My Little Pony: Soldier's Side
Chapter 4: Light in the Dark
An SdKfz 250 half-track was moving along the trail with a squad of soldiers to the western border. As tempting as hitching a ride was, it was a risk. Half-tracks are a favorite target for ponies carrying bazookas. There are two rules that soldiers following during times of war: 'stay on your talons and paws' and 'only fly when necessary'
Gabby and Ghislaine had one objective, get to Gilda and Greta and plan out attacks on key points and oust the ponies from the Griffon Kingdom. Some would label the task as insane or impossible. Gabby surveyed the surrounding area. Something did not sit well with her, then she saw it off in the distance, 'Oh no...a trap' she thought.
"Guys! You gotta get out of there, there's a gun up ahead!" Gabby yelled,
"Where's the gun? I don't see anything," replied the driver,
"Do you not have eyes in your sockets?! There's a gun up a-!" Ghislaine was soon interrupted when a shell from a M5 antitank gun instantly ripped through the half-track, and killed every griffon soldier inside. Gabby and Ghislaine ducked as shrapnel from the explosion flew in all directions, and a huge fireball was shot into the air.
Ghislaine and Gabby fought back by the rifle and pistol. A shell was fired in their direction, but they moved out of the way just in time. Ghislaine and Gabby pulled out two stick grenades, and flung them in the direction of the gun. Within mere seconds, the gun position was silent with the bodies of the gun crew slumped over the rocks.
Gabby went up to see if it was clear, "We got a live one!" called out Gabby,
"No! Stay back!" blasted the soldier, clutching her MP40 with shaking talons,
"No, no, don't worry, we're griffons, we're friends," said Gabby, holding her talons up to signal the griffon to calm down,
The griffon was as big as Gabby with light blue-grey fur, plus plumage and hair styled in pigtails under her helmet in a darker shade of blue-grey. She also wore glasses. She was covered in the blood, and bits of burnt flesh from her fallen comrades. Ghislaine is a princess, but on the field she is a soldier, "What is your name?" she asked,
"Gretchen," she replied, and followed them along the trail since they were both heading to the western front to reinforce the border. Ghislaine checked her for any wounds. After a few hours on the march, they stopped for a rest. Using boiled snow and a rag, Ghislaine cleaned up Gretchen, "Thank you, thank you for saving me," she said,
"I wish we could have saved your comrades, had they listened," said the princess, wringing out bloody water.
"Where did you two come from?" asked Gretchen whom was now clean and being dried off,
"We were stationed at the main border in the south, until it was overrun," said Gabby, warming herself by a fire. Gretchen adjusted her glasses and slung her MP40 behind her back, "we're heading west now, here's hoping Gilda and Greta are still holding the line out there," Gretchen put back on her M42 helmet, and adjusted the chin strap.
Gretchen nodded lightly, "The queen gave orders to send in reserves to the western border," said Gretchen, "it seems she will be getting less than she hoped for," she managed to squeak out a small joke, the trio was now on the move on the old mountain forest trails into the major cities which were used my griffon merchants for centuries.
"I see," Ghislaine replied, pulling down special flaps on her M34 crusher cap to keep her ears warm,
"Stay with us, and we'll be fine," reassured Gabby, patting Gretchen on the top of the helmet.
Gretchen recognized the princess by her grey eyes, and snow leopard rosettes, "Is something wrong?" Ghislaine asked,
Gretchen shook her head lightly 'no'. Meanwhile on the Western Borderlands, GW Panthers were holding back the Equestrian armored divisions and infantry. Shells exploded all around, and bombs rained down from the sky. Still, the griffons held their ground. Gilda and Greta were commanders inside two of the royal self-propelled guns.
Equestrian infantry were moving alongside the tanks, providing rifle and machine gun support. From 600 yards, a 15cm shell was fired from a gun. Gilda and Greta looked through the binoculars while in the gun turret. The shell was aimed at a machine gun foxhole with a Browning .50 caliber M2 that was causing problems for the infantry.
The gunner was vaporized, and the front half of the loader went flying through the air, "The queen sends her regards!" cheered Greta,
"Come get your iron rations!" Gilda taunted, and her crew fired off another shell, and took out four pony soldiers,
The griffons moved forward under the curtain of shells from the GW Panthers, 'Kampfpanzer Jaguar' medium tanks, and the Jagdpanzer E-60 12.8cm tank destroyers. The fields were littered with bodies, shell holes, and the burning wrecks of Equestrian tanks. The griffons raised their weapons to the sky as the ponies were sent into a tactical retreat.
Yet there was another side to the retreat. The Equestrian Army have 'Cleansing Regiments'. These were the most feared ponies in the Equestrian Army. These soldiers are the extermination units. When the regulars retreat, and see to it that the griffons have no home to return to. They serve as the sword that is the will of Princess Celestia.
Villagers were gathered in the middle of the village as it burned, "What should we do with the survivors?" asked a pony soldier,
"Please have mercy," begged an old griffon, the villagers were frightened,
The griffon soldiers stationed were massacred by the 'Cleansing Regiments', "There are no survivors," said the commander, and all the villagers were shot,