Chapter 66: Broken, Shoddy Toys
Part 1: Dragon Lance
TIME: 21:04 Crystal Kingdom Daylight Time
DATE: War Day 614/10 Lunarius, 1004 C.S.
LOCATION: Crystal Palace, Crystalpolis, Crystal Kingdom
Opalfire: "You did this on purpose." She snorted, coyly.
K: "You want my dick." I looked down, not at her.
Opalfire: "Gee, I couldn't possibly have been more obvious." She got right in front of me, and gently pressed against me. "What about your wife?"
K: "You don't seem to care." I put a finger over her dragon lips. "Why?"
Opalfire: "You, of all the males around here, have the largest Hoard. Period." She blinked a bit. "That and I've heard rumors."
K: "Oh?"
Opalfire: "Is it true that humans like flying?" She ran her hands up my shoudlers.
K: "I've actually never had another creature take me on a personal flight lasting longer than a few moments - and that was under fire. And despite the opportunity, I have never made a parachute jump." I shrugged a bit.
Opalfire: "Let me take you flying for fun." She growled erotically in my ear.
K: "One thing, first." I continually denied her close contact.
Opalfire: "Yes?" This teasing was making her hornier.
K: "I'm not going to fuck you unless my wife approves." Oh, the cold water!
Opalfire: "Reason?" She wasn't dissuaded.
K: "Because you could very readily get pregnant - as Ember noted, Dragons are compatible with many species. I will not impregnate a woman without her okay. Her and I are genetically incompatible. As am I, with Katrina, and a couple others." I gestured, trying to walk away from her, but being tugged back.
Opalfire: "Dragon Males don't always just have one female." She pushed me against the wall. "I won't deny that I'm.. fertile.. at the moment. Nor will I deny the desire to have your offspring."
K: "I barely know you." I continually put verbal distance between us. "If we have kids, I'd want to raise them. Applejack needs to approve. I also have three daughters.. they should know their siblings. Humans are VERY family oriented."
Opalfire: "Hmmm." THAT gave her pause. "Sooo.. I can't just take your seed and go raise them myself, huh?" She twirled around to face away from me, then turned back and literally did that Kabedon thing. "Perfect. Nothing for me in Dragonshire, anyway."
K: "You're very aggressive." I smirked, coyly.
Opalfire: "Mhm. And I don't mind threeways." She got VERY close.. just as my backup arrived.
Luna: "What about orgies with a moon princess?" She was RIGHT behind her, and Double-Kabedon'd Opalfire.
Opalfire: "...meep." She was now both aroused and afraid.
K: "Meet my other woman. Mother to my daughter, Starlight Mint, and future second wife, if I turn out to be immortal." I smirked, and slid out from underneath the dragon. "Hi, Honey."
Luna: "Mmm.. getting in trouble again, My General?" She gave me bedroom eyes.
K: "She literally wants to have my children." I shrugged, and as I moved past Luna, ran my hand over her bare flank.
Luna: "Oh, really!?" She wasn't taller than Opalfire, but she was, in her own way, scarier. "My General's reputation spreads so.. very far.. and wide." She trilled that into Opalfire's ear.
Opalfire: "Why do I suddenly feel like I've gotten in way over my head?" She looked a bit afraid, and with me out of the way, turned and pressed herself to the wall, facing Luna.
Luna: "Do not anger the Monkey Sex God unprepared. He also has his Acolytes." She ran a fetlock under the taller Dragoness' chin, and stared into her eyes. "What do we do with her, My General?"
K: "Not a got-dang thing." I shrugged, and walked away, and as I did so, grabbed Luna's tail.. and dragged.
She let herself be slid across the smooth floor, and I didn't see it, but she had the most lustful gaze on her face she'd ever had. It was a face that told Opalfire that the Paddock was CLOSED to Newcomers, and above all, I belonged to her and Applejack..
..what I night I had, too. I was so in the mood, seeing Luna out-sexy a horny Dragoness. I was more in the mood when Applejack got back an hour later, and showed off her new clothes.
Threeways with married couples rock. A comic had said that, once.
I felt better after it was all over, too.
Applejack: "Mm.. an'ya wasn't the least bit tempted?" She snuggled into my chest as Luna got out of bed, to let us sleep.
K: "No, not really. She came on too strong. I mean, I felt.. like the whole thing was comical." I shrugged with my one free arm. "I wanted to laugh, but I was having fun teasing her. And I knew someone would interrupt. Luck, it was Luna." I nuzzled my pony wife. "And she Dominated the shit out of Opalfire without any sexual contact at all. THAT.. that turned me on. As much as it does when you tackle me.. or get a little rough with me." And kissed her forehead.
Luna: "I.. actually feel.." She shrugged, kissing Applejack on the snout. "..better, now. Like.. I have something that's mine, truly mine, and I can not only defend it, but that I deserve it."
Applejack: "Mm.. 'preciate bein' part'a that, Luna." She nuzzled her night back.
How lucky was I, that my two Prime Mares got on so well?
[End of Part 1]
Part 2: Giz-Monk'd
TIME: 11:07 Equestrian Royal Daylight Time
DATE: War Day 617/13 Lunarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: HCMAS Centaur, above Maine, en route to Legion Command Group Nord's Last Reported Position
I had my first sixteen Dragons with me. Given they had hands, I'd assigned Havoc and Bella to train them as best they could. They were on the Gun Deck, practicing.
I was standing on the port Bridge Wing with, now, Rear Admiral Iris Emerald. Her uniform updated again, she now sported a buff braid under her right epaulette, and a thick buff stripe on her red cuffs that intertwined with her three cuff buttons, as well as a Tricorne hat, instead of a Bicorne.
Behind us was Superb and Swiftsure. A proper formation, really.
Iris: "I hope Sacquet is doing alright down there." She shrugged.
K: "He's a good officer. He should be fine. Still, I promised to back him up if I had the chance, and we're nearing his last reported location - the Equestrian town of Canterback, in the state of Maine." I shrugged a bit, and sipped my coffee.
Ahead of us was XY-3101, performing a scout role. The HCMAS Hermes was under construction, and it would have the ability to embark air skiffs a bit smaller than the XY's, and function something like an airship-carrier.
Rarity: "..K? Ah, here you are." She came up behind us. "So, Iris, darling.. how's the new ship?"
Iris: "Much nicer and less cramped than the Superb and Swiftsure." She shrugged a bit. "Recovering the technology from Dreadnaught really helped."
K: "Yeah, tell me about that." I nodded to her a bit.
Iris: "As we suspected, Tirek's forces recovered Dreadnaught from within the Frozen Zone around Coltonville. Somehow, Dreadnaught had been encapsulated in the magic field, and mostly preserved. They had mostly Gizmonks and Ympha aboard. We questioned the survivors, and they were actually in retreat - they had orders to get the information about airship technology back to Tirek. And we stopped them." She smugly smiled.
Aerobosun Light Wires: "Admiral." She called. "XY-3101 reports seeing smoke up ahead. Distance, 5 kilometers."
Sky Captain Jade Notch: "Admiral?" She leaned out.
Iris: "Beat GQ. Get the Aero Marines ready to drop." She nodded, and paced back inside.
K: "Light Wires, see if you can raise anyone on air-to-ground comms." I said, pacing in as well.
Rarity immediately went to let everyone else know what was going on.
Jade Notch: "We're at General Quarters." She nodded.
Air Commander Load Stone: "Main guns ponied and ready." He noted from the tactical console.
Aerobosun Light Wires: "General, Air to Ground Comms.. I'm not getting anything but static." He shrugged and shook his head.
K: "Not good." I nodded. "I'm going down to the Gun Deck. We'll air drop down there and see what's going on. Get me some backup." I pointed at Iris, and headed down to the deck.
Once I got there, everyone was already preparing to jump.
K: "Gotta be honest, I've never done this before." I shrugged.
Sgt. Yanjiro: "Ah, Great General K has things he hasn't done?" She smirked.
Havoc: "Yeah, believe it or not." He helped me with my parachute. "Remember, these are static line chutes. Just jump, the static line will do the rest."
Sgt. O'Fang: "Ah, he'll be fyne, sir!" He smirked.
K: "Okay." I nodded. "Yanjiro, you call it."
Sgt. Yanjiro: C> "Centaur, General Staff preparing to drop. Reduce speed." She nodded to me. "Five seconds."
Havoc: "Don't feel bad. I've never done this before, either." He smirked.
K: "If Webely wasn't needed in Cowrea, I would've brought her with." I shrugged a bit.
The Centaur came to the proper speed, and we braced ourselves at the gate of the Gun Deck. One by one, we stepped off. Dash and Fluttershy just took off. Then, it was my turn. I had to fight my human instincts to do it, but I jumped for it.
The static line tugged me hard, jarring me, but releasing my parachute. I grasped the rigging straps, and let it carry me down. We were right over a large field, so, this would be easy. No trees to get in the way. I recalled what my grandfather had taught me about parachute landings.. to tuck and roll with it. He was a World War II veteran, and had been air crew, so he trained to parachute.
The second I hit the ground, I tucked and rolled with it, got up, and released the parachute.
K: "Gran'pa.. hope I did you proud, there.." I smirked a little.
Our weapon container was dropped nearby, and I went over to it. I saw Havoc's wolves drop a good bit away from me, and I knew we'd need to regroup. The weapon containers had a smoke flare attached to it for that reason. I pulled the fuse on the flare and let it smoke up.
I opened the container and started pulling out rifles. I presumed Dash and Fluttershy were staying with the Girls, so I wasn't too worried. I set them out, and grabbed a C-7 Bradley/Gavin. I already had the ammo for it on my rigging. Ponies, being so small, had a hard time trying to drop with weapons on them, so I'd settled on these weapon containers when I phased out the Mitchell Carbines.
I heard a sound from the bushes, stood, and aimed towards it.
K: "Flash!"
No response.
K: "BLUE TEAM!" I called louder.
The rustling moved to the left a bit.
K: "STOP RIGHT THERE, OR I'M DROPPING A FRAG GRENADE ON YOUR ASS!" I yelled, reaching for the Gavin's trigger.
???: "Noooo! Don't do that! Those hurt!" It was a child's voice.
K: "..sonova.." I paced over, slowly, carefully, and pulled the bushes aside.
A young colt was in here, blood all over his coat, shredded clothes, like he'd been running from something and ran through a whole field of thorn bushes.
K: "Who are you? What are you doing here?" I looked down at him, then snapped my aim up when I heard something larger in the brush behind him.
Colt: "Runnin' away! Th' Prench colonel told me to run, an-" He heard it, too. "Oh, noes! They're right behind me!! Don' let'um git me, mister!!"
K: "BLUE TEAM!" I checked, just in case, then ducked, and pulled the kid with me off to the side.
Just as I thought, a few rounds from a large handgun were fired at me. Had I not moved, I'd be sporting a few speed holes. I pulled into a seated firing position, and estimated the shooter's height, then fired five rounds on automatic. The colt buried himself in my uniform, covering his ears.
A Gizmonk fell out of the bushes, and collapsed next to me, clutching his side. He had a Hickock Revolver on him. I reached my leg over and kicked it away. He was still alive.
I gently pulled the colt behind me, and got myself up, aiming at the Gizmonk. Where WAS everyone?!
K: "Hey. Name." I askede the Gizmonk.
Gizmonk: "Lichard." He tried to get up to his knees, but I pressed the rifle barrel to his head. "Yeah, yeah, I give." He groaned.
I one-handedly detached my small IFAK from my rigging and tossed it to him.
K: "Get the large bandage out of its wrapping and stuff it in the wound before you bleed out." I ordered.
Colt: "Why'a bein' nice t'him!?" He implored. "He was tryin'a kidnap me!"
K: "Because Mercy is a hallmark of a hero." I nodded as the Gizmonk gave himself first aid. "They call you Char?"
Char: "Good guess." He finished stuffing his wound. "You must be General K." He smirked up at me, exhausted from pain, and kinda rolled over on his side.
K: "Good guess. What's going on?" I asked him, casually, fishing a tobacco pouch from my gear and gently tossing it to him.
Colt: "General K..." He murmured in awe.
Char: "..you serious? Fuck yeah." He rolled over, and rolled a cigarette.
K: "Watch you langauge, there's a kid, here." I said, evenly.
Char: "Mm.." He lit up from a match. "..kid's an orphan." He exhaled smoke. "Lucky kid, too. We almost had him." He laid flat, enjoying the cigarette.
K: "We?" I kept my tone even, and kept looking everywhere I could, without diverting much attention from the Gizmonk.
Char: "That Prench bas-" He checked his language. "-ehm, Officer, interrupted us." He looked at me, also with an even tone. "We had the whole town taken over.. and he comes waltzing in with his Legion and those two Gendarmes.." He shook his head a bit. "Damn, this hurts.."
K: "Small morphine syrette in the IFAK. I wouldn't, though, you lost a good bit of blood. It could kill you." I advised.
Char: "..yeah, got it.." He grumbled. "Anyway, he started a firefight.. let the kids loose from the orphanage.. I was told to go run'em down." He sighed. "Does this look bad?"
K: "I've seen worse. You should live if you don't do something stupid." I commented. "How far are we from town?" I asked.
Char: "About.. five kilometers? Roughly? I've been tracking this kid all day! Smart little s-" He stopped again, and shook his head. "Stinker."
Colt: "Yeaup!" He giggled. "I'm smart'n'fast'n'wily!" He stuck his tongue out at Lichard.
K: "Right." I nodded, keeping my aim at him. "How many of your friends are around here?"
Char: "Probably about a dozen..?" He shrugged. "I wasn't the first one told to go chase the kids." He winced, and finished the cigarette.
K: "Keep the pouch. I don't smoke." I shrugged. "Be sure to share if I get more POW's."
Char: "POWs?" He rolled his head at me.
K: "Prisoners of War. One of your species negotiated favorable treatment for your kind." I shrugged with a deadpan expression. "And talked me out of genocide." I moved slowly towards the weapon container.
Char: "And you would, too, wouldn't you? We've been warned what's happened to other smart ones. Commanders." He shut his eyes a bit. "Trixie. Rep. Hydia. Grogar." Then opened them. "You don't leave too many alive, do you?"
K: "Nope. That's war." I shrugged, and fished out the spare field radio, one-handed. C> "Alpha Actual to any ground unit. Come back."
Nothing. Either Yanjiro was busy, or her radio was damaged in the drop. Cpl. Snufflers in Havoc's team had a radio, too - callsign Charlie Actual. Nothing from them, either. Sacquet kept the callsign Cognac. Also nothing. And no sounds of shooting. I couldn't understand it.
Char: "Genocide." He pondered it. "Hah! I suppose you would." He shook his head a bit.
K: "I have enough Herdiet-pattern atomic devices to do the job." Bald-faced lie, but I kept my even tone. "Wipe out most of your species with 'em. Shoot the rest. But, I was talked out of it."
Char: "What made you change your mind?" He lifted his head a bit.
K: "You're intelligent, and not all of your species are willing servants of Tirek. I come to understand that at least some of you are being forced to serve against your better judgment and will. Through threats and hostages." I nodded slowly to him.
Char: "..yeah. Yeah." He rolled his eyes to the left, away from me. "Some of us." He shrugged a little. "Some of us like the money and the chance to do what we want."
K: "At least you're honest." I nodded to him, taking the chance to get the little colt over and inside the weapon container, and putting a finger to my lips to tell him to be quiet.
Char: "Oohh.. shh.. that burns." He tenderly pressed the bandage.
K: "Don't move around too much. There's clotting agent in the bandage, it should keep you from bleeding out, if you don't thrash around." I advised.
Char: "Yeah. Thanks." His face grew concerned. "Why do you care, though?"
K: "You're sentient. Sapient. You deserve a fair chance to live your life after this war is over, as a law-abiding citizen." I shrugged slightly. "And, as I said, Mercy is a hallmark of a Hero."
Char: "I'm.. kinda feeling a little cold over here. Kinda tired." He grunted.
K: "That's shock. You want to live? Stay awake. I'm going to come over there and raise your legs to keep your blood at your core. Try anything, and you won't have to worry about it." I nodded slowly.
Char: "Yeah. Got it." He winced.
I did just that, using a log to raise his legs up. I used the bed roll from my pack to cover him. He didn't try anything. Smart.
K: "Do you believe in a higher power? Besides Tirek." I nodded at him.
Char: "Ahhh.." He smiled a bit. "..the Great Vault." He rolled his head a bit to look at me. "Those of us that acquire enough wealth in life can buy our way into the Great Vault and the Great Repository of the Golden Halls." He looked right at me. "You know, it doesn't matter how we do it. Lie, cheat, steal, whatever. Wealth is the goal."
K: "And what happens to it when you die?" I rolled back on my haunches, keeping the rifle ready.
Char: "We're usually buried with it. Grave Robbing is the only major sin in collecting wealth. You dig up an ancestors' buried treasure, you're asking to be cast into the Dark Places." He looked up to the sky. "Our religion likens them to sewers, dirty alleys, and gutters.. the place of beggars."
K: "And if you fall in between?" I asked.
Char: "Oh, if we don't get enough wealth to buy our way in, we're forced into servitude for those that did." He pursed his lips. "Thing is, no one knows how much is enough. And you have to Tithe to the Treasurers." He nodded a bit. "Every score you get, ten percent goes to The Big Guy - The Great Treasurer. The Fat Cat. The Big Boss." He nodded. "Guy's got a lotta names. Basically, our God. We pray to Him for luck in our ventures, our deals, things like that, and offer him a bigger cut if we invoke His name and it all works out."
K: "Interesting." I tried the radio again. C> "Alpha Actual to Cognac." Four-beat pause. C> "Alpha Actual to Cognac, come in." Pause again. Nothing. C> "Alpha Actual to Alpha Three." Sergeant Yanjiro's default callsign without me present. Nothing. Pause. C> "Alpha Actual to Charlie." Havoc's team. Again, nothing. C> "Alpha Actual to Crystal Six-One. How copy?" Still nothing.. and I could see the Centaur just ahead of us.
Then, it dawned on me.
K: "You have a radio signal disruptor!" I pointed at Char.
Char: "Heheh.. very good." He grinned a bit, weakly. "You asked me my religion, not my secrets." He gave me a sassy look.
K: "You got big balls, monkey-boy." I smirked at him, and dug a pen flare out from my coat, and fired it almost right at Superb, which was almost right overhead.
[End of Part 2]
Part 3: Colted
TIME: 11:47 Equestrian Royal Daylight Time
DATE: War Day 617/13 Lunarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: 5km from Canterback, Arooster County, Maine
Five crewmembers from Superb landed right next to me. Pegasi, with rifles.
K: "There's a radio signal disruptor being used. MedEvac this prisoner, and this Civilian." I nodded to the colt. "I never got your name, little guy?"
Colt: "Rolfe!" He grinned. "Rolfe Seedling!"
K: "..that's an apple name, okay, he's mine, got it?" I pointed at the Colt, then to the Petty Officer in charge.
Ordinance Petty Officer Agate Fan: "Yes, General." She nodded. "I'll have him flown to the Flagship. Shall I advise the Rear Admiral?"
K: "Best do. Let them know we'll have to communicate by signal flags until sun down. We'll use Pegasi messengers at night, if we have to." I nodded.
Rolfe: "Wait.. does THAT mean..?" He looked like he was thinking.
Char: "It means the human adopted you, you little stinker." He grunted, but I think it was an ironic chuckle.
Rolfe: "NO WAY!?" He looked up at me.
K: "Sure did. Wait until you meet your mothers." I chuckled to myself. "Let the Rear Admiral know I'm naming her his Godmother. So, he's her responsibility." I nodded.
OPO Agate Fan: "Aye, General." She nodded and scooped the kid up. "Come on, hot stuff. We're going for a fly."
K: "When you get up there, make sure the Aero Marines that are Pegasi fall in on my smoke marker. Have them fly right to me. The rest should parajump out and try to make contact with the rest of the General Staff or the Canidan Rangers, and rally here." I instructed as Lichard was being fixed to a litter.
Char: "..oh, human." He spoke up. "Be careful. We have a boss with us - tough guy. Never seen the like, but.. think Porcine only meaner, and with a brain. Calls himself Porkarius."
K: "Lovely. Alright, off with you." I nodded as they took off.
I waited about five minutes, until I saw a line of Aero Marines from Superb and Swiftsure fly towards the smoke flare (I'd had to light another one - they have a burn time of about 15 minutes).
First Sergeant Miner Golds: "First Sergeant Miner Golds, reporting, General K." He looked behind him to the other eleven that dropped with him. "Not a proper formation - we split several squads apart. But, I'm senior." He nodded to a Sergeant. "That's Sergeant Opal Gemlace.."
K: "Opal..?" I walked over to her. "You're Friskie's MOM!!" I hugged her instantly.
Sgt. Gemlace: "Ahahha! General! Ohhh.. I never got a chance to thank you for saving Friskie!" She hugged me back. "My God, that was almost a year ago, wasn't it?" She smiled.
K: "Heh. Thought you were a Jeweler?" I smirked, rolling back on the balls of my feet.
Sgt. Gemlace: "Well.. gotta do my part, right?" She beamed. "I mean, I want Friskie to grow up in a land at peace.. and I'm stronger than my husband." She shook her head. "Really, thank you."
K: "Sorry, Top." I addressed First Sergeant Golds. "About a year ago, during the Expedition for the Crystal Heart, we incidentally rescued her daughter from the Stone Curse." I shrugged, and looked back at Opal. "Don't expect any favoritism." I smirked a bit.
Sgt. Gemlace: "None, sir." She smirked back. "I'm kinda second in command, here. Everyone else is below us." She looked over at the rest. "We have two medics - Corporal Whitecliff and Lance Corporal Marble."
FSGT Miner Golds: "Rest of us are riflesponies." He shrugged. "What's the job, sir?"
K: "Get up there and find my troops. There's a platoon of Canidan Rangers around, and my General Staff." I pointed. "Leave two here with me."
FSGT Miner Golds: "Right." He nodded. "Whitecliff, and Private Silicate'll be your guards." He looked at the rest of his troops. "Let's go."
And off they went.
I made myself busy checking each weapon in turn.
K: "So. Where're you two from?" I asked.
Cpl. Sandy Whitecliff: "I'm from Old Town.. the border city." She nodded. She was a medium cream color with very dark blue hair.
Pvt. Sil Silicate: "Emerald City, she means. I'm from Opalton." He was a sharp looking one, with a dark grey coat and green hair, with glasses.
K: "Yeah.. you.. look a little bit familiar." I pointed to Sandy.
Cpl. Sandy Whitecliff: "My son's name is Carrot." She smiled a little.
K: "Oh, NOW I know who you are!" I pointed again.
Cpl. Whitecliff: "Yeah." She blushed a bit. "I've changed a lot since the Crystal Heart's restoration." She shrugged. "I never did like farming. Mm. Carrot's father does, though." She looked away.
K: "You didn't love him." I stated.
Pvt. Silicate: "Without the Crystal Heart, we acted very differently." He shrugged. "Opalton was a mining town. My parents both mined. I was selected to watch over the town library due to my 'poor' eyesight. We got pidgeonholed into jobs, lives, paths that didn't always make sense. Each town was different.. but, much the same."
K: "Wow." I shook my head, then we heard movement in the brush, and all whipped around with rifles aimed.
Cpl. Whitecliff: "BLUE FLASH!" She called out, taking a tight cover behind a large rock.
Applejack: "OH, BLUE FLASH YER DURN SELF!" She tumbled out of the brush with two Fillies and a Colt on her.
She walked right over to me, and just gave me a hug. Whitecliff took custody of the kids immediately.
K: "You okay?" I looked her over.
Her gear was thrashed, like she'd been rolling around in the scrub and grass. She had a few nicks on her forelegs. All in all, she looked roughed up. Her Masterson revolvers were on her hip, but her speedloader pouches were empty.
Applejack: "Surprisn' y'didn't hear no gunfire." She looked up at me. "These things ain't quiet."
K: "They have to be using magic." I shook my head. "I stitched up a Gizmonk. Had a nice talk with him, too." I shrugged. "You okay, honey?"
Applejack: "Ah'm fine." She grunted a bit in frustration. "Y'all know yer wife's made'a tougher stuff'n that." She topped that off with a grin. And a quick kiss.
Filly #1: "Ooooo! Miss Applejack is kiiiiissssiiiiiing!" She trilled.
Applejack: "Uh-huh. As I said, hun, this here's m'husband." She smirked, and put an arm around me, before going over to the weapon container.
Pvt. Silicate: "Seems you've had some action, ma'am." He nodded.
Applejack: "Nothin' I cain't handle." She smirked, self-assured, and snatched a Chaffee shotgun, before grabbing a small box of speedloaders for her revovler, and digging out her spare ammo box from her pack.
K: "This certainly answers why I haven't seen anyone." I nodded. "Radios are cut off, too. Did you see any other Aero Marines?"
Applejack: "Uh-huh. I saw'n'em takin' off from over here, so, I headed fer it." She stated as she used her mouth to fill the speedloaders.
Pvt. Silicate: "Sound dampening magic?" He blinked.
K: "One of our friends, Vinyl Scratch, uses magic to make music. This.. fits." I shrugged a tad. "Marines, how many smoke flares have you got?"
Applejack: "Won't help none." She shook her head, slipping reloaded speedloaders into her loops. "I gawt lost tryin'a find the smoke fer th' cargo container." She shook her head.
K: "Time for an experiment." I nodded. "Rope." I held my hand out, and Silicate handed me one end. "Light the smoke. I'm going to walk straight in that direction, anchored by this rope." I pointed roughly north.
Applejack: "Ah'm goin' with." She just gave me a look. "Yew two give us.." She looked at me. "..'bout ten minnits. We don't tug the rope're somethin' or th' rope goes slack, we gots bigger problems." She frowned.
K: "In which case, you fly the kids back to Superb and report in. If this magical field is this bad, I want an entire combined arms brigade down here, linked arm-in-arm, sweeping the area for MIA's." I nodded. "And then get Princess Cadence, Luna, or Celestia.. if we're missing, the magic is too strong, even for us."
Cpl. Whitecliff: "Aye, sir, ma'am." She nodded to each of us.
K: "Come on, honey." I gently patted her flank. "Care for a stroll?"
Private Silicate lit the smoke flare as we departed..
[End of Part 3]
Part 4: Mirage
TIME: 12:11 Equestrian Royal Daylight Time
DATE: War Day 617/13 Lunarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: 5km from Canterback, Arooster County, Maine
We walked, and I timed it, while Applejack kept her eyes at the bushes.
Applejack: "Ah dun kill't about eight of 'em." She commented. "Gizmonks, all of 'em." She nodded slightly. "Good thing ah gots some ex'ter range with these.." She nodded to her Mastersons.
K: "Fate be it that my lovely wife likes long barrels for the fashion." I smirked.
Applejack: "Hesh!" She snickered, though. "Call'n me lovely? Ah look like I dun got rode hard and put up wet." She smirked. "Worse'r'n ususal." She gave me a quick tap of her head on my thigh.
K: "Hey, if I have to be lost, I'd rather it be with you." I shrugged, looking back. "Hold up."
She stopped, and looked back towards the landing zone herself.
Applejack: "Well, I'll be dad-gummed! I cain't see the smoke flare no more!" She snorted in frustration. "How far're we out?"
K: "One hundred and five meters." I tugged the line - it was still taut. "We still have a connection, though."
*Whizz! Of an errant shot!*
K: "DOWN!" I hit the dirt and tugged three times, then let the line go - time to call in heavy reinforcements.
Applejack: "Ah dun see'em, hun.." She murmured and scooted close to me. "Came from over there.." She nodded with her nose.
K: "Yep.." I sighted in with the DMR scope, and looked.. looked.. I didn't want to shoot a friendly by mistake. "..I don't see the shooter, either."
Applejack: "Let's make fer them rocks over there." She nodded towards a pile of rocks and brush.
K: "Good idea." I crawled with her over to them, and reached for my radio. C> "Alpha Actual to Superb. How copy?" Just in case - they were almost right overhead.
Air LT Cobson Coppers: "Superb.." *Static* "..one by five.." *Static*
K: C> "Alpha Actual - Condition Red. Condition Red. Condition Red. Superb, how copy?"
Air LT Cobson Coppers: "Superb.." *Static* "..dition Red - Copy!" *Static*
K: "They got the message. Cavalry'll be here soon enough." I nodded. "Only good thing about this mirage field, it has an effect on the enemy, as much as it does us." I snorted myself.
Applejack: "Pro'lly the only reason we ain't leakin'.." She murred a bit, and kept trying to sneak a peek over the rocks. "Dun see no movement.. but.. I figger a hundred meters'bout all we can see.."
K: "That's my guess, too." I rolled to the right side of the rocks, and looked down into the field. "No movement, here, either."
Applejack: "So, whut do we do?" She looked over at me.
K: "Hold position." I shrugged. "It's high noon. If our shooter took a shot and ran for it, they won't be able to find their way back, I figure." I slid down, and got my pack off. "Lunch?"
Applejack: "Lunch." She slid her saddlebags off, and dug around in them.
I used a spare bed roll like a picnic blanket, and set out some food for us - oats for her, 'trail mix' for me, and some jerky, with our canteens. She snuggled into me, and we ate, with long arms close at hand.
Applejack: "If'n we wasn't in deadly danger, this'd be down right romantic." She smirked, and kissed me. Hard. "I was wunderin'.."
K: "Yeah?" I munched as she talked.
Applejack: "You'n J.." Ah, yes, the real 'other woman' in our relationship.
K: "We've been together over ten years." I shrugged. "I'm like this with her, too. Without the war and weapons." I smiled a bit, thinking of her.
Applejack: "..if you could go back t'her.." She started.
K: "She'd kill me if I left this world without making sure Tirek is dead, and my family here is well taken care of." I nodded firmly. "She'd be sad she couldn't see the kids, or meet you, but she's a very responsible woman - something we share. A sense of duty and responsibility." I chewed the jerky. "She wouldn't tolerate me leaving here if I left things unfinished." I shook my head. "Heck, she might stop loving me over something like that."
Applejack: "Huh.." She sounded a little surprised. "..s'y'don't think she'd mind if'n I was married t'you?"
K: "Nah. She's not like that. She'd understand. You have a lot of her aspects in you.. she'd know I couldn't be alone. And seeing you? Heh.. when we watched the show, she even told me, if I ended up with anyone else BUT you, she'd be a bit insulted. Well, you or Dash." I gestured. "But, Dash, here, seems to prefer Gilda. Not that I mind." I smirked.
Applejack: "Why Dash?" She tiled her head.
K: "Dash represents a lot of what my wife would have wanted to be like, if her health wasn't an issue. Daring, sporty, taking physical risks, being awesome and confident." I nodded with a wistful smile.
Applejack: "Makes sense." She got a thoughtful look on her face.
K: "Any reason you brought this up, now?" I wasn't concerned, just..
Applejack: "Been on my mind a good while." She slowly shook her head. "Jes.. things seem t'keep gettin' in th' way."
K: "And you thought you ought to bring this up and know, versus not know, and me possibly die, later." I nodded slowly. "You wanted honesty."
Applejack: "Ha!" She grinned! "I s'pose I did."
K: "It's fine, my love." I smiled, and finished lunch. "I expect nothing less." I gave her a wiggly eyebrow.
Applejack: "..I'd say 'ya cain't seriously be horny right now' but, I knows yew too well." She slithered over and.. "..s'pose wanderin'round aimlessly's a bad idea.." She started breathing heavy. "..specially since Superb knows our twenty.." She started kissing me. "..better wait fer th' cavalry.." And unzipping...
[End of Part 4]
Part 5: Mirage II
TIME: 17:22 ERDT
DATE: War Day 617/13 Lunarius, 1003 C.S.
LOCATION: 4.5km from Canterback, Arooster County, Maine
Despite the cold, we did Danger Sex. Yes, we did, and we enjoyed it. The thrill. The rush of doing something so intimate while being so at risk of both accidental discovery and possible danger.
Yes, it's rather cold. It IS late fall. No snow, but there had been a freeze in the last few days, and the current temperature when we started was about 7 degrees C/44.6 F. Now? It was probably 4.5 C/40.1 F.
Applejack: "As much fun as that was, should we git ready t'be here th' night?" She was back to looking around for danger.
K: "No. We need to make for Canterback." I nodded and got up, our gear already reassembled. "I can't imagine what's delaying a rescue party, but after four-ish hours, I can only guess something went wrong there, too." I shrugged. "Our only options now are to find the source of the Mirage Effect and try to destroy it."
Applejack: "Wha'rever you go, honeybun, ah'm right thar." She gave me a grin, and we departed for town.
Walking in the open field with little concealment worried me. I was a damn big target. The drab color of the dead grass complimented my dear wife's coat nicely, and she sorta blended in a bit. We could see the town, of course, it was a large object. The problem was, besides the brushes and shrubbery, we couldn't see other living creatures.
We estimated that our visual range was about 100 meters or so. Which was fine - my Bradley had a range of 400, and I was a much better shot than I was two years ago. Applejack's Chaffee, with slugs, could reach about 70 meters effectively. My C-1 Hi Power had an effective range of 50 meters, and her Mastersons about 60.
At least we had proper clothing. She was wearing our first edition of a proper Winter Uniform - a light colored camouflage pattern, with a pair of thick trousers, standard button-down shirt, sweater over it, and a shrunk-down M43 pattern tunic coat as a windbreaker layer, that was water resistant, as were the pants. I was wearing something that looked a lot like a lighter colored version of the standard M65 OG-107's, with a British-pattern sweater under an M41-style tanker's windbreaker.
I don't think I made a point of this, but Applejack lost her father's cowpony hat on Mount Frost. She's been wearing a beret most of the time, the same as the rest of the girls. Right now, she was wearing our variation of a "Radar Hat" (U.S. M-1941 Jeep Cap) - it had little flaps for horse ears to slip into, and as they could flex their ears like an appendage, they could slide them in and out of the flaps like a human can a finger, into a glove.
It took us the better part of two hours to carefully traverse the 4.5km to town. Before I arrived here almost four years ago, I could cover the same distance in about an hour or so at a brisk walking pace on pavement. Not so, here - we had to watch our sides and rear for movement, and listen for sound.
Finally, we got to the edge of the town itself, and we could clearly see there'd been a major firefight, here.
Applejack: "Oh, hon.. this -don't- look good.." She moved over and picked up a discarded Lee magazine. "Ah think this's Wide Lens' - this ain't no copy, it's got the Appleloosa Arsenal stamp on it." She shook her head, looking at the scattered shell casings.
K: "Yeah.. I hope everyone's okay." I moved slowly to the first building I could find - some kind of clothing store or something. I noted the windows were shot out, a Gizmonk and two Raptorian corpses were inside, and there was evidence someone had come through here. "Come on, in here." I covered her.
Applejack nodded, and mounted the windowsill, rolling slighlty, and covering the room for me.
I checked our sides and rear, then moved in after her. There were more shell casings on the floor - all 7mm NEIGHTO. And one discarded FA MASE rifle magazine, empty.
K: "Sacquet was here." I nodded. "Cover me."
Applejack just nodded to me, and I moved behind the counter. The linen cutting tools and accessories were scattered everywhere - a bloodied pair of scissors told me someone went hoof-to-hoof, here. Whoever had the scissors, won, given the spray of blood hitting the wall. I didn't see a body.
K: "God, Splash is never going to talk to me again, if something happened to Lens.." I shook my head. Most of his family had died in the war.. "..over here, there's a lot of blood. Cold, almost dry, this happened several hours ago."
Applejack: "C'n ya tell who's?" She moved to cover the window, and slid back to me.
K: "No. It's red, though. Mammalian. Ympha blood is a different color than this, Duregar is almost black, and Goblin blood is much lighter." I shrugged. "Gizmonk, maybe."
I pointed to the door leading to the back of the store, and moved towards it, transitioning to my pistol. Short as the Bradley was, it was a bit long for tight quarters and my human frame. I got into a two-handed stance, and slid right up to the door. I gently opened it, and peeked inside. No movement, no sound. I advanced inwards.
In here, the back window was busted out, several FA MASE magazines were on the floor, along with an expended AA.2 belt, and several grenade shells. Some of Sacquet's Legionnaires had fought hard, here. I peeked out the back window, and saw multiple corpses of enemy races.
K: "The Prench were here.. looks like they gave better than they got." I picked up one discarded IFAK. "Someone got hurt, but I don't see much blood. I don't think it was serious." I shrugged.
Applejack came in behind me, and covered the interior door.
Applejack: "This's damn creepy. Lahk the basement'a the castle.." She shook her head. "Now what?"
K: "I'm going to try the radio." I shrugged. I set it down on the floor, just in case, and got to as concealed a position as I could from the back window. C> "Alpha Actual to all callsigns. Anyone that can read this, come back." I waited. "Mmm.. nothing. I have no idea how far radio broadcasts can even be heard - they might've discarded the radios once they realized they weren't working."
Applejack: "S'what'd'we do?" She peeked into the back yard, and grinned a tad at the results the Prench got against our enemies. "It's gett'n dark."
K: "Yeah. Let's head upstairs and barricade the stairwell. We'll keep an eye out, but we'll try moving again in the morning." I shook my head. "Best we can do. For all we know, the Mirage Spell gets worse at night. I wonder if I can contact Luna?" I shrugged a tad.
Applejack: "Best bet we got, ah'spose." She took the stairs first, slowly.
I moved up right behind her. The top of the stairs was a hallway, that clearly led to two bedrooms and some kind of parlor sort of deal. This was a shop where the shopkeepers lived above the store. The doors were open, and there was neither movement nor sound.
K: "I don't like -this,- either.. where are the civilians?" I shook my head. "I didn't see a basement.. might be an exterior cellar door, though." I moved in to the parlor. "Nice little place, though."
I examined the kitch.. typical stuff you'd expect to see in a town that'd been around for a few hundred years, and the families passing stuff from generation to generation.
Applejack moved in as well, and checked the windows.
Applejack: "Ah dun see any movement out there." She shrugged. "Ah dunno if'n that's a good thing're a bad thing.." She scowled.
K: "I have no idea." I shook my head slowly. "This thing has gone SO pear-shaped, SO fast.. it's no simple investigation and arrest, it's not a SWAT raid, and it's not a standard military operation. The Mirage Spell makes this.. totally different." I sighed. "I can only hope reinforcements get here. Like.. actually get here, and find us." I gestured. "Oh, remember Friskie?"
Applejack: "Yeah.. she were a cute lil' bugger.." She smirked.
K: "I met her mom - she's a sergeant in the Aero Marines." I nodded.
Applejack: "Aw! That's awesome, honeybun." She beamed.
K: "We'll sleep on this couch, here. No sense ruining someone's sheets if we don't have to. Shifts, I suppose. Let's move these big wardobes in front of the door." I nodded.
We did just that, barricading the room as best we could. There was a small fireplace here - the kind that's not meant for heavy cooking, but there for heat and perhaps to make tea. We got some wood in it, and lit it up.
Applejack: "Ah'm guessin' y'all ain't worried about smoke." She tended the fire and heated up her canteen cup for some warm oats, and mine for tea.
K: "It's getting late. If Sacquet got here in the morning, and it's been a splintered firefight all day, everyone's going to be tired and taking shelter from the cold." I shrugged a bit. "Enemy and Ally alike. Some will probably light fires. No one is going to be eager to find out who's fires are who's until the sun's up. Gizmonks are a tropical species. Porcines probably don't do well in cold, either. The only ones that do, are the Canidans." I pointed gently towards the window. "And a fire? They'd investigate. So, if anything, it's a net positive, if they can see the smoke."
Applejack: "An' if'n they cain't, no harm, no foul." She sighed a bit, and handed me the first canteen cup.
I dressed it up with some dried fruit and things, along with a packet of dried cream.
K: "This is also why I insist we have food with us everywhere we go." I nodded a bit. "Especially in Winter. You can't forage in winter."
Applejack: "Hm! Good point, honeybun." She grabbed the second cup, and got comfortable with me.
We.. well, we acted like a married couple having a vacation (with heavy artilley). We spoonfed each other, and got all crazy romantic, but we'd expended our lust, so, there wasn't anything more than smooches and cuddles.
Applejack: "Heh.. ah wuz jes' thinking.. this's 'bout the most romatic date we'd ever had." She shook her head. "Y'think this's got somethin' ta do with that spell'a carefree you keep bringin' up?"
K: "It might. I really have no idea." I shrugged, cuddling her. "I'm going to try to sleep and contact Luna. At least let her know we're okay."
Applejack: "Hm.." She smirked a bit. "I'll take watch, honeybun, but if'n y'all get excited in y'all's sleep, ah'm takin' a'vantage of it."
K: "Ooo.. deal!" I beamed, and got as comfortable as I could.
Sleeeeeepp....
{End of Chapter 66}
