//------------------------------// // Chapter VIII: Going to War Again // Story: World War Equestria // by brony at war //------------------------------// Chapter VIII: Saying Goodbye and Heading Out [Sergeant Jake Adams POV] I woke up early the next morning and immediately started getting ready. Our orders had already come in, and the regiment was moving out and heading southeast to a city by the name of Appleloosa. I put on my uniform and laced up my combat boots, thinking over the month's events. "Do you want any help?" I looked over to the staircase, where Fluttershy was standing, watching as I got ready. "It's alright." I told her. "I'm pretty much done anyway." She walked the rest of the way down the stairs, trying to avoid looking at me. "Are you ok?" I asked. "Oh, I'm fine." she responded quickly. "I'll go make some breakfast." I followed her into the kitchen, knowing she wasn't fine. She started whistling along with some of her birds outside the window as she made a breakfast salad (again). "What's the matter, Fluttershy?" I asked, causing her to pause for a moment before continuing her work. "Nothing, really." she responded nervously. Still not believing her, I walked over and stood next to her, taking the salad and mixing it for her. After setting aside a portion for Angel Bunny, demon of the household (I honestly didn't understand why she liked him so much), I put the salad down and crouched down to look Fluttershy in the eye. "I would really like to know what the matter is." I said overly seriously. She tried to prevent the small smile that overcame her, then finally stopped fighting to avoid the question. "I'm just wondering why you have to leave. And if you'll ever come back." she answered, looking at me. I could see some tears forming in her eyes when she finished. Pulling her into a hug, I said "I wouldn't leave you if they offered me the world. And you know why I'm leaving." I pulled away from the hug and looked into her blue eyes. "Just know that I'm coming back, I promise that." She nodded and opened her mouth to say something when a knock on the door interrupted her. I opened the door to find a lieutenant standing there. "Sergeant Adams?" he asked. "That's me." "It's time for the Sixteenth to leave. Get your squad together and meet up at the staging point. I'm leaving a halftrack for you to use." "Yes, sir." I responded. "May I have a moment?" He nodded and I walked back into the kitchen, where Fluttershy was standing. "Got to leave now." I told her, and she again nodded. Picking up my weapons, I walked outside with her at my side. When we reached the halftrack, I stopped and gave Fluttershy one last hug. She responded in kind and nearly crushed my ribs in doing so. "Remember that promise I made, okay?" I said. "I will." she said quietly. I climbed into the halftrack and we immediately began moving. I turned around and waved to Fluttershy, who was quickly shrinking into the distance. [Private Adam 'Brooklyn' Sanders POV] I looked at myself in the mirror, confirming that my uniform was correctly worn. I did not want nor need the Sarge on my ass this early in the morning if he saw me. I turned around to see Pinkie walk into the room, not really acknowledging my presence. "Just because you can't throw a party for all the new guys doesn't mean you can't be happy." I said with a smile, walking over to her. As would have been expected, she tried throwing a massive party for all of the new troops that had shown up, and was stopped by Twilight and Co. when she asked them for help. "I know." Pinkie said unhappily flopping down onto the bed, face first. I walked over to her and tried to think of a way to get her spirits up. "How about when none of us are busy, we throw the biggest party Equestria will ever see. We can make it go down in history." She looked up at that and smiled. "Really?" "Why not? We can get Vinyl Scratch to play some REALLY loud music and have tons of games and food…" Before I could finish, she jumped out of bed and started jumping around, incoherently talking about all the things we could have there. I smiled at her antics, watching as she narrowly missed breaking a lamp. "You want to calm down?" Pinkie stopped and looked at me, blinking twice. "Sure." she said, still smiling. She walked downstairs with me, finding Mrs. Cake attending to the shop. "Good morning Adam." "Morning, ma'am." I replied, grabbing a pastry from the plate behind the counter. Pinkie bounced around as I ate, watching Ponyville slowly wake up. I saw a halftrack stop in front of the shop and watched as a familiar face jumped out of the back and walked up to the door. The jingling of the bell over the door heralded the Sarge's arrival. I heard Mrs. Cake ask him if he wanted anything, then boots walking over to my seat. "We're heading out." I looked up at his face, which denied showing any emotions as he gave me the same blank, emotionless stare he gave everyone. "Give me a minute, sir. I'll go grab my stuff." I stood up and ran back upstairs, grabbing my rifle and pack. I turned to find Pinkie standing in the doorway, the smile on her face gone. "You're leaving me, aren't you?" I looked at her dumbfounded, wondering if she meant that she thought I was leaving her, not just leaving. The expression she had told me it was the former. "Why in hell would I do that?" I asked. "You're one of the best ponies I know. Not to mention that you're the only one that can help me pull off really big pranks." "If you're not going away, then why are you leaving?" she pressed, starting to confuse me. "Remember that job I told you I used to have?" "You never really went into it." "For good reason. But I've got to go do that now. Besides, I have to go with my squad. They'll keep me from trouble." "When will you be back?" she asked, getting up and walking closer. "As soon as I can. And I'll write to you everyday until then. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." I responded, making the motions with Pinkie as I made the promise. She smiled again, and jumped up onto me, giving me a hug. I returned the favor, and we stayed that way until the Sarge yelled from downstairs. "Get your ass down here Sanders! We ain't got all day." Pinkie jumped down, a small smile on her face still. "You should go." she said. I took a deep breath, looking around the room for the last time. "Goodbye Pinkie." I said. "Remember the promise!" she called as I went downstairs. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were both standing at the doorway, watching me as I came down the stairs. The sergeant was just beyond the doorstep, looking at me impatiently. "Well, this is it." I said, addressing the Cakes. "Thank you both for taking me in when I needed it and for letting me stay with Pinkie." They both nodded in response. "We couldn't refuse when we saw the way she felt about you." Mr. Cake said. "All the same, thanks." I said, shaking Mr. Cake's hoof and tipping my hat to Mrs. Cake. I walked out the door and followed the Sarge into the halftrack. As I looked around, a sudden headslap made me cringe. "What the…?" I turned to see the sergeant pulling his hand away as I rubbed the back of my head. "Don't ever tip your helmet OR hat. You'll get a swift kick from anyone from Texas. Just 'cause Hollywood does it don't mean we do." I looked away as the halftrack started moving, getting a last look at Sugarcube Corner before it disappeared. [Private Cole 'Schmitty' Smith POV] A splash of cold water brought me out of my sleep to find Vic standing over me, a grin on his face. "Get the hell up. We're moving out." he said, turning away. He walked into the small kitchen as Spike came over and handed me a towel. "Thanks man." "No problem." he said as I dried off. "What was that about?" "Eh, Vic will be Vic." I said, wiping off the water on the floor. We walked over to the kitchen to find Twilight and Luna cooking breakfast, Luna looking a little bit lost on how to do much other than watch as Twilight sped around. Spike and I joined Vic at the table and we watched as the two mares did their thing. "I should go help them." Spike said, moving to get up. "You kidding?" Vic said, pulling him back down. "This is the best part." We watched as Luna picked up an open carton of milk with magic and accidentally spilled it all over Twilight, who promptly jumped in surprise and dropped the bowl of pancake batter she was holding with her own magic. We watched for a few more minutes before the three of us silently agreed to go help, and we sat the two girls down and made a simple salad. We ate in relative silence on the library balcony, watching as soldiers, jeeps, and ponies all went around the town. "We really should go get ready before the Sarge comes back and busts both of our asses." Vic said. I nodded and we quickly cleaned up and left to go get the few things we actually owned. Twilight came in with a checklist and started magiking stuff over to my pack, which included (but was not limited to) a week's supply of books, food to feed the squad for a month, my submachine gun and explosives (which she still did not know about), and maybe 200 sheets of paper. "What's all this for?" I asked, walking over to the pile and picking up a book entitled The Lone Stallion, which showed a stallion that looked disturbingly like Big Macintosh with saddlebags and a rope riding off into the sunset. "So you won't get bored." she said matter-of-factly. I shook my head as she consulted her checklist. "I got you the books, the food to keep you healthy, whatever that stuff is, papers for letters, and a few quills. Hay! I forgot the ink." She turned to fetch said ink before I grabbed her, picked her up easily, and set her down in front of me. "I appreciate the gesture, but I can get all this from the supply depot. Though I may have to grab a few of those books to read while I'm gone." Twilight gave a small smile but looked down at the floor in between her forelegs. "Sorry. I just wanted to help." she said. I walked over to her and kneeled down. "I get that, and again, thanks. Besides, the thing I'm going to miss the most ain't all the books and food." "What are you going to miss, then?" I nearly facepalmed. Apparently, she didn't get out too often if she didn't just pick that hint up. "I'm going to miss you the most, Twi." As she had picked her jaw up off the floor and started muttering under her breath, trying to analyze a situation she never would be able to, I looked upstairs to see Vic and Luna talking quietly. Then what happened next shocked me. He fucking bent over and kissed her. In front of everyone else. Which meant Twilight saw it too, so she looked at me expectantly. "What?" I said. "Can I get one of those?" "I'm not quite sure I know your meaning." I said, trying to make it to the door. Sadly, I was picked up and dragged back to an amused Twilight with a glowing horn. "You don't just run off after saying something like that! It's not in any of my books!" "Can I go? You're cheating, so I should get a head start." "Just one. Please?" The look she gave me was really hard to resist. Have you ever tried to resist a sad pony's face? Don't try it, because you will lose. I figured I owed her one anyways for what I had said. I picked her up and pulled her into a hug, then kissed her on the top of her forehead, avoiding her extremely pointy horn. When I put her down, she looked thoroughly and smugly satisfied. "See, that wasn't so hard. Now you should go." I nodded and picked up my gear, watching as Vic did the same, coming down the staircase. We all went outside in time to see the Sarge's halftrack turn into the circle that the library was the center of. Vic and I said our goodbyes to Twilight, Luna, and Spike, then hopped into the halftrack before heading out to Sweet Apple Acres. We looked at each other in silent agreement and decided to not mention what had happened in the library. [Corporal Samuel 'Hawkeye' Burns POV] I grunted as I lifted my pack to my shoulders, putting the forgotten yet familiar weight back onto my shoulders after months. I shouldered my weapons and shut the Ponyville Bar's double doors, locking them and putting up a sign saying 'Closed until further notice'. I hitched a ride over to AJ's farm and observed the field headquarters that was currently bustling with activity. Upon reaching Sweet Apple Acres, I immediately saw that there was a M3 sitting in front of the farmhouse, with the rest of my squad in it. "Something told me you'd be here." the sergeant remarked as I walked up. "Seems I was right about that." "Just give me ten minutes." I said. "I've got to go give Big Mac the keys to the bar." I walked up onto the porch to see Granny sitting in her rocking chair, passed out. I skirted by her and knocked on the door, which was quickly answered by Applebloom. "Hey Samuel. Whaddya need?" she asked, looking up at me with her big, dark orange eyes. "Is Big Mac around?" I asked the filly, who had stepped aside to let me in. "Yep. He an' Applejack're both in the kitchen." She led me through the house and I walked into the kitchen to see the aforementioned siblings sitting at the table eating apple fritters. "Howdy, Sam. What brings ya' here today?" Applejack asked. I walked over to the table and dropped the bar keys in front of Big Mac, who looked at me in confusion. "Those are the keys to the bar." I explained, making both his and Applejack's eyes widen. "We decided to give you them since you're a regular and you don't have too much to do in the off season." "Why, that's pretty kind of y'all and such, but ya sure 'bout this?" Big Mac said in his low voice. I think that was the most I've heard him speak at once outside of the bar. I nodded in response. "There isn't anyone else to watch it that we trust as much." "Well, Ah'll do ma' best to keep it kept an' whatnot." Big Mac said, picking the keys up in his teeth and walking off, leaving AJ and I to sit in silence. "So Ah' take it yer leavin' too?" "Yep." I responded. "Headed down south, probably to Appleloosa. I'll say hi to Braeburn for you." "Oh, that would be mighty nice of ya." AJ responded as I took a fritter from the plate in front of me, leaving fifty more. "You know," I said." "You should really stop cooking enough for the entire Apple family all the time. I don't see how none of it goes bad." She smiled, still seemingly interested in the table. "Old habit, ah guess. Besides, we usually give the leftovers out to everypony else." I nodded in understanding. I saw Big Mac walk past the door behind her, stop, and look at me in his way that made even the Sarge uncomfortable. I guess he wanted me to talk to AJ about the things I had been unintentionally avoiding. "So, AJ, you were going to tell me something the other day, before all that stuff happened. What was it?" She immediately turned beet-red and pulled her hat over her face. "Nuthin' that is important right now. Ye' should get going before long." As soon as she said that, I knew this was going to probably take a while. "I have until noon." I said. She pushed the hat off her face and looked at me with a resigned look. "Ah really shouldn't talk 'bout it." "Why's that?" "Somethin' bad happens everytime I do." "There is an entire army outside your door. I think we're safe." "Ah also got to go check on the cider cellar and go into town." "Ah can do that, AJ." Big Mac called from the next room. At that moment, Granny hobbled in, the look on her face saying she knew what we were talking about. I suppose it helps when you've got a few thousand years of experience. "Is she givin' ya' a hard time, Samuel?" Granny asked, squinting over at us. "A man could say that, yes." I replied, earning a glare from AJ and a smile from Granny. "Well, give me a minute." she said, turning to Applejack. "Missy, why can't you just tell him you got feelin's fer him?" "Granny!" I just watched the next few exchanges as Applejack tried to avoid the onslaught of information that Granny was inadvertently giving me. By the time she walked off, I was on the floor and AJ was trying to glare at me while being the same color as her cutie mark. "Well, now that that's over, you wanted to say something?" I asked, sitting next to AJ and putting my arm over her. "Ah reckon ye know by now, from all that gossip that she gave you." AJ responded. "Ah don't blame ya if you don' return the feelin's…" I stopped her there by putting my hand over her mouth. "If it makes you feel better, I do return those feelings." She looked slightly shocked by that information and was about to respond when the Sarge walked in. "Convoy's leaving in five minutes. Wrap it up." He walked back outside, and I stood up, grabbing my gear and putting on my helmet. "I gotta go now. I hope to see you sooner rather than later." "Noon huh? Well, you better do your best to write me every week." AJ said as she stood on her hind legs and hugged my stomach. I got on my knees so we were face to face and reciprocated the gesture, feeling something wet on my shoulder. I pulled back to see that AJ was tearing up a bit. "What's the matter? Don't trust me to come back without a herd of mares hanging off of me? I thought you knew me better than that." She smiled a bit before saying "Well, it's just that…well…Granny always told us that my dad was killed fighting in some border skirmish with the griffins, an' now yer goin' off to do the same thing he did." "I promise I'll be back, Applejack. Herd of mares or not, you'll see me on that porch soon enough." I gave her one last hug and whispered into her ear "Love you." She didn't verbally respond, but I felt a slight increase in the pressure of the hug she gave me before she released me and I walked out the door, jumping into the halftrack. As we rumbled down the dirt road, I turned back and waved at AJ, Applebloom, Granny, and Big Mac before they disappeared over the ridges leading away from the farm. [Horseshoe Bay, off the coast of Baltimare, 3rd Person POV] Mood music: U-571 OST: S-33 Leaves Port "Anchors are secured and all lines are cast off, sir!" "Captain, engine room reports that we are ready to go, sir." the chief engineer said from his post. "Very well." the captain responded. "Radio the Enterprise and tell her we will join up shortly. Chief engineer, all ahead standard. Navigator, plot a course to meet with the Enterprise." A ringing sounded as the order was passed from the bridge to the engine room, shouting filling the space. The captain walked out onto the observation deck and looked towards the bow as the Missouri slowly began to move, her engines audible even from where he stood. He waved at the mass of sailors below him as they pulled away from dock and headed towards the silhouette of an aircraft carrier surrounded by destroyers, and breathed in the salty air of the ocean breeze whistling across the deck. The watch officer and two of the bridge crew joined him as the great battleship slid out of her moorings and headed towards the open ocean. "Mark time and date in the ship's log. 'Embarked on first patrol into the North Germane Sea, headed northeast.'" An affirmative answer was heard as a wave washed over the bow of the Missouri.