//------------------------------// // Chapter 11 Payback // Story: Welcome to Vietnam, (un)fortunate pony // by Bronycommander //------------------------------// Chapter 11: Payback With an aching head, the young AVRN soldier came to, groaning in pain. What happened? He wondered, looking around, finding himself in a wooden cage in what seemed to be a Viet Cong cave, his brothers and friends next to him in other wooden cages. They all were awake, looking down at the ground with sad expressions. “Brothers…King…What happened?” He asked them, not able to remember anything. “We got shot down and captured. At first, we all thought it were NVA or VC forces, even thought our allies shot us down by accident. But then, we realized to our horror, our captors are…them.” The Army soldier explained causing Hoang’s eyes to widen in horror as his skin became pale. “No…not them…everything but that!” “I wish I had other news for you, brother, but it’s the truth. The Swamp Devils got us.” His older brother said in a depressed voice, his head low. Hoang couldn’t believe it. But…you said that they got wiped out!” Dung let out a sigh. “Feng thought so, but apparently a small number of them survived, using his abandoned VC cave as a new base of operations.” “That isn’t good. What about Petunia?” The young Vietnamese asked with worry about her. “She’s okay.” Dung pointed to a cage between him and King, the filly was locked in there, crying her heart out, her eyes already red. It broke Hoang’s heart to see this. Even though he couldn’t reach her, he had to comfort her. “Shh petty, I’m here for you, don’t cry.” The filly looked up with a very scared expression. “I don’t wanna die! I wanna go home!” She cried in fear, tears leaving her eyes. “I promise you will return home safe and sound, Petunia.” It would be difficult to escape, but Hoang had sworn to himself, he would bring Petunia home or die trying. And as his older brother had order to bring her back, their father would probably look for them should Dung not return. This alone gave him hope that they would get out of here. “Dung?” He asked. The NVA soldier lifted his head up. “Yes?” “Tell me, apart from the bad things, how was life in the North?” The ARVN private got curious but had regrets for asking this. “You don’t have to tell if you don’t want to.” Despite this, Dung smiled slightly. “Well, if you throw away the bad things I went through there, good. While most soldiers were rude to me due to being from the South, the civilians were like here, friendly, always ready to help each other. Made me think of home, of you, mother. I can imagine that she would be overjoyed to see me again, but I’m not so sure about father.” “I know. She forgives him, but I also can’t imagine that she would be happy to see him again. But I’m sure she will be happy to see you too.” He returned a smile of his own. “I’m sure of that too-“ Dang added before the sounds of boots cut him off. A man with enormous muscles, blonde hair and turquoise eyes walked in, wearing a torn US uniform. “Looks like our friends are awake.” His voice was cold, his face unemotional. “I must admit, it must been my lucky day, finding a speaking animal.” He came closer to her cage, causing her to back up in fear. “Don’t you dare touch her!” Ethan shouted angrily, trying to defend her. The man turned to him. “You care for a speaking animal? Then let me tell you something. You know what's funny about this war? We are so damn far away from home that they're just guessing what we're up to. None of it matters. This place? They call it hell...WRONG!!!” He screamed, “Wars only hell if you allow it to be, if you're so damn weak that a little blood and screaming is all it takes to break you. You know what's really funny?! Back home, I spent one night stealing a motorbike, blazing a few joints and asking a hooker for my money back a bit too loudly. What happens? Four years in jail. But over here, I go to any village, kill every man I see, have my way with every woman and make the children fight over who gets to eat. What happens? Nothing. Nothing at all. That's what this is. That's what war is. Laws don't apply here. Morality doesn't apply here. So what makes you a criminal over in America makes you a hero over in Vietnam and in the eyes of the same damn people! They say we came here to fight for freedom and that's what I found here. Freedom. Freedom to do whatever I want, however I want to whoever I want. That's real freedom. This is where I belong...This is where I rule.” Then he turned back to the cowering filly. “A talking pony, huh? That's okay. Hardly the most damn thing I've seen in this war. But that's fine. Because in my experience, if something can talk...” He drew a knife ”...then it can scream...” “Harm only one hair of her and you mess with all of us!” Dung screamed in anger, his eyes full of rage. “You keep believing that, little man.” The leader of the Swamp Devils was unimpressed as he left, then stopped at the doorway, turning around one last time. “Dan, Jesper, did you miss me?” He asked taunting. “If you hurt her, you will be sorry, very sorry.” The SOG operative said in a threating voice, the Marine glared at the muscular man with hate. “We will see. I’m pretty sure your little friend will be a delicious meal.” Petunia stared in shock upon hearing this as he left, staying like this for several minutes before breaking down crying. They all felt sorry for her. “You two know him?” King asked his comrades in surprise. “Unfortunately. His name is Grundy. We know him, against our wishes. Arrogant piece of ex-con trash. His kind gave the US Commando Unit a bad name. We weren't sad to hear he'd vanished into the jungle. Personally we hoped he went off to meet his maker. Until we heard of the Swamp Devils.” Dan explained, sighing as Jesper continued for him. “He got signed-up for military service after his prison term ended. His parole officer recommended it. He thought that over in Vietnam, no-one would stop him doing what he liked to someone as long as they were the enemy. We proved to him that wasn't the case, he went rogue.” “I see, a deserter.” King replied, knowing how bad this was. Paleo had cried herself to sleep. In the next day, they all knew they were screwed. All they could hear was Petunia sobbing. She had given up, none of them could blame her, she was still a child, not able to handle something like this. Hoang looked up as two Swamp Devils opened his cage and pulled him out. They dragged him into another room, seating him, Petunia and Dan at a table in a dark cave. The filly trembled as Jesper’s M-19 got placed on the table. Grundy talked with a man of a normal build, with brown hair and green eyes. “I go on the hunt, do as you like with our guests, Boone.” “Yes, sir.” Boone saluted as Grundy left with some of his men. Boone leaned over, many of the others started to watch. A Bookie collected the bets, the Marine looked at him in disgust. “Screw…you…maniac…” Dan spat at him, the Bookie put a meat cleaver to his throat in anger at being spat on. “Dan, don’t!” Hoang yelled to avoid him getting killed, Petunia didn’t said a word, she just trembled, watching everything with a very scared expression. “You dead, Marine!” The Bookie shouted before Boone slammed a pipe on the table, causing the Bookie to step back. “Last chance. Play... or die.” Boone said in a cold voice. “You don't scare me...maniac.” The Afro-American was unimpressed. Enraged at that insult, Boone slammed the pipe into the back of Dan’s head several times, brutally spraying blood everywhere, screaming in anger, Paleo gasped in shock at the sight, while the Bookie held Hoangback with his cleaver, shaking his head to tell him not to interfere or he's next. “Dan! DAN! You bastard!” The ARVN soldier yelled in rage. “Next.” Boone said coldly as he threw the body on the ground. “You will all pay for this!” Then, the next “player” was brought in, a Swamp Devil aiming an AK-47 at him. “Don't you touch me...” “Ethan? No…” Hoang was shocked that his best friend was next, also noticing that Jesper, Dang and Dung were forced to watch everything. The Bookie planted his cleaver in the table as he retrieved the Revolver to reload it. King sat down, facing Hoang. “We're gonna make 'em pay.” King said to his friend determined. “You - no talk! Play!” The Bookie checked the cylinder, spun it, placing the revolver back on the table, and spun the M-19. The barrel ended up pointing at the foal, she shivered, glancing at her friends fearfully. With a shaking hoof, Petunia picked it up, staring at her three friends, her wide amber eyes moist with tears, struggling to keep control. “Please, tell my parents I love them.” She pulled the trigger. Click. Letting out a breath of relief, she placed it down, still trembling. Both knew they had to do something.„What's the plan?” The Army soldier asked. “I'm thinking....I'm thinking....” Hoang tried to get up with one. “No talk!” The Bookie shouted. “One chance, Hoang.” “We'll take it.” “Okay.” The Bookie slapped King, and moved the M-19 closer to him, growing impatient at Ethan not taking his turn. “Shoot, Shoot, Shoot!” “You can’t kill me!” The American shouted. “You shoot, G.I.! You shoot!” King picked up the gun, aiming at his head. “DAMN!” Click. Relieved, breathing heavily, he put the Revolver down. “This time, this time, do it!” The Bookie slammed his cleaver back on the table. “Shut up!” “Ready.” King said to his friend as the Bookie handed the M-19 to Hoang. “Play!” He said. To Petunia’s shock, Hoang picked the gun up without spinning it, yet hesitated to aim at his head. “Shoot, shoot!” The Bookie grew impatient again. “Six and eight o' clock.” Hoang said, his brothers and Jesper nodded, while Petunia was confused what he meant, the Bookie looked around in confusion before looking back at Hoang as he aimed at himself. Please no! Don’t die, Hoang! The young pony looked at him with tear filled eyes as he was about to pull the trigger. She didn’t want to die, but she also wanted her friends to return home safe and sound. Everything was in slow motion as the ARVN soldier grabbed the Bookie by his neck, the revolver aimed at his chest, pulling the trigger, blood sprayed from the Bookie’s neck, revealing that the next chamber was the loaded one. He then used the body as shield, drawing the Bookie’s pistol from his holster while Petunia instinctively doved to the ground, King, Jesper, Dung and Dang knocked out their captors as Hoang scored headshots on two Swamp Devils. Boone used this to run. Jesper picked up his revolver while the others collected their sidearms, taking AK-47s as primary weapons. Paleo slowly looked up, seeing the dead bodies, breathing heavily. “It is over?” She asked, shaken. “Yes.” Hoang said in a comforting voice before turning to his friends and brothers. “Boone, now.” “Let's go!” King’s eyes showed his thirst for avenging Dan. The group started to move through the tunnels, Petunia stayed back to avoid getting hurt. The other Swamp Devils tried to buy time for Boone to warn Grundy by engaging the group. “Don't let that bastard get away! If he makes it out, he'll warn Grundy!” King fired at everyone he spotted. “He ain't getting out!” Hoang replied, filled with anger against Boone. “Roger that!” Despite the heavy resistance, the five soldiers pushed through the tunnels, killing every Swamp Devil that tried to stop them. “Keep going! The Bastard’s gonna die!” Jesper shouted in anger. “Damn right he is.” Dang agreed. “Oh, he'll pay for what he did!” Dung added. “Not just him, Grundy too.” Hoang replied with disgust towards the leader of the Swamp Devils. “I'm gonna kill him - for Dan.” Ethan’s voice was cold. Petunia had never heard them so angry or cold before, it scared her that they wouldn’t be the same persons she knew. Still, it was understandable, they had lost a good friend and wanted revenge for this. It made her wonder if she would lose a good friend of her like that, if she would react the same way. Eventually, they came to the exit which was on a platform, Boone tried to escape the cave complex, prying on the door. “You're not going anywhere!” Hoang shouted as he and the others fired at him, the bullets perforated his body, blood splattered from it before he fell backwards towards the ground. “We got him. For Dan.” King calmed down, sounding cheerfully. “For Dan.” Hoang mourned him, his two friends, brothers and Petunia too. “Let's go. We ain't got time to waste.” Dang climbed up and opened the door, helping the others up. “I know this cave, it’s the same I got trained in, it isn’t far from our village.” “Then lead the way.” Jesper reloaded his rifle. The filly let out a breath of relief. They were still alive and out of this cave. “Don’t worry, we protect you to our last breath.” The ARVN soldier smiled at her, she returned it as they moved out, Dang taking point. After a while, the filly could see smoke in the distance. “There’s fire!” She pointed to it. “Oh, no…” Hoang and his brothers started to run towards it, followed by the others, seeing their worst nightmare. Their village was burned down, the villagers dead, their bodies burned, scattered around what was left of their home. “No…NO!” Dang collapsed, crying his heart out, his brothers started to cry too. Petunia was shocked to see this. They had lost everything. In a try to cheer them up, she hugged the brothers. “I’m sorry.” “I’m truly sorry for your loss too. You three suffered too much already.” King and Jesper had sympathy with them. “Do you…Do you think it was Feng’s work?” Dang asked, suspecting him. “No, Feng's no killer. Not strictly speaking. This isn't his style. Yeah, he could probably have a hundred people killed...but he wouldn't be able to watch. He likes things done subtly. Problems gotten rid of and never spoken again. He doesn't believe in...showing off.” Dung replied. “Plus he knew our father, destroying our home would have made father furious, Feng wouldn’t risk to lose our father’s support. Maybe it were NLF troops?” “That wasn’t caused by the Viet Cong.” King said as he pointed to bodies of NLF fighters, along bodies of NVA soldiers. They started to look around until they found two bodies, an elderly woman and an elderly man. ”MOTHER!” Hoang yelled in shock, rushing over with his brothers. Their mother’s body was covered in blood, a hole in her head, her husband next to her, both were lying against the wall but both were holding hands together. No…NO!” The three brothers collapsed crying, mourning their loss, Jesper and King made the catholic cross in respect while Petunia looked away, not able to bear it. She was such a polite and nice woman…She hasn’t deserved this. A tear left her eye. It was a consolation for the three brothers that their mother had forgiven their father, hinted by the hand holding. Hoang’s grief turned into rage. “I swear I will kill the one who did this to our parents!” He exclaimed at the top of his lungs. “Good luck with that.” A only too familiar voice said taunting to him. Turning around, they saw Grundy step out of the shadow, ten of his men with him. “When I’m done with you, I will enjoy eating your little friend, piece by piece.” The leader of the Swamp Devils grinned sadistically at Petunia, who took a step back in fear. Despite his anger, Hoang quickly calmed down. “There’s only one person dying here today and it ain’t me, my brothers or my friends. You will pay for killing my parents.” “Your parents? Ahh, yes. I remember. Your father was a poor excuse for a soldier. As I aimed the gun at his wife's head, he begged me to spare her life...No dignity.” This caused Hoang to be enraged. With a scream, he and his brothers charged at Grundy. In that moment, King put Paleo behind a fence for cover as the other Swamp Devils opened fire, he and Jesper returned it. Grundy simply sidestepped to avoid Hoang’s punch, then punched the South Vietnamese into the chest, making him stumble. Dung delivered a punch to the American’s chest, due to his muscles, he shrugged it off like it was nothing. “Is that all you got?” He taunted as he grabbed the NVA soldier by the shoulders. Dung bite his wrist in response, causing him to cry in pain. Hoang used this moment to deliver a punch to the Swamp Devil’s nose, managing to break it. However, Grundy quickly recovered.” You have to do better than that!” The rogue shook his head, unaware of Dang creeping beside him. The NLF fighter jumped on his back from behind, causing him to lose balance, grunting and spinning around, the American trying to get Dang off of him. Distracted by this, Dang’s brothers used this to beat him, having success as he grunted also in pain with every hit he took. Grundy’s foot got caught in a root, he fell over, landing hard on the ground while Dang managed to catch himself. The brothers stopped upon noticing that a wire got caught in his leg. “What’s wrong, scared?” Grundy taunted before he heard a click sound. His expression wasn’t one of shock or surprise, but disappointment. “Mother…” Then a big explosion, causing the brothers to cover their eyes, coughing from the smoke. Even Petunia and the Americans had to cough. A metallic clang noise rang in King’s ears, he turned around to see blood splattering from Jesper’s head, a hole in his helmet, falling backwards to the ground as a puddle of red liquid formed on the ground. “Die!” One Swamp Devil lunged at him, throwing him to the ground trying to stab him with a knife, he struggled against it. The brothers couldn’t help him as they were still stunned by the explosion. Ethan grunted in pain as his opponent slowly overpowered him, the knife coming closer to his chest. No… Then suddenly, a gunshot, blood flowing down from the Swamp Devil’s head, his expression empty, the knife falling out of his hand. The Army soldier threw the body off him, his expression becoming one of sympathy once he saw who had fired the shot that had saved him. Petunia. She was holding Jesper’s M-19 in her right hoof, shaking with a terrified expression before throwing it away, starting to cry. King knew from experience, the first kill was never easy and she was still a child, probably traumatized from it, if she wasn’t already from the horrible things she had seen before. Trying to comfort her, he took her on his arm, patting her back, she buried her head into his chest, crying her heart out. “It’s over… The Swamp Devils are no more…” Dung let out a breath of relief. Then, a terrified groan of pain came out of the smoke, making the filly flinch. As the smoke vanished, the four men were horrified as well. Grundy had survived the explosion, covered in blood, his left arm blown off. With a furious expression and another groan of pain, he moved slowly towards them. They took protective positions in front of Petunia. “You…will pay… for this!” The wounded man yelled in anger. “I’m not finished yet…” He got cut off as he got caught in another root, falling toward and a terrible sound of his flesh getting ripped could be heard. “Ouch.” Dang commented, seeing that Grundy has fallen into Punji Sticks, impaled by them, not moving. King covered Petunia’s eyes. The three brothers walked towards her, Dung stopped, turning around and threw a grenade into the trap, not looking at the explosion. As they all looked at him, he just said in a nonchalant tone, “Helps to be sure.” “Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.” Hoang replied in the same tone. The filly spotted a shadow coming out of the woods, no several shadows, four at least. “Watch out!” She tried to warn her friends, but they were caught off guard as the shadows revealed themselves to be more Swamp Devils. “You snooze, you lose!” One of the Swamp Devils taunted, his weapon ready as he aiming at Petunia, she closed her eyes, expecting to die, her friends tried to drew their sidearms. Quick as a flash, five shots rang in her ears, the two Americans and three Vietnamese saw how one Swamp Devil after another fell dead to the ground in quick succession. As Petunia slowly opened her eyes, she saw three more shadows coming out of the woods. It was Feng and his bodyguards to their surprise, the former’s pistol barrel was smoking, holding it sideways, one arm behind his back, very nonchalant. Dung had heard of this shooting style, called bandit shooting, due to being used against bandits. By holding the gun sideways, the muzzle climb shifted the gun horizontally, allowing for a deadly sweep in close quarters. The spent casings would eject to the side, negating the issues with jamming, and the recoil actually helped guide the operator's hand in close quarters to acquire the next target; the idea was to aim at the right-most target and use the muzzle jump to guide aim to the next target. This technique was feared by the Japanese during the Invasion of China. They looked at him, stunned, unable to process why he had saved them for what seemed like hours until he said with a glance, “Oh, I'm sorry, did you want that one?” Dung asked, confused, “Why?” “Simple, really. The Swamp Devils were a great threat, not only to the south but the north as well. As my men failed to eliminate them completely, I decided to do this myself. Plus, you wanted to bring your little friend home safe and sound, right?” “Yes…” The NVA soldier replied, trying to understand. “You all did a great deal for this country by helping to eliminate this threat.” “I guess so. Would you be so kind and help us to give our friend and parents a proper burial?” As Hoang asked this, Paleo noticed that Feng seemed to have compassion for them. “Of course, it’s the least I can do for them. Your father was one of the most capable men I ever saw in my career. While I never knew your mother, Vu told me much about her. I can tell that she raised you well.” The Chinese holstered his weapon. As the men dig the graves, Petunia could swear she saw Vu stirring for a second. Could he be still alive? She wondered, taking a closer look. The man started to groan. “He’s alive!” She exclaimed in surprise, the three brothers stopped their work, rushing over to their father. “Uhh…my head….” Vu held his head in pain. “Father, are you okay?” Dung helped him up. “I’m fine. Damn Swamp Devils surprised us when we told the NLF to stand down.” He turned to Hoa’s body, a single tear escaping his eye. “You didn’t deserve this, Hoa. You were a great wife and mother. I should have seen this coming!” He smashed his fist into the ground, breaking down. Then, he felt something warm around him. Petunia had wrapped her forehooves around him. “I’m sorry for your loss, but you have tried.” Vu let out a weak smile. “Yes. At least, you have forgiven me for what I did nine years ago, my wife. As for you, my sons, I feared the worst when I heard you went missing. I can’t tell how happy I am to see that you and Petunia are alright.” “The NLF commander hadn’t dared to hurt her after I told him he was holding the little turquoise Qilin prisoner.” Feng explained. “Qilin? Why did you name me like that?” The filly asked, not knowing what that meant. The Chinese replied slightly nervous, “It’s a…nickname I picked for you so they wouldn’t hurt you. It’s a lucky charm in my culture.” “Ah, I see.” She replied. “How did you survive?” Hoang asked his father. “Well, as Grundy wanted to shoot my wife, I struggled with him until he knocked me out. Last thing I felt before everything went black was Hoa’s hand.” Yu told as far as he could remember. “Wait, where’s Lan?” He asked upon not seeing him along the bodies. “Don’t worry, he’s alive. He’s the reason why I’m here, managing to escape and inform me about the situation. A bit injured, but treated as we speak.” Feng replied. “At least he survived this slaughter.” The elderly father was relieved to hear this. After they had buried her and Jesper, Vu said to his sons, “I don’t expect any of you to forgive me for what I did. But I want to let you know, that I want you to be safe. If you want to begin a new life with her or in the USA, do as you like.” He knew if North Vietnam would win the war that Hoang would be sent into a reeducation camp, which consisted of forced labor and political indoctrination, or would be forced to clear a minefield. The Officers and generals were corrupt, poorly trained and ineffective, a sign that this was more likely to happen. Dang would mostly suffer the same fate due to being South Vietnamese and Dung wouldn’t want to let his brothers suffer such a fate. Now, as their mother was dead and their home destroyed, they had nowhere to go. He lowered his head with a sigh, blaming himself for all of this. Unexpectedly, his sons hugged him with tears. “We forgive you!” They said in unsion. The elderly man cried tears of joy. Petunia smiled at the heart warming sight, noticing that even Feng seemed to smile. “Ah, I just came in time.” A new voice sounded, surprising everyone. Turning into the direction the voice came from, they saw an elderly man, using a crutch to walk, his hair grey and having blue eyes. “I’m Polly, I used to be Grundy’s translator, against my will. You did not only help this country, but me as well. For that, I will be forever grateful.” “It’s nothing. Hoang, you and your brothers could get with me to the USA, my wife said to me once that she would like to meet you.” King offered his friends. Hoang smiled, his brothers nodded. “I’d like that. Would you like to join us too, Polly?” The translator waved a hand. “Thanks for the offer but I’m so enfeebled that I probably wouldn’t survive the journey. I rather spent my last moments here in peace.” “Okay. Farewell, father.” Hoang and his brothers said goodbye. “Goodbye, my sons. May you live the rest of your lives in peace.” Vu replied as King saluted while Paleo waved goodbye, watching after them until they were out of sight. Feng turned to his men. “None of this ever happened, gentlemen.” They nodded, then assisted Polly as they walked to their means of transportation. “You can be proud of your sons, Vu. They put honor and care before everything else.” The Chinese said to him. “Yes, that’s my sons. I couldn’t be any prouder of them. And I spared them from a horrible fate.” Vu replied, not thinking he would ever see them again, but knowing they could live a happy life together. “General Vu em Binh...It's been an honor.” Feng paused, bashful for several moments. “You should know that if ever our nations decide to go to war, I intend to retire.” “I'm glad to hear it. I fear I could not do the same.” Vu replied, feeling tied to his country. “I didn't think you would. I wish you luck. However well you've done as a father, I've seen few better soldiers in my time. And good soldiers deserve their victory.” Feng said with pride. “Agreed. May you rest in peace, Hoa.” Vu made a silent prayer for his wife. As Hoang, Petunia, King, Dung and Dang reached the US base, the other soldiers were relieved that Petunia, Hoang and King were still alive and well. After Hoang explained that Dung and Dang were his brothers, the former NVA soldier and Viet Cong member got treated well by them. King was awarded with the Purple Heart and for wiping out the Swamp Devils, the Silver Star. Due to the brothers’ surprise for helping King, they got the same awards, despite not being part of the military. The officer that had awarded them, told them they had earned it for keeping Petunia safe and destroying the Swamp Devils. The plane ride to the USA was the most relaxing and comfortable ride Hoang, Dung and Dang had ever experienced so far. Upon reaching King’s hometown, his family was overjoyed to see him and Petunia in one piece. “Daddy! We were so worried!” His children exclaimed as they hugged him. “I and Petunia are fine, kids.” He kissed his wife. “Emily, may I introduce Hoang and his brothers to you?” Having switched to civilian clothing, they smiled at the woman and her children. “Hello, Mrs. King. I’m Hoang em Binh but Hoang is just fine.” “Dung and Dang is also fine.” His brothers added. “The pleasure is all mine, Hoang.” “Welcome in New Bordeaux!” The siblings exclaimed happy. They walked home, King used this to explain what had happened. “Oh my…I’m really sorry to hear that.” The mother had sympathy for the three brothers. “It’s okay, in our hearts, our mother is still alive.” Dang replied as Liam and Lara give him and Dung a hug to cheer them up. “I owe you something. Without you, I wouldn’t have survived back there.” Petunia was very grateful. “You owe us nothing, Petunia, we did only what was right to do.” Dung replied with a smile, relieved that she was safe now. “Say, when do you have to go back?” Emily asked her husband. “I don’t. I got discharged. Now, I can finally spend more time with you.” “Glad to hear it.” However, once they reached Downtown, they saw smoke in the distance, yelling and fighting sounds, making them wonder what was going on. Once it was in view, everyone was shocked. A brutal street battle between rioters and police forces was raging on, the house of the King family was on fire as the rioters used Molotov Cocktails against the police forces, who responded with nightsticks and water cannons. “Our house!” Emily shouted in shock, not believing what she saw. “Bastards!” Ethan exclaimed while his children just stared in shock. Petunia and the three Asians also stared at the fire, feeling sorry for the American family. Seeing that the street battle threatened to go out of control, Hoang took the word. “I hate to say it, but we should get out of here before the rioters attack us.” The least he wanted that Petunia or Ethan’s children would get hurt. Emily just nodded with tears in her eyes, before they left. As they walked away, still in shock about what they had seen, Lincoln crossed their way. “Hello again, Ethan. I can’t say how happy I am to hear that you and Petunia are back safe and sound.” Then he noticed their shocked expressions. “Did I say something wrong?” He asked a bit worried. Ethan shook his head. “No. It’s just, I came back from the war, only to see my house set on fire by rioters.” He explained in a depressed voice. Petunia noticed that Clay was twitching for a moment before replying, “Sorry to hear that. But don’t worry, I’ll pay for the repairs and you can stay at my place until the repairs are done.” He offered his friends. “Thank you, Lincoln.” Ethan was glad as his family wasn’t going to be homeless, his wife and children agreed too. Clay invited his friends to Sammy’s bar for some food and drinks, King used this to tell his friend what he had experienced and about the experiences of Hoang, Dang and Dung. The veteran had sympathy with the Asians. “I’m terribly sorry to hear what happened to your home and mother. But thanks to you, Petunia and my friend survived. So, I would say, this toast is on you!” Clay raised his glass, the brothers, King and Emily raised their glasses too. They had beer while the kids had Juice. While Hoang and his brothers still had to process the death of their beloved mother, they knew she was still alive in their hearts. The beer tasted very good, better that they could have imagined. Later, the family decided to see what was left of their house, only to see that it had completely burned down to the ground, leaving only ash. Emily collapsed crying with her children, King and Petunia tried their best to comfort them. “They really didn’t deserve this.” Hoang said with pity, feeling sorry for them. “I agree. Yet, if it hadn’t been for us, Emily would have been a widow.” Dang figured out. “Indeed. I kinda like it here already.” Dung admitted. For the young family, it was a consolation that Clay would pay the repairs and offer shelter until the house was rebuilt. On the way back to Sammy’s bar, a group of young men walked past them, looking with disgust at King. “You think you a hero for fighting in Vietnam? You’re not.” One of them said in a very rude tone to him. “Excuse me?” He asked slightly offended. “You’re a disgrace, a baby killer! Killing for our corrupt government!” The man tried to punch Ethan, Clay grabbed the man by his wrist. “I advise you kindly to leave him alone.” He said in a calm, yet serious tone. “Or what?” One of the others shouted now in anger, charging at Lincoln who shoved the first men into his attacker, throwing both to the ground. This action caused the others to back up in fear, then run away. “W-what was that?” Petunia asked, a bit scared. “It’s hard to explain. You have already seen how unpopular the Vietnam War is here. Some people hate us soldiers for fighting in Vietnam, offending us, some even attack us.” Ethan explained as they continued to walk home. However, they had to encounter more insults of hateful citizens, they did not attack King, but threw garbage at him, the filly noticed how he flinched for a few seconds every time they insulted him. Back at Sammy’s bar, they dined and went to bed, King’s family and Petunia took the guest beds, the brothers insisted on sleeping on the ground or took the couch. The young filly awoke in the morning, hearing quiet weeping, seeing Ethan’s wife and children still asleep, but the soldier was nowhere to be seen. The brothers were also still asleep. Curious, she followed the sound, it came from the patio, what she saw broke her heart. The former Army soldier was looking at the sunrise, tears leaving his eyes. “Ethan, what’s wrong?” Paleo asked with concern. He was startled by her. “It’s nothing…I…I risked my life over there in Vietnam for my country and this what I got as thanks…I feel like our own government left us behind…” Without hesitation, the filly hugged him tightly. “Don’t listen to what those mean people say, Ethan. You are a hero for saving me.” “Indeed you are, Ethan. You can be proud of yourself for keeping her save.” His family had joined them, his wife smiled proudly. “Ethan, I have lost a lot of good friends in Vietnam, but you are the best friend I could ask for.” Hoang added. The American smiled weakly. “Thank you. I just don’t know how I should continue now that I’m no longer in the military.” “I’m sure we will find something for you.” Petunia replied with determination. Someone cleared his throat, they turned around, seeing Clay standing in the doorway.” I’m sorry to interrupt this family moment, but there is someone who would like to see you.” They wondered who it could be as Lincoln went downstairs to get the visitor he had mentioned. Shorty after, a white Alicorn with floating mane and magenta eyes stepped into the room, leaving the humans shocked and fascinated. “Greetings, I’m looking for a missing citizen, is she here?” The Alicorn asked with a friendly voice. The humans blinked to make sure their eyes didn’t deceive them, while Petunia grinned. “Uhh, yes, she’s here.” Ethan and the others stepped aside to reveal the happy filly. “Princess Celestia!” Petunia exclaimed yet bowed respectfully. “Rise, my subject. I’m glad to see that you are well. And I’m not the only one who is happy to see you.” The Princess pointed behind herself, showing she was not alone. “Petunia!” The two ponies exclaimed, overjoyed. “Mama! Papa!” The filly ran towards them for a hug, very happy to see them. “I missed you so much!” “My little filly, I can’t say how happy I am to see you safe and sound!” Her mother cried tears of joy. The humans smiled with happiness at the wonderful sight of a family being reunited again. “Me too! They helped me!” The filly pointed to the Americans and the Asians with a big smile. Ethan took the word. “Yes, we did. I’m Ethan King, this is my wife Emily, my children Liam and Lara and my friends, Hoang, Dung, Dang and Clay.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you all and I’m grateful for keeping my subject safe. Now, Petunia, you surely have a lot to tell.” Celestia smiled at the filly. Petunia trembled, “Yes and no. There are t-things that are…” “Shh, if it’s too hard to tell, let me try something, Petunia.” The Alicorn spoke in a calming voice, touching the foal’s forehead with her horn. A white light blended everyone’s vision for a moment. Celestia and Petunia’s parents now saw what the young filly had experienced, from the day Ethan and King had found her, to today. “My poor baby!” Mrs. Paleo hugged her daughter to comfort her. “Your highness, Mom, dad, could the Kings, Hoang and his brothers come with us? They have lost everything, no place they can call home.” The foal asked with hope. The Princess of the Sun smiled warmly. “I don’t see a reason why they couldn’t; they have surely earned it. Do you accept?” She asked the former soldiers. They were quite surprise about such an offer but their answer was clear. “We accept.” They all bowed. “We don’t mind it, It’s no problem to expand our house.” Petunia’s father replied. Ethan turned to Clay. “Farewell, Clay, you were a good friend to me.” Lincoln smiled. “You were a good friend too. Enjoy your new life.” Celestia’s horn glowed, everything went white once again and the American family and Vietnamese brothers found themselves in the house of the Paleo family. Ice Star was also in the house, feeling very sorry. “Petunia, I’m really, really sorry for insulting you and your parents. C-can you forgive me?” Petunia smiled. “Yes. You helped indirectly to reunite a family that got torn apart.” She turned to the three brothers and the American family. “Welcome to Equestria!” One month later Ethan with his family, Hoang, Dung and Dang couldn’t complain about their new life in Equestria. The three brothers lived together with Petunia’s family while the King family had their own house right next to them. The four men worked as Royal Guards, due to the war, they couldn’t imagine a different job than being soldiers. They regularly helped Petunia with her discoveries, it was always fun and made music together. Liam and Lara were together with Petunia in school and members of the CMC. The three brothers along with Ethan and Emily helped Petunia’s parents to clean the house as the three young voices called out, “Mommy, daddy, uncles, we’re home!” “Welcome back. How was school?” Hoang asked the children with a happy smile. “Great! Right now, the Cutie Mark Crusaders invited us to Sugarcube Corner!” They exclaimed in unison and left with smiles. The adults watched after them until they were out of sight. Ethan turned the radio on. “May I have this dance?” He asked his wife. They all danced together. For Ethan, he could live a life without discrimination by other people just because he was a soldier. For Hoang, Dang and Dung, it was more complicated. They knew that South Vietnam would most likely lose the war without the support of the USA and they probably wouldn’t have survived this. Here, they could live a peaceful life, a life that never had been possible in Vietnam. Their mother had wanted it so for them and they knew she would be alive in their hearts. What was most important for them, they had kept their promise and they would keep it, no matter what would happen. They could finally live together again, in peace and Petunia was their lucky charm that would keep it that way. After nine years, they were finally reunited, able to live in peace as family, as they had always wanted.