"Surrounded? Good we can fire in every direction."
-Scottish Paratrooper Commander, D-Day.

The covering fire was dying down and the situation was starting to get to me. We were deep inside enemy trenches without a way to contact our friends. Panic started to fill me and I knew only one way to get my emotions out.

I went to throw a punch at Chifundo; only to slip on the mud, instead of a punch I ended up nuzzling against his chest. He patronizingly pet my head almost comically and I yanked myself away indignantly.

“Chifundo, why!?” I squealed at him, pushing his head down into the nearest siege trench. We rolled in the mud and blasted landscape over a sandbag. The sounds of battle slowly died down to dull thuds of sniper fire and popshots. The artillery barrage stopped and the suppressive fire from The Roof died off once the car was safely inside. I wasn't sure when or how our car entered The Roof but it wasn't visible from the outside. At least they made it and we aren’t dead.

Chifundo was sheepishly by himself and he looked away from me. I shoved him into the nearest siegework I could find. This was a trench dugout, the occupants were dead, their forms riddled with bullets and long forgotten. The sounds of battle echoed outside and now I could really take in our surroundings inside the dank musty dirt bunker.

We were in a typically dug trench. There was a heavy wooden step to get up onto the edge to fire and then step back down to conceal yourself safely inside cover. Thick boards lined the floors, to keep trench-hoof away by letting you stay dry. We were in a sleeping dugout, a place for soldiers to sleep safe from artillery shells and machine gun fire. It was dug to be underground, reinforced with sandbags and scrap metal along the ceiling. Someone had come in and raided this place, leaving the occupants dead.

It must have happened tonight, because no one had come in here to check on the dead unicorns inside. They were wearing uniforms, actual uniforms! Their armor was colored with deep green with a tree drawn over their chest and flanks in white. It was standardized equipment; military Mark 1 Combat Armor. Not the kind you found just lying in the wasteland either. This stuff was recently manufactured and still had its heavy magical searing marks where the kevlar and steel plates merged, covering the chest, lower legs and shoulders in heavy anti-rifle armoring. Their weapons were just as new, two lay dead with service rifles but one had some weapon I didn't recognize. The strange weapon was like a car engine and a box of electromagnets had been fused together along a gun barrel. Someone just made those? Where did they get the equipment to mass produce this stuff?

I picked up the strange gun and tucked it away. I heard the heavy pants of Chifundo. Chifundo gasped for air desperately, and I realized he was starting to panic while hastily wrapping a bandage around a non-existent wound. Without hesitation I slapped his across the muzzle, and his look of shock told me, I reached him. “Snap out of it! We don't have the luxury of panicking. So tell me why you hit the ejector button?”

My voice carried and I realized that I may have given our position away. Hooves thundered across the wood towards us and I snuffed out the lamp keeping this dugout lit. “I thought it was the rocket boost, I did not know we would leave the roost.”

I blinked several times and then covered his mouth, pressing our backs next to the doorway. I gripped my shotgun’s trigger between my teeth. If they walk in here and see us, we're done. There are far too many for just us two to do anything about. The sound of heavily armored hoofbeats hit the boards outsides. A flashlight pierced the darkness around us. I readied for a fight.

“They've already left here, those bodies inside are fresh. We should go looking for them, which way did we not cover?” I could hear a grizzled-voiced stallion giving orders and analyzing the situation.

He thinks the bodies are fresh. I observed the flashlight that they held, hoping it would not drift our way. I held a hoof to Chifundo's mouth and he nodded. Slowly I pulled away to let him breath. I noticed he had no close combat weapons, so I slipped him my hold-out pistol, the police revolver Buddy had modified for me. I had other options, he did not. He took it and put it uncomfortably in his mouth. The trigger was personally crafted for me, not him. It would have to do.

The ponies outside headed away with pounding sprinting hoofbeats. Chifundo and I slowly relaxed the longer we listened to the dull wind blowing outside the safer it seemed. I looked at Chifundo, who shrugged, “I am at a loss but to apologize, Sunrise I only ask you do not chastise. I just hope your clever mind has a way out of this bind.”

I sighed and analyzed his words. Great, I'm behind enemy lines with the one pony who I have a communication barrier with.

“Oh, Sunrise! You are so silly! Just go with the flow, work with him ya nilly filly!” I blinked a few times and slowly tilted my head. Pink giggled more and rolled with laughter. My brain went to pure bewilderment as I tried to grasp at what she just said.

Chifundo tugged on my leg, “The Pink one I can hear as well, perhaps we can escape from this hell.” I honestly had no idea what either one of them were getting at. I just hoped I figured it out quickly.

I slowly poked my head above the trench to take a look around. A set of binoculars were taken from my pack. My tail held up them up to my eyes, giving me a better view of our surroundings. We were around 631 meters from The Roof where we stood according to the laser range finder. We would have to get much closer if we hoped to cross the no-pony land. Sounds of occasional sniper fire echoed around us. The smell of artillery explosives lingered in the air along with the smell I hated. The smell of dead creatures, untended and not laid to rest.

They had demolished numerous buildings around The Roof to make fortifications and siege battlements. The mostly intact buildings had additional scrap metal and a few machine guns points poking out of them. I could see a heavy artillery gun pointing over the lip of a building’s roof. All pointed to the settlement we wished to defend.

I got down from the trench step and turned to Chifundo, “It's going to be nearly impossible to get inside without help. I'm not stealthy enough to cross that no-ponies land. We need to get a radio and get communications with our ponies inside. Let's see if these guys have a radio.”

Chifundo nodded, rubbing the back of his head, “My knowledge of technology lacks compared to mythology.” I took a moment to take in what he had to say.

“So you're saying that you are technologically inept?” I offered back, and he nodded. I took a second to look around the trench we were in. My ears perking to listen intently for any signs of hostile life.

The trenches were made of sharp right angle turns connected it to other trench lines. I could see rifles and other weapons poking above the trench lip. There was also a mounted machine gun nest with several additional sandbags stacked around it like a pillow fort to stop bullets. This trench was fortunately empty and the rest of the ponies that should have been here were scattered searching for Chifundo and me.

A plan was starting to form in my head, “Alright, we'll need to locate a radio, and that is likely near a command dugout. We may even have to put on their armor and uniforms, or at least put their markings on us.” I looked Chifundo over, then looked at myself. Something seemed off about the two of us.

Chifundo held up a hoof and pointed at me then himself before speaking, "I do not think you have realized, but we stick out in anypony's eyes. My pink stripes are hard to ignore, and your green coat truly comes to the fore. Perhaps, like Nyota, we make the dark our friend, and seek the shadows to achieve our end."

"What?" I asked, trying to make sense of his words.

"He says you two stick out like sore hooves, and you should be sneaky, instead of tricky!"

"Oh. Thanks, Pink." I looked to Chifundo. "You're right. We stick out too much. Thanks, Chifundo! Good plan!" We moved to the darker side of the trench and watched for dugouts to duck ourselves into anytime we heard gunshots or voices.

I led Chifundo through the trench, snuffing out lights as we went. We wanted to use the darkness to our advantage until I knew how to interact with whoever this army was and make them believe we were on their side.

The wet boards and caked dirt ate at my leather armored socks. I was very glad for them. Then I noticed Chifundo’s bare hooves were covered in muck and grime. I winced at him and hoped we’d be inside soon where he could wash off. “Sunrise, how do we proceed, should we run into a foe who impedes?”

I shook my head, “Pretend to be one of them? Hopefully we can use the gunfire to mask any firefight we get into.” I poked my head above the trenches again and it rang like a bell. I flew back and landed on the trench boards with a heavy loud smack. My head rocked and ached as my mind registered someone had shot me. Great! They don’t realize we’re friendly!

Chifundo pointed at my helmet, “You should be glad for your helmet, it has ensured you have not heaven met.” Chifundo rushed up to me and I held up a hoof. My helmet had stopped the round. The modifications to it were proving very resilient. I had a headache and I could hear bells ringing. I was having trouble hearing anything else around me and my eyes were blurry from being stunned.

“Sunrise, please tell you’re alright, otherwise we won’t make it this night.” Chifundo rubbed at my head I started to work off the stun that hit me.

I nodded very slowly trying to shake off the impact damage. He helped me up and I groaned regaining my balance on the wooden boards under us. I leaned on him, not just for physical support but for the emotional weight to kill any panic that might well up. I’d just been shot in the head, most ponies would flee or be dead.

“Wow, Sunrise, I didn’t think that helmet would take a high powered rifle! I’m genuinely impressed by you; for once.” I growled at Pink but that just made the headache worse. We took a break, moving into a dugout. Oddly this one was completely empty, no soldiers, no bodies, just a couple of worn wasteland mattresses and a cooking pit.

We took a moment to eat and prepare ourselves for the journey ahead, knowing our allies were just as likely to shoot us as the wolves around us in the trenches.

I took out the weird rifle I’d picked up earlier to check it out. Several cylinders lined the barrel, almost like a oil powered carriage engine. There was a set of numbers on the back end and a power button. I slowly reached up and flicked it, the thing started to hum and a couple weapon vibrated with raw power and engine. It was as though it were ready to explode. The numbers lit up on the back. The double digits quickly climbing from 00 to 99 in only a single second.

My PipBuck registered the weapon from weird rifle to ‘Gauss Carbine: Celestia’s Hammer’ along with 27 ‘2mm EC’ rounds inside it. Gauss Carbine! If this is the carbine I don’t wanna try to handle the full size rifle! Where did somepony get one of these? I thought they were just prototypes? Wait why does this one have a name? Pink snickered with that laugh that meant she knew something she wasn’t telling me. I rolled my eyes at her and checked the weapon, it wasn’t in terrible shape, just needed some cleaning here and there. Along with quite a bit of TLC to ring some dents out and reinforcing of the non-ferro magnetic containers to prevent it from drawing every piece of metal towards it. I turned it off and tucked it away; hoping I wouldn’t have to find out just how dangerous this new pocket cannon was.

A short meal and a Sparkle-Cola later and we were ready to go. Yeah, I knew it was bad for me even before the couple of clicks from my PipBuck hit my ears. This was for the caffeine to help clear my headache. We started moving again once the migraine abated. We kept creeping through the trenches looking to avoid any ponies and always making detours to head around voices, gunfire, and anything that might result in a confrontation. I was just hoping we were getting closer to The Roof, not further away as we moved.

I dared not poke my head above the lip of the trenches again. Another gunshot echoed out and I flinched when the bullet hit the dirt next to me. “Oi! Who goes there?” I froze. We had been found and challenged. “Where’s yer uniform?”

I looked for the source of the voice and saw a unicorn standing around the next bend. He couldn’t see Chifundo as he still was concealed behind our previous turn. I took a step back, frantically thinking of an answer.

Pink rolled into view, “Hey! Challenge him back! Call him out on firing at a superior officer!” I blinked a few times. I didn’t have a better idea and it might just work.

“Who are you to challenge me!” I shouted at him with a heavy growl and pushing out my chest for emphasis. “Don’t you know an officer when you see one? Do you not have any sense but to shoot at your superior?” I stomped towards him mad as a hornet. He staggered back, surprised at the outburst and even lowered his weapon.

The stallion hesitated and I could see his bewildered eyes in the dark light. I was so close that the two us could feel each other’s breath. “I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t—”

“It’s ma’am to you! And you didn’t what! I should have you flogged! Shooting at the Lieutenant of the Goddess,” I prayed that I could casually refer to this Goddess with a Gun like that. “Now shape up and get out of here before I decide you’re worth my time!”

He cowered before me at the mention of the Goddess, and his battle rifle dropped into the mud as I pretend to stomp after him. I grabbed the rifle in a hoof and threw it behind me towards Chifundo. I didn’t hear it thud into the mud so I assumed he caught it. “Dropping your rifle in the mud, too! That’s it! My escort will keep your rifle, and you’re gonna have kitchen duty for the next two weeks to get it back! Now OUT OF MY SIGHT!” My voice bellowed and echoed over the trenches to the point that even the gunfire died down a little.

“Way to over do it, Sunrise! Now everypony is gonna be checking to see who just screamed like that. This is gonna turn into the biggest exploding cake everrr!!!” Pink rolled and her confetti cannon went off to emphasize the point. The shards of paper covering my vision and actually requiring me to shake them loose to see clearly again. The stallion had disappeared and Chifundo checked the battle rifle. It was an M1 Grand Apple, 8 rounds with a distinctive ping when the magazine ejected. Not to mention it packed quite a punch with the .308 round.

“We’ll get a scope for it later, but it’s a drastic upgrade from your varmint rifle and will fire faster than the hunting rifle. Now, come on.” Chifundo nodded and gave me a hug as we turned the opposite direction of the T-intersection that the stallion had bolted down. We had only really made around 100 meters of progress towards The Roof. It was nearly midnight between our rest and slow progress, and I wasn’t sure we would make it before the dim daylight that shined through the clouds gave us away.

Chifundo tapped my shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my skin. He pointed at a corpse that lay against the trench side. This one was fresh, its heart was still letting out death spasms as blood oozed from its skull. I could make out the impression of a hoof that had crushed the mare’s brains in. I reached up and poked at her. She didn’t move. “This may be a trick of the mind, but does that type of blow not remind?”

I took a second to process his words and nodded, “Yeah it looks familiar, I can’t quite place it but I’ve seen that sort of damage before.”

Chifundo winced, “I pray we do not have an encounter, I doubt we would be the survivor.” I nodded to him in agreement and started to check the body for anything useful. Outside even in the dark, I could get a good look at their uniform insignia. It was a tree that had a banana, orange, apple, and a pear all growing from it. It was so strange to see a uniformed army much less this kind of odd symbol. Two healing potions, a couple of shotgun shells for me and some .308 rounds for Chifundo’s new gun. I also found his M1 Grand Apple and passed it to Chifundo to pocket so we could use it for spare parts.

I slowly poked my head above the trench next to the dead mare slumped over the lip. She had only made it halfway out of the trench before bullets had riddled her. She smelled horrific and the touch of cold clammy flesh against me was unsettling to say the least. I was using her for cover and to conceal that I was looking around. I saw the point we needed to reach, the closest point to The Roof. There was an outcropping in the trench several turns down from us that would put us around 120-130 meters away from The Roof. Just close enough we might make it across the battlefield. The roundabout circle we were taking meant it would be much farther.

I checked on Chifundo, “You okay?”

“There is much death around, it is making my senses cloud.” He replied through haze filled eyes. I gave him a light hug, I couldn’t imagine the pain of having to deal with all the spirits, not just Pink. Through Pink gave me an inkling of what he was going through.

“Alright, if you need a break let me know.” I set my hooves back onto the duckboards and we kept walking through the muck. Our hooves not just caked in mud but drying blood. My head slowly poked around a corner and the sight that greeted me was even more disturbing.

Six total bodies lined this trench, all in the same condition as the first mare we had just passed. Their heads were all caved in and each one had taken a single blow directly to the skull. These were also fresh—not as fresh but the blood wasn’t dry yet. That is when we heard it: a loud whistle, over and over again. Someone else was making these bodies, and while they were helping us, they were putting the enemy on high alert.

Chifundo grabbed my shoulder and pulled me close, “Here come their hoofbeat, we must hide or be dead meat.” I went with him and we ended up in a dugout. This one had a fire going inside it, which I dashed to and doused with my canteen, letting the smoke billow to help conceal us and stifling my coughing. My smoke stung eyes adjusted to the dark and I readied my shotgun in case they came inside. My tail put down a claymore mine right at the edge of the entryway. Chifundo setup with the battle rifle across a dead body. There were 3 bodies in here and he setup at the one furthest to the back, which hadn’t even gotten out of bed before its skull was caved in.

“Holy Luna’s Hairy CUNT! What the hell? They’ve been this way, find that commando team! These are the freshest dead yet.” I watched as a mix of two dozen of ponies dashed past us, even pegasus joining in. Two stopped at the dugout and shined a flashlight in. I motioned Chifundo to hold and prayed.

The light hit Chifundo and stopped cold. I stood next to the door and Chifundo’s eyes went wide trying to adjust to the sudden blinding light. “Hey you okay in there? It’s alright, the commandos aren’t here. Come on bud, calm down.”

They think he’s with them. What are they gonna do when they realize he’s not? They slowly stepped in, not looking to their left where I was standing, one hoof on my shotgun, bit in my mouth and ready to fire. Pink held the claymore detonator in my tail and I could feel the tension waiting to squeeze. One little pull would trigger the anti-personnel mine to go off. Wait for it, we need to make sure we get both of them. Please, start firing those big guns, right now. My ears strained for any sound to mask to our impending firefight.

Almost as if on command, or perhaps the universe heard me, two of the artillery pieces fired. Massive booms shook loose dirt and filled my ears with a high pitched whistle that silenced the world around me. I didn’t hesitate anymore. My tail squeezed the detonator and all hell broke loose. The first pony, the unicorn holding the flashlight, didn’t even have a moment of clarity to realize what happened. I entered S.A.T.S. and watched in slow motion as his life ended. Steel balls slammed into his body, from his chest all up over his head. His armor provided not near enough protection as his body was pulped. The slow motion gave me time to wonder if, one day, that would be my own fate. I shoved the shotgun barrel into the mouth of the second one, but the earth pony mare was already dead. Half of her face was missing as S.A.T.S. ended and the world sped back up.

I heard Chifundo’s weapon echoing off the walls, silencing the whine in my ears. Our ambush was masked as another artillery round boomed overhead. I grabbed the dead mare, yanking her body inside before it fell. My shotgun bounced off the dirt while I hid the dead bodies inside the dugout. I looked at Chifundo, who was as shocked as I was. Both of us scrambled to set back up. We weren’t sure if anypony has seen or heard that any of that.

We waited there. Moment after moment passing as nothing happened. A few more booms from the artillery battery marking off the seconds as each one was around five seconds apart. Each vibration of the guns that shook my body, resetting my count.

Their loaders are kinda slow. The first thought I had finally after the adrenaline died inside me. I could breathe again without hearing my heartbeat in my ears between the artillery blasts.

Pink responded with a giggle, “Yeah, I’d say they are either really carefully aiming those shots or trying not to damage The Roof too badly. Maybe they have limited shells, too! Like surprise party uses! You only get so many before everypony expects it.”

I rolled my eyes at Pink, Or they could just be bad at it. Not like you regularly get to setup and use artillery in the wasteland. She just shrugged as I started to check the bodies. Nothing really useful except a couple of caps and some healing potions. Their weapons were the wrong caliber for both of us. Chifundo passed my revolver back.

“I have this rifle of battle, I won’t be needing a pistol to sabre rattle.” I took it, stared at it longingly. My PipBuck registered, ‘Buddy’s Last Gift’ upon my H.U.D. and I winced at that. It really was the last thing he gave me, and I still had it months later.

Chifundo moved slowly, closing the eyes of the corpses in the room, one at a time. I could hear him praying over each one, “With this blessing and bow, I ask you to go in peace now. Your work is done, I ask you to begone. You need not linger, your next life has sent its bringer. Only rest awaits, I will take your burden’s weights.”

I listened to his words and held onto them. He had more heart in him that I ever suspected. Even ponies who were threatening his special mare he was treating with respect and mercy. A sense of pride filled my heart to call him friend. I slowly exhaled and sat there speechless as I let Chifundo conduct his work. I wasn’t about to interrupt a shaman whose dedication extended to his enemies, even in the most life threatening of circumstances.

Pink softly stroked the bruise on my forehead, “There there, Sunrise, he’s taken your example. It’s wonderful to see your gifts keep giving.” She held out a present. I looked at her, confused, not having time to actually play her game and open it.

A shot resounding nearby told me we needed to move. No more time to reminisce or reflect. I looked at the dead ponies and let out a sigh of discontent. “I am sorry we had to do that. If there was another way I would have taken it.” I whispered into what was left of the ear from the pony I’d blown to smithereens. We immediately cut into a sprint. Now the trenches were quite alive. Torches and flashlights darted around that we had to carefully duck and weave to avoid.

“Find that commando! That striped bastard!” I heard a voice call while a whistle blew somewhere towards our ejector seat. No time for sneaking anymore; it made us dash for dear life. I cut on my PipBuck light, turning the settling to the color of a flashlight. I just hoped they believed we were more soldiers searching the trenches and wouldn’t take a closer look.

I motioned Chifundo to pull his hood over his head. Unless they shined a light directly at him, we should blend in and they won’t recognize his stripes. A group of ponies rushed towards us, wearing the enemy uniforms. They didn’t look at us but kept going, Chifundo and I stepped to the side to let them pass. I could feel the sweat on my brow as the wind from their running hit my neck and face. I held in my panic and lifted a rear hoof to grip onto Chifundo’s leg, hoping to keep us both calm.

They kept going the direction we had seen the bodies and we resumed moving away from them. My hoof itched a warning and I ignored it. I don’t have time for— I stepped into the next intersection and immediately felt an impact into my left flank that sent me off my hooves. My breath was driven out and my body recoiled in pain. The world moved in slow motion as I tumbled to the ground. My ribs screamed about the impact and I was left stunned hitting the duckboards like a carriage had crashed into me.

My tail slapped the S.A.T.S. button and my status pony on my H.U.D. showed I’d take some damage. I looked at Pink who pointed at Chifundo and then at the four ponies two of which had fired at me. In slow motion I heard, “FOUND HIM!”

Another whistle flew as I looked at Chifundo and choose not to shoot but to speak. I released S.A.T.S. and the spell forced the words I’d chosen from my winded lungs, “Chifundo hide!” I impacted the ground hard and rolled over several times. Splinters of wood chipped up from the boards on the trench floor, my heavy armor proving too much for the salvaged wood. My lungs screamed for air and I wasn’t sure if the armor had been pierced or not, while pain in my ribs robbed my sense of anything else in the world.

“Did we get her?” I couldn't move, no air. I heard slow cautious steps towards me. “Should I double tap?” I felt my lungs inflate as my mouth worked again. The fire of oxygen deprivation sated with a sudden rush of air. I rolled as another bullet hit the floorboards where I had previously laid my head.

Additional gunfire erupted from the squad of ponies, the shotgun pellets bounced harmlessly off my armor, stinging my flesh only slightly underneath. The rifles missed at this range, and they were too close to adjust their sights fast enough. I felt my hooves finally touch something solid enough to use as a springboard just as Nyota had taught me. I had to keep them away from Chifundo, I had to keep him safe. “Come and get me you discount raider trash!”

I ran away from where I hoped Chifundo had hid, praying I was drawing them along for the ride. “Raider Trash!” The one asking questions barked and I heard hooves moving towards the corner I just jolted past. They had taken the bait it seemed.

“Discount! You little bitch! I’ll put that mouth to good use!” I didn’t stop to find out if he was all talk. My tail took a grenade and threw it, keeping hold of the pin.

“Well, The jig is up! Time to party!” I winced and grunted in disapproval at Pink who chuckled. “Oh come on! You know they need a final time out, permanently!” She had a very vicious almost sinister grin on her lips. The kind of smile you get from a clown about to murder you. Her eyes twisted to look opposite directions and her hair deflated into long straight lines for a moment as another grenade flew from my pack.

“Oh fuck! Gr—” He didn’t finish as the first of two grenades went off, I kept running when a third one detonated. There was no gunfire masking the explosions, whistles sounded out from all directions as I saw dozens of lights turning on, brightening the night around us to almost daylight.

I whipped out my shotgun and looked at Pink, I don’t like fighting but I hope you loaded this for an ursa major. Pink snickered and even flat out cackled as the first of these troopers rounded the corner almost right into me.

There wasn’t time to aim, the shotgun barrel touched his chest and my tongue punched the trigger. I wasn’t sure what came out, but man did it kick like no other round I’d ever fired. His chest exploded out of his spine and he tumbled onto the trench floor with a thud. My heart fell with remorse at taking a life I never even found out the name of. I could see the light leaving in his eyes and taste it on my tongue through the trigger guard. I felt like he was on the right side of things. This was no raider; he was a soldier with faith in his cause.

I could feel his remorse and his regrets coursing through me. I understood now what Chifundo felt in earnest as every soul left a body around us. The feeling of regret and that they had fought for what they believed in.

Is this what Chifundo experiences? Am I seeing, smelling, tasting, TOUCHING! a soul as it leaves a body? My mind recoiled at the thoughts and feelings, it took all the effort I had just to keep myself together.

“Yes, Sunrise. Because of me and Chifundo, you’re starting to awaken to the spirits all around us. It’s going to take getting used to.” Pink reassured me and began to push the sensations out of my head. She was working to keep the dam from breaking while I moved to keep my distraction going.

I left the smoldering and dead pegasus on the ground, unable to stop and give him any second thoughts. “Can’t handle me? Come on, come and get your piece of The Angel with a Shotgun!” I have to keep up my act. Pink, Chifundo, give me strength; I need it to keep you safe.

I kept the bit out of my mouth long enough to shout and strained through the bruising along my flank and legs. The armor had held, but it was gonna hurt everytime I moved. Another gunshot slammed into the wall above my head as I passed an intersection. Ha! For once, I’m glad I’m short! I lowered my ballistic goggles and raised my helmet’s face protector. My tail was leaving a string of grenades with explosions for them to follow as I kept running for my life. Utter chaos erupted around me.

I rounded a bend and ran into a gunpit. The dug-in area housed one of the mighty cannons that had been bombarding The Roof. I couldn’t tell the caliber, but the gun crew stared at me, dumbfounded, while I skidded to a halt. I stared back at the four sets of eyes who had stopped mid-work on reloading the weapon. My eyes drew to a pile of wasteland-assembled artillery shells, and then back to the gun crew... then back to the shells, then to the gun crew.

They all slowly turned to the shells. When they looked back, I had changed out my shotgun for a apple on a stick grenade. Their eyes slowly opened up wide, staring at the bomb in my mouth. Almost comically they rotated back to the shells stacked nice and neat. They turned back to me and the moment held like climber on a cliff holding on with just his hoof-tip. No one dared move, as I thought about what I was going to do. One of them nervously raised his hoof, “Hi, now let’s not be hasty. Think about it, you would—”

I didn’t let him finish. Instead, I flicked the pin on a grenade and chucked it at the shells. “Run, you fools!” I shouted while barreling through the weapon emplacement.

I saw the looks of shock turn to pure horror, followed by screaming and scrambling out of the trench. They didn’t even bother to stay in cover, just trying to get away from the ammo storage that had seconds to blow. The mad dash got them shot at while I rounded another corner. That is far as I made it before my hearing rang like the great bell of Britannia's Tower to the Sisters. The heat from the blast washed over the trenches where I was safe, but every part of me was heavily singed by waves of ashen flames. Smoke billowed up and I hoped all of them made it out of the blast zone. Well, if they were unsure where I was, they really know now! Please be okay, Chifundo. I staggered to get back to my legs as I prayed in desperation. My hooves were numb from the shockwave. Adrenaline being the only source of strength to keep me standing.

Pink I really hope we aren’t just randomly killing a ton of ponies. Please tell me we aren’t doing that? Pink shot me a look like a mother telling a child they should know better, and I was thankful that I wouldn’t have to see the bodies. It still hurt inside, knowing that any pony after me now wasn’t being given a chance to stop or think it over. I was going to make many enemies tonight.

My thoughts were so jumbled with dodging that I didn’t check my way before I came to another turn. I just turned and had to struggle to come to a stop myself from slamming into the wall. I didn’t succeed, instead hitting my bruised flank into the trenchworks and letting out a yelp of pain. I forced myself to ignore the misery and turned around to run back the way I had came. Hoofbeats and a voice made my blood run cold. A voice that I recognized. “Get her! She went this way! You four double back down the trench end, just in case!”

It was a mare, one with supreme authority. I knew that voice from somewhere, and even Pink’s attitude changed as she whispered one word, “Goddess.” My tail threw a grenade down the opposite end, well beyond where we heard the voice from. Meanwhile I shut off my PipBuck light, hoping to vanish. I pressed myself against a board that held up the fortification wall, sinking into the mud on the floor and the wall itself; hoping to look like a long dead body in the trench work. I was panting into my facemask, gripping the shotgun into my teeth hard and praying to Celestia as the grenade went off.

A flashlight shone down the dead end towards me. Hooves approached as the light made its way towards me. Is this how it ends? Is this where they corner me? I saw a pebble fall into the trench from above with a soft thud right at my hooves. I couldn’t see or hear anyone up above the trench lip, but I smelt sandalwood.

From down towards the intersection in the trench a voice bellowed. “We demand to know whom is there, this instant!” I felt a twinge in my mind and a compulsion to move forward down the trenches. Resisting it sent pin pricks and needles directly into my mind. It was the worst pain I’d ever felt. Like a migraine made from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Something said if I obeyed it would stop, and it was too hard to resist. That voice had an air of authority that matched the regal commands of the princesses. The flashlight accelerated up to me and caught my hooves. I couldn’t help myself and stepped fully into the light, gritting my teeth against the shotgun and hoping I looked at intimidating as possible.

There was a laugh that made my blood run cold as a tall figure, taller than any normal pony illuminated its horn. I was staring face to face with something half-unicorn, half-pegasus. A creature I only believed there to ever be two of in existence. An alicorn.

This alicorn was green from hoof to eyes to mane, and looked looked utterly enraged at me. She stood much taller than the two mares and stallion next to her. “The Goddess demands you drop your weapon and submit!”

I felt that compulsion again, as railroad spikes pushed into my mind. This alicorn was trying to get into my head and force me to do as it commanded. This time I knew what it was, shaking my head and pushing whatever this voice was out. You are not them! I’ve met the Sisters! You are an imitation! You are a MONSTER! Get out of my head! NOW!

“And what are you going to do if we refuse! You are an earth pony, a pathetic little filly at best! You can’t possibly resist the will of The Goddess!” This alicorn was in my head, but I had learned a thing or two about mentally slapping creatures from Pink. I raised all the will I could and slammed it down into the presence trying to force its way into my mind.

“Oh? This one has fight in her, she has pushed US, the great representation of The Goddess, from her mind!” A shield went up, not a bubble but rather a solid wall between myself and the ponies bearing down on me. Gunports opened up in the shield and the three ponies with this monstrosity slipped through weapons into position, “Go on silly filly, don’t surrender to Us and see what our will does to you.”

This was a firing squad. There would be no dodging them, I doubted my shotgun could penetrate a magical shield that looked as thick as my leg. I was lit up by horn lights, a flashlight, and the green glow of the shield. I may as well have had a beacon that said SHOOT HERE written over my chest. This is it Pink, I hope it’s been a fun ride.

S.A.T.S. triggered and Pink walked up to me with a soft hug, “You’ve fought well, Sunrise, but I don’t think this is it. Look at that birthday candle there!” I looked at what her hoof was pointing out: it wasn’t a candle, it was a muzzle flash. It was coming from the top deck of The Roof. I recognized that muzzle flash, it was so bright from here that it was its own beacon of hope. Only one weapon could throw fire that bright: Alguacil’s revolver. In slow motion, I watched as the alicorn creature’s head exploded and the shield immediately dropped. The light dimmed in the pale imitation’s eyes and blood flew towards me.

My heart swelled and I knew in this moment, I had to fight to survive. Alguacil had just bought me a second chance.

“What in Tartarus!? Barista Foam’s dead!” One of them shouted in the slo-mo of S.A.T.S while another bullet, this one much closer, slammed into one of the mares. A second shot followed by the ping of a battle rifle emptying its clip. The rounds moved at such a pace, I could see it physically in the air speeding towards her. S.A.T.S. drew out her end for me, in a way I never wish to repeat. It hit her right through the neck and exploded out of her collar bone.

A striped hoof holding a brass shoe shot from the trench lip and caved in the skull of the stallion. It was a precision strike that I didn’t have time to marvel at. That name, Barista Foam, was bothering me and memories were rushing up. It was like a wall might crash down and let loose a volley of images that I couldn’t stop.

I started to fall into a memory and pushed it back with all of my might as I fired the shotgun blindly, once, twice, three times, four. My mouth holding the trigger as S.A.T.S. died and I slam fired the weapon by just working the pump over and over again. CLICK! The shotgun was empty. Oh no! WHAT!? A buckshot blast hit me square in the chest and the remaining stallion who I hadn’t been shooting charged at me. Both mares, the alicorn, and a stallion who had just rounded the corner were lying on the trench floor; torn to ribbons.

I lost my precious shotgun and stumbled to the ground as he charged. He reared up his hooves to bash my face in and I heard S.A.T.S. ping. I hit it and the whole world slowed down. Pink queued up four shots, all with ‘Buddy’s Last Gift.’ The world sped up and as his hooves came down, the first shot from my hold-out reverberated through my body and ears. The bullet punched into his leg and stopped it cold. He didn’t get a chance to redouble his efforts as my tongue worked the trigger while my hoof fanned the hammer in a way I never thought I could do.

S.A.T.S. was helping move my muscles and making it as efficient as possible. It was so strange to have a gentle force telling your body how to operate, much less as you gunned down another living soul. It felt like Pink throwing grenade for me, except this force wasn’t doing it with glee. It was cold, calculated and completely without a soul. Bullet after bullet embedded into his chest. On the fourth shot I took the hint from S.A.T.S. and didn’t stop fanning the hammer until all six shots were gone. He fell on top of me, spouting blood from his mouth all over my goggles.

I tried to breath but my lungs strained against his heavy weight and compressed armor plate. My nose could only smell the carnage around me and the stench of muddy dirt. I couldn’t see, my goggles were covered in bits of my foes. My hooves trembled to push his body off of me.

He was dead, I was still alive. I dragged myself from under his corpse and retrieved my shotgun out of the mud. I grabbed a grenade and waiting for the next pony around the corner. The pinned pulled, holding the spoon to prevent the timer from starting.

A striped figured walked towards me from the darkness, standing up tall. I recognized the stride and sound of the hooves but I didn’t dare try to remember where I knew them, from fear a memory would overtake me. “Stay back! I’ll blow us both to kingdom come!”

“Well, you did that last night in the fun way.” Nyota’s voice hit me like a sack of bricks and he picked up the flashlight to show me his face. I almost dropped the grenade from being stunned, then I remembered it would be live if I let go and scrambled to find the pin. Nyota walked forward and scooped up the pin, slipping it into grenade and taking the steel apple from me. “Would hate for it to not be the fun way, through.”

I jumped at him and wrapped my hooves around his neck, clinging to him needily and gasping for air in his ear. He stroked my mane not covered by armor and smiled, “There there, Sunny, that’s all of ‘em who know where you are anyway.” His voice was like an angel rising from the dead to hold back all my fear.

I opened my tear filled eyes and Chifundo was standing there, putting another magazine into his new battle rifle. I slowly released Nyota and started reloading all my weapons, “How did you find us?”

Nyota chuckled, “Well, I didn’t at first. I kept having to sneak by or kill guards to get to your ejector seat. Alguacil’s been putting down a lot of cover fire too. Once I got there, I could figure out which set of hoofprints were yours and Chifundo’s. I followed them but, umm, yeah, eventually the explosions told me where to go.”

“You do realize, it’s generally unhealthy to run towards explosions?” I teased him while I worked the shells into my 12 gauge. He poured water out of his canteen and used his hoof to clean my goggles and muzzle. I blinked at him, getting a good look with clear sight now; he was just as dirty as I was.

“Yes, but you’d never accidentally hurt me. I’m here for you, Sunny, always.” It was in that moment that I realized, even if I could not see him, Nyota would be there. I hugged him again and raised my faceplate to kiss him softly. He didn’t let me linger, “Time for make out later, we have to get going before they realize the wild goose chase they are on.”

“Fair enough, also, Alguacil should check his targets, I think he hit me once.” I grumbled in dismay and rubbed at the bruise on my forehead. Nyota looked at my helmet and rubbed right where the bruise was against my head.

“Yeah, but even he can’t hurt your hard head.” Nyota started to lead us towards the no-pony’s-land and I looked at him. He looked at Chifundo and who gave me nod.

“Nyota found me while you led our foes away, and we have been in the wake of your fray.” Chifundo snickered a little bit. “I must concur, your path was easy to discern.”

I glanced at him, finally starting to understand his way of speaking crystal clear for once. I walked up to him and kissed his cheek. “And I am honored to call you my friend and battle brother.” He blushed! He blushed so pink that even Pink wasn’t that bright. Nyota and I laughed in unison as we walked to the trench lip.

“Thank you, Sunrise, the pleasure is mine. Now, let's return to The Roof and our kind” Chifundo explained and I tilted my head; then we both looked to Nyota. Chifundo joined us and we all looked at The Roof sitting there, just shy of 133 meters away according to my binoculars.

“Well you’re about as stealthy as a balefire bomb hitting on a peaceful spring day in the center of Canterlot.” He stopped and winked at me with his uncovered eye. “Which is what we’re counting on.” I looked at him with a blush, a nod, and then total confusion.

“The Roof is going to provide cover fire when I throw the signal flare. Here, use this,” He passed me a talisman: a magical gem on a necklace that radiated with a spell. It was made of ball bearing string and the heavy gem was shaped like a shield made of emerald. There was a button on the center point of the three pointed shield. “Press the button to activate a magical shield, we’ll rely on that for your protection, along with the armor. Chifundo and I will sneak in while you play bait and bolt for the open door.” He pointed across no-pony land at a heavy metal service door that was held open.

I stared at him completely dumbfound. I mean, I get I’m the super armored one, but now I’m BAIT?! Really, love?

“It’s the most logical plan, Sunrise. He and Chifundo can sneak in while everypony is focused on you. With the cover fire and the shield, you should be mostly okay.” I groaned at Pink, but in the back of my mind, the officer manual had said to use your most heavily armored units for distractions and bait.

“Alright, here’s hoping we pull this off,” I said as Nyota pulled out a flare gun and fired it straight up. I watched the flare going up and up until a parachute deployed and it burned bright as a miniature sun. When I looked back, Nyota and Chifundo had vanished. “I love you.” I said, putting my facemask back on as automatic weapons fire erupted in mass towards the trenches around me. There was a lane of safety between the tracers of suppression fire. I jumped the trench in a mad dash. My hoof touched the shield talisman and a green bubble of protection wrapped around me.

I could hear and feel the shots hitting the shield with metallic pangs while I ran like mad mare. Bullet after bullet tried to pierce and get at me; those that managed to punch through the shield bounced off my armor harmlessly, most of their lethality gone. My legs received bruises, my butt felt like dozens of bees were stinging it. My helmet echoed with what sounded like miniature rocks bouncing off from an avalanche.

I was somehow getting to safety. 120 meters. At 80 meters a light inside the door came into view. At 40 meters I saw Nyota and Chifundo slip inside, safely. Right as Chifundo’s tail vanished a loud boom echoed behind me. My shield flickered on and off, painfully heavy rounds hit my marebits under my tail. The armor may have held, but that didn’t stop the bruising from hitting my guts. I wanted to double over and cry, but my survival instinct kicked another dose of adrenaline into me.

The pounding my in ears from my own chest told me this was do or die. I couldn’t stop now; my hooves all thudded into the ground. All four of my hooves itched a warning that drove me crazy. I didn’t know what to do except speed up. They just itched more and more. Then everything stopped.

My world went sideways as all feeling in my body left. My hooves were not touching the ground, I was flying. Every part of my being erupted in pain as the shield died with a roar. An explosion rocketed my ears just long enough for me go hear my bells ringing and then static silence, the painful quiet. My body clattered to the ground and rolled as I saw Pink gasp, but I couldn’t hear her words. I felt warmth trickling down my cheeks while I rolled head over flank, over and over again. I didn’t stop rolling until I slammed into the wall next to the door hard enough that I thought it killed me.

My lungs burned hotter than the fires of Applejack’s forges. Everything hurt so bad, and even my armor felt like it was going to fall off. A set of hooves reached out and yanked me inside the door that I couldn’t hear closing behind me. I was hazily looking at Quick Stitch’s face as his horn lit up with magic. The only source I could make out was the glow of his horn.

He kept trying to talk as the tingle of my body being knitted coursed into my flesh. It was the first thing I could feel. I couldn't hear him, all I heard was the buzzing. My nose lit up when my sense of smell returned with cordite and gunpowder. Finally, the buzzing popped and I heard his voice, the one thing I really had wanted the whole time. “Sunrise, can you hear me?’

His voice came through bells and echoes, like he was hundreds of feet away in a canyon. My ears hurt so much as his horn glowed brighter and suddenly the ringing stopped. All replaced with the tingle of healing magic and the static electricity he was pouring into my veins. It was like drinking a healing potion, just a lot more potent. “Sunrise, can you hear me?”

I nodded very slowly with a “Huh, what?” As a collective sigh of relief echoed around us. Nyota pressed a hoof to my lips before I could speak more.

“Shhh, we weren’t the only ones doing raiding tonight.” His voice carried with it some danger that made my skin crawl.

Chifundo checked his new battle rifle. Scopola had her laser rifle levitating around her, ready to be used and Quick Stitch drew his flamer pistol. I slowly pulled my shotgun and checked to make sure it wasn’t damaged. It was just covered in soot and ash but appeared to be working. What hit me?

“NOT NOW! Sunrise, you’ve got bigger problems.” Pink had a commando helmet and radio as if she were calling in heavy support.

Chifundo looked back at me, “Sunrise, we have gone from being a wolf among the sheep, to the wheat about to be reaped." My skin crawled as I fully understood his meaning and I desperately said a prayer for all my friends inside The Roof.

Quest Perk: Shamanism Apprentice - Chifundo is rubbing off on you and it's really starting to effect you. Add +5 to Shamanism and you may now put ranks in it!