Two Days Later...
Sweet Apple Acres...
"Are you sure? Seaddle was deemed dangerous and ordered to be quarantined, yah sure that's where yer headed?" Applejack asked. Connors loaded another magazine into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Looking down to the orange farm mare, he saw a look of fear, confusion, and concern.
"Positive. The Staff Sergeant was very clear." He says. Connors quickly checks his rifle, sure enough there is a bullet in the chamber. Connors steps out of the door of the guest room and heads downstairs. Applejack follows closely behind, still seeming unsure of this. Connors looks back and sighs.
"Look, John is one of the best tacticians I've ever met, he's sure to have a foolproof plan." He says with certainty. Secretly though, he wasn't too sure. He had dealt with crazies back in Iraq, and every time they lost at least one guy. Hopefully that wouldn't happen this time. With fire in his eyes, he throws open the main door and steps outside.
"Derek, just be careful out there, a group of Royal Guards were sent to that town, but they never came back." Applejack said. Connors froze. That was actually a little intimidating. But hey, he was a soldier, he had been through a lot worse. Or at least he hoped he had...
Rarity's Fashion Shop...
"So... There was no response from any of them?" Barns asked. Rarity shook her head and frowned. Barns slumped in his chair, rubbing his hand through his hair. A battalion of 120 guards... And NONE of them got back home safely? Sighing, he placed his hands together and leaned against the table. The odds just kept getting stacked against them. They were already outnumbered... Now they had evidence to back up the stories? Barns picked up the letter that had been sent and read over it again. Yep, it was definitely Seaddle.
"Frank? Are you ok?" Rarity asked. Looking up, Barns saw her sympathetic face. He shook his head and sighed again as he stood up from his chair. He walked up the stairs and found his LMG. He paused for a moment. This was a suicide mission. He just knew it. Even if he made it out alive, he had a bad feeling that someone wouldn't... What was John getting them into?
Fluttershy's Cottage...
Adams walked outside, and paused momentarily. Looking around, he saw the peaceful scenery, which he knew would soon be replaced by battle cries and shouts of pain. He shook his head. He was so sick of war. How did the veterans live with it? All the pain, gore, and loss? He couldn't comprehend it. He hears a small whimper and looks to the side. Chuckling slightly, he watches as Fluttershy tries desperately to hop up to a nest of birds with worms in her mouth. No doubt trying to feed the birds. Walking up, he watches her try to hop up once again, but with no success.
"Up you go." He says as he lifts her up to his shoulders. Fluttershy stumbles slightly, but Adams adjusts to keep her balanced. She looks down to him and gives as much of a smile she can manage. She turns her head back up and drops the worms into the nest, and tries to get the taste out of her mouth once she does. Adams chuckles slightly and kneels down, allowing her to hop down.
"Don't worry, you'll be able to do that by yourself by tomorrow." He said as he gave her mane a quick rub. The doctors said that her wings would be ready for reattachment tomorrow, and she would be ready to fly a few days after that. What had happened to her on that day was horrendous, how could anyone do that to her? She giggles slightly. Her smile is replaced with a frown when she sees him in his uniform as well as his rifle.
"You're going off to fight again?" She asked sadly. Adams sighed and nodded. If it were up to him, he would just stay here, but it wasn't. Orders were orders, no matter how ridiculous they seemed. He had heard the stories of Seaddle from ponies in town, and he was in no rush to get there. Fluttershy asks him to promise to return safely. Adams smiles and says he'll be the first one to see her with her wings back.
Just Outside Rainbow's Cloud Home...
Rainbow watched as Hank slipped on his battle gear, frowning as he went. She could tell that her friend didn't want to do this. But he had no choice. Looking to her right, he sees his helmet sitting on the ground. Gently she takes it in her teeth and flies up to the man. He has just finished placing the pouches along his waist when he looks up to see her. He gives a slight grin and takes the helmet. He stares at it momentarily and shakes his head. Rainbow raises an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" She asked. Hank looked back up to the flying mare and sighed.
"Just some pre-battle jitters I guess." He says as he places the helmet on his cranium and gives it a quick pat. He looks up to the sky and grins slightly. It must have been nice to live here back when it was peaceful. No worries, no humans to freak you out, must have been nice. Rainbow grins slightly and tells him to get going. He challenges her to a race when he gets back, and she accepts.
Sugar Cube Corner...
Hans quickly paced his ammunition. Checking his belt again, he made sure he had all of the frags and smoke grenades. Sure enough, they were there. He gives his belt a quick pack as he does one last check on his weapons. One SCAR-L assault rifle, one Fiveseven, one claymore, three frag grenades, four smoke grenades, and one combat knife. He gives of a sigh of relief, his supplies were in good order. He begins to pack up when Pinkie comes walking in, carrying the letter he had received this morning. He frowned. He was hoping he could get out of here before she noticed. He sighs and rises to his feet as she walks closer to him. She sets down the note and looks at him sympathetically. Unfortunately, Hans has no time for sympathy. He had to get moving. Right now.
"Jacob... Promise me you'll make it back okay, we still have that last go cart to finish." She says. Hans freezes. There is pain, and more shockingly, a dead seriousness in her voice. She must have been really scared, there was no way she would do that normally. Looking back, he sees that she does indeed carry much fear, as she trembles greatly and tries to hold back tears. Hans nods and walks out the door. Leaving the scared, and confused Earth Pony to her own thoughts.
Town Library...
Moore slowly walked up to the door and froze. He looked down at his hand, which was grasping the door knob with an iron grip. Despite this, his arms felt like pool noodles, and his mind begged for ease, but he would not receive his relief.
"John?" He hears from behind. Looking back, he sees Twilight, levitating a box in the air with her magic. Moore squints at the object, trying to distinguish could be inside it. Twilight walks closer and lets the object fall. She walks up to the box and places a hoof on it before pausing.
"I asked the girls to lend me their necklaces for a little while. This was why." Gently, she removed the top of the box, revealing six badges, each varying in color. Moore kneels down and observes them for a moment, trying to distinguish what they are. His eyes widen when he realizes what they are. They're pieces of the Element necklaces and tiara from the girls. Spotting the purple one, he takes it cautiously and inspects it. It's surrounded by a metal, which had been painted blue, white, and red. The colors of the American flag.
"I thought that these might give you inspiration out there. I know how scary it must be to go there, I heard the initial reports." She says with a grim expression. Moore smiles and looks up to the mare. This was an extraordinary gift. He takes the needle of the purple pendant and sticks it into the sleeve of his uniform, just under the US flag and right above his Staff Sergeant insignia.
"Thank you Twilight. These will definitely rally my men." He places the lid back on the box and stands, carrying it underneath one arm.
"Be careful out there." She says with dread in her voice. Looking back, Moore gives a serious, somewhat forced determined look on his face. He nods and walks out, ready to face the challenge ahead.