Chapter 7 Showdown
“No James, it’s too dangerous to go alone.” Jonas tried to calm me down.
“He said that I should come alone. We can’t endanger Twilight's life. And I’m the one who brought her in this, and I will bring her out of this.”
“I can’t image that the Leader would hurt Twilight. He is just a 15 year old boy.” Julia was worried.
“If he was able to lead a small gang, and broke out of jail, then he is ready to hurt someone. But he doesn’t know who I am.”
“Ok, you win.” Hans was defeated.
“Take my pistol.” Jonas was about to give me his pistol.
“This won’t necessary, I have my own weapons.” Jonas looked confused at me. “Come with me.” Everyone followed me into the basement. A safe was hidden behind the Workshop. The Combination was the birth year of my Son. In the Safe were my K98 and my Mauser C96 when I was in the Wehrmacht.
“You kept your weapons from the War?” Hans was surprised.
“What do you think I’m using in the Gun club?”
“Oh…right.”
I switched to my Heer uniform. “I promise, I will bring your daughter back safe and sound.”
Velvet hugged me. “Thank you for your help. Just be careful.”
“Careful is my middle name.”
“Wait, I have something for you.” Hans walked to his car to get something. He came back with a Lightweight Ballistic Vest.
“Thanks.” I put it on and putted my cap on.
“A brave act from you.” Celestia was impressed.
“If somebody hurt my Family and friends, he will get to know me.” “Here, take some medicine. We don’t know in which condition she is.” Cadence and Shining Armor, casted a spell that gave me some syringes that contained Painkiller and sedative. “Thank you” “Good luck.” Nightlight said to me as I was getting in my car and drove away.
Perspective: Twilight Sparkle
I woke up with no clue where I was. I opened my eyes, only to realize that I couldn’t see. I panicked and tried to move and use magic but to no avail.
“Ah, you’re finally awake you little Freak! How are you doing with a bag on your Head?”
“Please take it off, I can’t breathe!” I begged.
“As you wish, you little brat.” Somepony took it off, and I gasped for air. I looked around. I was in an old and abandon Warehouse. I was restrained on a chair. My horn was intact, but a pipe surrounded it so I couldn’t use it. The boy who pushed me in the mud in the park was looking at me with a sadistic look.
“Please don’t kill me.” I feared that he would kill me, as I saw a pistol in his hand.
“Don’t worry; I won’t kill you… yet. I have plans for you, once I took care of your father. He will learn not to mess with me.” He slapped me so hard that blood came out of my nose and mouth. I let out a painful cry. Then he punched me in my chest. “Shut up! Save your strength for the great Showdown.” He laughed evil while he left me.
“I want Mommy! Or James!” I managed to say despite the blood coming out of my mouth. I cried quietly.
Perspective: James
It was evening when I arrived at the Warehouse It was still light. It was used by the Wehrmacht to storage Spare parts, ammunition, and weapons, but fell after the war into oblivion. The allies found no use in it. The Word Wehrmacht on the roof was still intact and readable.
I stepped out of my car and looked around. Nobody here .I approached the entrance careful and slowly. I carefully opened the door in case it was booby-trapped. Inside, the warehouse was empty. But I heard Twily crying. I slowly approached the direction where the crying, came until I saw her.
Restrained on a chair. She was bleeding from her nose and mouth. He will pay for this! “Not another step.” The Leader stepped into the light behind Twilight, a Luger pistol in his right hand. I aimed at him with my rifle.
“Drop your weapon!” I was enraged. He aimed at Twilight's head. “Oh no, you will drop your weapon, if you don’t want that I blow her brain out.”
“Easy, stay cool, man.” I raised my hands.
“Drop it!” I obeyed. “That was easy. Now listen up grandpa. I know that isn’t a costume. I contacted the Russians. They are interested in her. They pay me also a large sum for her.” This boy was insane. The Russians would never let him alive for this.
“Don’t you realize in what you brought yourself into it? The Russians will not pay a single cent. They would rather kill you to keep this a secret then to let you alive.” I explained.
“Shut up! You people call us ‘greaser’ in the USA for being not like you. But, I’m going to be rich! No have no idea about the Russians. The communism is the future. You think your uniform and awards impress me? They don’t. You won’t see how I’m going to be a hero!” he aimed at my chest and fired. I fell on the ground but the Vest did its job. The leader couldn’t see it as it was hidden under my uniform.
“James! NO!” “The leader aimed at Twilight's head again. “Now to us.”
“Please! Don’t do it!” She screamed in fear. Just like in her Nightmare. I had to act quickly. I drew my pistol and aimed at his hand. I didn’t want to kill him in front of Twilight. I fired, he screamed in pain. While he was holding his hand, I got up, rushed to him and injected the sedative.
“Ow, what did you inject me?”
"A sedative. Enough to put you out of the fight for a while.”
He collapsed but was still awake. “It’s… not… over… yet.” He spoke.
“Good job, buddy.” I turned around to see Hans. “I was ordered by Celestia to follow you unobtrusively in cause if something goes wrong.” He saw Twilight and turned to the Leader. “My god. You are lucky that we have no death penalty. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you do say can be—Oh forget it. After that, you are going into jail for a long time.” He led him away.
I used my knife to cut the rope. After that, I took a cloth from my pocket to stop the bleeding. Twilight cried. I will never forgive myself if she is traumatized from this. “Shh, it’s over. You are safe now.” “
I thought that you died!”
“No, I’m wearing a ballistic vest, see?” I showed her the vest and tapped it.
“It was so horrible! He hit and slapped me! I thought I will die!” She coughed blood.
“Here, drink some water.” After she took a sip, she was holding her chest. “I think he broke my rips. Every breath hurts!”
Broken rips? She’s lucky that she is still alive. A broken rip wasn’t so dangerous but from the blood she coughed up, it seemed that her lung was injured. I gave her the syringe with the painkiller. “This might sting a bit.”
“I hate syringes.” “It will only hurt for a second. And it will stop the pain.” A small “ow” came from her, after I injected the painkiller. "Keeping you in one piece's proving to be quite a challenge. Let’s get out of here.”
“I’m afraid that is not so simple.” I turned around my pistol drawn. It was one of Celestia Pegasus guards.
“And why?” I holstered my pistol. “I monitored everything from the Air. Disguised of course. Two Trucks of the Russians are on the way. We need to get the filly out of here.”
“In this condition, we will never get her out in time.” I looked around, until I saw a basement. “The only thing we can do is to get her into the basement. I will hold them off. You bring help.”
The Guard was about to disagree, but agreed as he saw Twilight and heard a Truck coming. “Ok, I will.”
“But hurry up!” I called after. I careful picked Twilight up, not to hurt her more and brought her down into the basement.
“The Reds are coming for me?” Twilight was scared. “Please don’t leave me!”
“For your own safety. I promised your Family that I will bring you back. And I will defend you until my last bullet.” Twilight cried even more. I wanted to comfort her but I know I had no time for it.
“I understand, but just be careful, James.”
“Careful is my middle name.” I said before I leaved the basement. There was a catwalk that leaded to the upper Windows where I had good cover and a good view of the Area. I walked up the Catwalk and into position behind the broken Window.
Now I waited. It didn't last long, until a Truck came from the North. A ZIL-164. The Driver had a Mosin-Nagant rifle. His co-driver had one too. They wore thick Uniforms with an ammunition belt around the torso. They were elite Soldiers. Had the misfortune of fighting them at the Battle of the Seelow Heights, before I was sent to Berlin. They were efficient and more accurate than normal Soldiers. They have also better eyes than normal soldiers which means that they can spot you faster than a normal Soldier can. (Apart from the officers who have even better eyes than the elites.) The Truck stopped and the Soldiers stepped out. 4 Elites exited the back of the Truck. They had all a PPSch-41. The Driver was the Squad Leader. He shouted in Russian, “Search for the Unicorn! Shoot everybody who gets in our way! No prisoners!”
I aimed at him and fired. Hit. He’s dead. “Sniper!” The co-driver shouted before I put him to rest. As I operated the bolt the other elites spotted me and immediately opened fire. Despite their accuracy, only grazing shots hit me, as the PPSch-41 wasn’t made for long range. I hit an elite Soldier that failed to get to cover. The other three were behind the Truck in cover. I waited until one of them tried peek out of cover to fire at me but I had the faster trigger finger. Two enemies and one bullet left. If they reach the entrance, it’s all over. There was no time to reload, as they were moving from cover to cover to the entrance. But the elites made the mistake of running close together. One behind the other. I aimed for the Head of the leader of the two. Exhale, fire. Hit, double kill. First Wave completed.
I reloaded my rifle and checked my vest. Still intact. After I reloaded, the second Truck came. Same Direction, same model, same number of Elites. But they were all armed with AKMs. Now I had to be VERY careful. Although the AKM has the same accuracy at long range as the PPSch-41, it was a lot more dangerous. I managed to hit the driver causing the truck to crash into a tree. But only the co-driver died in the crash. The passengers in the back were unharmed. They immediately opened fire and suppressed me, unable to return fire. I peeked out of cover slowly and hit a Soldier that reloaded. Only 3 left. But my vest was destroyed. The adrenalin gives me the kick I needed. I aimed at a grenade one of the Soldiers was wearing on his belt. I was out on the open, bullets flew in my direction. But I managed to hit, it killing all 3 of them.
Done. It’s over. I walked down to Twilight but was stopped by a, “Stop or I will shot!” The Co-driver had survived. He was holding his AKM with his right hand and his leg with his left Hand.
“You will kill me anyway.”
“Let’s make a deal. You give me the Filly and I will spare you.”
“You'll have to go through me if you want her. I will protect her until my last bullet.” I blocked to door to the basement.
“So be it.” He aimed at my Head. But I did a Quick draw and shot him with a small burst of my pistol.
This time, I was stopped by a white light. “I got help as you ordered.” The guard said showing me, my Friends and Twilight's family.
“Is my daughter alright?” Velvet asked me with worry.
“Yes she is. She is in the basement.” Twilight ran from the basement into the Arms of her mother.
“My poor baby!” Velvet was overjoyed to see her daughter again.
“He saved me from the bad Russians, Mommy!”
“Thank you for… Mr. James, you are bleeding!” Velvet said in horror. As I looked down, I noticed that I was riddled like a sieve. My Chest, my uniform, my hands all covered in blood.
The Adrenalin must have held me from feeling the pain and noticing that I was hit. A normal human would be already dead but thanks to my healing ability I could take more hits before it was critical. “Aww. Damn!” I lost by balance and fell on my back.
Twilight ran over to me. She was standing in my blood but she didn’t care. “Hold on James! You’re going to be fine.”
“There is no way I’m going to be fine. I’m a bloody puddle. Even if you make it to get me to a hospital, I would die. I… I wish this had never happened or I saw this coming. I wish I… could spend more time with you. But I will… always…be…in… your heart.” I used my last strength to point with my hand to her heart before I died.
Twilight cried as she looked over my body. My friends, her Family even the Guards and Celestia cried. “A good Soldier. With a big heart. He sacrificed it for a child.” Jonas and Hans did both the catholic cross out of respect.
“I’m sorry Twily, but we need to go. More Russians could arrive any second.” Shining Armor tried to get his sister away from my corpse. But she shoved him away.
“NO!” She shouted filled with sadness and anger. “I will not leave him behind! He deserved something better. A second chance. Or at least an honorable burial. After all he had done for me. After all the suffering.” She cried and closed my eyes. “You’re done your Duty Soldier.”
She said sadly. Her mother hugged her to cheer her up. Celestia walked over to my body and casted a spell. In a bright light we all vanished.
No doubt a Third World War would start after these events. But at least I was able to safe a child from this terrible future.