//------------------------------// // Five-Oh-Deuce // Story: World at War: Protectors of Harmony // by TasteDaRainbow //------------------------------// The rest was nonetheless a good one for everyone that night. Well, all except for one. Twilight had been stirred in her sleep for almost two hours. She couldn't find herself to sleep, no matter how hard she tried. "Urgh," she groaned before face planting into her pillow, "This is ridiculous." She had been thinking about what Blake had said before. And she was honestly afraid of the words. It's gonna get a whole lotta worse once you're on the battlefield She kept thinking of how Parker easily took down the other soldiers back in the forest. He didn't show them any mercy. And neither did his enemy. Those were just a couple of soldiers. What about the real battlefield? What could possibly happen to all of the paratroopers she had met and seen in the camp. She doubted that she had the nerve to go out there and see it herself. She couldn't imagine how many deaths she would see from both sides. She sighed while rubbing her temple. Closing her eyes as she did, she managed to calm herself. "I hope this will end well…" She spoke softly to no one, before finally letting herself off to sleep. ... Next to the tent however, the same thing was happening to Parker. He sat on his bed, elbows on each knee while crossing his fingers with his chin on his hands. His comrades were already fast asleep. Parker stared at the green colored side of the tent, thinking about the recent events he and his squad had just faced. With a sigh, he closed his eyes. What the hell am I gonna do with them He was quite surprised that even his own brain didn't retort back just like it used to. He hated to admit it but he needed whatever soul in his brain to talk to him. Why would I even tag them along with me in the first place God knows what He is doing up there. He rested his forehead to his hands, and couldn't stop thinking about the ponies they just met. He surely wanted to help, but part of him actually told him to just leave them behind because they were none of his business. They were just the same as every civilian they've met once they stepped foot on Normandy. No… they're not from this world. It's clear as day that they need every help they can get He stayed like that for a couple of minutes before pulling his head up and looked around to see his fellow comrades. Sleeping peacefully when they knew they had another day to fight for their lives. I couldn't have picked better soldiers than them Parker trusted them that they could help him to take care of those ponies. He could see it before, their eagerness, their patience, their loyalty, their words. But sometimes, things can go sideways and Parker has already prepared himself for that. Whatever it is, he damn sure he would take care of it. He laid back down to his bunk, with his arms on his belly, he closed his eyes. Letting the crickets do their work in making music to his ears. For the first time in days, Parker could feel himself genuinely smiling. I'm going to take them back home. No matter what shit will be thrown at me Rainbow Dash opened her eyes slowly before yawning and stretching her hooves, along with her back. She sat up almost immediately while rubbing her eyes. She could've sworn the bed felt like her bed back in her house. She couldn't blame herself for feeling like that after an exhausting day. She fell asleep after she ate the meal that was served for her. Rainbow slowly opened her eyes, revealing her tired magenta eyes before scanning the tent she slept in. And what she saw shocked her beyond her thoughts. The rest were still asleep, she was the only one who was already awake. Usually, Rainbow was the one who slept more than her friends. But seeing what they had gone through, she couldn't blame them for taking a good long rest. She hopped off from her bunk and stretched like a cat would do after they woke up. Flapping her wings and stretching them, she trotted to the flap of the tent. Before she went outside, she took one last glance at her friends. They were all sleeping peacefully in their own dreams. As much as she wanted to prank Pinkie and woke her up, she wouldn't dare to do it now. They all must be exhausted, and so did Rainbow. Opening the flap of the tent, Rainbow walked outside. She was instantly greeted by the paratroopers, walking around with their own business. Jeeps and tanks drove past the street filled with mud. Some paratroopers even nodded to her, which she nodded back. She wouldn't be surprised either, she had been told that Parker and the ranking officers have spread the news about their existence and vowed to not tell it to anyone outside of airborne. She flapped her wings several times before looking up to the gray sky above. No doubt that it was morning already. She thought exploring the base probably would be a good idea. Besides, they all know that there are talking ponies in their area, right? What could go wrong. Getting to know some of them wouldn't hurt. And to see some of those planes fly by was something Rainbow definitely was going to learn. Taking the fresh air through her nostrils, she took off from her spot and flew throughout the base. … Blake and Parker could be seen walking down the street amongst the busy paratroopers. Parker had all of his gears on him, his gun strapped to his right shoulder with his helmet on his head. Blake had his arms on his back, looking to his front while they were in a conversation. "Will there be armored support, Sir?" Parker asked, looking on the street around him. "There will be, soon enough," Blake responded, "But before that, we must take Carentan first. Our order is to guard the right flank along the upper Douve River before we engage into the town itself." "Expecting a heavy resistance?" "We're still not sure," Blake shook his head a little, "The town is lightly defended but I'm expecting hand to hand combat. 'Cause we're gonna check each and every door and corner in that town." "Sounds like an easy task then." Parker said nonchalantly. "Not that easy if you have those ponies on your back." Blake retorted. That made Parker stop dead in his tracks. He gave Blake an unamused look. "The hell is your problem, Lieutenant?" He annoyingly asked, "I thought we're over with this shit." "We don't know what's coming ahead of us, Parker," Blake said, keeping his composure, "And I'm sure you know as much as I do that taking civilians to the frontline is not allowed. We're gonna get our asses kicked if they found out." "That's why we're keeping it as a secret," Parker answered, "The whole damn airborne knows it that we have those ponies on our side. And they even fucking sworn to not tell it to anyone else. Even the goddamn Marines!" Blake was about to say but Parker didn't give him a chance. "Look, I'm fucking tired, alright. I don't need a lecture about a Kraut is gonna shoot me because we have those ponies with us, they're gonna shoot us anyway. This war is already making me tired and you're making it worse. I've had enough with your bullshit. So if you don't like the ponies you can choose another platoon to lead. You don't know anything about them, neither do I, but I want to help them because they wanna go home. Just like us. They may be ponies on the outside, but their soul is just as human as us." With that, Parker walked away, but Blake had not yet finished. "You don't know if they are siding with Krauts or not." He said with his arms crossed, waiting for Parker to turn to him. Instead, he got the opposite, Parker only stopped and looked at him from his shoulder. "This ain't Sicily, Sir." Parker retorted with a clear sign of venom in his voice. Without waiting for Blake's response, Parker walked away, leaving Blake standing there, watching his back as he disappeared into the crowd. In the distance, a rainbow tail could be seen quickly hiding behind a tent before Blake turned around and walked away. … Luna sat outside on a bench with Fluttershy, Twilight, and Spike, seeing the sea of paratroopers walking to and fro, minding their own business. Reed had told them that their existence had been recognized by the whole division and they wouldn't spread a word about them. Applejack and Pinkie decided to take a short walk around the base to get to know the paratroopers better. Rarity stayed in the tent, not wanting her hooves dirty because of the amount of mud she saw in the base. As for Rainbow, they could only hope she wouldn't cause any trouble as her bunk was empty when they woke up. "I thought it wouldn't take that long for Reed to grab our breakfast." Spike whined slightly. His stomach was practically begging for food. "Well, we can't expect him to be fast, Spike," Twilight spoke up, "Who knows he's having a little more task to do out there." Luna nodded. "Agreed, Twilight. As much as I hate to admit that I'm hungry, we cannot expect our hosts to be fast like we usually do. Especially under their circumstances." Spike could only sigh as he pressed himself further to the bench, feeling the embarrassment washed all over him. "I suppose you're right." Fluttershy smiled as she pat Spike's head. "Don't worry, Spike. I'm sure Reed will be here anytime soon." "What's with all the commotion?" Reed's voice came from their right as they turned their heads to see that Reed was carrying a bunch of meals for them. "Oh nothing, Spike here just can't wait to have his meal." Fluttershy answered. Reed smirked at the little dragon while putting the meals on a nearby crate. "I suppose all dragons eat that much, eh?" "Wasn't my fault I'm born a dragon." Spike retorted with his own smirk. Reed shook his head while chuckling. "Damn right you are." He then proceeded to give them their respective meals. "Veggies for everyone." "No meat?" Spike asked. "Sorry kid, I think you're gonna get it when it's lunch time." Reed answered as he pulled a smaller crate for him to sit on. He grabbed his own meal and was about to open it when he realized half of the ponies were not there. "Where are the others?" The private asked. "Rarity is still in the tent. As for the rest, I suppose they are walking around the base for some refreshments," Luna answered after chewing her breakfast, "Not everyday in Equestria you get to see humans this much." "Well, y'all aren't in Equestria anymore." Reed said as he began to munch on his meal. He then realized what he just said before looking at the Princess. "At least not yet. Sorry." He apologized with an embarrassing smile. "No need to apologize. We will go back home shortly after we regain enough magic to teleport ourselves back to our world." "So when will they be back?" Reed asked again. Mentioning about the half that went to take a look on the base. Luna pondered for a moment before answering, "I'm not quite sure, but I doubt that they will return shortly, considering they are not familiar with your base yet." Twilight choked as she remembered something. "Of course they don't know about the base! They would've been lost by now!" "Woah, stay calm, Twilight. I wouldn't be too worried, I believe they're gonna run across Parker. Or if not, they can ask other men where Parker's bunk is. And to think that Dash has wings, she could spot us easily." Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "They better not causing any trouble though." "What about Rarity?" "She doesn't want to get her hooves dirty." Fluttershy said. Reed smacked himself internally for not giving them boots to wear. "Ah shit, I forgot to bring you guys boots to wear." He then got up and grabbed one meal before going into the tent to give it to Rarity. "I suppose I'll accompany her." Fluttershy said before trotting back to the tent. Moments later, Reed got out and sat down on his seat. "Man, she sure is a drama queen." He lamented. "That's not even the half of it." Luna giggled. Reed just blinked several times before nodding his head as he continued on his meal. Planning on taking the boots for the ponies to wear as he ate faster. At least for Rarity to shut the hell up. They all looked at the sky as a familiar sound became louder and louder, roaring across the sky. … Two Thunderbolts flew across the sky along the base, making the all too familiar sound of a plane propeller. And in that base, two figures in orange and pink colored coats were walking on the busy road of the paratroopers. Well, at least one of them was walking. Boink Boink Boink "Urgh… Pinkie, will ya quit bouncin' around?" Applejack said in an annoyed tone. She quickly changed her expression with a tip of her hat as she saw a paratrooper walk past her. He gave her a nod in return. "How can I when I get most of their attention?" Pinkie answered, "Hi!" She waved to the paratroopers that walked past them while bouncing. Even a Sherman, as Applejack recalled, stopped on its tracks because Pinkie was in the way while blabbering how fun it would be to have that tank in her party. For Applejack, that was the stupidest idea Pinkie has ever planned. The orange earth pony had to use every ounce of her willpower to not use her apple bucking skill to take Pinkie back to Equestria. "Ah know yer excited to meet humans, but can ye please calm down for five minutes?" Applejack practically begged. "Okay!" Pinkie exclaimed and stopped her bouncing. They walked and greeted anyone that reached out to them, until Applejack decided to go back. "Hey Pinkie, Ah think we should go back." She stated. "Why? I thought we're going to-" "What are you girls doing here?" A familiar voice called out. Both Applejack and Pinkie quickly turned around to see Wade with his full gear. "You know you're gonna get easily lost if you wander around here all by yourselves." He continued. Applejack couldn't help but smile in relief. "Well howdy, Wade! Thought yer gonna be at the aid station for a couple o' days." "I actually was, but-" Pinkie practically jumped onto Wade's hands and he barely missed it. Wrapping her forelegs around Wade's neck, she practically screamed into Wade's right ear.  "Oh my gosh, Wade! It's so good to see you back! I thought that you wouldn't be here with us because of how bad your wound would be and that you're going home without even telling us about your condition! All of us are so worried about you! You wouldn't know how much-" "Pinkie…" Wade said through his gritted teeth. "Yes?" Pinkie looked at him with a smile from ear to ear. "MY ASS IS STILL FUCKING HURT!!" Wade screamed, not even caring if other paratroopers heard him. Pinkie immediately hopped from his arms and rubbed the back of her head while chuckling sheepishly. "Sorry." Applejack could only shake her head. "Sorry about that, Wade. Pinkie is just too excited to meet other paratroopers around here. And ta see ya lookin' mighty fine after being shot." Putting his hands on his knees, Wade breathed heavily. He then used his right palm to slap his right ear multiple times.  "Sure. No problem. Next thing I know she'll be making a party for all of us." "I'm still planning it! It's on my list!" Pinkie exclaimed. Wade snapped his head to look at her in disbelief. "Never mind that." As the pain subsided, he regained his composure and stood up straight. "As I was asking, what are you girls doing here anyway? You still haven't got a place to sleep?" Applejack shook her head. "We have our own tent next to Parker's. But me and Pinkie here are just wandering 'round the base to make a better acquaintance with yer fellow paratroopers." Wade shrugged. "Sounds promising. Wanna head back? I'm sure as hell breakfast has been served there." "Breakfast? I forgot I haven't had breakfast." Pinkie giggled. Applejack nodded to Pinkie before giving a smile to Wade. "Ya betcha." Wade gave her a smile in return. "Awesome, let's go then." … "They are so awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed gleefully as the Thunderbolts flew right above her. She had never thought of seeing something that doesn't require magic to be flying. Not to mention they were flying that fast. "I gotta ask Parker more about those fighters." She said loudly to no one. Speaking of Parker, Rainbow heard everything about his argument with Blake before. After his argument, Rainbow knew here and there that she could trust him, considering he defended them behind their backs, and against his Lieutenant. But she felt responsible for putting him up for such a task; protecting them. She definitely didn't like Blake but with Parker around, everything would be just fine for her and her friends. At least that's what she thought. And she didn't trust Glenn either after the encounter with Reed, not to mention to speak with such language to his squad leader. Rainbow didn't know whether it was allowed or not, but it was still rude and disrespectful to her. Taking in the last fresh air, the cyan pegasus was about to fly back to her friends when she saw two familiar figures walking down the busy road with things on both of their hands, facing her direction but did not see her hovering above. "Hey Andrew, Reed!" Rainbow called out as she waved. Both paratroopers looked for the source of the voice but to no avail, they didn't realize that Rainbow was on the air. And Rainbow noticed this, so she flew towards them, just in time when they were about to walk again. "Holy-" Reed nearly let go of his stuff from his hands. "Jeez Dash, a little warning next time?" Andrew thankfully wasn't as surprised as Reed. Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I just yelled your name from up there." She pointed with her foreleg to the sky. Both men stared at it for a moment before looking back to the cyan pegasus. "I forgot that you love to fly." Reed stated. Before Rainbow could retort, Andrew cut her off. "Rainbow, we're so sorry but can we have the talk later? We came across Parker and he said he's gonna give us some briefing about our next mission." "Oh! Yeah, I've heard that one," Rainbow answered, "Something about Doo… ugh… Dough River, right?" Andrew laughed a little. "Dough River?" "How do you know?" Reed asked while cocking one of his eyebrows. Rainbow rubbed the back of her head while chuckling. "Parker and Lieutenant Blake were talking nearby when I was looking around the base." Reed did not buy it. "Are you telling us the truth?" Rainbow groaned. "Fine, but they walked right below me and I couldn't help myself about what they're talking about. I'm sorry." Her ears dropped against the side of her head as she hung her head low. "That wasn't a good thing, but it's alright Rainbow. We forgive you." Andrew said, cutting Reed off. Rainbow sighed in embarrassment. "I'm still sorry. Should we get back now?" She asked as she looked up to her friends. "Yes. We got these boots for y'all to wear before we head off to the battlefield. And I bet Parker is already waiting for our asses, we should get going right now." Andrew stated. With that, they jogged through the road with Rainbow following them in the sky. … Parker walked down the road, his mind wouldn't stop thinking about his argument against Blake. He was still angry over the fact that Blake didn't like any of the ponies. Or so he thought. Sure he had his own story in Sicily, but it's just the past. Blake will surely kick your ass for mentioning Sicily That ain't happening What if it does We'll just cross that bridge later Fair enough, where are we heading? Carentan Kickin' some Krauts? Bet Moments later, Parker saw the ponies were sitting on the bench. They seemed to be in a deep conversation because none of them saw Parker's presence. Parker coughed into his hands, snapping their heads to look at him. "Fine morning I see?" Parker asked with a smile. Twilight nodded. "It's good to know that the rest of the paratroopers are friendly." "We did spread the news. So might as well make yourselves at home." He then sat on the small crate, waiting for Reed and Andrew's arrival. "Hey Parker," Spike called out, "What are we gonna do after this." Parker looked at him. "We're gonna take the town of Carentan. Haven't received that much report 'cause Blake has it all with him. But he said Lieutenant Colonel Cole will brief us shortly, then we will move out in half an hour or so." "What?" Twilight said in confusion, "I thought Blake is a Lieutenant." Parker shook his head. "He is a Lieutenant. Specifically, First Lieutenant. Lieutenant Colonel is a rank higher than First Lieutenant. Their primary function of Lieutenant Colonels is to serve as commanders of battalion-sized elements. Although, they can also serve as staff officers at the brigade level or above, aiding in the planning, resourcing, and functioning of units. Meanwhile, First Lieutenants are in charge of platoons in combat, while serving as the executive officer to his company commander." "Carentan, huh, I thought so." A voice called out behind him. Parker and the rest turned their heads to the voice and they saw Wade, along with Applejack and Pinkie Pie. "Looks like we got our sniper back." Parker said with a huge smile. He got up and embraced Wade, lightly patting his back. "Good to see you, Corporal." Parker said before pulling away. "Glad to be back, Sarge." Wade answered. "So glad to have you back, Wade." Twilight said cheerfully. Wade waved at the rest of the ponies. "'Tis but a scratch." "Why don't you take a seat?" Parker asked with a smirk, offering the crate he sat on moments ago. Without hesitation, Wade walked to the crate and sat comfortably. He slung his Springfield from his shoulder and took a sigh. "Finally, walking around the fucking base makes my legs sore a bit. Thanks, Sarge." Wade replied with his own smirk. Parker put his hands on his sides while chuckling. "Tough bastard." Luna could only chuckle as the two reunited once more. She then looked over at the two earth ponies. "Applejack, Pinkie Pie," Luna began, getting their attention, "Your breakfast is already waiting to be eaten." Applejack looked around, finally spotting her meal on top of a large crate. "Alrighty Princess," she answered with a smile, "C'mon Pinkie, mah stomach is already rumbling like a bull in a rodeo." She and Pinkie then grabbed their own meals in each mouth before walking into the tent to finish their breakfast. Soon enough, Glenn arrived, along with Reed and Andrew. Rainbow Dash followed them closely while flying a few feet in the air. "Where have you been, Private?" Parker asked Glenn as he checked his equipment. Glenn snapped his head as he caught Parker waiting for his response from the corner of his eyes. "Oh, I was out to grab another gun. The old one is jammed sadly. Then I came across these three before getting back here." Glenn said as he cocked his Garand. "Shit, Corporal," Reed said with a smirk, "Never thought I would be seeing you this soon." Wade looked back at him. "Couldn't let you bastards have all the fun." "We still can make it without you." "Quit your whining, Private. One day, you'll thank me for saving your ass." "Two packs of cigarettes?" Reed smirked once more. "Deal." "Alright, free boots to everyone!" Reed exclaimed as he showed several boots in his hands. "Anyone that wants these boots can get them on their own bunks." He continued as he walked to where the ponies slept the night before. "One size fits all." Andrew added as he caught up with Reed. "I'll get mine." Rainbow said as she dashed towards the tent before Reed managed to open the flip. "Rainbow!" Twilight called out, "Your breakfast is already here!" "I'll eat it later!" "But we're going in another half an hour!" Rainbow poked her head from the flip. "I'll eat it when we're on our way there. Easy." "It's fine, Twilight," Parker chimed in, "I'm sure she'll have her breakfast later. You all should wear your boots as well, today's gonna be a long day." Saying her 'thank you', Luna got up from her bench and walked towards the tent, followed by Twilight and Spike. Parker sat down on a crate before taking off his helmet, Glenn was still checking his Garand. "Are they ready for this, Sarge?" Glenn asked as he sat on another crate across Parker. Parker pondered for a moment before replying, "I think they're gonna be ready once they get used to it. For now, I'm not really sure what their reactions would be." Glenn nodded. "Guess it's just a matter of time, eh?" "Yes it is." Not long after, Reed and Andrew came out from the tent and joined the others. "I swear, Rarity won't stop talking shit about the boots," Reed annoyingly said, "I could've just picked one and shove it in her mouth." Parker chuckled. "Take it easy, Reed. She'll get used to it." "Wasn't her fault either to be here in the first place." Wade added, checking his scope as he looked through it. "Reed," Parker said, "Tell our guests to be quick if they don't wanna miss the briefing. I'm sure they wanna hear it as well." "Why me again?" He asked, annoyingly raising an eyebrow. Parker grinned. "We all know you're their maid here, Private." Reed scowled. "Fine! But this is just because you're a Sergeant." He then got up and proceeded his way to the tent. Moments later, Reed got out with the rest of their guests behind him. Reed had to hold his laughter because apparently Spike had all his legs covered by his boots. And not to mention it was stupidly hilarious to see the ponies with boots. But the ponies had their boots tugged in comfortably, the end of the boots didn't even reach their knees. "You guys ready?" Parker asked while standing up from his seat. Luna nodded. "We're all ready." Parker looked at Spike who seemed to be having trouble with adjusting his boots. "Ya good there, Spike?" Spike looked at him as he grunted. "I can't seem to walk properly with these on." Everyone chuckled at the little dragon until Parker decided to pick him up and put him on the back of his neck. His two legs came out from Parker's shoulders. "Better?" He asked with a smile. "Much better." Spike replied satisfyingly. "Very well, let's get going, the others are already waiting for our arrival." … "Sergeant!" A soldier called out to Parker while he and his group were walking down the dirt road. "Yes, Flynn?" Parker asked as he stopped, the others soon followed. "Lieutenant Colonel Cole moved the briefings near the trucks so we can move faster. He ordered me to find you and bring you there as soon as possible." Flynn explained. Parker nodded. "Lead the way, Private." He then looked back at the ponies. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that my squad isn't just these guys. There will be more." "How many men are there in your squad, Parker?" Twilight asked. "Total of fourteen men. Fifteen if you count me in." Parker replied, his head still looking forward. "Where were they before this?" "They all got wounded from our first battle but they should all be okay right now." Not long after, they all made it near the convoy. Lieutenant Colonel Cole was sitting on a turret of a Sherman, waiting for them. His eyes lit up when he saw Parker and his group slowly approaching the crowd. "Sergeant Parker," he called out, "How's our guests doing?" Parker replied with a nod. "Fine as day, Sir." He then joined the crowd with his group. Some nodded to him as he nodded back. "Very good, Sergeant." Cole proceeded to stand up as he looked over the crowd. "Gentlemen," he began, "Our next objective is to take the town of Carentan. It is the only town that can link up armor vehicles from Utah and Omaha. We have to take it if we wanna liberate France." The chattering of the soldiers began throughout the crowd as Cole stepped off from the tank and walked out of sight. Lieutenant Blake then proceeded to stand in front of the crowd. "Alright ladies! Gear up and let's get the show on the road!" With that, the paratroopers slowly walked to the trucks and hopped in it. Cole had assigned a specific truck for Parker and his squad in order for the ponies to stay with Parker. They came second in the convoy as one by one, Parker's squad and the ponies hopped in. "Is everyone accounted for?" Parker asked as he crouched at the edge of the truck while taking Spike off his back to sit with the ponies. "Cesaro here." A private called out right next to Luna as she and her ponies were in the deepest part of the seat. "Diablo." Another one called out next to Reed. "Glenn here." "Flynn, Sir." "Wade." "Reed down here." "Andrew." He said as he adjusted his glasses. "Dante, on duty." "Sagi here." "Damien, all healed up." "Julian." "Skippy here!" One private exclaimed. "Sven." "Jones right here." Parker stood up and nodded. "Alright folks, the convoy won't take us directly towards the town. They're gonna stop once we've reached a certain crossroad and began our walk." He closed the ramp and sat down next to Wade. "If any of you haven't introduced yourself to the ponies then make sure you will. Now's the right time." Parker felt something nudge against his arm and turned to Wade. "What is it?" "I'm sorry to say this, Sarge," Wade whispered, "But I have a bad feeling about this." Parker nodded before looking outside as the convoy rolled out from the base. "So do I, Corporal. So do I." The introduction between his men and the ponies went deaf into his ears. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. But in war, something bad always happens everyday. But for Parker, he couldn't imagine one of the ponies getting shot, wounded, or injured. This is their first time being in a war, all except Luna. As for the rest, he wouldn't know what they are going to be after seeing the bloodbath. Hopefully… just hopefully, they all can take it. Reed sighed defeatedly across Parker. "They won't come out without an injury." He said quietly.