Rebels in Equestria 1 - Redux

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAH7f8EIK8Y

> The winter night is pitch black and brutally cold.
> Snow gently falls down onto the cityscape below.
> The air is filled with the sounds of war.
> Explosions and gun fire echo throughout the empty city.

> You find yourself in the cargo trailer of an old U-Haul van. The can speeds down an abandoned highway towards Downtown Tarvo City. Your home town, and the epicenter of the fighting.
> You and a dozen other men are packed inside like sardines.
> You glance around, catching a glimpse of the other men.
> Each one of them carries a look of desperation, and determination.
> Such expressions have been forged after several months of brutal fighting.


> Eleven months.
> You’ve been fighting for eleven long and grueling months.
> It’s been eleven months since enemy forces invaded your country and besieged your land with war.
> For eleven long and brutal months the Estovakians have been occupying your country. They’ve been leeching off your land like parasites, taking everything they could find.
> To you, and everyone around you, it feels longer.
> More like an eternity.
> It’s becoming more and more difficult to remember how life was before the war.

> Those bastards… They stole everything from you.
> Your home.
> Your family.
> Your friends.
> You’re even starting to forget the sounds of their voices.
> They. Took. Everything.
> Your entire life, ripped right out of your grasp
> But all that would change tonight.

> As the van nears its destination, the sounds of war grow louder and louder.
> You stare out the window, gazing upon the aftermath of the fighting.
> What was once was a busy shopping district, now lay in ruin.
> Entire buildings and structures are completely leveled.
> The streets are littered with craters from explosions.
> Bodies of the dead scatter the street, the snow creating a thick blanket over them.

> All of you are ready for what hard ships lay ahead.
> Each one of you is armed to the teeth.
> Looking around the van, you can spot various types of guns and weapons.
> Many of the weapons you carried were scavenged of off the corpses of fallen soldiers, making you all a force to be reckoned with.
> You look down.
> A Semi-Automatic hunting rifle sits on your lap. It’s been retrofitted with a make shift suppressor and affixed with a bayonet.
> The bag on your back is packed with all sorts of supplies and equipment. You don’t know how long this night might stretch out for, so you’ve prepared for anything.
> You are also carrying a small satchel that it packed to the brim with Molotov Cocktails and C4 explosives.
> This may seem like an impressive armament, but in reality, it’s not.

> Your enemy, the Estovakians, leads a multi-billion dollar military war machine.
> For months, they have been asserting complete naval, aerial and ground dominance over your country.
> They have a near infinite supply of tanks, jets and soldiers, all of them trained killers.
> On the other hand, you were armed with a few rifles and some molotovs.
> The odds were definitely against you.

> You look around the van one more time.
> These hardened men sit before you.
> All of you have come to accept the dangers that come with the title.
> You all carried many names.
> To the Emmerian People, your fellow citizens, you were known as the Rebel Fighters, the Resistance Movement, and above all the Freedom Fighters.
> To your enemy, you were nothing more than infidels or terrorists.

> Among you sit former Doctors, Students, and Police Officers. Like you, their lives have been shattered by the war.
> Men and women who could not just idly sit by and watch.
> Normal men and women who took up arms against their oppressors and liberate their people.

> Stubborn misfits.
> Rag tag ne'er-do-wells
> Sore losers who couldn't accept defeat.
> These are the people who made up the resistance.
> Their goals were unrealistic.
> Their supplies were pathetic.
> But their resolve was absolute.
> In short, they were heroes.

> Your hands are trembling.
> A cold shiver travels down your spine.
> You did well at maintaining a relatively firm composure. Not showing a hint of emotion or weakness. But deep down inside, you were terrified.
> This would be the first time you’d be involved in an operation of this scale.

> “Hey, Anon. How you holding up?”
> The voice belongs to your buddy Mac. His gruff voice was like music to your ears.
“I-I’m doing alright.”
> He hands you a flask of alcohol, which you down as fast as you can.
> The alcohol burns your throat as it passes.
> Mac gives you a pat on the back.

> He pulls out a small wooden box from his bag.
> It contains a plethora of fine hand rolled cigars.
> “I’ve been saving these puppies for long time, and I’ll be damned if I die before having one of these.”
> He hands them out to everyone
> “I hand rolled them myself, just for you ladies.”
> You light yours, savoring the unique taste.

> You weren’t much of a smoker or drinker, but you found them to be excellent escapes from the fires of war.
> You all crack a few jokes in an attempt to ease the tension.
> You can feel yourself at ease.
> In the back of your mind you start to question the contents of Mac’s hand rolled cigars.
> That bastard always has a tendency to pull stupid stunts.
> You juggle the thought for a bit before dismissing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3yf11ir4so

> Right now, you’re deep in the city.
> Driving down various side streets, avoiding the main roads as much as possible.
> Off in the distance, you can make out a platoon of Estovakian soldiers.

> You’ve reached your destination.
> The driver pulls into a dark alleyway before killing the engine.
> “Alright listen up! Tonight our military is launching ‘Operation: Free Gracemeria’. They’ve finally amassed a force big enough to try and drive these bastards out of our country. They’re giving them hell right now! And we have an obligation to help in any way we can!”
> His voice is booming and full of charisma.
> “The Stovie’s have been using a bridge just a few miles north of here to transport all sorts of troops and supplies into our city. This city is a key stepping stone for the road for liberation; so it’s crucial that we maintain dominance over this city. Our military is dead locked in an intense firefight downtown; they’re giving them everything they got and we’re still getting our asses handed to us!”
> He points off in the distance where several explosions can be seen and heard
> “But that’s where you come in. We’re going to cut off their supply lines, effectively crippling them. You’re going to use the sewers to sneak under their lines of defense and get to that bridge. If all goes well you should meet up with the other cells just along the river banks. Just remember, the one and only objective of this mission is to take out that bridge. I don’t care how you get it done, just make sure it happens! Understand?!”
> You all nod in agreement.
> “Alright, this is as far as I can take you. You’ve gotta book it the rest of the way. Tune your radios to Channel 140.85. That’s our cell’s channel. I don’t wanna hear nothing about any complications, you hear? I’ll be waiting for you here in 20 hours, and I expect all to see all of you here in one piece when I get back. Understand?”
> You all silently agree.
> “Alright, I’m heading back. Take care of yourselves, and take care of each other. May the golden king smile upon us.”

> You disembark from the van, unloading what little equipment you can carry.
> The driver gives off one last salute before speeding back down the road.
> Your first issue is to check all your weapons and gear.
> You check your rifle, making sure it’s functioning properly and fully loaded. You remove the sheath on the bayonet, revealing the sharp blade.
> Grabbing some empty beer bottles from your bag, you get to work on making Molotov Cocktails.
> You make a about a dozen and re-distribute them among the group.
> You double check your work one last time, before readying up.

> “We ready to go?” Mac asks.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
> “Good. Let’s head out. We’ve got a lot of ground between us and the bridge.”

> You start your trek north.
> The group moves as silently as possible. Only speaking when it as absolutely necessary.
> As you travel the broken city streets, you come face to face with the horrors of war.
> As a testament to the fighting that took place here, corpses litter the street.
> The bodies of women, children and elderly are piled up on top of each other.
> Any able bodied men that did not escape the initial raids were rounded up and sent to labor camps.
> You recall the first few nights of the Estovakian’s invasion.
> Raids were held on a daily basis.
> Innocent People were killed in the streets.
> Families were separated.
> All hell broke loose.
> To see the aftermath in such a verdant state…
> It’s truly a disturbing sight.
> Even right now, the city is still heavily occupied by Estovakians.
> Throughout the city there are several military checkpoints. Each one houses a small squadron of enemies ready to fight.
> But by remaining in the shadows of side streets and alley ways, you are able to avoid enemy detection.

> The two militaries are locked in combat just a few blocks over.
> You can hear tanks and vehicles scurrying around you.
> On the main roads, you watch as Estovakian troops are ushered into battle.

> The fact that at any moment, your position could be revealed?
> It’s unnerving.
> You aren’t cut out for these stealth types of missions.
> Your ears are ravaged by the sounds of jet fighters fighting for aerial dominance.
> You walk for what feels like miles before stopping.

> “Alright.” Mac whispers. “This is it.”
> He brushes the thick layer of snow off the ground, revealing a sewer man hole.
> “This is our ticket in. Hey, Anon!”
“Yeah?”
> “Use your wrench, get that shit open.”
> You do as you’re told in a matter of seconds.
> When you remove the cover, a pungent odor fills your senses. It’s absolutely repulsive, giving you nausea
“Ughh…What the fuck man.”
> “You’re just gonna have to deal with it.”

> The group enters the sewer.
> One by one they descend into the labyrinth below.
> You are the last to descend, covering the man hole after you.

--

> Mac pulls out an old map from his pocket.
> He uses a zippo lighter to provide light.
> “This here’s a map of the sewers. We nabbed it from last month’s raid on city hall.”

> He pauses for a moment.
> “We lost a lot of good men trying to get this piece of paper...Let’s make it count. Come on, this way!”
> He leads the group down the sewer
> The deeper and deeper you progress, the more and more it seems like a labyrinth.
> You take point, a flash light affixed to your rifle provides ample light.

> You were about to turn a corner when someone pulls you back, causing you to trip and fall face first into the sewer water.
“Wh-”  Before you have a chance to say anything, a Freedom Fighter muzzles your mouth
> “Shut up! Shut up! Listen!” he exclaims.

> Focusing your hearing can barely hear two voices in the distance.
> Slowly but surely, they approach.
> Eventually you are able to distinguish two different voices.
> Both of them speaking in Estovakian, a language you cannot understand.

“Shit!” you whisper. “Nobody said there were patrols down here!”
> “Nobody said there weren’t any either.”
> “It sounds there are only 2 guys. We can take em!”
> “Don’t waste your ammo!”
> “Shh! They’re headed this way!”
> “Shut up! Shut up! I can see them!”
> “What the fuck are you doing in the open? Hide!”
> You all take positions, finding hiding spots within the sewer’s tunnels.
> You hide behind a barrel on the walkway

> The two patrol men come into view.
> They’re too distracted with their conversation to even notice you.

> When they are in within reach, you grab one of the patrolmen, catching him completely by surprise.
> All the meanwhile, the other resistance fighters grab the other.

> You hold the patrol man in a choke hold, while the others bludgeon him.
> Many of them are using the butts of their rifles.
> One freedom fighter uses a lead pipe he found on the ground.

> You watch as the other patrol man suffers a similar fate

> The man is desperately trying to break free of your choke hold.
> You let go of the man, dropping him to the floor.
> The other’s begin to curb stomp him.
> Then you un-sling your rifle and smash his face with the butt of your rifle.
> Then, you flip it around and proceed to stab him repeatedly with the bayonet.
> You can feel the blade break and penetrate his rib cage.
> Soon enough, he is little more than a bloody mess of flesh and bone. Hardly recognizable anymore.

“Dibs.”
> You crouch down to the body.
> You take as much as you can from it.
> Clothes, money, weapons, shoes, and any valuables.
> Everything.
> You stuff everything in your bag.
> You almost feel over encumbered and unable to run!
> When you’re finished collecting your loot, he is left with little more than his underwear

> Finally, you collect the dog tags from both of the fallen soldiers.
> Examining the dog tags, you realize both of the patrolmen were no older than 18.
> You care little of it, and instead stuff the dog tags into your pocket.
> You like to collect the dog tags of enemies you’ve helped eliminate.
> Almost as if it were a trophy collection.

> “You done?” Mac asks.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”

> You brush yourself off and fall back into formation.


> You traveled the labirynth for hours.
> By now, the thick stench of raw sewage has been forever burned into your nose.
> You’ve thrown up at least three time because of it.
> Luckily, you’ve yet to come across any more bad guys.

> But you grew exhausted.
> Almost losing hope on every finding an exit.
> But there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
> At the end of the sewer stood a storm drain dumped into the local river basin
> It would lead you right to the bridge

> “Here! Over here!”
> “There it is! The exit!”
> “Where are the other resistance cells?”
> “They’re on the other side of the gate! Right?”
> “Fuck! It’s welded shut! I can’t get it open!”
> “Use C4!”
> “Anon! Get over here!”

> You run over to the gate.
“I’m on it!”
> You pull out your satchel and begin the planting process.
> Before the war, you were a student at the local University.
> You studied engineering and were one of the higher ranking students.
> Every now and then you even managed to place on the dean’s list.
> It’s only natural that they would place you in charge of explosives.
> Anyone else would probably blow themselves up in the process.

> Following orders you place a small C4 charge on the welded gate.
> You usher the others to a safe enough distance.
> You grab the detonator and prepare for detonation.
“Ready?!” You yell to the rebels.
> The Rebels give you the thumbs up.
> You cover your ears.
“Detonation in Three!….Two!….One!….”
> The explosion knocks the gate clean off its hinges.
> The shock wave nearly topples you over.
> But you’re quick to recover.
> You grab your rifle and quickly dash out the exit.
> The resistance is following close behind.

> Jumping out the sewer drain throws you into the canal basin.
> The water is only knee deep, but it is near freezing.
> Quickly you wade to the near concrete shoreline.

> You stop for a second and notice it has stopped snowing.
> The sky has cleared.
> Looking up, you see the pitch black sky.
> It is littered with hundreds of glimmering stars.
> All while the full moon hangs proudly overhead.

> The city’s main power grid have all been shut down. What little electricity that runs throughout the city is heavily restricted by the Estovakians.
> You take note that the bridge is one of the few areas that still has power.
> Should you try to approach the bridge, the street light’s would surely give your position away.
> Thus your highest priority would be knocking out the power lines to the bridge.

> You look up to the huge suspension bridge. It’s one of the largest bridges in the city.
> At one point, thousands of commuters would cross this very bridge every day.
> It stands as a monument to your people and it’s way of life.
> Now?
> It must be demolished.

> “Anon! Let’s fucking go! We’re leaving!”
> You take one last good look at the bridge.
> One last good look at the night sky.
> You grab your things and follow the others.
> Venturing off into the darkness once more.