find Williams leaning back against it, Taylor, Blitz, Firefly, Moonshadow and Kai are all sat in the back with their eyes fixed on me. I close my eyes in an attempt to force them out of my head but immediately come to regret it. They both let out a war cry as they charge me, opening my eyes I barely have enough time to pick up my pistol. They both strike towards me as I step from side to avoid their attacks, with little choice I raise my pistol.

PHAT PHAT PHAT PHAT

The rounds all impact with their chests sending them both to the floor, the male dies instantly whereas the female rolls on the floor screaming in agony as she struggles for breath. Stepping up to her I look down to her in sorrow as she tries to push away from my, with every push she loses her strength before collapsing fully. Her eyes widen as she looks to me, her shallow breaths likely indicating a punctured lung. I kneel down alongside her and rest a hand on the side of her head as my other hand draws my sword, "I'm sorry," Before she can even respond I force the blade through her heart, after a couple of seconds her movement ceases as she falls limp.

Why are you sorry? It was you or them, you acted in self-defence.

Ignoring him I stand and make my way to the cart where all those within just keep their eyes firmly locked on me. Rummaging through the various items I stop when I come across a stack of papers, the first one immediately grabs my attention. Lifting the sheet I look from it to the pair I just killed in the street.

'Wanted - Dead or Alive, Lieutenant John Davies, Human, reward of 30 Gold alive, 20 Gold dead, recovery of equipment 5 Gold per item. To be presented to military officer under the command of General Guerino.' Beneath the text is a black and white photo of myself on top of the bell tower at Wingston, it shows me standing in the tower looking down towards the bridge with the rifle rested against my shoulder. I guess there must have been a war journalist with the Shining Armor. I have no clue how Griffin currency works, is it the same as the Equestrians or does it work like a video game with bronze, silver and gold coins?

When I look back to the cart everyone that I could see are now gone, an immediate scan of the area also shows that Williams is no longer here with me. I look through the rest of the stack and find nothing of interest apart from a newspaper for today, Opening it up I continue to make my way along the road as I scan the main stories.

'July 25th 2013'
'Prince Gerlach assassinated.'
'Late last night the Prince was killed by the Militarist Major Gaston in the town of Wingston. The major was brought to the town by an Equestrian unit acting under the orders of the Prince himself. The Major and Prince were left unattended whilst they were in the Prince's suite, it is then reported that the Major used one of the new Militarist weapons to attack the Prince. The Major was killed on site by the guards when they reacted to the sounds of the weapon firing, a medic attempted to revive the Prince but all attempts of resuscitation were unsuccessful...'

Fuck... How did the Major even get hold of his gun? I gave it to... Balbean. Why the hell would he give the Major his gun back? It just doesn't make any sense. Something doesn't add up, I need to get back and figure things out. I look further down the paper at the other stories.

'Royalist forces begin assault on Sallagriffon'
'Royalist forces have begun to engage with Militarist defence lines on the outskirts of Sallagriffon, the second largest city in the Griffin Empire. The attack started at 02:00 local time in an attempt to liberate the town from Militarist control. This is a continuation of the Royalist operation which aims to capture major population centres on route to the capital of Griffonstone. If the Royalists are successful in capturing Sallagriffon then they will only be left with the town of Skystead which is built into the Kilead mountain range twenty miles north-east of Griffonstone...'

Well at least the Royalists are continuing the war, despite the death of their leader. I'd imagine morale is extremely low at this point, I wouldn't imagine they'd be very effective in combat at the moment.

'Equestrian Games postponed'
'Princess Celestia this morning has announced that the Equestrian Games will not be held when it was originally planned for. The Equestrian Games were originally due to be held on 1st September this year within the Crystal Empire. Princess Celestia released a statement saying 'With the current conflict within the Griffin Empire it isn't appropriate to hold the Games whilst many of our Ponies are caught in the conflict. Although the Games allow towns to compete with one another in good spirit, with the current situation we want to promote cooperation between all Ponies in Equestria while our friends and families are assisting the Royalist forces.' Princess Celestia has reportedly allowed the Griffins to compete in the Equestrian Games when they open as a token of friendship and support through these difficult times. Griffins in liberated sections of the Griffin Empire are expected to attend the qualifiers for numerous aerial sports at Rainbow Falls on July 30th...'

Having read enough I discard the paper and increase my speed down the road. If the Royalists are assaulting Stallagriffon then I may be able to locate a number of their forces to get back to Wingston. Stallagriffon should be roughly to my east now, so if I keep heading north I should be able to bypass the city to find the Royalist line over the next few days.

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I may have been a bit shortsighted when I said it would only take me a week to find the forces, I've now been walking across the country for ten days, every time I think I'm nearing my goal I'm forced to turn back and find an alternative route due to Militarist forces. If I had enough ammo I could potentially engage them, but with only one full pistol mag and the other nearly empty there's no way that I would engage them with reinforcements likely nearby.

I moved off the road after my encounter with the two on the road, that meant I was forced to scale the rocks along the hillsides to avoid population centres. I often had to wait at a location for a window to open allowing me to move whilst remaining undetected. The only saving grace was that by doing this I was also avoiding any military units reducing the risk of engagements.

I ran out of food after the first three days but thankfully had been able to set up animal snares whilst setting up my basha for the nights, I used to hunt rabbits back home so when I caught one just outside it's burrow I was easily able to gut and skin it to cook. Rabbits may not be the most nutritious meat out there but I'd rather live off it than starve out here.

Finally after being out here for so long I believe I've found my opening, elevated on top of a hill under the cover of darkness I use my rifle scope to plan my approach. Up ahead is a small artillery position belonging to the Militarists which is firing towards one the Equestrian and Royalist lines, If I'm able to take out the lightly guarded position I should be able to signal the others to advance and capture the firing position. With my limited ammo I would have to play it smart, I was never one for sneaking but in these circumstances I would have to get up close and personal.

Hooking my rifle back underneath my makeshift cape I rise to my feet and cautiously advance on the position, they are regularly firing off rounds which should cover up the mass majority of any noise I create. Getting closer I draw my bayonet and grasp it close to me ready to strike at any immediate enemies, reaching the bottom of the hill I quietly begin to crawl up the slope remaining as low as possible. Nearing the top I peer over and examine the units more closely, ten hostiles, six acting as gunners, three as guards and one officer acting as a spotter. These ones aren't armed with any firearms unlike the ones I engaged in Beakmund, I guess not enough have been manufactured to supply all the units.

Crouching I tip-toe to the nearest guard who is too busy watching the gunners operating the field gun to pay any attention to her surroundings. Once I'm immediately behind her I wrap my hand around her beak sealing it shut as I plunge the knife into her heart, twisting the blade I begin to drag her backwards with me leading her body out of view behind some crates. Lowering her body to the floor I begin to search through her armour and pockets where I find what appears to be an old fuse activated grenade. Looking over the box I find the gun crew and spotter all still positioned alongside one another with the two guards patrolling to the right of my location. Taking out my zippo I light the fuse and throw it between the artillery guns, I watch it hit the wheel of the one gun before I duck behind my crate as the officer shouts a warning to his units.

BOOM

The grenade detonates eliminating the threat of the gun crews leaving the last two guards. I rise up and draw my pistol, before they even have time to react I line up the shots.

PHAT PHAT

Both rounds hit their heads sending them straight to the floor, a quick glance around confirms that nobody else is at the position with me. Holstering my pistol I move towards the two damaged field guns and view their targets, below is a small fortified village with various units scattered around consisting of Equestrians and the Royalists. With this position no longer firing they should soon be able to see that the area has been-

BOOM

I'm thrown forward as a tremendous shock wave forces me off my feet. Rolling down the hill my head impacts with a rock distorting my vision as I continue to fall to the bottom. Finally coming to a stop I groan as I wait for my vision to be restored, my head is swimming as I run my hand over the sore spot where I feel warm blood trickling down the side of my face. When my vision finally settles I look around to find another artillery position in the distance as a brief flash originates from the field gun.

BOOM

The shell impacts the side of the hill above me sending debris cascading down, with this motivation I force myself up and begin to run across the fields towards our units. I make it no more than ten steps before my ringing ears and splitting headache brings me to my knees, I retch heavily as my stomach contents are thrown onto the floor. Oh fuck... I think I'm concussed. With my stomach emptied I get myself back onto my feet and begin moving again, this time though I move at a steady jog to prevent myself from falling or repeating that process again.

BOOM

Once again I am lifted from the ground as a shell impacts to the side of me, shrapnel tears through the flesh of my right arm causing blood the rapidly flow down my arm and through my shirt. The impact with the ground knocks the air out of my lungs, with the searing pain running throughout my body I find myself unable to lift myself from the ground, the rapid loss of blood adds to the effects of my concussion leaving me weak.

As my vision once again begins to distort I try to drag myself away from the artillery fire. I slowly move as rounds impact the surrounding field as they attempt to figure out my location in the darkness. With my body faltering, I collapse on the floor unable to move. As my eyes begin to close a set of hooves covered with blue clothing land in front of me, my body is rolled over to reveal Spitfire and another Wonderbolt looking down at me. As my eyes drift closed they wrap their hooves around my waist and slowly begin to lift me from the ground.

Nearly two weeks out here just to bleed out.

I don't get paid enough for this shit.