Sgt. Reckless

>"PRIVATE! Another *hiccup* bucket of beer, if you would!"
>God damn it.
>Being stuck with looking after Sgt. Reckless duty was the worst, but to be fair you weren't good at much else
>You dutifully dump the contents of another beer bottle into her bucket with a sigh
>"What's wrong, Private?"
"D-don't you think you're drinking a bit too much, Sergeant?" you ask hesitantly, sitting down next to her
>"Of course *hiccup* not, Private! Can't a mare just enjoy herself?"
"Well, are you sure the Warrant Officer is alright with this?"
>"Y-yeah, *hiccup,* why wouldn't he?"
"Maybe because you're supposed to be doing other things besides getting drunk?"
>"You're asking to many questions, Private! *hiccup,* Why don't you brush my mane again instead?"
>You roll your eyes.
>Of course.
>"Don't make me hit you with a *hiccup* subordination charge, Private!" she says jokingly, noticing your bored demeaner
>How did you end up in an Army tent serving beer to a horse who's a higher rank than you in the middle of the Korean War?
>Life could be very strange sometimes..
>When you first joined the Marine Corps, you figured you'd be blasting gooks away with a BAR M1918, not waiting on some pony
>Sgt. Reckless was always nice and sweet to everyone, except you of course
>She always seemed kinda mean to you, but being a Marine you didn't really let it get to ya
>But maybe you should do something about this
>You'd really rather be fighting with the doughboys on the front lines
>But what were you supposed to do?
>You look down once more at the drunk pony lying on her side next to you
>She had eaten your blankets, drank all your beer, and one time even ate your poker chips
>But could you really bring yourself to rat out your Sarge?
>"W-what're you *hic* looking at, Private?" she says drunkenly. "See something you like?"
>Yeah, you definitely could.

>Warrant Officer Peter McCain's tent was a bit more lavish than yours and Reckless's, but Peter always stood by the fact that he was just as much a soldier as anybody else
>He was busy writing a field report when you walked in, his M1 Carbine leaning on his desk
>Once you had made sure Reckless had passed out drunk, you quickly walked to pay the Warrant Officer a visit
>He looks up at you and gives you a nod of acknowledgement
>"Hey there, Private. Shouldn't you be watching Reckless or something?"
"Well, that's just what I wanted to talk about."
>Peter raises an eyebrow questioningly
"All she does is get drunk, sir. Couldn't I be more useful working somewhere else?"
>"She's.. getting drunk?"
"All the time, sir, and I'm just stuck being her personal bartender."
>WO Peter brings a palm to his forehead
>"God damn it, I thought I told her to stop that. She's a good horse, Private, but I can't just have her continuously getting wasted like that. We're in a war for Christ's sake, and she needs to make supply runs."
>"Private, I'm gonna need you to accompany her on her next run. I can't have her getting drunk and losing supplies, the Recoilless Rifle Platoon needs them."
"W-wait, surely someone else can handle tha-"
>"Sorry Private, but you're her handler. It's your job."
>On the tip of your tongue is a sarcastic comment about how you'll "handle" her alright, but then you remember that you're talking to a superior.
"I.."
>You sigh
"Yes, sir!" you say, standing at attention
>"Get to it then, soldier. Her next run is in a few hours.
>Great.

"Hey."
>...
"Hey!"
>"Mmmhmmm.." Reckless replies sleepily
"Sober up, jackass, you need to go on a supply run soon."
>Reckless seems fully awake now, staring you down
>"W-what'd you just say to me, Private!? I'll hoof you-"
>You chuckle
"I knew that'd get you awake."
>Her face scrunches up angrily while she adjusts her M1 helmet
>"You're lucky I'm so laid back, Private. Now, what were you saying about a supply run?"
"Warrant Officer McCain told me that the Recoilless Rifle Platoon up north needs some shit, and it's our job to bring it to them."
>"Oh, that's easy- w-wait, *our* job?"
"Yeah, since you're getting drunk so much the Warrant Officer wants me to tag along and give you some *extra* supervision." you say smugly
>If you couldn't get out of this, at least you could make it fun for yourself
>"W-why, that pig! I can handle the supply runs on my own!"
"Apparently not." you observe
>Her eyes narrow
>She looks furious.
>"F-fine!" she spits. "But you better keep quiet, Private!" she says while grabbing her pack
>"I don't wanna hear a word from you!"

"So, having fun carrying all that shit?"
>After visiting the supply camp and loading Reckless's packs, you were on your merry way north towards the Recoilless Rifle Platoon to resupply them
>"I dunno, Private. Are you having fun walking all this way?" she shoots back
>Since Reckless was too small and overloaded to effectively ride, you were stuck walking alongside her with a pack of your own and your M1 rifle slung over your shoulder
>And you had to admit, your feet were getting a little sore after all these miles.
>You tried to think of something to retort with, but really there wasn't much
>And so the two of you just continued walking in relative silence, the only noise being the birds of midday chirping
>It was crazy hearing that alongside the rustling of barbed wire in the wind, but war was war.
>And war never changes.
>After some time, you reach the Recoilless Rifle Platoon camp up on the frontlines uneventfully
>The group seems happy to see Reckless, and asks you how handling her is going (to which you smugly reply "it's going great!", much to Reckless's chagrin)
>You begin unloading the various munitions and food supplies from her pack, and soon enough everything is in it's place
>You and the RRP share a hearty farewell, and you lament that you can't stay on the front lines with them
>"Don't worry!" one of them chuckles. "I'd trade spots with ya anyday, Private!"
>They give you a bottle of Asahi beer to drink on the way back, and with a final goodbye you and Reckless start to return to base

"See?" you say as you walk along the trail. "Having me around isn't that bad."
>"Debatable." Reckless replies
"Oh, c'mon. You're so nice to everyone else, what's so hard about being nice to me?"
>"W-well, you're-"
>It's then that you hear a couple loud *BANG!*s coming from the treeline on your left, and you feel something tearing through your side and your leg
"Gahh!" you shout, spiraling to the ground
>A few other bullets whizz past you and Reckless, who is ducking, but none of them connect
>You quickly grab your carbine and fire a few rounds blindly into the trees
>Either you scared whoever was shooting at you, or you hit them, because after that the shooting ceased
>You're breathing heavily, debating whether to shoot at the treeline a few times more
>The Adrenaline in your system is beginning to wear off, and you can feel a blazingly intense pain in your side
>You put your hand where it hurts, and when you lift it it's covered in blood
"Shit!"

>You feel something nuzzling your rifle arm, and you look up to see Sergeant Reckless
>"Get up, Private! We need to go!" she says, angrily eyeing the treeline. "Now!"
>With great pain and effort you manage to stand up, but you weren't really too stable on your feet
>Reckless notices you falling behind her, and with a quick cry of "Damnit!" she rushed back to help you
>She puts herself under your left arm, and now that she's unloaded you can lean on her without it being too much
>The two of you begin to rush back to the Recoilless Rifle Platoon, but progress is admittedly kinda slow
>Nearby gunshots grow louder and louder as you approach, but you couldn't hope to make it back to base before..
>No, you didn't wanna think about that.
>"C'mon, Anon! C'mon!"
>You reach the clearing where the RRP camp is located, and have full view of the ensuing chaos
>North Korean troops were attacking from the Eastern forest, and the RRP, cought by surprise, were doing everything they could to defend
>Several of them hid behind the makeshift cover of crates and sandbags, firing back with their M1 Carbines and BAR M1918s
>The soldier who gave you a beer earlier lies dead on the ground, among a few others
>You flinch at the sound of an explosion, presumably from a recoilless rifle being fired at the North Korean marauders
>Debris washes over you and Reckless, and bullets whizz overhead
>In response you unholster your M1911 and take a few pot shots at the group of North Koreans, but you doubt you hit anyone.
>The RRP has noticed you and Reckless, and are trying their best to clear a path for you two
>Through some miracle you and Reckless make it into the camp unscathed, although you've lost a lot of blood
>"MEDIC!" she screams. "WE NEED A GOD DAMN MEDIC!"
>Another loud explosion can be heard, followed by a barrage of more gunfire
>A soldier directs her into the paramedic tent, where you're unceremoniously dumped onto a cot inside
>The edges of your sight are darkening, and your vision is getting increasingly tunnel-like
>A combat medic hurriedly switches between you and a multitude of other wounded patients
>"I-is he gonna be alright, Doc?" you can hear Reckless asking worriedly
>You notice the gunfire seems to have stopped now
>Wait, since when did Reckless care if you'd be alright?
>"I dunno Reckless, he just got here! I guess we'll have to wait and see. Why don't you have a seat?"
>And with that, you black out...

>Awake.
>You're awake!
>You throw open your eyelids, only to get an eyeful of Sergeant Reckless standing right over you
>She looks worried, but when you suddenly open up your eyes she screams in surprise and falls backwards onto the ground
>You want to laugh, but you feel too tired to even move.
>"A-Anon! You're awake! And not dead!"
>"Of course he's not dead, Reckless." Doc Mitchell chimes in. "But he did come close."
"W-what?" you mumble as you try to sit up in your cot. "I did?"
>"Eeyup." Doc says. "Unconscious, low body temperatures, pale and clammy skin, the works. But I wouldn't be a Doc if I didn't know how to deal with bloodloss."
>He motions to the IV line connected to your arm
>Oh, so that's what was hurting your forearm.
>You manage to sit up in your cot in a more comfortable position
>Doc Mitchell rummages through his satchel, and throws something onto your lap
>"Here." he says. "Usually this is more formal and there's a lot more fanfare, but I doubt you care."
>You pick the object up with one hand
>It's a Purple Heart, with George Washington on it
>You quickly pin it to your fatigues
>"D-don't scare me like that again, Private!" Reckless says sternly. "And that's an order!"
"Scared?" you manage to chuckle. "I thought you'd be happy if I died!"
>She looks away, somewhat embarrased
>"E-even if you can be an ass sometimes Private, y-you're still a fellow soldier!"
>Doc raises an eyebrow questioningly
>"Uhh, should I give you two some time by yourselves?"
"N-no!" both you and Reckless shout in unison.

"When can I be on my feet again, Doc?" you ask
>"Few days, I'd say. Fortunately the bullets were a clean entry and exit, and didn't hit any vital organs, so as long as you can handle the pain walking is gonna be you should be fine."
>You groan.
>How're you supposed to go on supply runs with a wounded leg?
"You think I could have some meds, Doc? For the way back?"
>"Well.." Doc pauses to think for a moment. "I could give you a little bit of Morphine. But use it in moderation, alright? Last thing you want is to be high on that stuff during a firefight, especially if you don't need to be."
>"For now though, rest. Reckless, do you think you can help me move a few things around camp?"
>She seems reluctant, but she obliges, following Doc and leaving you in the medical tent with the rest of the wounded soldiers
>Well, you think to yourself, it could be worse.
>Just be glad you still have all your limbs, right?
>You lay back down on your cot and try to make yourself comfortable
>These were gonna be a long few days..
>...

>After a few days of boringly sitting at the medical tent and resting, you felt like you were ready to go
>Although Reckless would come in to bring you food and talk for a while on the occasion, you were still bored as hell.
>It's almost lunchtime when Doc Mitchell and Reckless come in to check on you
"So Doc, whaddya think?"
>"I think it's up to you, Private." he says. "If you wanna head back already, go ahead. It might hurt, though. A lot."
"I'm a Marine, Doc." you groan while standing up with Reckless's help.
"I can handle this."
>"You sure?" Reckless pipes up.
"Yes." you say sternly
>"I hate to burden you on your way back, but could you give this to Warrant Officer McCain for me?"
>He hands you a letter. It looks formal.
>"It's a medical report for the battle." he adds
"Of course," you say
>"Oh, and here."
>He reaches into his doctor's satchel and hands you an M3A1 Grease Gun, along with some magazines
>You raise an eyebrow, but you accept the gift
>"Probably be easier to shoot this with one hand instead of your rifle, if you have to lean on Reckless."
"Thanks, Doc."
>After reapplying the bandages on your leg and side, you limp out of the Medical tent with Reckless at your side
>You feel her bumping your side, and you look down at her
>"You forgot this, Private." she says, her voice muffles by the M1 helmet in her mouth
"Oh!" you say as you take it from her. "Thanks, Sarge."
>With your helmet now on your head, you and Sarge make your way back to home base

>The walk back is rather calm so far
>As much as walking can hurt with your wounded leg, your limp doesnt slow you down that much.
>You were hoping you wouldn't need to use Doc's Grease Gun, but you had it loaded and were carrying it in one hand
>Just in case.
>Reckless trotted on a little bit ahead, keeping a watchful eye out
>Your Carbine is strapped to her pack saddle, along with some water and the morphine that Doc gave you
>You really didn't want to use it, but it never hurt having some just in case.
>Suddenly there's movement in the treeline, along with the sound of rustling bushes and leaves
>Reckless freezes, staring at the source of the noise
>You raise your Grease Gun towards the treeline, ready to let loose a string of bullets
>There's some more rustling and shaking among the bushes
>You and Reckless tense up, prepared for whatever's coming
>The rustling increases and become more furious, shaking the whole bush
>This is it..
>Suddenly, something pops right out
>Your finger is about to squeeze the trigger and fire a burst-
>Wait.
>It's just a Korean common pheasant.
>The funny-looking ring-necked landbird stares at you, then at Reckless
>You look over to Reckless yourself, and the moment your eyes meet all the built-up tension flows away
>The two of you fall over laughing, and the Pheasant just walks back into the woods squawking
>After a couple minutes you both stand up again, tears of laughter still in your eyes
>"Can't believe we got so worked up over a bird, Private." Reckless giggles
>War sure did have a funny way of making you paranoid.

"Hey Warrant Officer.."
>McCain stands up from his seat when he sees you walk in to his tent
>"Christ, Private, where have you been? I heard about the skirmish up north and I-"
>He shuts up when he notices the bandages wrapping around your side and leg along with the Purple Heart hastily pinned to your fatigues
>"Oh, no. Private, I'm sorry, I knew they were planning an attack but-"
>You raise a hand to show him that it's fine
"I joined up for a reason, Sir. I'm expecting to get shot."
>He sighs
>"Do you want a break, Private?" he asks. "You've earned it. I can have someone else look after Reckless while you relax-"
>Reckless's eyes widen
>She looks like she's about to say something
>You quickly shake your head
"No, sir. I'm her handler, remember? It's my job, sir."
"Also, sir, I have this report for you. From Doc Mitchell."
>You lay it on his desk
>The Warrant Officer smiles wearily at that
>"You're a good soldier, Private. I hope you know that."
"I try, sir." you say, standing at attention
>"At ease, Private. If you'll excuse me, I have some more reports to write.. Get some rest, Private. And Reckless, I know he's supposed to be watching you, but make sure he doesn't worsen his injuries, alright?"
>The two of you salute the officer before exiting his tent together
>He doesn't really seem happy about writing reports and pushing papers all day long, but can anyone blame him?

>By the time night falls over the camp, you're already asleep in your tent
>For once sleep came easy, despite having no blankets since Reckless ate them all.
>You assumed Sarge was asleep too in her corner of the tent
>Well, you did, until you're awakened by the cold and hear some rummaging by your bags
>The swishing of liquid can be heard, along with the sound of some things falling to the floor
>It's dark however, and you can't really see what's going on
>The only light is the dim illumination coming from the lantern by your bedroll
>It must be pretty late for it to be this dark. What was Reckless doing up?
>You quietly reach over to turn up the gas valve on the lanter, covering the whole inside of the tent with dim light
>Sergeant Reckless has her face buried in your bags, rummaging around
>Her head emerges, and she's holding a.. Morphine Syrette?
"S-sarge?" you whisper. "What the hell are you doing!?"
>She hops slightly in surprise, and turns to look at you
>"O-oh, hi Private, I was just uhh.."
>Her voice is muffled by the syrette still in her mouth
"Sarge! Drop that thing, Jesus!"
>"Look, Private!" Reckless hisses. Her tail swishes with frustration.
>"The last few days have been really stressful, and I-"
"I don't care! Drop that thing!"
>"I'm your Sergeant!"
"And I'm your handler!" you spit back.
"Jesus, Reckless." you say, lowering your tone. "Is there even a real reason to be using that?"
>She looks away
>"Well, n-no, but-"
"Then put it the fuck down! You're a Marine, you're better than this!"
>She spits the Syrette out, and lays down next to your pack with a sigh
>"No, I'm really not. I'm just the drunk pack horse, remember?"

"Yeah, well you're my drunk horse." you say. "And I'm not gonna let you use that shit without an actual reason."
>"Yeah? And what's stopping me, Private?"
"The Warrant Officer."
>She tenses, her eyes widening
>"You wouldn't!"
"I won't this time, but that doesn't mean I woudln't."
>Reckless relaxes a little bit
"But I can't just let this go, Sarge."
>"W-what do you mean?"
"You remember what Doc Mitchell said! I don't want you on this shit unless you really need to be."
>"S-so? What're you gonna do about it?"
>You pause to think for a moment
>You've definitely gotta do something to show her that getting wasted on morphine was an awful idea
"Well, since you thought literally eating all my blankets was a good idea, you're my new replacement blanket. At least until actual replacements show up."
>You can see Reckless blushing in the dim light
>"W-why, I should be flaming you for subordination right now!"
"And I should be reporting this to the Warrant Officer." you shoot back. "But we both know neither of us is gonna do either."
>Her face bunches up angrily, but she still walks up to you and curls up on top of you
>She's actually quite warm compared to just a blanket
>Now this was much better
"G'night, Sarge." you say somewhat smugly
>"Sh-shut up, Private.."

>When you awake, Sarge is still asleep on top of you
>She's curled up sleepily on your chest, her tail instinctively wrapped around you in a sort of hug
>That was probably the best you've slept since deployment
>Certainly something you could get used to.
>Who needs blankets when you can just cuddle with a horse?
>You just lay there for a moment, watching her breathe
>Wait a second
>Shit, what time is it?
>You can't really move to check your watch without waking Reckless
>Uh, should you do something?
>You tentatively poke Reckless in the side
"Psst, Sarge? I think we overslept.."
>You watch her for a little longer but she doesn't appear to be waking up
>You poke her once more, which seems to stir her a bit
>She stretches out lazily on your chest, her ears flicking, and she actually seems just as well rested as you
>That is, until she realizes what (or who) she's sleeping on
>Her eyes crack open widely in shock
>You're met with a strong hoofpunch to the face as she quickly hops off of you
>She's blushing profusely, and ohh boy does she look angry
"Ouch, jeez! Don't worry, I love ya too Sarge."
>"I-I swear Private, if you don't shut up.."
>You stand groggily and grab your helmet, still rubbing your cheek with one hand
"C'mon, let's go see if the Warrant Officer wants us to do anything."

>Warrant Officer McCain sent you out on patrol
>He was still shocked that you wanted to do something already, but given what happened with Reckless last night you felt like you had to keep her occupied
>Patrol at main base is really just a stroll around the camp a few times, and since it isn't on the front lines there's practically no danger
>But at least it was something to do.
>The path around base is empty, with you and Reckless being the only living things in sight
>The only sounds are the hoofbeats of Reckless, your footsteps, and the birds chirping in the early afternoon sun
>But as winter keeps getting closer and closer, it feels like that sun is getting less and less warm
>Winter would be here in a few weeks, which nobody was really looking forward to
>A breeze shakes a nearby tree, prompting a flock of birds to fly out squawking
>You have your Grease Gun slung lazily over your shoulder, and you're limping along with Reckless by your side
>The two of you walk silently, things still a little awkward between you
>Reckless pauses for a second to tip her M1 helmet a little upwards with a hoof, so that it doesn't cover her eyes as much
>Afterwards, she looks up at you
>"You're insufferable."
"What?" you ask, kinda surprised
>"I said you're insufferable, Private."
>You groan and shake your head slightly
"Do you treat everybody this way, Sarge?"
>"No, just you."
"And why is that?"
>"Because you're you, Private."
>You look down at her questioningly as the two of you walk
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
>"Just that." she replies
>You remain in silence for a few seconds
"Is this because of what I did last night? I'll have you know-"
>"Why, Private?"
"Hmm?"
>"What'd you even gain from that? There's gotta be something more than wanting a 'blanket'"
"Well, the 'blanket' is definitely a nice bonus, get used to that by the way-"
>Reckless glares daggers at you as you say that
"But it I also did it because I'm doing my job. I'm still supposed to look after you, whether I'm a lower rank or not."
>She contemplates that for a moment, internally debating whether to accept that
"Plus I talked to the Doc before we left. Horses usually react poorly to Morphine, so I didn't really want you in a bad spot, Sarge."
>"Yep, that settles it. You're insufferable."
"Oh, come on!"
>Well, you guess you can't win EVERY time..

>As the days go by and winter approaches, it gets increasingly colder
>Soon the brisk fall breeze turns into the chilling winds of winter, forcing you to don your M-1951 Overcoat
>It's warm, but it doesn't compare to the living blanket that is Sergeant Reckless
>As the snow begins to layer the ground, you become more and more appreciative of Reckless being your living blanket at nights
>And she in turn is becoming a bit more tolerant of it
>Although she still wakes up blushing every morning, she doesn't complain nearly as much and doesn't hoof you in the face every morning
>You guess being stuck with someone this long just makes you start to accept their shit eventually
>It's been a few weeks since you were wounded
>Your limp is almost non-existent now, but that doesn't do you much good if you get snowed in
>This was gonna be a long winter.
>Every morning, you and Reckless go to the Mess Tent, often talking about how bored you were
>Although occasionally you go out to deliver some things to troops nearby, you're doing nothing for the most part
>It's gotten to the point that you and Reckless just spend a lot of the days drinking and lounging
>The Warrant Officer was even okay with this, or at least turning a blind eye for the most part, since there was nothing to do
>Neither the North Koreans or the Americans really felt like it'd be wise to fight in this cold, and so aside from a few skirmishes the front is quiet
>But it's been a little too quiet lately.
>One early morning while you're in the Mess Tent with Reckless, Warrant Officer McCain walks up to the table you're sitting at
>"Sober up for a day, you two. You need to make a delivery."
>Reckless's ears perk up at the promise of something to do
"Thank God." you say. "Marines weren't made to sit around."
>"That's a very truthful statement, Private." he says, smiling
>"Anyways, I need you to make an urgent delivery to the 4th Signal Construction Company up north. They're trying to run communications and telephone lines near the front, but the snows delaying them. I've also been getting reports that small-time raids are happening at nights, and they want more winter gear so they can keep watch outside longer."
>You and Reckless both salute the Warrant Officer wholeheartedly
"Sir, yes, Sir!"

>"How do I always get stuck carrying this junk? I'm a higher rank than you." Reckless asks as she trots along next to you
>There's a pile of Parkas strapped to her back, and more strapped to her sides over the foodstuffs she's also carrying
>It's funny seeing it all awkwardly balanced on top of her
"Because you're a horse?" you reply, adjusting the shoulder strap of your rifle
>You still had your Grease Gun at your side, but you were in good enough shape to be able to carry your rifle with ease again
>"And?"
"It's your job? You're good at carrying stuff."
>The trail ahead is snowy but not snowy enough to impair your walking speed
>The sound of the snow crunching beneath your boots and the wind slowly howling through the trees fills the air
>"Y'know Private, sometimes I wish I had a different job.."
"Like what?" you ask curiously
>"Something that'd put me on the front lines more often. We're Marines, Private. We should be doing more."
"Yeah, well talk to upper command about that, not me. I'm just a Private, Sarge."
>"You're right, you are. Carry some of this shit, if you would."
"Are you kidding me?"
>"No, I'm ordering you."
"If it'll make you feel better, Sarge." you grumble, unstrapping some parkas from Reckless and slinging them over your shoulder
>"Much better," she says with a little smile
>A few specks of snow landing on your face prompt you to look up
>The sky has been growing cloudier as you've been walking, and it looks like it's starting to snow
"Uh oh."
>Reckless shakes some of the snow off her snout
>"We should speed up, Private." she says as she starts to trot a little faster
"Agreed." you say, matching her pace
>"I'd hate to get caught in a storm."

>Unfortunately, that's exactly where you are.
>Caught in a storm
>Well, the beginnings of one at least
>The snow is falling a bit heavier now, and the wind is picking up
>A slow fog is creeping up behind you and Reckless
>The two of you walk/trot as fast as the wind allows
>You've wrapped a handkerchief from home around your face as a makeshift scarf
>It doesn't do much, but it's better than nothing
>"You woudln't happen to have an extra one of those, would you Private?"
"No, but it doesn't help much anyways Sarge."
>"Great. At least you get to wear one of these dumb parkas I'm lugging around."
"You're a horse, you've got all that fluff. Why would you even need a parka?"
>"You know all this fluff isn't exactly following protocol, right? But either way, a warm parka would be nice."
"I'm not even wearing one." you point out
"But now that you mention it, that's not a bad idea."
>Reckless rolls her eyes as you don one of the parkas you're carrying on top of your overcoat
>It's kinda tight, but it was really warm
>The furred hood even fits (kinda) over your helmet
>"You look ridiculous, Private." Reckless says with a chuckle
"Yeah well, it beats freezing." you respond
>The wind is starting to pick up even more
>The fog behind you is starting to catch up too
>At least you're almost there..
>You think

>It's been some hours since you and Reckless left camp
>The sun is setting slowly
>The fog has finally reached you
>But at least the Telephone poles that the 4th Signal Construction Company had set up were visible since they were so tall
>They served as a guide, directing you and Reckless towards the 4th's camp
>The wind was growing so strong that it nearly knocked you and Reckless over a few times, forcing you to use eachother as support on the occasion
>The two of you were really looking forward to waiting this shit out with the 4th
>At last, you see a mass of dark objects not far away
>Tents!
>They were at the bottom of a hill, surrounded by some trees
"Just a little farther, Sarge!" you shout
>"Hoorah!" she shouts back
>But as you near, you realize somethings off
>There's no lights. At all.
>Everything is just dark
"What the fuck?"
>There should be at lease a few watchmen, but there was nobody in sight
>You and Reckless are inside the radius of the camp now
>There's still not a soul in sight, nor any source of light
"Hello?" you shout. "Anybody here?"
>Where the fuck is everybody?
>All that's visible are the dark outlines of the tent in the fog
>And as if the fog wasn't bad enough, the howling wind carries snow to block your vision even more
>"We brought your parkas!" Reckless shouts. "And food!"
>You step on something that you feel isn't snow
>Looking down, you see that it's a..
>A hand?
>Wide-eyed, you crouch down and brush some snow off aside with your hands
>The parting snow reveals an arm.. then a torso.. and then a head
>Wearing an iconic M1 Steel Pot helmet.
>This was a fucking G.I.!
>His face was cold, lifeless.
>Still contoured with the agonizing signs of pain
>The fear in his eyes is still visible.
"Holy shit!" you whisper, standing up quickly

>Looking closer, you notice various other unmoving lumps in the snow
>The olive-drab color of their uniforms is visible in a few spots, contrasting the white snow
>Dried blood can be seen a few spots too.
>Their guns have either been taken, or buried in the snow
>It's only now that you realize how much disarray the camp is in
>Large wooden boxes are scattered around, some of them spilling wires
>A few decrepit transport vehicles lay half-buried
>Some of the tents are collapsed
>And everybodys dead.
"Sarge..?" you call out tentatively
>"I see it too, Private.." she replies, sitting down next to you
>"Holy fucking shit."
"IS ANYBODY STILL ALIVE?" you call out desperately
>But you already know the answer.
>The 4th Signal Construction Company had been completely wiped out.
>You're shocked when you hear shouting on the hill adjacent to the camp
>Could that be a survivor? Or two?
"HEY!" you shout. "OVER HERE!"
>Wait a minute..
>Those voices weren't shouting in English.
>You see some flashes through the snow-filled air
>Over the howling wind you can hear gunshots, and the sound of bullets impacting the snow around you
>You drop your parkas to quickly lift your rifle and fire a few shots back, but doubt you hit anything
"Oh, for fucks sake!" you shout, grabbing Reckless and pulling her to her feet
>The two of you run under the cover of the fog and snow, the enemies shots whizzing past you
>You don't know how many there are, but you really don't feel like sticking around to find out
>"Where're we going, Private!?" Reckless shouts over the gunshots
"Anywhere but here!" you shout back, ducking as a bullet flies overhead

>You hear a familiar BOOM behind you
>Oh, shit, shit! That's a...
>A large blast in the snow nearby sends you and Reckless flying, snow shooting up from where it landed
>..Recoilless Rifle.
>Your rifle is knocked out of your hands and you land in the snow some feet away with a dull thud
>You can feel the shrapnel burning into your parka
>Your ears are ringing unbearably
>Fuck, fuck, fuck!
>You try your best to stand up quickly but find yourself having trouble
>Eventually you stumble to your feet, still dazed
>You try your best to wipe all the shrapnel off of you
>You try and scan the area, but it's hard with all this fog and snow
>Reckless is nowhere in sight, and neither is your rifle.
>It really doesn't help that you can't hear at all
>You quickly unstrap your Grease Gun from your belt
>After chambering a round, you slowly stumble forward with your gun raised
>It doesn't take long to see the crater in the ground where the shell hit, but Reckless is still nowhere to be found
>You consider shouting out to her but realize that she's probably as deaf as you are right now.
>After some time walking, your hearing slowly starts coming back
>Korean (or maybe Chinese? You aren't sure.) shouting surrounds you
>You need to avoid them.. and find Reckless
>Through a break in the snow flying around you, you think you see her lying in the snow
>Helmet, check. Brown coat, check.. face all scrunched up, check..
>It's her!
>You stumble towards her as quickly as you can
>But as you get closer you realize that another figure is approaching as well
>He's noticed you too, and you can hardly hear him shout "Ibwa yo! Jungji!" as he raises his rifle
>But your Grease Gun is faster.
>Squeezing the trigger, you let loose a slew of bullets
>They slice into his chest and stomach, sending him to his knees clutching his wounds
>Without thinking you fire a second burst, which sends him tumbling backwards into the snow with a pained scream

>Other voices can be heard in the deafening wind, but you can't make out what they were saying
>All you know is that you're vastly outnumbered, and need to get the hell away from here
>As you approach Reckless, you see that most of what she was carrying was blown away either by the explosion or by the wind
>She struggles to get up once she sees you
>There's some shrapnel imbedded into her side and snout with blood running down
>Fuck!
>"Private? Damn it, I can't hear shit!"
>She was probably closer to the blast than you were.
>Another roaring boom is heard from the hill, and there's another explosion way off to the side
>Fortunately it missed by a longshot with the fog and snow covering your position
>You motion to her that you need to go, and you help her up to her hooves
>The two of you sprint as quickly as you can away from the scene
>You were really lucky to have all this cover, or the both of you would be gookfood by now
>You'd rather not think of that scenario
>Instead you opt to run a little faster through the snow
>You and Reckless follow the same trail back that led you to the desolate Signal Construction camp
>The telephone poles are your only guide in this terrible storm
>There's still voices behind you, and the crunching of boots on snow can be heard giving chase
>"We need to get off the road!" Reckless shouts
>In response, various bullets come flying your way, hardly missing the two of you
>Reckless falls down amidst all the chaos, skidding along the snow and leaving spots of blood in her wake
>You turn around and fire the remainder of your magazine backwards towards the voices, prompting some screams
>With your newly bought time you hastily clip your Grease Gun back onto your belt, and run over to Reckless
"C'mon, Sarge!" you say as you put your arms under hers in an attempt to drag her "C'mon, let's go!"
>She grunts as you drag her away from the path and towards the silhouettes of the trees..

>You realize you're probably making some really big tracks in the snow as you drag Reckless into the woods
>You're hoping the snowfall covers them up before anyone notices
>You'd cover the tracks yourself, but there's just no time
>The voices behind you are nearing, and all you can do is hope to get away fast enough
>After a few seconds of slow dragging, you reach the woods
>The dark bark of the trees begins to surround you
>Once your certain you're fairly into the woods, you lay Reckless in the snow
>You lean against a tree, breathing heavily
>Holy shit that was close.
>The voices keep getting more and more distant
>Luckily the trees blocked most of the wind and snowfall, giving you some realative peace and quiet at last
>Wait a minute.
>You look over to Reckless, keeping a close eye on her
>You look for the familiar rise and fall of her sides that implies breathing, but it just wasn't there..
>She isn't fucking breathing! Shit!
>In a panic you dive down next to her, at a loss for what to do
>How the fuck do you give CPR to a horse?
>For lack of anything better to do, you press your mouth against hers in an attempt to give her mouth-to-mouth
>Exhale, move away, inhale, move in, exhale, move away, inhale, move in..
>After a few seconds of this her eyes shoot wide open, looking directly into yours
>She shoves you off of her in shock, the two of you coughing and spluttering
>"Private, y-you idiot!" Reckless shouts, blushing furiously. "I wasn't dead!"
"I-I thought you were! I'm sorry!"

>She sits up, wincing a little bit in pain
>"We need to get this shrapnel out of me."
"Hold on.." you say as you unshoulder your backpack
>After some digging around you emerge with a set of medical pliers
"Usually I use this to pluck my nosehairs, but since this is an emergency.."
>Reckless's eyes widen immensely and her ears flatten, prompting you to laugh
"I'm just kiddin', Sarge. It's part of the first aid kit."
>"N-not the time for jokes Private!" she says angrily, her face scrunching up
>With pliers in hand you get to work
>Slowly but surely you pick out the pieces of shrapnel embedded in her
>"H-hey! Be careful there!" she says as you move to take out the piece of shrapnel that's stuck in her snout. "I don't need you screwing up my face, Private!"
"C'mon Sarge, it's not like it can get any uglier." you say with with a grin
>"Just get it out already!"
>And so after some time you manage to get all of the shrapnel (you think) out of Reckless
>Next you get to work on bandaging her, unceremoniously slapping a bandage onto her snout and wrapping a few around her side
>She doesn't seem too happy that you're the one doing this, refusing to make eye contact with you, but she doesn't really have a choice
>It's not like her hooves can wrap bandages or pick out shrapnel
>Soon enough she's all patched up
>Or, well, as patched up as a Private can get her to be
"There," you say. "All done."
>"Thanks.."
>Night has just about arrived, and the body heat gained from running is beginning to wear off
>You shiver a bit in your parka
>"What now?" Sarge asks
"Hate to break it to ya Sarge, but unless we huddle for warmth we're probably gonna freeze to death."
>"So first you kiss me, and now this?"
"H-hey, I was trying to save your-"
>You're interrupted by a mountain of fluff falling on top of you
>"Just shut up, Private." she sighs. "I'm too tired for this shit."
"Agreed." you say, drifting to sleep in the snow

>You awake to a sleepy yawn from Reckless
>"Y'know, for a sleep outside in the snow that was rather nice."
"You really think so? Maybe for you.." you groan in response
>Your back aches a little bit from sleeping on the hard-packed snow, but since Reckless had you as a mattress you suppose it must've been nice for her.
>"I-it's not like I really enjoyed that anyways!"
"Yeah well 'sleeping out in the cold snow with a bossy horse' wasn't really something I was looking forward to, but it sure beats freezing to death."
>Although you meant it playfully, Reckless actually looks slightly hurt when you say that
>She clambers off of you and trots towards the tree that your backpack is leaning on
>She sticks her nose inside of it and begins to noisily dig around inside
"What're ya looking for, Sarge?"
>She doesn't answer, and after a few more seconds of scrounging around she brings her head out of your bag to look at you
>"We don't have any food, do we Private?"
"Err.. no, I don't think we do. This wasn't supposed to take that long."
>"We should probably hit the road then." she says while she puts on her helmet
>You stand up, brushing the snow off of you
"Yeah." you say as you sling your backpack back over your shoulder
"Let's go."

>After some forest trekking the pair of you emerge onto the path that you were chased on last night
>The blowing wind and snowfall had eliminated almost all signs that a chase had ever happened
>You and Reckless start to walk back towards camp, making crunching sounds with your boots in the snow as you go along
>The morning sun and lack of wind help keep you warm while you walked, but it's still a little chilly
>You walk mostly in silence, staying alert in case of another ambush or enemy soldiers that might still be searching for you
>But after a while it became evident that the enemy seemed to have given up
>It was just one soldeir, his rifle, and his pony after all.
>Actually, you remember that you don't even have your rifle anymore. It's still buried out there in the snow somewhere
>Along with the body of that Korean you shot..
>You've never killed before that, and you aren't sure how to feel
>Maybe you should be proud at having killed an enemy? Remorse for having to take a human life?
>But the reality was that you didn't really feel anything.
>You shake those thoughts out of your head, and instead focus on the march back to base
>Once she's convinced that a gook isn't gonna jump out from behind a tree and gank you two, Reckless grows a bit more talkative
>"You know I owe you for saving me yesterday.. right?"
"Wait, what? You're not serious are you?"
>"I mean, you saved my life Private.."
"And I'd do the same for any other soldier, just like you would."
>"I still feel like I owe you though."
"If you wanna look at things that way, consider this my way of paying you back for saving my life all those weeks ago."
>She looks away to think about that for a moment before looking back up at you
>"C'mooon, there's gotta be something else I could offer you!" she says while subtly rubbing against your leg
>Woah, what?
"Oh? Like what?"
>"Well, I've saved your life. And you've saved mine. I'd say we're pretty close by now.."
>Where is Reckless going with this?
>"And I know this war can get a little lonely sometimes.."
>OH
>Her rubbing against your leg isn't so subtle anymore
>"So I was thinking that, maybe later, we could.. y'know-"

>You know where this is going.
"Woah, I'm not even a horse!"
>She blushes
>"W-well yeah, but who said I wasn't in to anything exotic?~"
"You're my sergeant! Isn't this breaking some kinda rule? Hell, this has to be breaking a million different rules!"
>Suddenly she headbutts your left leg, not enough to hurt but enough to make you lose your balance and fall backwards
>She jumps on top of you, her eyes locking with yours
>"Aren't rules made to be broken?"
>Oh boy
>You feel your brass stiffen up a bit..
"C-can't we focus on getting back to base for now?"
>You really need some time to mull this over
>"F-fine!" she says.
>"Be that way, Private!"
>She hops off of you while blushing furiously, and starts walking along the path without looking back at you
>She's obviously extremely embarassed over this.
>You stand up to a crouch
>You're about to say something, but you hold your tongue
>Getting back to base in one piece is really what you should be focusing on right now
>You rise to your feet and follow her wordlessly
>The two of you side by side silently, neither of you looking at eachother
>Great..

>After some uneventful (and silently awkward) walking on the snowy path, you see something off in the distance
>Looks like.. people
>Shit.
>You grab Reckless and pull her aside behind a large boulder
>"Finally change your mind, Private?~"
"What? N-no!"
>You let out a somewhat frustrated sigh
"Just look over there!"
>Both you and Reckless peek over the rock you're hiding behind
>"O-oh," she says with a blush
>She shakes her head to clear any embarrassment from her mind now that she's seen the potential danger up ahead
"See 'em?"
>"Yeah, they don't look American. Uniform doesn't match up."
"I figured, since we're still pretty far from base. What do you suppose we should do Sarge?"
>She looks away to think for a few moments
>"Well, there's only two of them.."
>"You still have your bayonet?"
"Uhh.."
>After patting yourself down you find it in it's sheathe, strapped to your belt
"Yeah, I still have it."
>"We could ambush them. Stab one then shoot the other."
>As you discuss strategy with Reckless the figures get closer and closer to your hiding spot
"I don't really think shooting is a good plan. Might attract more of them, if they're in the area."
>Reckless swears under her breath
>"Shit, you're right. But you aren't going to take out both of them with a knife before one of them gets a shot off."
"Well.."
>She looks at you with an eyebrow raised
>"I know that face, Private. What're you planning?"
"Do me a favor and take off your barding."
>"W-what?"
"Your helmet too. If you aren't wearing anything that distinctly marks you as a U.S. horse, you could distract 'em."
>"How so?" she asks, puzzled
"I don't know, try being cute or something. You're pretty good at that after all."
>Her face scrunches up
>"D-don't call me cute! I'm your Sergeant!"
>What?
>This horse was really sending some mixed messages.
"Just saying, Sarge."

>After helping Reckless out of her barding and anything else that marked her as a U.S. horse, the two of you lie in wait behind the rock
>You have your bayonet drawn and ready in your right hand
>As the two enemies get closer, you can hear them conversing in what you think is Korean.
>"Igeos-eun kkeumjjighan il-ida." one says
>"Ne. Naneun jaemiissneun il-i il-eonal geos-eul balanda." the other replies
>They're almost to the rock now.
"Go!" you whisper, lightly slapping Reckless in the flank with your free hand
>With a snort she canters forward in front of them
>They both gasp, one of them reaching for his rifle
>"Gidalyeo!" one says. "Geugeos-eun danji mal-ibnida."
>The one reaching for his rifle relaxes, and crouches down slightly so that he's level with Reckless
>"Ibwa yo!" he says while extending a hand out to pet Reckless. "Jal jinaess-eoyo?"
>She reluctantly approaches him, allowing herself to be pet
>"Hurry up!" she mouths towards your hiding place behind the rock
>"Jamkkan, geugeo bungdae ya?"
>Sneaking around the side of the rock, you position yourself to attack the Korean that's still standing up
>With a deep breath, you rush out from behind the rock
>Before he even knows what's going on you jab your bayonet into his neck
>He grabs the knife while spluttering and falling to his knees
>You realize that yanking the knife out of the Korean's throat would take too much time, and instead you move to kick his crouching comrade over
>He falls to the ground with a yelp, and you leap on top of him to pin him to the ground
>"Ani! Jenjang!"
>He fights back but you manage to keep him pinned
>For now.
"Sarge! Do something!"
>With a whinny she rears and brings her front hooves down onto his head as hard as she can
>There's an audible crack as his neck snaps, causing him to stop struggling

>You stand up, breathing heavily
>Shit.
>"I hope you don't get used to me playing the 'cute distraction,' Private." Reckless pipes up
>She shudders
>"That felt.. demeaning."
"Yeah well, it worked, didn't it?"
>"Hmph. I guess so."
>You crouch down next to the soldier that you stabbed
>His dead hand is still clutching the knife embedded in his throat
>Pushing the hand to the side, you grab the knife and yank it out with some effort
>It's bloody, so you clean it on your pants before returning it to it's sheathe
>While you're crouched you also grab the dead man's rifle
>Looks like an Arisaka, probably a Type 99.
"Bolt action, huh?" you say to nobody in particular.
"Well it certainly beats my M3A1 at a distance."
>You sling it over your shoulder and stand up
>Judging by the position of the sun, it's about midday
>You rub your stomach as it growls
>You haven't eaten since early yesterday.
>"Private!" Reckless yells from behind the rock
>"Come help me get my barding back on!"
>With a small sigh you go over and help her back in to her barding
>"Thank you, Private."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get moving. I'm starting to get hungry here."
>"So am I. But what about those two?" she asks, motioning to the bodies
>Oh, shit
>"Leaving them in the open like this probably isn't a good idea."
"Alright, gimme a hand dragging them behind the rock then."
>With Reckless's help, you drag both of the bodies into a (somewhat) hidden position behind the rock
>"Guess that's the best we're gonna do." she says
"Eeyup. Hope nobody finds them."
>Reckless shakes her head sadly
>"I hate this war, Private."
"I do too, Sarge." you say regretfully
"I do too."

>The rest of the walk back to camp is as uneventful as it is awkward
>Which means that absolutely nothing happened while remaining very awkward.
>You arrive during the late afternoon, when the camp isn't very busy
>At least you got to eat some good grub when you arrived
>Warrant Officer McCain looks relieved to see you two walk into his tent office
>"You're back!" he says
>"Guess you decided to spend the night with the 4th Signal Construction, huh? I don't blame you, that storm got pretty bad.."
>It's then that he notices the bandages on Reckless's snout and side, and you looking down at the ground solemnly with shrapnel-holes in your parka
>"No.. No damn it, what's happened!?"
"I'm sorry to say Sir.. The 4th Signal Construction Company was wiped out."
>He stares at nothing in particular for a few seconds before slamming his hand onto his desk
>"Fuck! Fucking fuck!" He shouts
>"Those were good fucking men! Do you mean to fucking tell me that not a single goddamn one is still living?"
>You shake your head
"By the time we got there, they were all dead.. We got ambushed ourselves looking for survivors Sir."
>He looks like he's about to explode into a tirade again, but instead he slumps in his seat and buries his face in his hands
>After a moment he lowers his hands to expose his eyes, but he's still covering the lower half of his face
>"We just came out of a World War, in which we lost millions of good soldiers.." he laments
>"And now we're losing even more to a war that'll likely be forgotten 10 years from now. I know they don't really cover this damn war back home. We're fighting and dying out here, and we've got nothing to fucking show for it. Nothing! If the best minds in the world had set out to find us the worst possible location in the world to fight this damnable war, the unanimous choice would have been Korea."
>He let's out a heavy sigh
>"I.. I'm sorry Private. Please don't go repeating what I said here and I'll make it up to you. Morale is already somewhat low as it is.."
>"You and Sergeant Reckless should get some R&R. And you know what, you deserve a promotion after all this. Come talk to me tomorrow, Private."
>You and Reckless nod respectfully and walk out of the tent, leaving the Warrant Officer alone once more
>"Jesus.." Reckless says as the two of you walk out
"Yeah.." you say, at a loss for words
>"Come on then. Let's head to the tent. I'm looking forward to not having to sleep outside again, even though it was somewhat comfy."
>You roll your eyes humorlessly
"Easy for you to say, Sarge.."

>You take a step forward up towards the snowy hill.
>It looks like dusk, and the wind is howling just like it was when you were ambushed before
>The fog and blowing snow won't let you see more than a couple feet in front of you
>So you just keep walking up the hill
>Step by step, you inch closer towards the top
>After an eternity you reach it.
>The fog and wind and snow suddenly stop, and it's deathly quiet
>There's a man standing mournfully next to a lone tree atop the hill
>He's facing away from you, but you notice he has several holes in his torso and his uniform is bloodstained
"Hey!" you shout. "Are you alright?"
>He turns to face you
>His skin is deathly pale, and his narrowed eyes lack any spark of life
>Wait..
>The uniform, the holes in his chest..
>"You killed me."
>No..
"I.. I.. W-what-"
>As you struggle to find the right words to stay another man walks up the hill
>He's wearing the same uniform as the soldier by the tree, except instead of holes in his chest he has a knife embedded in his throat
>Blood is running down from his wound.
>"You killed me too, Private."
>"We had family."
>"We had friends."
>"We had comrades."
>As they speak they slowly shuffle towards you.
"No! S-stop! This is war, I had to!"
>"You shouldn't be here Private."
>"I bet you miss home."
>"You could have avoided us, Private."
>They get closer and closer.
>"We didn't need to die."
"No! No, no no no, NO! NOOOO!"
>But it's too late.
>They've already reached you.

>You awake with a gasp
>You're in a cold sweat and breathing heavily
>Holy shit..
>Reckless is fast asleep on top of you as usual
>The first rays of sunshine dimly illuminate the inside of the tent
>You try your best not to wake her with your sudden panic, but she stirs anyways
>"Private?" she asks sleepily
>"Are you okay?"
>...
"Uh.. yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Eeyup."
>"Are you sure? I thought I heard-"
>She's obviously not convinced.
"Y-yeah, never been better Sarge."
>Reckless eyes you suspiciously before standing up to stretch
>"Whatever. I suggest we get moving if you want that promotion, Private."
>Oh right!
>You reminisce on your dream a bit before standing up yourself
>As much as you hate to agree with those figures in your dream, they were right..
>You do miss home.
>A lot.
>Even if you can only remember it partially..
>You shake your head to clear your mind of those thoughts
>This was your home now.

>You and Reckless exit the tent together
>The camp is quiet during the early hours, with a few soldiers congregating at the mess tent for breakfast
>You'd be joining them soon after your promotion
>The sunlight shimmers off the snow covering the camp
>All quiet.
>When you enter the Warrant Officer's tent you find him leaning back on his chair, dead asleep
"Uhh.. Sir? You good?"
>Was that a bottle next to him?
>He awakes with a start
>"W-what? Oh, hey Private."
>He rubs his eyes tiredly
>"I assume you're here for the promotion?"
"Yes sir."
>"Good. Uh, sorry if isn't as formal as you'd like, but I think we can both agree that there isn't much time for that in war."
>He gets up to shake your hand
>"Welcome to the rank of Lance Corporal, Anon. But if you don't mind I think I'll still call you Private." he says with a smirk
>Reckless stifles a laugh
>You fight the urge to kick her, and instead reach out to shake the Warrant Officer's hand
>"Thank you, Sir."
>The two of you shake hands, and McCain resumes his seat at his desk
>"Stay safe, alright Anon? And keep Reckless safe too."
>Reckless rolls her eyes
>She has 'I can keep myself safe.' written all over her
>You hold back a chuckle
"I'll try my best Sir."

>The next few months pass by uneventfully
>You at least make sure to trade the Arisaka rifle you picked up in for the rifle you're familiar with: The M14 Semi-Auto
>But after that, the mixture of repeatedly deflecting Reckless's romantic advances and all the menial tasks of winter all just blend together until you can't keep track of them anymore
>The only thing that really stands out are your dreams
>You keep returning to the snowy mountain, and conversing with the two soldiers you have killed
>Sometimes you'd talk about home.
>Sometimes you'd talk about the war.
>Sometimes you just wouldn't talk at all, simply sitting there in silence with them
>No matter what you did, there was something peaceful about the dreams
>But they always ended abrubtly, and it's beginning to get hard to differentiate the dream from reality
>You're convinced you're going insane.
>But you feel like you'd be better off not telling anyone
>You just hoped that eventually the dreams would end
>Even if they did feel peaceful.
>Soon enough the snow began to melt, and the early signs of spring began to show
>It was getting warmer by the day
>And the dreams were becoming less and less frequent
>And things were going somewhat well in the war too
>Actual peace talks had finally begun
>You might actually be home within a year or so
>If things keep up the way they're going, that is
>Late one spring night you and Reckless are talking in your tent over a game of cards

>"Oh, I just love spring!" she says
"How come?"
>"It reminds me of when I was a foal. Back on this little racetrack.."
>You keep playing in silence for a few seconds
"Would you have stayed there if you had the chance?" you ask
>"Hell no! This is my life now. It's all I have. And even when the going get's tough.. we still have eachother."
"Do you think you'll go back when this is all over?"
>"I.. don't know." she says hesitantly
>"I know there were other horses.. and I had a different name. And there were some other people, but I can't remember much of it now. Only that they were nice. It was nice. But I still don't know if I'll go back.. I hardly know that place anymore."
"Maybe when this is all over I can take you back home with me," you suggest. "To the States."
>"I think I'd like that." Reckless says with a smile
>"I think I'd like that a lot."
>The two of you share a moment before you realize somethings off
"Wait a minute, where are my chips? Sarge, are you eating them again!?"
>"W-what? N-noo, I-"
>"Hey! Are you two awake?"
>Warrant Officer McCain pokes his head into your tent
>There's bags under his eyes, and he looks tired
>Really tired.
>"Something big just came up. The Chinese are trying to gain some leverage; there's just been a big attack on the Nevada Cities Outposts and firefights are still going on. I need you two ready in 10 minutes to bring them some support."
>You both nod and start scrambling to get your gear on
>M1 helmet, check.
>Bayonet, check.
>M14 Semi-automatic Rifle, check.
>M3A1 Grease Gun, check.
>Backpack and ammo, check.
>You're ready.

>After hastily packing ammo and first aid onto Reckless and hastily getting ready yourself, the pair of you leave the base to join the battle
>The Nevada Cities Outposts wasn't terribly far from base
>Located on the front, it's been a suspected area of attack for a while now
>The longer you and Reckless walked, the louder the sounds of the fighting got
>You could hear artillery barrages in the distance and as you got closer to the hills you could hear small arms fire and shouting
"We better hurry up!" you say looking to Reckless
>The two of you reach the site some time after midnight.
>Looking up, you see a bunker engulfed in flames
>There's various firefights happening on the hill as well
>The fires and gunshots are the only things that illuminate the battlefield
>It looks like Outpost Vegas is lost.
>Along with Reno.
>But it seems that at least Carson was still in Marine hands
>"This isn't good." Reckless says, pausing to witness it all
"No, it really isn't." you say. "We should go. The other Marines need these supplies."
>And so you head to Outpost Carson
>The sounds of gunfire are unrelenting as you march
>When you arrive at Outpost Carson you find chaos
>Men are running around everywhere, checking on the wounded, asking for orders, helping wherever they can
>One of them runs up to you looking relieved
>It's a Gunnery Sergeant
>"Oh thank God! Are these the supplies from base camp?"
"Yes, sir. Ammunition and first aid."
>"Perfect! Now that we have this, Lance Corporal, I'm gonna need your help. We're launching a counter-attack with F Company and we need every man we can get."
"Sir, yes Sir!" you shout
>You leave Reckless with the group of soldiers remaining to safeguard Outpost Carson
>As tough as she is, she can't really do much in a firefight
>What with being a horse and all.
>"Hey!" she says before you leave
"Hmm?"
>"Don't get killed."

>"Ready men!?"
>The CO stood in front of you, looking at his soldiers expectantly
>You were joining the lead platoon of the company at Reno Block in their effort to retake Outpost Vegas and Outpost Reno
>Multiple hours of fighting had allowed them to retake the blocking position at least, but not yet the Outposts
>You check your M14
>Loaded and ready.
>The CO nods after a couple seconds
>"Let's GO!"
>You and the other men of the Platoon move up from the blocking position, a dark mass in the night, rustling through the sparse shrubbery of the hillside
>It doesn't take long for the Chinese to respond to the movement with a hail of bullets
>A few men in front of you fall as bullets slice into them
>Some men take potshots towards the enemy-controlled Outposts as they run
>The ones who are armed with automatic weapons try to lay down some suppressive fire
>A man running alongside you falls with a sharp cry as a bullet tears into his torso, his face contorting in pain
>Shit!
>You need to find cover, and fast!
>But there is none on the incline.
>Lifting your M14, you fire as you move up in the hopes that it'd make enemy soldiers think twice about poking their heads up to shoot you
>Just keep running. Just keep running
>The sound of small arms fire around you is deafening
>You don't think it'll ever end
>But over it you can hear explosions beginning to land nearby
>Mortars!
>One lands to the right of you, engulfing at least 5 men in flames
"No!" you shout over their pained screams
>You jump into a recent crater for cover and quickly reload your M14
>Poking your head up, you fire a couple rounds before ducking again as enemy fire hits the dirt around you
>"Fall back!" a voice shouts over the chaos
>"Fall back!"
>"Retreat!"

>No time to waste.
>Kicking off from the floor of the crater, you rush back towards the blocking position
>It's a race to reach the somewhat safe position before death can catch up.
>Just keep running.
>Don't look back.
>"Help!" a voice cries from the ground
>"Help me, please!"
>The pure fear in his voice is enough to make you look around for where it's coming from
>Scanning the area as you run, you see the source of the voice
>It's a wounded Marine lying amongst a couple dead bodies, waving his hand to grab anybody's attention
>It's hard to see him in the dead of night
>You probably wouldn't have if he hadn't raised his hand
>With bullets landing in the dirt at your heels, you sprint towards him to help
>Once you get closer you can see that theres more than one bullet hole in his chest
>After slinging your rifle over your shoulder you hook your arms under his armpits and drag him backwards towards safety
>"Oh thank God! You saved me!"
"Don't thank me yet!"
>Other Marines run by you as you drag your comrade back towards safety
>You mentally tune out the sound of the Marine repeatedly thanking you, choosing to focus on getting you both out of this alive instead
>Mortar Fire continues to barrage you and the other retreating forces
>Some are blown to bits by the explosions, while others are more fortunate
>And there are far too many close calls.
>The sound of small arms fire hadn't paused once since the charge began
>You wouldn't last much longer out here
>And neither would any other soldier
>After what seems like an eternity of slow retreating and a hailfire of bullets, you finally near the relative safety of the blocking position
>"Hurry soldier, come on!"
"Hey!" you shout backwards. "We got wounded over here!"
>A cluster of soldiers holding first aid and treating other wounded respond by motioning for you to go to them
>You drag your wounded comrade to them and lay him out flat for them
>A few kneel down next to him, and you follow suit
>His breaths are coming short and raggedy
>And in the soft moonlight, you can see that he's pale.
>Deathly pale.
"Stay with me buddy! You're gonna make it through this!"
>But even as the words left your mouth, you knew.
>He was already gone.

>You took part in 2 other offensives that night.
>All within an hour.
>They were all as effective as the first one was
>Which is to say, not at all
>And each one ended the same way
>With the attacking Marines being forced back by mortars and small-arms
>Each time was as horrific as the first
>But somehow, you made it back.
>You were throughouly shell-shocked by the end of it all, but at least you were alive
>It was announced that the third charge would be the last for now, and that casualties were high
>People were guessing that there were at least one hundred Marines dead.
>It's almost 3am when you're sent back to Outpost Carson
>Some soldiers stay to safeguard Reno Block, while others return with you
>Reckless is happy to see you once you return
>"You're alive! Err, I m-mean, I knew you'd be fine Anon."
>Even after your recent awful experience, you can't help but smile at her futile attempt to hide how much she cared about you
"Eeyup. I'm alright.."
>Your smile fades.
"But I can't say the same for a lot of other Marines."
>Reckless's ears droop
>"I figured as much.." she says
>The Gunnery Sergeant from earlier walks up to you two
>"Get some rest, both of you. We need Reckless ready by dawn as an ammo carrier. We cannot afford to lose here, so we need our boys as well supplied as possible."
>Better ammo-carrying than futile assaults, you guess
"Yes, Sir!" you say before sitting down next to Reckless
>This was gonna be a long day.

>The sun just barely begins to poke over the horizon, shining a dim light on the hills of the area
>You're getting Reckless ready for a long day of ammunition hauling
>You didn't get much sleep in the few hours you had to rest
>But that was OK.
>Because you had a feeling that the man you failed to save last night would probably be paying you a visit in your next dream..
>You try not to think about it
>Don't think like that.
>There was nothing you could've done.
>After strapping various recoilless rifle shells to Reckless, and putting a few of them in your own backpack, you're ready to start things off
>You're mostly carrying these to the Recoilless Rifle Platoon as they fired down onto the enemy Chinese
>Each trip takes about 20 minutes, walking up and down the winding trail of the hillside
>Reckless has the trail memorized after just a few trips
>Up and down, up and down..
>The Recoilless Rifle Platoon is grateful for your help in keeping them supplied
"Kill as many Red Chinese bastards as you can with these." you say during one trip
>"Consider it done." a member of the gun crew replies with a tired grin

>And so the cycle went on
>Until one time, on the trip to deliver more ammo, something catches you by surprise
>About halfway there you encounter a roadblock
>A tipped-over tree blocking the trail
>This certainly wasn't here before.
>And there's a small crater by where the base of the tree would have been
"What? When did this happe-"
>Suddenly over the background noise of far-out small arms fire you hear a barrage of louder bangs
>And the sound of splinters shooting off the tipped tree as bullets slam in to them
>Uh oh.
"Get down!" you shout, vaulting over the tree to take cover
>Reckless takes a few splinters as she jumps over the fallen tree herself
>"Shit!" she screams angrily. "What do we do?"
>Unslinging your rifle, you quickly poke over the tree to fire a few shots at the Chinese ambush
>You try to see how many there were before ducking back down but there's no way to know for sure
>All you know is that there's a lot of them.
>Damn it..
"Go!" you yell at Reckless
>"W-what!?"
"GO! The gun crews need this ammo!"
>Several more bullets slam into the tree and fly overhead
>"B-but what about you?" she cries desperately
"I'll keep them busy, Reckless, just GO!"
>She looks into your eyes
>You can see sadness and regret welling up in hers.
>She closes them before quickly giving you a surprise kiss
>Before you can say anything she pulls back and takes off along the trail
>The date is March 27th, 1953.
>This is the date when Sergeant Reckless became Marine legend by making 51 supply trips in one day
>But for you, Lance Corporal Anonymous, outcomes are looking very different..

>With a deep breath, you bring your rifle back up onto the log
>Time seems to slow down as you take aim at the many Chinese troops moving up to overtake you.
>Each time you pull the trigger another soldier falls with a pained scream
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
>One after the other the advancing soldiers collapse as your bullets strike them
>Enemy bullets miss you by a hair, or hit the tree you're using as cover
>But eventually one finds it's mark.
>You let out a short yelp as one of their rounds digs itself into your left arm
>The enemy Chinese are angrily shouting to eachother
>"Shāle tā!"
>"Yǐjīng dédào tāle!"
>You can't shoot a rifle with only one hand
>So you stand and drop your M14 to reach for your Grease Gun
>After drawing it and taking aim, you let loose a storm of bullets onto the advancing ambushers
>The RATATAT of your little submachine gun fills your ears, drowning out the cries of your attackers
>The number of bodies on the trail in front of you grows as you hold down the trigger
>But all too soon you hear the CLICK! of an empty gun.
>It doesn't take long after that for two more enemy bullets to find new homes in your chest.
>The force of the impact sends you back down to one knee with another shout of pain
>In a final act of desperation you draw your Colt M1911, remembering how it helped you last time you were injured all those weeks ago
BANG! BANG!
>You fire off as many aimed rounds as you can while enemy shots slice through you
BANG! BANG!
>You fire off a few more, but
>A man can only take so much.
>As you loose off your last round a multitude of bullets punch through you
>You regretfully let out your last breath as you fall over sideways
>You're dead before you even hit the ground.

>"S-stupid Lance Corporal!" Reckless mutters to herself as she runs
>"W-what was he thinking, staying behind like that!?"
>Suddenly she hears gunfire violently erupt behind her
>Tears start to well up in her eyes
>"He'll be fine though, r-right? H-he has to be!"
>But she already knows the answer to that.
>...
>Reckless is forced to take a different supply route coming back down so as to avoid another ambush
>The rest of her trips are done in a somber manner, but she completes them nonetheless
>At the end of the day once her work is done, she slips away from the other Marines to return to the felled tree on the trail.
>She's tired from all the work today
>But that doesn't stop her from looking for you.
>As she walks she maintains the little glint of hope that maybe, somehow, she wouldn't find you lying there
>That maybe you managed to slip away, or escape
>Or somehow not die.
>But as she reaches the site and sees your body, that hope diminishes completely.
>There you lie
>On the trail in a puddle of blood, with your guns and spent shell casings surrounding gun
>On the other side of the tree she sees the many bodies of the enemy men you held off, but she doesn't care about those
>She rushes towards you
>Sobbing.
>As she reaches your corpse she collapses on top of you
>Further soaking your already bloodstained shirt with her tears.
>"W-why did this have to *sniff* h-happen to you.."
>The date is March 27th, 1953.
>The day Lance Corporal Anonymous (You) died.

>The Korean War would 'end' four months after the Battle for Outpost Vegas.
>Although technically the war is still ongoing, the fighting stopped on July 27th, 1953.
>The Korean War is often called the "Forgotten War," and for good reason.
>As it happened so soon after World War II, and didn't have nearly as much of an impact, few remember the soldiers of the Korean War.
>The first hot conflict in a long Cold War, the Korean War became more and more overshadowed as the years went on.
>Sergeant Reckless, after the war, would of course arrive at the United States as a hero and go down in history as the mare we all know and love.
>A permanent symbol and reminder of the US Marine' role and sacrifice in the Korean War.
>Warrant Officer Peter McCain would be driven mad after the war by the losses of 'his' troops such as the 4th Signal Construction Company and later the death Lance Corporal Anon so soon after his promotion.
>He committed suicide by gunshot in his Virginia home 2 years after the end of the war.
>As for Lance Corporal Anonymous, your story faded into obscurity after the war's end.
>Although your fellow Marines remembered you fondly, none mourned him more than Sergeant Reckless did.
>But as those who remembered your name passed on, Lance Corporal Anonymous would simply become just another name on the Memorial Wall.
>Another victim of the Forgotten War.
>Another reminder that Freedom Is Not Free.

Happy ending:
>A blast of air rushes into your lungs.
>With a gasp, you sit up, clutching your chest.
>Your mind is filled with a blank haze, but you feel something wet with your left hand.
>Looking down at yourself, it all suddenly comes back to you.
>Your 1911 still stays in your other hand, slide locked back and covered in blood.
>"A-Anonymous!"
>The familiar voice rings in your ears, and you're tackled onto your back by an even more familiar face.
>Noticing the lack of bitter cold and snow around, you look to your sides.
"Sarge? I... where are we?"
>A taller figure looms over you, practically making you jump out of your skin.
>It's a big white horse, with a... horn and wings.
>The fuck?
>"Do not be alarmed, Sir Anonymous. You are in the land of Equestria, and you are safe."
>You spring back up again, clutching your pistol and holding Reckless close.
"Safe? Where are the damn chinks? Where the hell are we?!"
>Sarge gives you a soft, reassuring smile.
>With your heart pounding in your chest, her look does well to help calm you.
>That's when you notice she doesn't even have any of her gear on.
>Tears start to well in her eyes, and her smile grows.
>"Don't worry, Anon... we really are safe."
>She wraps her hooves around your neck and holds on, pressing against your body like you're going to disappear at any moment.
>The big horse just looks down on you with a smile.
"So who are you? How did I get here?"
>"I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of this land. You are currently a guest at my castle, and you are here..."
>She nods over at Reckless.
>"At her request."
>Sarge pulls away, eyes brimming with tears and nose running.
>"Never leave me again. S-stupid Private..."
>She gives you a kiss on the lips, then goes back to hugging you, sobbing on your shoulder.
>Despite the blood literally on your hands, you can't feel any pain in your chest.
>You still have questions.
>But for now, Reckless is with you.
>And that's all you need to make sense of things.