Chapter 5: A terrible reaction
Rumble was playing with his new two friends and his brother in the grass, their parents watched them smiling. He played tag as Thunderlane caught him and tackled him to the ground. “Got you!” He tickled his little brother.
Rumble broke out in hysterical laughter. After some time, he was able to catch his breath. “That was fun!” Francesco grinned.
“You say it, Fratre!” his sister smiled.
“Let’s join the others, shall we?” Marco suggested as there was a party in the town.
However, as Ponyville came into view, he gasped.
It was burning.
“Watch out!” Luca yelled as a jet of the human Wonderbolts was about to crash into them. Then an explosion that tore him out of his dream.
He was almost knocked off the bed as Giovanni ran in. “What’s happening?!” Rumble asked scared.
“The town’s under attack! We must get you to safety!” He grabbed him and held him close to his chest.
Both couldn’t believe it. The town was under attack by U-7 Dravec bombers and CS Odjurs tanks. The civilians managed to get out safely but the rebels were gunned down in seconds. Giovanni dodged explosions as good as he could. He could feel how Rumble shivered in his arms, looking around. The rebel knew it was too much for the boy. Diving to evade another explosion, he made it to the police station where Mario and some other rebels were holding the line.
“Get a vehicle! We protect him!” Giovanni got Rumble to cover behind a barrier, then left to get a vehicle. Rumble cowered scared.
The rebels were slowly killed by the soldiers, only Mario was left.
“Rico, I’m in trouble! Over! We’re pinned down by Di Ravello’s forces! We need your help! You want some shotgun?! I’ll bet you do, filia da puta!” He fired and managed to kill a soldier.
“I’ll take you ALL on! Every last ONE OF YOU!” He screamed as Rico came in by parachute after destroying the tanks. He noticed that one of the soldiers hesitated as he saw the cowering and crying colt.
Rico and Mario had killed all other soldiers except for him.
“Rumble!” the soldier ran to him.
“D-daddy!” he hugged him crying. Rico and his friend knew instantly who the soldier was.
“Look up, Rico! Paratroopers!” Mario yelled as Paratroops were deployed above them. Rico found out that the best and fastest way to kill them was his grappling hook, as once hit by it, the troops fell to their death, screaming.
Again one of the soldiers hesitated once he spotted Rumble. However, he aimed at the rebels as they tried to approach the colt. “Don’t even dare!”
“We didn’t harm him but we’re the only ones who can get him to safety.” Rico tried to explain but even the private pointed his rifle at them.
“Liar!”
“Rumble, I apologize for this.” Rico tethered the soldiers together.
“What the?” The private said before both soldiers reeled in and stumbled.
“Where are the others?” Rico took the ammo from the CS Predator rifles as they used the same ammo as the U-39 Plechovkam he, the rebels and privates of the army used.
“They killed them all, the bastardos!” Marco replied.
“We need to get you and Rumble out of here!”
“I called the rebels to come help out, but there are too many of Di Ravello’s soldiers. I don’t think anyone made it, Rico.”
“MARIO! We’re outside – open the gate!” Giovanni managed to find a car.
“A survivor! Get the gate, Rico; we’ve got to get out of here!”
Rico opened the gate with his hook and Giovanni came in with a rebel version of the Stria Facocero. “We got evac waiting outside of Cirilla! …is this everyone? He asked as he saw the dead rebels.
“Just get Mario and Rumble out of here – I’ll cover you!” Rico got on the back while Mario gently picked Rumble up and entered the passenger seat.
“Padre!!” The colt called out.
“Shh, don’t worry, he’s gonna be fine.” Mario patted him.
The soldiers recovered and saw how Rico gave them a thump up. They knew by this that Rumble would be safe with him.
As the rebels fled, an Urga Postolka helicopter chased them. “Target is fleeing, engage!”
“Damn, reinforcements! Drive, go go go!” Mario held Rumble tight.
Before the light assault helicopter could fire his Gatling guns, Rico destroyed it by attaching a tether to it, and the ground, then tighten it, causing the helicopter to crash, exploding in a fireball.
At a gas station, the former Agency member shot at some explosives barrels to blow it and some soldiers up, creating a giant fireball. Another Postolka arrived but Rico took it again with the Grappler down, crashing. Any chasing Weimaraner was taken out by Rico as he shot the tires causing them to crash.
They passed a military base near a bridge. “Ohh, there’s a Military Base! They’ll coming for us. We need to slow their reinforcements! Over. That base is gonna send tanks after us if we don’t do something. Rico!”
“Just get over the bridge!” Rico said to Mario as he had liberated Province in the region except for the central command post, as it was protected by a FOW, making any attack futile.
As they crossed the bridge, he fired at a wreck with explosives barrels, destroying the bridge in the progress.
Urga Szturm 63As chased them in Cirilla but Rico took care of them, mostly shooting out the tires, making them lose control.
Outside, Marco carried the crying colt to a blue Eubus Eagle and escaped.
Giovanni flew to Cava de Rebelles where they regrouped. During the travel, Rumble had calmed down. “It’s over. It’s finally over…” He said quietly.
“After that, you should take a nap.” Giovanni carried him to a bed.
“Thanks for saving me but you still can contact my madre and padre?” The boy asked with hope.
“Of course, kid. We take care of that.” Giovanni patted him before the colt fell asleep with a sigh.
Dimah put a blanket over him. “Poor child. He’s seen things he should never have seen.”
“I know but thanks to Rico he’s safe.”
Marco told his wife what happened. “Mio dio. But thanks to Rico he survived. I hope he isn’t traumatized.”
“I hope so too. I thought I saw my brother in the town. But I could be mistaken. I heard how successful the rebels were on Liberating every town and base in Insula Fonte. Only Cima Leon: Centcom is left.” Both prayed that Rumble was alright.
The radio turned on. “Hi there! The good general heard that some of you were experiencing some television interference from the transmitter at Cima Leon. So he decided it to destroy it, and the base around it, just to be sure. Yes, all in a day’s work at Medici’s Department of Beautification. My prison cell could use some beautification. Vive Medici.”
“I can’t believe it! How did they manage to do that?” The commando wondered.
“I don’t know but I think Rico is responsible for this, Luca,” Marco replied as Rumble’s friends joined them.
“I hope the rebels treat him well.” Greta prayed for his safety.
“I’m sure they do, sweetheart.” Her mother hugged her.
They prayed for his safety and that the general wouldn’t find him.