Baker
I’ve always thought about what happened in Normandy. About all the men I lost, about the pistol, about what we all did. And, about Leggett and what he did. He took that secret to his grave. But I still know it, and I’m still here. Every now and then I think back and wonder if I made the right choice; and, if anyone can escape their past.
September 24th
Baker and his troops were relaxing in town with their friends. They continued telling stories of their adventures and learning about each other’s worlds. This was the first break from fighting the troops had gotten for some time.
The war itself was going good. The paratroopers were managing to hang on to several key roads and bridges, albeit at an ever increasing cost. All larger operations against other parts of Equestria were being repelled by the Royal Guards. In response to the new, unforeseen opponent, the Griffon Empire was reaching out to other nations to join them or hire mercenaries to fight for them.
For now, Baker was content to listening to Twilight’s stories. The latest one recounted her arrival to Ponyville, meeting her friends, and their defeat of Nightmare Moon.
“And so Nightmare transformed back into Princess Luna,” Twilight finished.
“Well, I can see why she doesn’t want to talk about it,” Baker replied.
“What was it like growing up in your world,” she asked, “with your friend Risner?”
Baker smiled as he collected all the old memories.
“It was pretty fun. We would always launch bottle rockets in the creek behind his house and blame it on the kids down the street. We always seemed to go after the same girls in high school.”
His became depressed; his smile turning to a frown and his body seemed to slacken.
“Now all I can think about is what I’ll tell his mother when I see her again,” he said. “Do I tell her that he died a hero? Do I say that he died for the man next to him? But he’s gone, and I’ll never see him again. I’ll never see George again.”
“That’s just terrible,” she responded, her ears drooping down. “I can’t imagine losing any of my friends. I don’t know what I would do without them.”
Before either could continue, Hartsock walked in.
“Matt, can I talk to you for a second?”
“Sure,” he responded, getting up and following Hartsock to a tent nearby.
“Matt, how much longer do you think we’re going to have to keep this up?” he asked. “When do you think we’ll go home?”
“I don’t know, Red. All we can do is stay alive and win, and then we’ll head back.”
“What’s going to stop them from coming back once we’re gone?”
“Look, Taylor and Gavin said they were going to teach the ponies how to build some of our weapons so they can defend themselves once we’re gone,” Baker replied. “Anyways, we’d be getting back at the same time we left; your daughter will still be there.”
“And what about the men who die here? This isn’t any of our business, Matt!”
“How many of these civilians have to die for you to get home!” Baker yelled. “One hundred? A thousand?”
This really got Hartsock angry.
“You know damn well I value-”
“Everything alright here?”
Mac walked through the opening of the tent.
“Just talking,” Hartsock replied.
“What do you need?” Baker asked.
“The princess has arrived and wants to speak with you guys,” Mac said, “something about a special mission.”
“That’s it?”
“If you want my advice-and that’s rhetorical-keep the war out there.”
Baker and Hartsock left the tent. On the way, they passed several of their men talking to each other. Dawson, Franky, and McCreary were standing in a circle; with Dawson giving Baker and odd look as they passed.
“And what about you, Franky? Do you believe in fate?” Dawson asked.
“Uh, not this shit again,” McCreary sighed. “I’m getting some of that coffee.”
“I’m serious.”
“Damn Daws, I don’t know,” Franky replied. “Some people get shot, some people don’t. It doesn’t seem to make any sense to me.”
Baker and Hartsock continued on. As they approached the princess they saw she was already engaged in a conversation with Roselli and Jasper; and giggling a bit at it.
“I mean, just ask yourself; honestly,” Roselli said, holding up his BAR. “Could I lug around and fire a twenty pound gun all day?”
“Do you live in a fantasy world? Is it nice there?” Jasper asked. “I’m carrying a goddamn bazooka!”
“Oh, it seems they have arrived,” Celestia said. “If you don’t mind, we must speak in private.”
“Alright, we’ll catch up later,” Roselli said as they left.
“Princess, what is it you needed to talk about?” Baker asked. “It’s some kind of special assignment?”
“Yes, do you know of the castle in the Everfree forest?”
“You mean the one where Twilight and her friends defeated the Nightmare?”
“Yes, that’s the one,” she said. “One of our pegasi recently flew over and spotted some griffons in and around the castle.”
“Why would they occupy it?” Baker asked. “They’re not trying to bring back Nightmare, are they.”
“No, the castles itself isn’t key to that,” she answered. “I believe it may be for moral gain. I’m not entirely sure, but I would prefer not to find out.”
“So you want us to clear out a castle?”
“If you can,” she asked. “Once it is, I will check for any kind of magic they might be trying to use there, just to be safe.”
“Ok, let’s get this done, then.”
Baker and Hartsock’s squads were approaching the castle grounds, along with several other squads. The road directly to the castle was too thick for the jeeps, so they had to march the entire way. Once again, the forest was dark, but the men had grown used to its natural occurrences by now.
As they neared the castle, Baker began to look off into the woods. Every now and then he swore he saw something; not like one of the forest animals, but another human, just standing there and watching him. He quickly snapped out of it when a shot rang out and a trooper fell dead.
“Sniper!” Hartsock yelled.
The men immediately ran off the road and into cover.
“Can anyone see him?” Corrion asked.
“I think he’s in that tower,” Jasper replied.
“Can you hit him with the bazooka?”
“No good, it’s too high.”
“Okay, let’s just keep moving in,” Baker said. “Make sure to stay in cover. All we have to do is get inside.”
The men ran into the castles courtyard. The only outer defense was a couple of machine guns set up on some sandbags and some randomly placed teams. Jasper quickly destroyed the sandbag emplacement with his weapon and the other griffon teams were eliminated.
Continuing forward, they saw the castle’s massive, heavy wooden door was shut tight.
“Any idea on how to open it?” Zanovich asked.
“Why don’t we just blow it open?” Courtland suggested. “The princess didn’t say anything about not damaging the castle.”
“Just cause we can doesn’t mean we have to,” Corrion said.
“Got a better idea?”
“Alright,” Corrion relented. “Baker, what do you think?”
“We did bring some demo charges, but the detonator itself took a hit.”
“Why don’t we pile it on the door and I’ll hit it with a round?” Jasper said. “It could work.”
“Alright, we’ll try that. Set up the charges in a pile; everyone, take cover and prepare to fire if you see a target. They’re probably waiting for us on the other side.”
One of the soldiers placed a couple of charges in front of the door and ran back. Everyone took cover behind what they could find and aimed at the doorway. Jasper took aim himself and, after hearing that everyone was ready, fired his round.
There was a massive explosion that caused the men to duck back for a minute. Quickly looking back, they held their fire due to the smoke clouding the area. When that cleared away, they were greeted by a powerful sight.
The door itself, despite its size, was completely gone. Some parts of the stone doorway were also missing. On the ground were the bodies of three griffons, blown away by the force of the blast. Another five were still ok, but seemed to be stunned by the power of the explosion. The troops quickly opened fire and took them out.
“Alright, move in and clear it out,” Baker ordered. “Search this place thoroughly, don’t let any slip by you.”
As the men broke up to cover individual parts, Baker noticed a normal sized door off to the left.
“Paddock, with me,” he ordered. “We’re taking this one.”
Baker ran up to the side while Paddock attempted to kick the door in.
“Ugh, aw!” he grunted in pain as his foot bounced harmlessly off the door. “Son of a bitch!”
Looking at it again, he raised his weapon and fired a short burst at the lock, allowing him to push the door open.
“Eye’s open, they could be anywhere,” Baker said as they moved through the dark hallways.
Eventually, they came across a set of spiraling stairs that led up to the tower the sniper was in. The men climbed up, constantly at the ready. They could still hear muffled small arms fire and explosions during their long walk up.
They reached the top. Baker went in first, ordering Paddock to watch his back. He found a bolt action rifle with a scope attached to it, probably belonging to the sniper. Maybe he got scared and flew off, but why leave his weapon?
Baker was quickly knocked over by a heavy blow. He turned on the floor to see the griffon sniper, moving with his talons for the kill. Baker delivered a swift kick to the stomach, causing stumble back a bit.
Paddock, true to his mission, charged into the griffon and smashed him hard up against the stone wall. Dropping the dazed animal to the ground, he took a moment to aim and brought his foot down on the wing, hearing a satisfying crack and a shriek of pain.
Paddock picked up the sniper by the throat and dragged him over to the window.
“I’m gonna be sendin’ the rest of your friends your way,” he shoved the sniper to the window’s opening. “Real soon!”
He tossed the helpless creature out the window and, after hearing a splatting noise, helped Baker back up.
“You alright?”
“Yea, I’m good thanks.”
“Let’s head back down and regroup with the others.”
The two soldiers did this, moving down the stairs and outside the castle. Most of the men were busy moving the griffon’s corpses into one location. The rest were checking the area for anything that could pose a threat.
“Holden, go ahead and call it in,” Baker ordered. “It’s safe for the princess to come in.”
“Yes sir.”
As Holden did this, Baker turned away from the group. He walked a short ways off, trying to get some quiet. There was something on his mind he was trying to shake.
Peering into the woods, he spotted the figure again. It was the dark outline of a human, just standing there. Baker began to walk towards it, going deeper into the woods. As he got closer, the figure just disappeared.
Baker continued a short ways further. Suddenly, he heard faint talking. As he continued it grew louder and louder; but, it wasn’t English. It was something…rougher. A thought entered his head.
“No, that couldn’t be,” he thought.
He continued onwards; the voices becoming more recognizable. Eventually, his steady pace turned into a run and he dashed through the thick forest. He continued until he spotted an opening. Running up to it, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
There, standing in a circular clearing, were three German soldiers, talking to themselves in a circle. Two were normal infantry, holding MP-40s; the other was an officer with a Luger. They didn’t seem to notice Baker at the moment.
Baker, at this point, slowly took out his pistol and aimed at the Germans. He didn’t stop to think and talk to them; in fact, he didn’t really think at all. He didn’t feel anger or fear or anything else. There was only one thing running through his mind; kill them.
Celestia was walking towards the castle by herself. Since the war had been gearing into full swing, guards were needed elsewhere. Besides, she was more than confident she could take care of herself.
She walked through the woods; not troubled by the forest’s natural darkness. She didn’t really expect anything to happen. The castle was nothing more than old ruins without Nightmare; so, more than likely the griffons were going to use it as a base for operations. Though, that wasn’t what started troubling her.
Baker had been acting strange lately. She didn’t know why, but she hoped he would be ok. More than likely, it was nothing.
There was a loud crack that echoed through the forest. This was soon followed by another, and then a third. It was coming from close by, so she decided to investigate.
Hurrying through the forest, she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Maybe the soldiers encountered another wild animal, maybe they were ambushed. What she did see confused her a good deal.
Running up to the clearing, she saw Matt firing his gun blindly. Looking around again, she didn’t spot anything that could be a threat. She decided to stop him.
“Matthew!” she said; Baker snapped out of his trance. “There is nothing here.”
“What?” he said. “Where did the Germans go?”
“I did not see any other humans. You were not firing at anything.”
The two met in the middle of the clearing.
“So I was really firing at nothing?” Celestia nodded. “God, I must be losing it. Everything’s catching up to me now.”
“Perhaps not,” she replied. “On the way here, I did sense something faint. When I arrived, it disappeared.”
“What’s going on here?” he whispered to himself. “Am I going to go insane? Am I going to make it out of here?”
“How familiar is this sight to you, Baker?” a new voice said. “The feeling of reality; of not being able to win.”
Baker’s head immediately shot up; he knew that voice. He didn’t have to look far to see a new figure emerge from the trees. His eyes went wide and his mouth hung open.
“Matthew, I can sense it again!” Celestia said. “Is there something here?”
“Yes,” Baker replied. “Leggett’s here.”
“What do we have here?” Leggett said, “The ‘invincible’ Matt Baker in a land of colorful equines; and fighting their wars for them, nonetheless. But, what about the real war, Matt; the one back in your world? How many will die here for a cause that doesn’t matter?”
“You’re not really here,” Baker said defiantly.
“And what about the ponies you are trying to protect, Matt? They trust you; just like I trusted you. Can you protect them any better?”
Baker didn’t answer, looking down and away from the image.
“Suite yourself, Matt,” Leggett said, beginning to walk back into the woods. “I still can’t escape what I did; can you?”
“Matthew, what happened?” she asked, having not seen any of it. “Who’s Leggett?”
“He was one of my men that was killed in Normandy,” Baker replied. “But, he’s gone now. It’s just my mind playing tricks on me; I’ll be fine.”
“No, Matthew,” she said. “I sensed something there, and now that your vision is gone, so is the feeling. It was a familiar feeling; like the presence of one’s soul.”
“What are you saying?”
“The only conclusion I can draw is that the spirits of your dead men are following you,” She replied. “It would seem the ghosts of these men are haunting you.”