Purple Heart Lane – Part IV
D-Day Plus 5
June 11th, 1944
Carentan Highway, Normandy
09:16 hours
After Parker's squad managed to hold off the first counter attack, Lieutenant Colonel Cole decided it was the time to set up a perimeter around the farmhouse. The machine guns that had arrived to assist Parker earlier were in the corner formed by two hedgerows behind the farmhouse; these machine guns could fire into the hedgerows towards east, into the orchards, and down the road to the crossroads where Parker and some of the 1st Battalion squads were holding. Unfortunately, they were virtually isolated, at least they were 150 yards ahead from the machine gun crews behind them. Despite these actions, the defense was not coordinated. Lieutenant Colonel Cole remained apprehensive in the farmhouse. He did not know the situation of his flanks — his communications were out — and he thought that the supporting artillery was not effective during this situation. With their backs against the river, the troops had no rear area and hence no local reserve. The artillery observers could not see where their shells were landing because of the hedgerows and had to adjust fire, in the manner of jungle warfare, by sound. Very few of the men saw the enemy; they judged their closeness by the sound of gunfires.
At that same time, Rainbow and Spike had reached the farmhouse to report on a captured German soldier. Once they stepped foot into the farmhouse however, the German soldier was met with cold glares by the ponies — specifically Luna and Pinkie — as Rainbow escorted him upstairs to Cole. What made Rainbow surprised is that Pinkie has her usual bubbly pink hair back; but somehow managed to give a glare of hatred towards the German soldier that walked behind her. Once Cole had received the report, Rainbow and Spike went downstairs to meet the others. Rainbow noticed that Rarity and Fluttershy were asleep. Rarity was sleeping on a small cushion and Fluttershy on the carpet in front of the couch where Luna was laying. Pinkie was looking through the window, towards where Parker and his squad were at. Applejack was trying to move her wounded foreleg little by little to make sure she could walk again soon. Though, her face told Rainbow she was on the verge of collapse.
"What is he doing here?" Pinkie annoyingly asked, still looking out the window.
Rainbow looked at her and answered, "He survived the battle when they almost broke into our line. Glenn had beaten him up 'cause…" She went silent after that, smacking herself for almost telling them what had happened to one of their friends.
"Cause what?" Applejack asked tiredly, she was already half asleep but interested in what Rainbow had to say.
Rainbow knew the news would spread sooner or later so she decided to spill it out. "They got Sven. Sven's dead." Rainbow quietly said.
Applejack's drowsiness suddenly went away, her wide eyes trained on Rainbow's. "Say what?"
"Sven is dead, Applejack." Spike mournfully said.
Pinkie sighed in defeat. "I was planning on making a party." She slowly said.
"Parker had a wound on his right arm," Rainbow countinued, "Although it wasn't bad, just a scratch. Some had bruises because of the fight they got into."
"What happened?" Luna asked, now worried by the situation on the frontline.
"They managed to break into our line," Rainbow explained, sitting next to sleeping Fluttershy while Spike walked over to Pinkie, "Parker and the rest had to meet them face to face to stop them from advancing or overrunning our positions. It was all chaos. But they were determined to hold their positions until reinforcements arrived… and they did. I can't say how grateful I am to see them okay that time but when I saw Sven laid there… with a bayonet sticking out from his chest. I knew it wasn't good." Then, Luna saw the most unexpected thing she would ever see from Rainbow Dash. Rainbow's eyes were watering.
"I…" she croaked, her lower lip quivered as she tried to continue, "I saw him wrestling with his enemy. I saw him trying to hold that bayonet from stabbing him. I just don't know why I didn't do anything the second I saw him in that situation. Unlike Parker, who just ran to his enemies without even thinking he might've… died… there…" Rainbow sighed as a single tear trailed its way down her cheek. "Even with me representing the Element of Loyalty, I am nothing compared to Parker."
Luna narrowed her eyebrows, saying, "You are the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash."
"But-"
"Silence. I will not hear 'buts', Rainbow Dash," Luna cut off, "Being loyal to your friends does not mean you have to die for them. Being loyal is also about a pony who stays true to you behind your back. It is all about choices. Sven's death is not because of your fault or any of Parker and his squad. So do not blame yourself over something inevitable. You are loyal, Rainbow Dash. The Element of Loyalty wouldn't have chosen you if you don't have it in you. Know that."
Rainbow sat there, reflecting every word Princess Luna had said to her. She looked at Fluttershy before smiling gently, another tear streamed down her cheek. An explosion caused them to jump from their position. Rarity and Fluttershy were the ones who reacted the most since they were sleeping.
"What was that?" Rarity frantically asked.
"It's from outside," Pinkie answered while looking from the window, "They're attacking Parker with those party cannons!"
"Those aren't party cannons, Pinkie." Rainbow groaned as she got up and dashed her way towards Pinkie. As she got there, she looked outside and saw bombardments of what she could assume were mortar shells on Parker's ground. She could see Twilight and Parker quickly moved to cover.
"What's happening?" Fluttershy asked, clearly her voice was filled with fear.
More and more explosions were heard around them. It wasn't just from Parker's defensive position. It became more clear for her that the Germans were throwing everything they have to break the Americans line of defense. Paratroopers were scrambling to their position and opened fire at the Germans, but the artillery and mortar fire threatened to rout the Americans on both sides.
"Spike, c'mon! We gotta get back to Parker!" Rainbow exclaimed while running towards the door.
"I'm coming too!" Pinkie called out before catching up with Spike, who was following Rainbow.
"Be careful!" Luna yelled, seeing them disappear into combat. She sighed before closing her eyes, hoping for the best to her ponies. Applejack trotted her way towards the window, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy.
What came next into view, shocked them. Parker's position was being pounded. The artillery and mortar fire seemed to never stop in an attempt to smash them. They saw Rainbow, Pinkie and Spike run as fast as they could towards the battlefield.
"Think we should help 'em?" Applejack asked.
Rarity pondered it for a moment before answering, "I don't know, Applejack? Can we?"
Still looking outside, the three of them remained silent. Just watching the battlefield where multiple explosions made the paratroopers desperately hugging the ground and hoped they didn't get hit. Another full leaden battle was commencing.
…
"Sir, I saw some movements over there." Julian said while pointing towards the left side of their position.
"Stay sharp, those bastards can come anytime." Parker replied. Sure enough when he saw where Julian had pointed out, he could make some helmets appear and disappear behind the hedgerows.
"Hey, Parker?" Twilight called out while holding a Kraut's weapon. Specifically a Kar98k. She got it when the Americans were scavenging the bodies of the Germans for anything that could be information for them. That, or they were looting. Twilight saw some of them take what seems to be watches from its former owner.
"Yeah, Twilight?" Parker replied, not turning his head from the suspicious movements he just saw.
"Is it okay if I use this rifle to defend myself as long as I'm here?"
That got Parker's attention as he turned around to look at Twilight. She was examining the bolt action rifle with such curiosity, levitating it from side to side, even trying to dismantle it.
Parker chuckled at her antics before making his way towards her. "Hey, I'll make sure to talk with Cole about it," he said while grabbing the rifle and lowering it to the ground, "Best case scenario is that he'll let you guys use our weapons and have some practice instead of their weapons. We don't have their ammunition but we have plenty of ours. But right now, just keep your ears for anyone who needs ammunition, alright?"
Twilight nodded in understanding. "Will do, Sergeant."
"Jeez, no need for formalities around me, Twilight."
Twilight shrugged. "Well, everyone here calls you a Sergeant, so why shouldn't I?"
"Because you're not part of the division. You're more like a fortune for us. You and your friends."
"Oh?" Twilight put a hoof under her chin like a child would study in boredom while laying on the floor; which Parker found it funny that a pony could do that, "How's that?"
"First off, you're not from around here. Second, well, you give us a different kind of hope. One that most of us believed wouldn't work here."
"That is?"
"Friendship. You told us how many adventures you've endured. How many problems you've solved, yet, none of them being solved with a conflict. This friendship thing of yours is a hope for us to finish this war faster. That there is something worth fighting for."
Fucking cringe
I know that, shut up
Twilight genuinely smiled at Parker, flattered by his words. In an instant, Parker was met with Twilight's hug. Unable to comprehend what was happening, Parker's arms instinctively wrapped themselves around her, pulling her close to his body. Twilight sighed comfortably, knowing she's safe around them. The humans she trusted the most to bring them home in one piece.
The mood was broken however, as a sudden mortar shell landed near them. Parker quickly broke the hug and rushed to his soldiers with Twilight following him behind. Another mortar shell caused them to pull their heads down.
"Stay close, Twilight!" Parker ordered. He looked up from his position to be met by another raid of bullets. The Germans were launching yet another counter attack.
Firing his Thompson, Parker and his squad with a squad from the 1st Battalion held their ground. Twilight hugged the ground next to Parker, unable to bring herself to even observe the Germans because of the intense firepower they were bringing. The Germans were advancing slowly this time, running from hedgerows to hedgerows, orchards to orchards. But with mortar shells pounding their position, it's almost impossible for Parker to even shoot them. He would take aim, firing three to four rounds before taking cover from a mortar shell. The firepower was so intense, his men were on the brink of retreating.
"Keep firing your weapon, soldiers!" Parker yelled, "Let 'em have it! Pour everything you've got!"
"But Sarge, we need more ammo!" Damien shouted.
"Fuck! My gun's jammed!" Andrew exclaimed while cocking his rifle multiple times to get it to work. But it resulted in nothing, his rifle simply wouldn't work. "I'mma go find a new gun!" He said as he threw his rifle before scurrying off.
An artillery shell unfortunately landed near the paratroopers, causing several of them to be wounded. The screams filled the air and it made Twilight shut her eyes. She had never experienced things like this before and to see it unfolding in front of her very eyes was too much to handle.
"Twilight!" Parker called while firing. Before Twilight could answer, another mortar shell hit near them, making Twilight hug the ground even more as Parker put his body to cover Twilight from the debris. Pulling himself up, Parker grabbed one of Twilight's forelegs and urged her to sit up.
"Twilight, look at me!" Parker called again. Twilight met his gaze and Parker could see the fear in her eyes. The same fear before they charged the farmhouse. The same fear when they first met him. Parker then determined to shake that fear away from her and any of her friends because fear would most likely eat her up in a situation like this.
"Twilight, look at me," Parker called once more as he frustratingly tried to get her attention, even between the raid of bullets and explosions his voice was clear in her ears as she stared at him, "I need you to stay strong, okay?"
Rainbow, Spike and Pinkie finally arrived and slammed themselves towards the ground near Parker. "Hey, Parker!" Rainbow called, "What do you want us to do?!"
"Can you fly yet?!" Reed asked, noticing their arrival.
"I can't try while they're firing at us like this!" Rainbow retorted as Reed continued to fire on the Germans.
Parker looked around and saw the wounded soldiers were being dragged towards a safer area. "Just keep Twilight company, I'll be back!" Parker said to Rainbow before running towards the soldiers.
"Twilight?" Spike asked while gently holding her hoof. Twilight remained there, her eyes were open but they were staring elsewhere.
"Twilight? What's wrong?" Pinkie joined to comfort her friend, "Twilight, can you hear us?" Pinkie's ears pressed against the back of her head as her friend didn't answer her, or even acknowledged that she was there for her.
Meanwhile, Parker trudged his way towards the wounded soldiers. He noticed two of them were dead and more than six of them were wounded. The medic ignored Parker's presence as he was busy treating the wounded. Ignoring the scene, Parker grabbed a rifle that was laying on the grass before making his way back to his spot. Once he got there, he saw Twilight's friends were desperately trying to get her back from whatever it is she was in. But Parker knew it wasn't good.
"Step aside, Spike." Parker said while patting Spike's shoulder.
"What happened to her?" He asked.
"I don't know," Parker simply answered, "Twilight? Twilight, look at me." Parker's voice somehow managed to reach Twilight as she looked at him. Her stare however, caught Parker. That thousand yards stare seemed to pierced through his soul he could feel her in him.
"Twilight? Twilight! Snap out of it for God's sake!" An explosion caused them to cover their faces. All but Parker. He immediately wrapped Twilight around his arms and forced them to the ground, covering her — again — from the debris of dirt that fell on them. Lifting himself up, Parker called out to Twilight one more time while furiously shaking her shoulders.
"Twilight!! Wake the fuck up!!" Twilight blinked once, then twice before finally looking straight at Parker.
"Parker? What-"
"You spaced out! I need you to restock some of our ammo in a minute! Now all of you take cover!" Parker ordered before directing his attention back to the enemies. Twilight and her friends pressed themselves to the ground as if they were one with the earth.
"Sarge! We can't hold them any longer!!" Julian exclaimed while reloading.
"Hold your ground, men!!" Parker shouted.
"The hell are you doing with that gun?!" Reed asked while looking at the rifle on the ground Parker just took.
"Just in case my gun jammed just like Andrew's!"
A shout of pain filled the air. "Fuck, I'm hit!" Glenn shrieked while clutching his right shoulder. Flynn quickly called out for a medic while tending to Glenn's wound.
"Sarge, they're breaking into our left!" Julian shouted before repositioning himself to get a better angle. With Damien and Wade following, the three of them took their own positions before shooting at the Krauts.
"Shall we meet 'em head on?!" Jones asked while reloading.
"Too risky!" Parker replied, "We gotta lure them to our range of machine guns!"
When Parker thought the first counter attack was hell, it wasn't enough compared to the one he was in right now. The seemingly endlessly bombardment continued to pound their position; they had no chance whatsoever to shoot at the German infantry who was slowly approaching them. Each mortar shell accompanied by a much bigger artillery fire made it almost impossible for the paratroopers to even fight back. The amount of dirt flying everywhere, shockwave from the explosions, it was already too much to pin down the Americans. Cole, Stopka, and Cassidy could only watch from the window of the farmhouse as their men desperately tried their best to fight back. Not only on Parker's position, the men of C Company of the 1st Battalion got the same harassment from the Germans. After the first counter attack, C Company took the initiative to move from the last bridge they crossed to the road that is heading straight towards Carentan; east side of the farmhouse. They too were being harassed by more intense German artillery fire than last morning they received.
"They're getting close!" Skippy yelled while cautiously peeking his head to get a view where the Germans were.
"Let 'em fucking come!" Reed answered, "I'll shove my boots up to each of their asses!" He added before firing his rifle.
"That's the spirit, Reed!" Parker called. Unbeknownst to them, the Germans were already on the other side of their orchard, ready to pounce them off guard.
Yet again, the Germans simultaneously got up from their hiding spot and rushed to Parker's line of defense. Being caught off guard, Parker backed up only to stumble upon his own feet and land on his back, with the assailants quickly pouring in. However, they didn't notice Parker's guests that were hiding, using the slope of the crossroads to reduce the possibility of being hit by mortar and artillery shells.
"Holy fuck!" Was all that Reed could say before he wrestled one of the Germans.
Parker could only fire a bullet before a Kraut pounced on him, pinning him down with his own Thompson on his neck. With the weight he added, the Kraut could taste his victory as Parker's hands started to give up on him. When he thought he was going to die, the Kraut's head suddenly recoiled, his helmet fell off. Parker noticed blood quickly came down to his face and the Kraut was no longer trying to kill him. Pushing the dead body aside, Parker sat up to see Twilight was pointing an M1 Garand at him. The rifle was surrounded with her aura and was hovering in the air as Twilight breathed heavily. Her eyes didn't leave the body she just shot however. She looked completely stiff.
"Nice fucking shooting, Twi." Parker said with a smirk that managed to get Twilight out of her thoughts.
However, Parker didn't see that another German soldier was already aiming at the back of his head not far behind him. Twilight gasped before pointing the gun at what it seemed to look like it was pointing at Parker. Parker raised his hands up and tried to talk some sense to her. "Hey, Twilight. It's me-"
"DUCK!!" Was all she could yell before firing the weapon. But Parker — having multiple times experiencing situations like this — ducked just as she said it and the bullet hit directly at the Kraut's neck. The soldier dropped his weapon before holding his neck as blood poured quickly from the wound. The next thing Twilight saw was the Kraut dropped to his knees before falling face first. Parker looked back in amazement. Twilight's heart raced after realizing what she had done. Around them, the fight was still going and Parker wasted no time in aiding his comrades.
"Good job, Twilight, keep it up!" He said before joining the rest in the fight. Twilight was still holding the weapon with her magic while staring at the dead bodies in front of her. The ones she just shot.
"Twilight?" Spike softly called while rubbing her shoulder with a concerned gaze, "It's okay. It's fine now."
Spike slowly reached for the rifle and lowered it, with Twilight's magic still holding the rifle it was pretty hard for him to put it back on the ground.
"I… I did that…" Twilight croaked, not even looking at Spike.
Pinkie and Rainbow joined on either side of them. "You did the right thing, Twilight." Rainbow spoke up while draping a wing around her friend.
"Yeah," Pinkie added with little to none happiness in her voice, "If you didn't do it, I may not be able to throw our friends here a taste of my party."
Twilight looked at the pink party pony and was saddened by the sight. The Pinkie Pie she knew from Ponyville was completely different now. Her coat was dirty, flecks of dirt could be seen all around it. Her mane was surprisingly bubbly, it looked like she didn't get affected by this sort of ordeal at all. But her eyes betrayed it all. Twilight could see it, in Pinkie's eyes, there was no happiness. It looked as if the happiness from her was ripped off her very soul, leaving the physical appearance to do the rest the best impression of the old Pinkie. Her expression showed no happiness at all. Not even a slight smile. Then again, who would be smiling in front of the dead? Twilight looked over to Rainbow and saw the same. This world has torn them apart even Rainbow Dash lost her usual colors. Her bandaged wing, her dirty mane and coat, some cuts here and there and her expression told Twilight that she no longer wanted to show off for now. Her cyan pegasus friend looked just as broken as Pinkie. Twilight then looked at Spike, who was still trying to calm her down. She smiled a bit, knowing Spike wasn't as bad as any of her friends. Being in the middle of a battlefield, Spike was calm enough to face it. He even gave the German bodies that Twilight had killed a nasty and disgusted look. No doubt after losing Sagi. Twilight was actually surprised the two of them got along with each other very fast. It all started with a game of cards and they haven't stopped ever since.
Twilight was too focused pondering in her own thought she didn't realize that the battle was still ongoing. Until one of the paratroopers dropped dead in front of her, she was back to the situation she was in. Twilight looked around her and most of the Germans were already defeated. Again, the Americans somehow managed to hold their ground. She didn't even realize that Rainbow had decided to join the fight. She saw Reed tossed her a grenade and Rainbow caught it with her mouth before throwing it to the otherside of the causeway. Smiling, Reed gave her a thumbs up after he heard the explosion, followed by painful screams.
It wasn't long until the machine guns from their rear finally started to open fire. Parker watched from his position with his eyes squinted as the Krauts were caught in the raid of bullets. That didn't stop the bombardment of the mortars and artillery, though, as they kept on firing. But it was enough for Parker and the rest of his men to hold against ground assault. The German infantry that was about to commence another assault on Parker's ground got themselves pinned down by machine guns. With Parker's line of defense opened fire at them, they decided to finally retreat. With a sigh of relief, Parker watched the Germans as they turned tail, running back to the tree lines.
"They sure were smoking when we got fired on." Wade said while looking at their MG position.
"To hell with them." Damien quietly replied.
Parker took the moment to address the wounded, "All good?"
His squad shook their heads. "All except Glenn I guess." Wade replied.
"Alright, I need an ammo count!" Parker shouted to the other squad of the 1st Battalion, "Who's your leader?"
"Sergeant Tedford, Sir! But he's dead!" A medic replied to Parker while covering a body of what he assumed was their Sergeant with a blanket.
Parker nodded, silently praying for those who were dead fighting with him. "Alright, you're with me for now! Who needs what better report to me so my ponies can get you what y'all need!"
"Fresh bandolier sounds nice!" A soldier answered.
"I need some grenades!" Another one added.
"I need to take a shit!"
Parker couldn't help but smirk a bit at the statement. "You're excused, soldier!"
"Thank you, Sergeant!" The soldier happily saluted before running for his own privacy.
Parker walked to Twilight and her friends, kneeling down with a warm smile on his face as he looked at them. "Y'all did an amazing job here. Especially you, Twilight. If you weren't there my name would be the last thing my family sees."
Twilight responded with a smile, she still couldn't bring herself to talk about it. "I need you guys to do me a favor." They perked their ears, carefully listening to what Parker was going to say. "I need you to bring more ammo. These guys fought very well and I doubt we would hold this position without ammo. Just go to Cole and tell him we need more bandoliers and some grenades. This fight is not over yet."
"How do you know?" Spike asked.
"As long as we're not attacking, it's their turn to roll the dice. We attack, gain the ground, reinforce our power and hold until we can continue to push another time."
Twilight nodded. "What else do you need?" She asked.
Parker shook his head in response. "Nothing else. Oh, and smack those bastards for me over there," Parker said while pointing at where the machine guns were, "Smack their heads and tell 'em it was Parker's courtesy."
Rainbow smirked, knowing full well Parker and his squad were annoyed that it took the machine guns so long to give them the one and only assistance they desperately needed. "You got it, Sarge."
"That should be it, go now." Parked said before turning around to check on the others; with Twilight and her friends went separate ways.
…
Twilight, Spike, Pinkie, and Rainbow walked their way back towards the CP. After passing the machine gun positions, Rainbow couldn't be happier to smack the living hell out of the soldiers who manned the machine guns. Knowing it was Parker's order, they laughed and told them to move on with their duties. With that checked, they continued on until they reached the CP. Luna was glad to see her ponies back in one piece and asked them about what had happened. Spike and Pinkie remained with Luna and the others to tell the tale while Twilight and Rainbow made their way to the second floor to meet with Cole.
They got upstairs and were instantly met with four officers of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment. They recognized Cole, Stopka, and Cassidy but there was another person sitting on the couch next to a door to what seems to be a bedroom that they haven't recognized yet.
Cole noticed their presence and coughed. "Miss Sparkle, Miss Dash, is there anything you need?" He asked, his hands were resting on the table and there were papers scattered on it with Colonel Cassidy standing next to him.
"Yes, Colonel," Twilight snapped out, "Sergeant Parker requested more ammo for his position. And more grenades if it's possible."
Cole furrowed his brow before replying, "I'm sorry, Miss Sparkle, but we can't give anymore ammo as of now we have no one on our flank to give us the supplies that we need. But I think we can give you the grenades you want."
Twilight nodded before turning her attention back to the officer she didn't recognize. "I assume we've never met before?" She asked.
The officer lifted his head to meet her gaze. "Ah yes, you must be one of those ponies everyone's been talking about," he said with a smile, "I've met your friends downstairs."
"That's correct, Sir. My name is Twilight Sparkle and this is my friend, Rainbow Dash." Twilight introduced. Rainbow nodded her head with a smile.
The person stood up and walked over to them, towering between the three. "I'm Major John Hanlon. Colonel Cassidy's deputy of the 1st Battalion. Pleasure to finally meet both of you." He said while shaking their hooves.
"What happened out there until you ran out of ammunition?" Cassidy asked the two with one hand rubbing his thin mustache as if he was thinking of some things.
"It's the second time the Germans almost broke into Parker's line," Rainbow explained, "And those times they brawled with each other. Throwing punches and kicks and stuff. And Parker doubts he would be holding the ground again if the attack continued like this."
Cole analyzed every word Rainbow had explained to them. While Rainbow said that, he thought of the opposite of what Parker was thinking. Cole himself doubted the Germans would launch further attack because Major John Hanlon came here to tell them the news he received.
"We can't give you more ammo, there's only enough for all of our men here until the main forces can link up with us and give us what we need." Cole answered. Twilight was about to say something when Cole cut her off. "However, I've received a word that General McAuliffe had requested a truce and ordered a cease fire."
"Truce?" Rainbow said confusingly.
Cole smiled at her. "Truce is an agreement to stop fighting or arguing for a certain amount of time between two or more enemies."
"Does that mean peace?" Twilight asked hopefully.
Cole pondered it for a moment, but Cassidy took it for him. "You can say that but most likely we will try to work out a peace. But this one will mainly be for evacuating the wounded and the dead from the battlefield."
Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other before understanding what it meant. "And who's General McAuliffe?" Rainbow asked.
"He's our top leader," Stopka answered, "He is the person that directs the attack of the 101st Airborne. We're here because of him."
"Damn right," Cole added while looking at his deputy, "Major, can you give them the grenade supplies they needed?"
Stopka nodded before gesturing to Twilight and Rainbow to follow him.
"Miss Sparkle?" Cole called out just as Twilight was about to head downstairs.
"Yes, Colonel?" Twilight asked.
"Tell Sergeant Parker and his men about the truce. Cease fire is mandatory for now."
"Will do, Sir." Twilight replied before disappearing out of Cole's view.
…
Major Stopka had given Twilight and her friends the grenades they needed. Applejack had decided to join in while Pinkie stayed in the farmhouse to rest. Twilight had to force Spike to stay behind, fearing anything worse might happen. Spike wasn't happy about it but he knew better not to argue with Twilight. With the help of two GIs, they made their way back to the frontline. The paratroopers walked ahead of them, saying that they had to get back to their position as soon as possible. Leaving the ponies behind, Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash limply made their way towards the frontline.
"You still have to take more rest later, Applejack." Twilight scolded.
The orange mare scoffed. "Ah'm not the only stubborn mare now to go to the frontline with only a small wound. Yer lucky Ah'm not in the mood to give ya a piece o' mah mind."
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I hate to say this, but it's not the time to show who's the strongest. We gotta focus on the reality at hoof here."
The purple alicorn and the orange earth pony nodded in agreement before finally arriving at their destination. Parker was counting on the supplies the paratroopers had given him when he noticed his guests.
"Twilight, I thought I told you to bring more ammo." Parker complained before rummaging through the stock of grenades. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked with curiosity, clearly trying to remember the types of the grenades the first time they used them.
Twilight sighed. "I did, Sergeant. But Colonel said they don't have more ammunition to spare, we are practically isolated here. Without the main force, we have to maintain everything we have left to hold this ground."
Parker eyed Twilight suspiciously before nodding his head. "Make sense." He simply said before whistling a signal to the soldiers to get their grenades.
"Oh, and one more thing." Twilight added.
"I'm all ears."
"General McAuliffe called for a truce."
Parker abruptly stopped whatever he was doing. "Am I hearing this right?"
"Yes. Colonel Cole ordered a cease fire. It was requested by General McAuliffe himself."
Parker put both of his hands on his knees. "Why?"
Twilight shook her head a little. "I don't really know. But maybe it's something about evacuating the wounded and the dead."
Parker thought of it for a moment. "Alright, I'll inform my men." He said, somewhat doubting that it would work.
The medic took the information happily. He and another GI quickly began their preparations of bringing the wounded back to CP. The ponies joined Parker's squad, helping them observe any enemy movements.
"Sarge, I see movement," Skippy called, "Seventy yards on the orchard, they're moving to the left."
The whole group went silent. "I can't see shit, Skips." Reed stated.
"I'm just better than you."
The all too familiar sound of a mortar shell came from the skies. "Shit." Reed muttered.
"INCOMING!!" Parker shouted right before the mortar shell landed in front of him.
Within the mortar barrage, machine guns started to pepper the orchards and their position. The paratroopers tried desperately to cover themselves as hell rained down on them.
…
"Sir, our men are under attack." Stopka informed while looking out from a window.
"What?" Asked the Colonel from his seat, his eyes glared at Stopka for any confirmation but the sound of yelling and explosions already confirmed him.
"The Krauts are bombing again."
Cole muttered curse words before getting up from his seat and walked towards Stopka. Looking at the scenery, it was absolute chaos. What he thought to be a truce turned into another bloody battle. If the previous counter attacks were worse, then this was hell. The Germans made no mercy, they rained everything they got to force the Americans back from their positions. Cole looked at Parker's position and saw an armored vehicle rolled out from the forest, slowly making its way towards their line of defense.
Cassidy cursed under his breath.
"Fuck truce."
…
"What is that?!" Twilight asked. Her face was plastered with horror and awe when she saw the armored vehicle moving slowly towards them.
"Halftrack!" Parker answered, "We need a bazooka!"
"We don't have one!" A soldier replied while shooting his Garand.
"Fuck!" Parker cursed loudly before firing his weapon.
"I thought this was supposed to be a truce!" Reed said.
"This ain't Christmas Eve, Private!"
The halftrack crawled to a halt and Krauts slowly poured out of the vehicle. Applejack, Rainbow and Twilight looked in awe as the vehicle started to move again. With the MG42 mounted on the halftrack, it gave the paratroopers hard time to shoot at their enemy with the machine gun pinning them down; combined with the bombardment. With no way to fight a halftrack head on without an anti tank weapon, Parker needed a plan. And he needed it fast. At the same time, he sensed his line was about to fall. Even so, he encouraged his men to stay and fight with everything they have. Eventually, the bombardment stopped and the Krauts advanced. But now, they were met with the firepower of the paratroopers.
Rainbow took the initiative to help the paratroopers. Forcing her wings, she leaped up into the air, a grenade in her hooves. Through the rain of bullets, Rainbow managed to do a dive bomb towards a group of Krauts; sending them hurtling to the ground. With a smirk, the cyan pegasus maneuvered herself out of the range of the fire range. Following her, Applejack helped Wade find targets for him to shoot. Twilight stayed in her position, eyeing the halftrack carefully as it strolled down the main road while firing its machine gun. She saw Rainbow attempt to dive bomb the halftrack from above, but the German infantry were already training their weapons on her. Rainbow swerved left and right trying to dodge the rain of bullets. The infantry made it hard for her to aim at her target perfectly. Mumbling 'horsefeathers', she pulled the pin and released the grenade from her grip. She flew herself up just in time to see the grenade explode. But to her disappointment, she missed. The grenade landed on the right side of the halftrack. Making a beeline towards the friendly line, she cursed the German soldiers.
"That thing is easy to hit if those soldiers are not in my way." Rainbow complained as soon as she arrived to her friends.
"They sure are protecting that thing," Applejack replied, her head poking out of the crossroad to observe the halftrack, "And Ah'm sure that thing is what supposed to help 'em push us back."
"Damn right," Parker interjected while reloading, "It's an armored support for infantry like us." He then continued firing his weapon at the Krauts.
The halftrack was the main problem and it bugged Parker to no end that they didn't have the weapon to destroy it. Rainbow's strategy proof no match against the German's firepower, they were really determined to defend their support vehicle. Throwing grenades as close as possible would be a suicide mission. That left him with one option.
"We need to fall back!" Parker shouted through his squad.
"You know we'll end up just like in a shooting gallery if we run now!" Reed retorted.
"I'd rather not imagine." Flynn said.
Parker pulled out a smoke grenade and motioned it to Reed. "Use smoke grenades to cover our escape! If we stay here, we're all dead!"
Reed nodded and passed the message to the other soldiers. Knowing they had to take a step back, some paratroopers pulled out their smoke grenades and waited for Parker's order.
"On three! One!" Parker ordered. A bullet almost hit his helmet. "Fuck it, THREE!!"
The GIs simultaneously pulled the pin and threw the grenades where they thought would be best to cover them. Several seconds later, smoke screens appeared around the orchard. The paratroopers took this as their escape as they scrambled to their feet and ran back towards another defensive line. Applejack limped her way through the smoke but Reed immediately took her in his arms and ran. Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow followed closely behind. Bullets whizzed around them, the Krauts seemed to be firing aimlessly through the smoke as they tried to kill as many paratroopers as possible. The familiar sound of MG42 ripped through the air and green traces were flying above Twilight's head. Her heart raced, her hooves ran faster despite the pain all over her body telling her to stop. She continued. She could hear Parker yelling orders behind her while firing his Thompson. Through the smoke, Twilight didn't see a bump ahead and she tripped over it. Falling face first, she winced in pain as the hot feeling of her wounds shocked her.
Twilight tried to stand back up but her pain was too much and she was surprisingly tired. She heard footsteps behind her and she directed her head towards the sound and a silhouette of a paratrooper ran past while shouting orders.
Twilight recognized the voice. "Parker!" She called, but the sound of gunfires covered her plea and Parker continued to run. "Parker, I'm right here!" She called again, but it was another fruitless effort. She could only see Parker disappear through the smoke as he ran further and further back into the friendly lines. Tears started to form on the corner of her eyes. She was brought back to reality when a bullet struck the ground on her left. The purple alicorn struggled to drag herself, her eyes darted everywhere for a possible cover to hide herself from the enemy. Finding a small crater not too far from her position, Twilight crawled to it in hopes of hiding herself from the enemy. She could only hope the battle ended sooner with her friends gaining the victory.
…
"Up, soldier! You stay here, you'll die!" Parker shouted as he pulled a wounded soldier's arm to keep him balanced.
Catching a bullet wasn't a pleasant feeling, and the wounded soldier just got struck on his left leg. Parker pulled him up and helped trudge him back to safety. With the cover fire from his squad, they managed to make their way behind a hedgerow and Parker put the paratrooper down and called for a medic to patch his wound.
"Parker!" A cyan pegasus called out in the distance. Parker turned his head to see Rainbow was waving her hoof towards him.
"Sergeant Parker!!" She called louder. Grabbing his Thompson from his shoulder, Parker made his way towards the cyan pegasus.
"What's wrong, Rainbow?"
"Twilight's missing!" Rainbow practically exclaimed, "I've searched and called out her name but she's nowhere to be seen."
Applejack forced her way out of the huddling paratroopers who were firing at the enemy. "Ah don't even see her nose pokin' 'round. Think she might get left behind?" Her voice indicated fear and worry.
"Fuck," Parker mumbled before getting a view towards the Krauts, "I think I heard someone called me when I was running through the smoke but I brushed it off as my imagination. I think it was her."
Spike's eyes widened. "You left her?!"
"I didn't mean to!" Parker retorted, "Last thing I want is to investigate that voice and end up getting killed by those Krauts. I've already heard voices in my head and I don't need another one." Now that he realized it, Parker could call himself crazy.
Applejack stared at the battlefield in front of her. The orchards made it impossible to find Twilight from their position if the purple mare was hiding somewhere. Worst case scenario is she was captured by them. "We should go back."
"I didn't say we shouldn't," Parker responded, "You two stay here and help our boys with anything you can, I'll bring some men with me to search for Twilight."
"But-"
"No, Rainbow, I'm not dragging you into this," Parker cut Rainbow off, "This is my fault, I'll find her."
Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other for a brief moment before turning their attention to the sergeant. Applejack saw the determination and guilt in his eyes, those same eyes that cared for them and willing to sacrifice himself to save their lives. Applejack nodded. "Ya stay safe out there, sugarcube," she placed a hoof on Parker's knee, "And come back ta us."
Parked looked at Applejack for a moment, he could've sworn he saw small tears on the corner of the apple pony's eyes. "Yeah, go and kick some flanks out there," Rainbow added, "We'll be right behind you."
Parker smiled and ruffled Rainbow's mane. With a silent thanks, he stood up and called out for his squad. "REED! ANDREW! WADE! ON ME!!"
The three soldiers took positions around him as fast as they could. "What is it, Sarge?" Wade asked.
"Twilight is somewhere out there between us and the Krauts. She must've left behind in the smoke screen and we have to get her back. You three will be with me until we find her. Kill anything that's not American or a pony. You got it?"
They nodded hesitantly. "But Sarge, we'll get in the crossfire." Reed stated.
Parker looked at the orchard before replying, "I know it's probably a suicide mission guys, but we promised Luna and the rest to keep them safe," Parker looked back at his squad, "And that is exactly what we're gonna do."
"Sergeant Parker!" A soldier suddenly called out in the distance. Parker looked at the source of the voice and saw three men were making their way towards him. Parker grinned. He noticed the murder weapon one of them was carrying.
"Need anything, soldier?" Parker asked as the three soldiers were on their range of hearing.
"We got words you wanna save a pony that's lost out there." A paratrooper said.
"We're here to help." Another one added.
"We got the weapon you need to destroy that halftrack anyway." The last one stated with a grin.
Parker couldn't grin any wider. "Alright, fall in. Names?"
"Private Dawson."
"Private Langley, Sir."
"Private First Class Durrant, at your service."
Parker nodded. "Alright, I want that bazooka to hit the halftrack, Durrant."
Durrant shouldered the bazooka and smiled. "I won't let you down, Sir."
Reed cocked his weapon. "Let's get ourselves a princess to save."
…
Twilight couldn't imagine a better cover than the one she was in right now. She practically squeezed herself on a crater that was caused by a mortar shell. The mare then used her magic to drag some of the dirt to cover most of her body so the enemy couldn't see her.
Hopefully.
The gun fires were destroying her ears. She knew she was caught in the crossfire and best chance to survive is to find cover and hope that the battle will be over soon. The ground started to rumble and she could hear the familiar sound of the halftrack rolling slowly on the main road, giving the paratroopers hell with its powerful MG42. With the gunner being protected by a metal shield surrounding the machine gun, Twilight knew why the paratroopers were scared to meet it head on. That thing was a meat grinder. And Twilight also knew her magic would be nothing more than a tickle against a machine like that. She closed her eyes, hoping the Germans wouldn't spot her.
The voices of foreign language shattered her hopes however, but Twilight knew to whom those voices belonged to. The Germans were starting to gain more ground. That halftrack was supporting the infantry and it must be eliminated. But how? Twilight wanted to help but the only reason why she hid herself is because she didn't have any weapon. She knew how to knock out individuals with certain spells but she did not have the ability to destroy a metal machine like that. Twilight was thinking so hard she didn't realize a Kraut was sneaking towards her position. And unbeknownst to the Kraut, he didn't know Twilight was there. The gray uniformed soldier was trudging through the row of corns when he finally came face to face with Twilight.
Hearing rustling behind her, Twilight craned her neck and was instantly terrified. The Kraut was also confused but he raised his rifle anyway, shouting words that Twilight couldn't understand. Backing away, Twilight was grabbed by her hindleg.
"Ah! LET GO!!" Twilight shrieked as she doubled her effort to escape from the strong grip of the German soldier. Her horn began to glow her purple aura as she readied herself to charge up a spell.
The Kraut wasn't having any of it however. He pulled Twilight's hindleg as strong as he could closer to him. The Kraut then released his grip and put his feet on Twilight's exposed belly. Twilight stared at the muzzle of a rifle pointing straight to her head and gulped.
BANG!!!
Blood splattered across Twilight's face and the ground surrounding her. The Kraut instantly fell on top of her, squeezing her body entirely. Seconds later, Twilight felt the Kraut's body shift to her side and when she got a clear view of the sky above, the first thing she noticed was Wade's calming eyes.
"Twilight?" He called with a blink.
In an instant, Twilight leapt from her position. "WADE!!!" Her legs were practically squeezing the poor corporal as Wade struggled to breathe.
"Easy, Twilight. You're safe." He mumbled while patting Twilight's back.
Twilight sobbed quietly on Wade's shoulder and Wade could only wrap his arms around her while gently soothing her. Twilight's grip loosened a bit and Wade received the air he never knew needed this much.
"You found something, Corporal?" A voice came behind him.
Twilight opened her eyes to see Parker stepped out of his cover. Wade let go of his arms to face his NCO. But as soon as he did that, a purple blur flew right past him and crashed itself onto Parker. The stunned sergeant fell on his back whilst Twilight gave him a bear hug without giving a care about crushing his ribs. Parker let out a wheeze before tapping Twilight's back multiple times.
"Twilight, you're killing him." Wade said with a slight smile on his face.
"Oh! Sorry!" Twilight exclaimed before releasing her grip and stood next to Parker.
Parker waved his hand, signaling it was alright before pulling himself up. He almost forgot they were too close with the enemy until the sound of halftrack moving brought him back to the situation at hand. He signaled the rest to come out and when they did, they moved carefully with Twilight between all of them. Parker raised his hand before signaling the squad to lower their bodies. The ground noticeably rumbling now and the sound of the tracks trudging through the main road was getting closer. Parker called Durrant to his position and told the rest to stay in a defensive position. Durrant kneeled down beside Parker, looking at the road just ahead of them.
"Alright, that fucker's gonna be here anytime soon, I want you to be ready," Parker said, "And don't miss."
Durrant let out a scoff before raising his bazooka and aimed it at the road. They waited there, waiting for a perfect opportunity to turn the tables.
"I hear movement," Reed said in a low voice, "Ten o'clock, my position. Krauts are moving in, Sarge. We gotta move."
Parker tapped Durrant's shoulder, telling him to hold his ground before moving back and assist his squad. "We ain't moving until that halftrack is destroyed. We gotta hold 'em off. Like it or not."
Parker scanned the area with his ears and sure enough he heard rustlings and voices not too far from their left. Parker took a deep breath before saying, "If this goes to a shit show, I want you to grab Twilight and run from here as fast as possible back to the friendly line, you read me?" Reed didn't know he was talking to him until he saw Parker's face on the corner of his eyes. Turning to his sergeant, he hesitated for a moment before nodding his head.
"Loud and clear, Sir." Reed responded.
Satisfied, Parker went back to Durrant and waited again. This time however, the nose of the halftrack appeared in their sights while it was slowly advancing. Durrant shouldered his bazooka with Parker keeping a close eye on the halftrack.
"Steady, Private." Parker calmly said.
Durrant kept his finger on the trigger, ready to fire when Parker ordered him to. Time felt slow and it didn't help them when they knew the Krauts were on top of them as well. The front half of the halftrack was now visible to the paratroopers lurking between the rows of corn stalks. Parker could hear his heart beat faster, and so did Durrant as his trigger finger was already itchy to give this halftrack a one mighty punch.
"Not yet." Parker said, his hand holding Durrant's shoulder this entire time and Durrant felt the tremor Parker had every now and then.
"Sarge, it's right there-"
Parker slapped his helmet. "Shut the fuck up."
The halftrack was clearly on their sights now, as it slowly advanced towards the American line. The side of the halftrack was like a target practice in the training camp. Parker eventually let out a breath he was holding. "Fire."
"On the way, Sir." Durrant tilted his head a little in response before pulling the trigger.
Twilight saw the rocket go out from the bazooka and fly towards its designated target. The force almost took Durrant by surprise but he recovered quickly just as the rocket hit its target. Once the rocket penetrated the armor, the halftrack exploded and went into a large fireball. Twilight felt the heat from the explosion as fire was basically engulfing the halftrack. Her ears flattened against the side of her head as she heard screaming. It was the machine gunner, he screamed for his life while fire was eating him alive. Twilight watched in mild horror as a hand emerged from the fire, grabbing onto the side of the halftrack before his body showed up. He was covered in flames, his uniform was like oil for the fire. The gunner jumped off from the halftrack and tried desperately to put out the fire from his body. He rolled on the ground, screaming bloody murder before pulling out his sidearm and pointed it on the temple of his head. The familiar gun fire rang throughout the air, followed by the Kraut lay on his back, lifeless. Twilight's pupils were mere pinpricks as she saw the scene unfold seconds before her. Her legs shook slightly and she felt the almost overwhelming urge to vomit. Sure she had killed Krauts before but this was beyond her expectations. She felt tears beginning to form on the corner of her eyes. The scene was too much, sure he was the bad guy but it was one thing that she had not prepared for seeing it coming.
Suicide.
Twilight slowly sat on her haunches. Her head hung low as she tried to hold back her tears. It resulted in her letting out muffled sniffles.
"Twilight?" A hand gently placed on her withers.
Twilight didn't bother to look back at Parker. "He just… he just shot…"
Parker sighed before kneeling down next to the shocked alicorn. "I know, Twilight. But it's either us or them now. If we didn't destroy that halftrack then it will be easier for those Krauts to push us back from here."
"Can't you just-"
"Twilight, this is war. It's between we kill them or they kill us. War is never pretty, Twilight. I need you to be strong. Now, we need to get out of here. Can you walk?"
Twilight slowly nodded her head before standing on all fours. Parker smiled and gently stroked her mane in a reassuring manner.
"I'm here, Twilight," Parker said before looking at Durrant, "Nice shooting, Private."
Durrant smiled before laughing like an idiot. "Told ya I won't miss." He said.
The celebration was cut short however, as German voices were now heard very close to their position.
"Anytime now, Sarge." Reed commented, his grip on his rifle tightened.
"Shit, we need to move! NOW!!" Parker ordered before sprinting into the orchard. The rest didn't need to be told twice as they followed their sergeant. With Twilight in the middle of the group, Parker only had to worry about getting back to friendly territory.
"Amerikaner! Erschieß sie!"
At least that gave them a warning before being barraged with a volley of bullets. Parker and the rest of the paratroopers ran for their lives while shooting backwards in an attempt to slow down the enemies. Row after row of corn stalks they passed through, earning slaps from either leaves or corns in their way. Twilight tried her best to keep her pace with the others but the sound of gunfires made it harder for her to focus on her track.
"KEEP RUNNING!!" Parker shouted while firing aimlessly behind him.
Unbeknownst to him, the orchard had come to an end and they were now running in an open field. Cursing under his breath, he told his men to "run and gun" while Twilight stayed close between the group. Parker could see the burning halftrack from here and the Krauts were now desperate to push with their remaining forces. Just as they were about to reach friendly lines, a mortar shell managed to land on their left side, causing the group to tumble to the ground. Langley took the worst hit as he was the closest one with the explosion. His left leg was cut off and he was unconscious.
Twilight shook her head, trying to get rid of the ringing sensation in her ears. She looked around at the group, all were now too stunned to move. Looking over to her left, she saw Langley lying motionless there with his leg resting several feet away from him. Her face turned green before looking away, trying to swallow what remains of her breakfast in her. She heard muffled voices and soon enough, a dozen paratroopers came to their rescue. She saw it all in slow motion, as if the world itself was buying them time to get out of there. Another mortar shell shook the ground before debris of dirt landed everywhere around them. Twilight saw how Reed pushed himself up to give them cover fire. She saw how Wade helped Parker to his feet before trudging away from the battlefield. She saw Durrant get hit on the chest before falling down to the earth, screaming in pain and agony. She saw one of the paratroopers reach her before bringing her close to his chest. She didn't know what happened to Langley after seeing at least three paratroopers come to his aid but she knew she was finally safe. For now, she needed rest.
And she closed her eyes.
Night was approaching, the sky was getting darker but the day was all nothing but hell. That was the only thing that could be described on the battlefield when those mortar and artillery shells kept punching the earth below. And Rainbow Dash didn't like it one bit. She saw how the paratroopers were now desperately trying to hold the line with whatever supplies they had on them. Bullet casings were scattered everywhere near her. The sound of soldiers screaming in pain and shouting orders. The smell of metal, along with blood. It was all too much to handle. But Rainbow saw how the paratroopers were willing to risk their lives for only an inch of their ground. She saw how determined they were to stop the attack. She saw how each of these men around her stood their ground not because they were told to, but because they had to. Rainbow looked to her right, looking at Applejack while the orange country mare narrowed her eyes at the Germans. She saw how different her friend is before this all happened. Her stetson was dirty, her coat was no better. Her mane and tail, the once clean and beautiful blonde color of hers, was now filled with pieces of dirt and dark brown splotches were spotted everywhere. Her bandaged forehoof only made her look more like a hardened veteran. And her face — that scowl that she was giving towards the Germans — the scowl Rainbow never thought would see from Applejack. It was one full of hatred.
Artillery explosion brought Rainbow back to reality. She looked around her, the battle was still ongoing. And Rainbow knew it wouldn't end soon. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before grabbing one of the grenades. She spread her wings before taking off, ready to do more dive bombings.
Applejack felt the force of wind from Rainbow's wings as she took off into the air. Coughing from the dust, she looked back to the orchard in front of her, looking for any signs of movement that might help Wade in his sniping skill.
"Right there." Applejack said while pointing a hoof towards one of many rows of corn stalks in the orchard. Wade aimed his rifle towards the direction that was given and saw two Krauts were running towards their right. He shot multiple times, hitting one of the Krauts in the head while the other ducked down for cover.
"Nice eye, Applejack." Wade said with a grin before reloading his weapon.
Meanwhile, to their left, Parker was too busy fending off the German soldiers from entering their line. Unfortunately, one of the machine guns from their position was forced to help Able Company at the cabbage patch. From there on, Parker and the other paratroopers must hold with only one machine gun remaining. It didn't help when the Germans were pounding their position repeatedly. As if the first and second counter attack wasn't enough, they kept harassing the American positions with infantry, machine guns, mortar and artillery fire in the most concentrated fire of the day. Even Colonel Cole expected his line of defense to crack before nightfall. While it was true the Germans had pushed the Americans almost to the breaking point, the paratroopers somehow stood their ground. Throughout the first counter attack, the paratroopers had successfully defended and even refused to retreat. But after the truce, their strength didn't last forever. The continuous harassment from the Germans have increased the number of those who were killed and wounded. But the battalion held on.
Rainbow Dash had just delivered another package of grenade when she spotted an unwanted sight. With a gasp, she landed as quickly as possible in search of Parker.
"Parker?!" She searched through the middle of the chaos, "Sergeant Parker?!"
"Right here, Rainbow!" Parker waved his hand before continuing to fire his submachine gun.
"Parker, I saw the Germans are pushing on our right side!" Rainbow notified.
Finishing his entire clip, Parker ducked down to talk with the cyan pegasus. "The Krauts are pushing?"
"Yes! Over there." Rainbow pointed a hoof towards where she believed the Krauts were pushing. "They're nearly touching our line. I saw a bunch of 'em moving towards us."
Cursing under his breath, Parker fumbled his gear to search a fresh magazine for his Thompson. "Gunner!" He called while cocking his weapon. As soon as the machine gunner's head turned towards him, Parker continued. "I need you to keep holding this ground no matter what! Keep pounding on those bastards!"
"I love the pressure, Sarge!" The gunner responded before focusing his fire back on the German soldiers.
"Alright, Rainbow, come with me." Parker ordered before he moved, following close behind was Rainbow.
They both trudged their way to the right flank of their line, with Parker calling his men to assist him in pushing back the Krauts before it was too late. "Reed, Julian, Skippy, Andrew, Flynn, on me! Let's go!"
Parker stopped, waiting for his squad to catch up with him. Finally rallied up, Parker briefed his men for their next mission. "Alright guys, I want you to listen closely. That includes you, Rainbow. 'Cause I'm gonna be needing you this time." Rainbow nodded nervously. "So I've received a report from our pegasus friend here that the Germans are pushing our right flank, and they are very close." An artillery shell landed near them, causing the GIs to cover their heads while the ground shook violently from the explosion. Undeterred, Parker continued, "There's a possibility that we just lost our right flank but that ain't gonna last long. We're gonna take it back. So, Rainbow," Parker looked at her whilst continuing the plan, "I want you to dive bomb whatever Krauts you see there, make sure you don't hit friendlies. After that, I want Reed to provide cover fire here while the rest will stick to my ass and run like assholes towards them. Andrew and Skippy will throw a grenade before we go. I'll signal the grenade alright?" His squad nodded. "Once we charge them, we don't stop. Y'all follow me on this, I'll be leading the charge."
A chorus of 'yes sir' was given to Parker and he nodded his head. "Go now, Rainbow, we'll be right behind you."
Rainbow took several deep breaths before taking off once more, a grenade held between her forehooves. She flew towards the area where she saw the Germans were pushing, and sure enough they had breached the line. She saw the remaining paratroopers trying to flee the area. With a renewed strength, Rainbow flew down towards the Krauts as fast as her wings and gravity could carry her. She felt her tears on the corner of her eyes while flying at high speed towards the ground below. Unfortunately, the Krauts had already spotted her and they started shooting. Either she was small and flying too fast or the Krauts were just stupid enough to not hit a pegasus who was flying straight towards them, Rainbow managed to get above her target and dropped the payload. The grenade sent the Krauts flying and some took cover. Flying as fast as she could back to Parker, she failed to land properly and instead was rolling on the ground like a heap. Quickly recovering from her dazed state, Rainbow ran to Parker and told him that the Krauts had breached the line.
"Say no more!" Parker said before standing up, "C'mon boys! On your feet! Follow me!"
"Right behind ya, Sarge!" Julian said before sprinting forwards.
"That dude's nuts." Skippy commented before following his sergeant.
Parker's squad followed the crazed sergeant as they ran straight towards a group of Germans. They passed by the paratroopers that were retreating but Parker barked at them to follow him in his assault, which they complied. Soon after, a dozen paratroopers were making their way towards their captured territory.
"Drew! Skippy! Grenade now!" Parker ordered while running.
Both paratroopers did as they were told. Throwing the grenade, they continued to follow Parker until the grenades went off. Letting out a battle cry, Parker charged at the German group that was still trying to make sense of what was going on. Parker fired at least five rounds at a Kraut who was aiming at him. He then rushed forward, firing another five rounds to pin down an enemy group that was hiding behind small hedgerows. His squad and the rest of the paratroopers were following him the entire time, some even managed to kill a Kraut or two. Firing from his hip, Parker continued to run until his weapon ran out of ammunition. But a Kraut suddenly appeared in front of him before he reloaded. Not wanting to get killed, Parker threw his own weapon to the Kraut before tackling him to the ground. Both of them soon brawled to gain the upper hand while chaos still happened around them. But soon Parker was pinned to the ground with the Kraut's hands around his neck, trying to squeeze the air out of him. Grunting, he pulled his legs up before kicking the Kraut off of him. Rolling backwards, he grabbed his pistol and shot his enemy right between his eyes. He watched as the Kraut fell down to the earth below. Taking deep breaths, Parker let his heart rate go back to normal before holstering back his pistol and searched his submachine gun. However, he was suddenly knocked out by a Kraut with the butt of his rifle. The force was stronger than he thought, making Parker's head recoil before falling on his back. Normally, Parker would've fought back, but today had been draining his energy too much he couldn't help but to lay there helplessly as he saw his enemy pointed his rifle to his face. Parker couldn't do anything, he wanted to fight. But his body wasn't obeying any of his command. He could feel warm liquid slowly trailed from his head and onto his left cheek. That fucker got him good. The Kraut worked his bolt, a bullet casing came out from its internal cartridge. Parker looked at the Kraut's eyes, waiting for his inevitable doom before him.
Wait, you hear that sound?
To his surprise, Parker could hear a sound like a faint whistle before it got louder and louder. The Kraut's expression was slowly turning into one of confusion.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!" A familiar voice shouted in the distance before there was a loud crack, followed by a scream that could send the entire Carentan to shake. Parker remembered he was about to be killed from seeing a rifle pointed at his face, but as he blinked, the Kraut was nowhere to be seen. However, a rainbow trail took his spot. It took him a moment to register what had happened.
Bet he was thrown to the other side of the planet
He hated to admit it but he couldn't see the Kraut who was about to kill him and agreed with the statement.
"Sergeant? You alright?" Rainbow's voice sounded to his left. Parker shook his head to get rid of his dizziness as it slowly came back to him.
"Better than him." Parker gestured to the dead Kraut he killed. With a hand on his knee, he took deep breaths before realizing his weapon was not with him still.
"Here, Sergeant." A blue snout pushed his weapon into his view. Parker gladly took it before reloading the magazine. He looked up to see his rescuer and couldn't hold back his smirk as he saw the cyan pegasus in front of him.
"Thanks Rainbow, that was fucking awesome." He balled his fist and extended it.
Rainbow gave him one of her own smirk before bumping his fist with her hoof. "Always have your back, Sir."
Parker stood back to his feet and realized his squad and the paratroopers that came along were winning. He told Rainbow to follow him as they joined their force to push the Krauts back. Before they reached the battle however, the ground in front of them was suddenly filled with explosions larger than the German mortars and their 88s. Some of Parker's squad and the paratroopers were knocked out when a shell landed nearby. Flashes from the explosions illuminated the darkened sky while massacring the Krauts at the same time.
"GET TO COVER!!" Parker shouted, running towards his squad to get them to move, "IT'S NOT SAFE HERE, THEY GOT US ZEROED, FIND SOME COVER!! MOVE!!"
Parker literally pulled Andrew on his collar while pushing him to get to move. The rest were already finding themselves some cover but a shell landed so close to a paratrooper, resulting in him flying several feet into the air before crashing onto a hedgerow, disappearing after. Parker ran as fast as he could between the explosions to the wounded soldier. Arriving there, Parker instantly found the soldier; he was laying down on his back, his wounds were practically everywhere. Shrapnels from the shell were sticking out from his right arm. His right leg was faring no better. The soldier coughed up some blood, snapping Parker out of his stance.
"Easy there, buddy. You're gonna be fine." Parker knelt down to inspect his wound before calling out one of his squad. "SKIPPY, I GOT A WOUNDED OVER HERE!!" He shouted between the explosions.
The sound of running footsteps could be heard in an instant before Skippy emerged from the hedgerows. "You called, Sarge?" He said before kneeling down opposite of Parker.
"We need to get him back to CP now!" Parker ordered before grabbing a hold of the wounded soldier's shoulders. Skippy shouldered his own weapon before lifting both of the soldier's legs. With a nod, they both made their way back to the Command Post.
However, something caught Parker's eyes. His heart skipped a beat when he forgot something. Someone. Rainbow stood still in the middle of the explosions. "God fucking damn it!" Parker cursed, "REED, GET YOURSELF OVER HERE!!"
They both almost arrived where they last regrouped and Parker saw Reed holding his rifle tightly while lying close to the hedgerow. "Reed! Go get Rainbow!" Parker yelled.
"What?!" Reed crawled from his hiding spot.
"Get Rainbow outta there!" Parker gestured to where Rainbow was last seen before hurrying off with Skippy back towards CP.
…
Rainbow was unable to move, no matter how hard she tried to, she just couldn't. The ground below her shook violently as the barrage seemed to be increasing its intensity. She looked at the scenery before her, the explosions giving off flashes in the night sky, illuminating the battlefield and revealing the corpses of both Germans and Americans on the ground. She seemed to notice Parker and a paratrooper running off on the corner of her eyes but she paid no mind. Her thoughts were blank. Rainbow blinked and looked around, the explosions were gone; replaced by a sea of deep green everywhere.
Wait, what?
She tried blinking again, only this time the night sky greeted her vision with debris of dirt flying everywhere near her. Fortunately, she gained her senses back, albeit really slowly. Time slowed down for her as Rainbow turned her head to get a better view on where she was. Apparently, she was laying on the ground, but what caught her attention was a body of an American paratrooper laying not far from her. And he appeared to be alive as he forced himself up. Rainbow noticed some crimson on his uniform, mainly on his left sleeve, and another spotted on his forehead, seemingly trailing down to his chin. The soldier's face met her and Rainbow recognized him as Reed. He was battered, he pulled his arm up to his head as another explosion sent him almost falling back down to the ground. Rainbow tried to say something but realized she couldn't hear her own voice. What happened? The pegasus blinked again and found herself laying on something soft. She even felt a blanket covering her form, warming her from the chilling sensation she remembered at the battlefield moments ago. A roof made of concrete and was painted cream sat above her, indicating that she was now in a house of some sort.
Rainbow could hear some voices but couldn't quite make out who it was. Reed? Parker? Maybe even her friends? Wait, wasn't that Princess Luna? Doesn't matter, she suddenly felt extremely tired anyway. Slowly, Rainbow's world faded into black.
…
Reed ran towards his given direction and soon, he spotted Rainbow was standing still. "That fucking pegasus." Reed muttered before running off towards her. He managed to slide on the ground just right in front of Rainbow before calling her out, "Dash!" Rainbow didn't move however. Her eyes seemed to go hazy as she continued to stare past Reed.
An explosion was so close to them Reed had to put Rainbow underneath him to cover her from the debris of dirt. Reed didn't want to die by staring at an artillery shell. So he scooped Rainbow up to his arms and pulled her close to his chest before making his way towards the CP. The bombardment made it difficult to navigate the way as explosions rocked the earth and sent debris of dirt towards him, making him squinting his eyes and not often he had to blink multiple times because random dirt went to his eye.
Reed suddenly lost his balance when an artillery shell landed so close to him. Losing his balance was an understatement, he was practically flying through the air before hitting the ground hard, Rainbow slipped from his grasp. Reed tried his best to ignore the pain his left arm was feeling. He spit out some dirt that managed to get into his mouth before pulling himself up. He realized he had lost both his weapon and helmet but he could care less about it as he stared at the form of his pegasus friend in front of him. Rainbow's magenta eyes seemed to be staring back at him. Her mouth tried to speak some words but it came off as a moan. One that is filled with pain and helplessness. With newfound determination, Reed pushed himself up and made his way towards Rainbow. Without a word, he scooped her up again and lightly jogged back towards CP. He started to limp before making it halfway through because of a sudden pain that shot up from his left leg. He ignored it and kept going, intending on getting Rainbow back to safety.
After getting out of that hell, Reed found himself crawling at the stairs of the porch of the farmhouse. The front door was closed however, and he cursed his luck for that. With Rainbow in his arms, Reed lifted his leg up and kicked the door open. It was a really bad decision however as he realized he just used his wounded leg as an immeasurable amount of pain shot out from his leg, making him yell every curse word he had learned so far. Trudging his way in, Reed immediately searched for a spot to put Rainbow down. It wasn't because she was heavy, no, his wounded leg was literally screaming at him to lay down and get his well deserved rest.
Hearing the front door burst open like that sent everyone in the room jumped from whatever they were doing to look at the door. Pinkie even held a kitchen knife in her mouth while letting out a hiss that resembled a snake. Fluttershy peeked her head behind a couch. Luna took a battle stance with an M1 Garand floating right next to her while Spike hid behind her hindlegs. Rarity dropped a mirror she was holding before letting out a scream of a drama queen while looking at Reed. Twilight was nowhere to be seen. Given the circumstances, Reed understood why they were in such a panic, anything else he would double over himself laughing.
"Luna, I need the couch, now!" Reed said while limping his way towards Luna.
Luna saw Rainbow cradled in his arms before stepping aside and pulled the blanket off from the couch. Reed carefully set Rainbow down on the couch before grabbing the blanket from Luna's magic and tucked it on Rainbow's form. The other ponies seemed to let their guard down as they quickly approached their friend.
"What happened?" Luna asked with concern, her hoof gently stroking Rainbow's mane as she stared into the ceiling above them.
"She's in shock," Reed answered while panting, "It was a miracle she didn't get hit out there in the middle of the kill zone."
Reed grunted before falling ass first onto the floor. The damage was done and his leg gave him another pain that made him scream that could level Rarity's. Fluttershy gasped in her hooves before making her way next to Reed at a speed that would put Rainbow to shame.
"Oh my gosh, are you alright?" Fluttershy frantically asked while putting a hoof on Reed's shoulder.
"Depends on how you word 'alright'." Reed annoyingly said before putting both of his hands on his wounded leg.
"Rarity," Luna turned to the alabaster mare, "Could you find Peterson or any medic that is out there available to treat Reed? I do not think he will be getting up anytime soon."
Rarity nodded lightly. "Of course, just wait here Reed." She said before starting to make her way outside.
"Like I could walk anyway." Reed muttered under his breath.
"I'll go with her!" Spike said before catching up with the white unicorn.
"Where's Twilight?" Reed asked through his pain, trying his best not to show it. But failed miserably.
Fluttershy answered his question. "She's resting in the bedroom now." She looked towards a bedroom that was right next to the stairs. Reed nodded in satisfaction knowing that Twilight is safe.
Luna turned her attention back to the wounded private, who was still trying to nurse his leg with the aid of Fluttershy. "How is it?"
Reed understood what she was referring to. "They kept pounding us. They gave us no time to organize our defenses and each counter attack seemed to be getting stronger after the other. It bugged me to no end that we couldn't even get a shot to push them back."
"But you did hold them off multiple times, that alone counts." Luna replied, trying to console Reed in the battle he was fighting.
Reed chuckled slowly. "That, we did. But more than two times they managed to almost overrun us. Almost." He looked at Rainbow, who now had her eyes closed. "If it wasn't because of her, they would've flanked us before we knew it. Too bad y'all aren't used to this type of shit."
Luna's ears pressed against the side of her head after hearing the comment. She wanted to know that she and her ponies could help in any way possible but the circumstances were too much for them to get used to. Reed sensed the uneasiness and felt the need to apologize.
"Doesn't mean it meant nothing," he continued, gaining everyone's attention in the room, "Y'all did your best. It's our promise to bring you home alive and well. I would imagine getting sucked into a world where there's a horrible thing going on and you're caught in the middle of it. It ain't pretty." He looked up at Luna, "Wish we could've done more."
Luna could see the pain, regret, and anger in the young man's eyes. She felt herself kneeling down in front of Reed and before she knew it, she was already laying on her hooves in front of him. She smiled sympathetically.
"War was never meant to be pretty," Luna said in a soothing voice, "And I'm certain that we can make it through until this war ends." She looked around her room, specifically her subjects. "All of us."
The ponies nodded their heads. Reed looked at them, feeling great relief that he and his squad were not going to go through this alone. With a smile and a chuckle, he let himself lay there on the floor. Not long after, the sound of hoofsteps was heard from the stairs of the porch.
"Darling!" Rarity called in her sing song voice, "I got ourselves a medic."
Peterson walked in after her, and behind him was Spike. The medic wasted no time to get to Reed's side. "Alright, let's see what we have here."
It was a hard day. Right from the beginning, the paratroopers had been harassed by the Krauts in almost any way possible. From machine guns, Stuka dive bombers, artillery barrage, mortar fire, infantry assault vehicles, to numerous counter attacks, they faced it all that day. It wasn't easy, and the Americans knew better that it wasn't going to be the last they would see. After the barrage that made Rainbow in a state of shock, the Krauts withdrew. Not wanting to take any more risk, Cole sent out yet again Parker and his squad to do a patrol, accompanied by Luna and Applejack. Satisfied that the Germans had finally retreated, Parker went back to tell the good news. And luck was on their side, as the 2nd Battalion of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment came up to take over the improved positions. News yet again spread as the enemy defense barring the way to Carentan from the north was successfully broken, but the 502nd was too exhausted to continue the attack. Cole requested relief and 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was sent in to finish the job. Colonel Cole was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his part in the Carentan attack. The ponies could never feel any happier. They had seen enough and went to England with Parker and his squad for a good rest. And probably some tour around, depending on the circumstances. Rarity would never stop bragging about their fashion and Parker knew better to plug his ears. And so, began their journey back to England, along with the soldiers that have faith in them to return home.
For exactly two days, the 3rd Battalion of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment had suffered great casualties; estimated at 67% of their original force, just to take one important checkpoint. The battle took many lives from both sides, with the victory in the hands of the Allies. The members of the 3rd Battalion of the 502nd PIR each earned a Purple Heart Medal, thus the highway itself earned the nickname of Purple Heart Lane.
Cole's Charge.
Before Lt. Col. Cole's immortal bayonet charge, he stood in plain view of the hidden enemy, bellowing orders in his usual loud voice, deploying his troops. He yelled out to his men, "These goose-stepping Heinies think they know how to fight a war. We're about to learn 'em a lesson!"
The USS Texas started its smoke barrage on the field which was followed by a whistle. Not all present jumped up and charged upon the signal, but just how few men charged that day will never be known for certain. Dick Ladd of H&H S-2/502 was in an aid station made in a French building on the west side of the N13 road on the afternoon of June 11th. He talked with Bob Brigham, a wounded member of H&H who had been brought up after being hit beyond Bridge No.4. Brigham told Ladd, "About 25 of us had a bayonet charge this morning with Colonel Cole; you shoulda been there!" Brigham died later that day.
Cole's charge did secure the morning's objective and won him a Medal of Honor. A German prisoner who had been on the receiving end of the charge told war correspondent Robert Reuben, "They charged like wild animals. They screamed and shouted when they charged into our fire. It was unbelievable!"
A hard's day of fighting ensued in the Cabbage Patch which was captured by the 1st/502nd. Desperate fighting around the apple orchard beyond the Ingouf Farmhouse raged until midday. A brief truce to request a German capitulation and to collect wounded took place, followed by a furious resumption of the fighting.
Lt. Homer Combs of B/502nd who took a small group toward the railroad line, where they fought a furious defensive action. In a private war of their own, they fended off German counter-attacks from the west during the late morning of June 11th. Lt. Combs died later that day. After the truce, Homer brought his reduced squad over to the N13 area, during a German counter-attack, Combs was shot between the eyes.
1st Lt. Melvin Spruiell , forward observer for the 377th had participated in Cole's Charge acting as an infantry officer. He led a group of troopers who were unknown to him and knocked out several enemy fortifications and machine gun nest. He was killed in action.
Lt. Delmar Idol of A/502nd was shooting at Germans in the Cabbage Patch with his M1A1 Thompson, "It was just like shooting at rabbits and just as hard to hit them!" The trooper besides Idol had his helmet blasted off by several German bullets, but was not wounded. When the trooper picked it up to examine it, it had a hole in the right side and a hole in the left side. "Damndest thing I ever saw, the bullet hit both sides of his helmet, but missed his head in between!"
In a desperate test of will, the German and American parachutist fought to a standstill all afternoon. Forward Observer St. Julien Rosemond of the 377 PFA Bn called for a barrage which landed almost on top of the American lines, breaking up the last German counter-attack of June 11.
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I'm terribly sorry for the lack of my awareness. I've already taken your comment into account and also have improved the details of my story. I do hope you will keep reading and the new chapter has some moments that I'd like for you to give it a try. If you ever come back here, don't be shy to leave a comment or correct some of my wrongs or maybe even help me improvise this story. Thank you so much for your time reading this though! Have a great day!
nicely done and fury reference i see
The Stuka dive bombers we're notorious for their accuracy.
Parker is right. "War is NEVER pretty."
update?