My Little Pony: Storm of Steel
Chapter 2: The Blood of Heroes
The first order of the King and Queen was to send troops to Northern Aquila to combat the invasion. Armored divisions were sent in to resist the Equestrian armies in the gaps of the 'Vallo Alpino'. Meanwhile, a small squad of soldier-griffs, one of many sent to the frontlines, was tasked with the protection of a small mountain village called Vista Della Luna
"I wonder what's waiting for us in the village?" asked Mercuzio, a young soldier-griff
"Ossobuco and polenta," teased another soldier-griff, a mare named Regina
The soldier-griffs got a laugh out of that until the officer said enough was enough "Keep your guard up, we're going in," he order to his troops as the soldiers came up to a creek near the village. Mercuzio had his FNAB-43 submachine gun ready. He is a peregrine falcon and grey stallion hippogriff. Regina is a white-tailed eagle and light brown mare
"Will there be any tanks or any support for us, sir?" he asked his captain named Enrico
He shook his head lightly, "No, it will be just us," he replied with a ready Bernadelli UB
It did not take long for the war to find them. As they were crossing the creek, a mortar team and a machine gun crew with a couple rifle-ponies fired upon them. Mercuzio was shot twice in the chest, and fell back into the waters of the creek. A mortar round screamed through the air and landed in the water to kill two other soldier-griffs in the handful.
"Mercuzio!" Regina yelled, and saw his body in the flowing waters with eyes open and a small line of blood coming from his slightly agape beak. Her taloned paw was bloodied by the bullet holes in his chest. Another rifle-griff was trying to move forward amid the crossfire, and she was shot in the head and fell back into the creek. Enrico began the counter
Enrico took cover by a boulder, and used his pistol to kill a rifle-pony "Regina!"
Regina shot and killed one of the soldier-ponies in the mortar team "Go! Go! Go!"
She leaped away to evade a mortar, and cocked the bolt on her Carcano. She found her shot, and took it with a headshot to the machine gunner. With a quick and smooth working of the action, she aimed and hit a second pony-soldier trying to get back on the M1945 Johnson Machine Gun from the mortar team to hit her with a bullseye on the chest
Enrico covered his head as a mortar round struck near the front of the boulder, and fired back with his pistol to kill the second rifle-pony. The golden eagle and brown stallion with a black tail moved forward to pick up Mercuzio's submachine gun, and get across the creek and leap down into a prone position with Regina following and doing the same thing
The explosions were getting heavier from artillery shells, "On my command!"
One of the issues with the Royal Army of Aquila is that officers stood out from the regular soldiers they command. Officers wear a blue-grey uniform and their visored peaked caps had a white flaming grenade facing front and center on their caps. It is the same thing with the Royal Army of the Griffon Kingdom as it made them prime targets for snipers
Regina shot and killed the radio-pony. She slung her rifle for a grenade, "Now!"
Using a gift from their Chefalien Hippogriff allies, Regina primed an F1 grenade and lobbed it at the machine gun position, "Grenade!" said a stallion in a panic, but it was too late as it exploded. There was a palpable silence. Regina unsheathed. and fixed a bayonet to the end of her rifle. Captain Enrico gestured with a taloned paw for her to move in
They moved up the grassy incline to the machine gun and mortar position that they just silenced, and there was a wounded stallion. He looked as young as Regina. He stared down the barrel of an M41 Carcano with an M91 bayonet. A trickle of blood from the side of his muzzle. He smiled at her weakly "Amico?" he says holding out a weak hoof to her.
Regina paused, and finished him with a stab in the middle of the forehead, "Well done,"
The captain could hear the shells off in the distance, "We have to keep moving,"
"Yes sir," said Regina, looking back at the waters of the creek reddened by blood. Her chance to make a friend in Mercuzio was gone in a flash, and two bullets to his chest. Others had their eyes staring up at the sun, or were facedown in the creek while a vaira floated downstream only to be stopped by a rock. An artillery shell brought back her focus
With her rifle in her taloned paw, she quickly caught up to her officer and laid prone with a light 'thud' next to him as an artillery shell from an Equestrian 155mm howitzer hit where she was just moments ago. Captain Enrico looked over at a dusty road, and the ruins of a stone wall, "Alright, we make for the wall, and we get to the village by nightfall"
"Yes sir, understood sir" she said, clutching her rifle in her taloned paws greased in sweat
"You can do this, we can do this," said Enrico with a gentle paw on Regina's shoulder
An artillery shell landed in the middle of the road. That was their moment, "Let's go! Move!" belted Enrico, she and the officer moved across the trail with a second shell nearly missing the two of them as they made it to the ruined stone wall. The barrel of her rifle rested on her shoulder as sat and Captain Enrico sat with their backs against the wall