Chapter 17

Eindhoven

September 18

Eindhoven, Highland

2237 hours

The squad race down the road in their jeeps toward the city. They stop short at an end of a stone bridge when they were taking some rifle and machine gun fires from the other side of the bridge by Moratin infantry sent to clear the city.

The squad jumps out of their jeeps and took cover behind a low stone wall as Red shouted out command like, "Applejack! Suppress fire on them now!"

As they were returning fire, Angel look at the other then ran at a ditch off to his right that'll lead to the fence line on the other side of the bridge.

Rainbow saw him ran off and yells, "Angel!" then took off after him, stopping him in the middle of the ditch and said to him, "What are you doing?"

"I'm faster alone and we'll never reach her as a group. I have to find her!" Angel said, wanting to continue on.

"She hardly knows you."

"She doesn't have to!"

"Angel, don't do it. If you do, you will die."

"And then what?" Angel challenge, "You want to stop me? Is that what you want?"

"Angel…"

"You guys can go and save many lives as you want but let me save this one."

"Angel, please…"

"Let me save this one." Angel said with that final word, then turn and took off, leaving Rainbow there stunned then she turn and went back to her squad just won the firefight and got across the bridge.

The sky is dark-red from the fires all around them when the squad push deeper into the city and they stop on a road to find out what they'll be doing.

"Okay here's the deal," Red begins when his squad formed around him, "We're going to save as many lives as we can while we fight the Moratins. Keep your action clear and keep your safety off, we don't know is there will be any more of them around a corner. Rainbow, you take front and-," he look around then said, "Where's Angel?"

They all look at Rainbow who bent her head down as she replied, "He took off. I've tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen."

"Shit," Red mutter as he shook his head then said, "Fine. We'll have to find him once we get in there."

"He went after that mare he'd met." Rainbow said.

"God, it's Romeo and Juliet all over again." LaRoach said with Marsh adding, "The story always ends with them dying."

"Let's hope it won't be this time." Red said as he turn and went into an alleyway, follows by his squad as they make their way into the burning city.

The heat from the building is so intense it cause spot on their overcoat and uniforms as they went around a corner and saw Angel running away from them, leading the mare who is wearing his helmet.

"Angel!" Red yells and ran after them. Bombs continue to fall around them and the fires seem to higher and higher when the squad lost sight of Angel and the mare and found themselves on a street.

On their left they found one of Peter's men, Campbell, hunch over the side of a jeep, bowing his head and appear to be in a depressed state.

Red ran over to him and said, "Campbell, are you okay?"

He looks at the jeep and discovers that sitting on the passenger seat is the corpse of Holden, another one of Peter's men.

"It happened so fast," Campbell begins as he looks up at the sky in wonderment, "It was like a series pops and suddenly Holden died just right next to me." He looks down at the ground with tears coming out of his eyes, "It should've been me, not him." Then he cried silently.

Behind them, Spike said to Twilight, "Twilight, what's wrong with Campbell."

"He's lost a friend, Spike," Twilight said, turning away, "Like we've lost Allen and Garnett and Grim."

Red heard his name being call out and turn to find Peter second-in-command, Corrion, emerging from a knock-down building, holding a small corpse.

"Red," Corrion said as he slowly walks to him, "I'm so sorry."

Red rushes over to him and saw the body of Sweetcandy, pale-faced and bloody when Corrion set him down to the ground.

"Oh god no," Red gasped and set himself next to Sweetcandy and begins to question Corrion, "Where Nova? Where's his dad?"

Corrion answered back with a shrug, "I don't know. Me and Paige were walking by to check on 'em when the building they're in collapse."

Red check for the kid pulse and softly shook him, saying, "Sweetcandy, Sweetcandy! Can you hear me? Please wake up."

"Red," Twilight said, walking up behind him, "He's gone."

"No," Red insisted, "I know he okay. He has to be."

"Red, we've got to keep moving. There is other that can be saved. We're too late to save him."

Red bows his head then got up and said to Corrion, "Have you got any words from other units?"

"Can't tell. We're so mixed up around here."

"Where's Peter?"

"I don't know. He said he'll be back when he went to the middle of the city. That where the fire started."

They then heard screams coming from their left. They all rushes over to see a building that was on fire. Coming out of it is civilians engulfed in flames as they run out while being burn to death.

Not wanting to keep watching this carnage, the two squads went over and help to put the fires out.

After putting the fire out on this one pony, Marsh was trying to comfort the pony who is screaming. The pony overcoat has been burn, leaving nothing but black-scorched marks on the skin. The face is all blacken and both ears have been what it look like it had been cut off.

"It okay, you're not going to die." Marsh soothed her, reaching to touch her cheek.

When he touches it, the cheek caved in, leaving a hollow hole on the side of her face, causing Marsh attempt to help her to stop and he back away, leaving the poor pony to keep screaming and turn around and vomited.

They stay with them when a platoon of Allied soldiers came by, mostly medics, and help the badly burned ponies.

After they evacuate them, Red told his squad and that of Peter squad to keep moving.

The horror of the innocents' ponies dying horrified them as they past a plaza full with bodies. The stenches from the dead bodies fill their nostrils and nearly gag them when they reach another plaza, this time with Moratin soldiers roaming around. In the middle of the plaza is a bomb shelter.

"Fuck," Friar mutter when they hid behind walls and crates, "This better be the good time to act now."

Hiding behind a wall, Red examine the area around them and begins to create a battle plan that will involve the two squads altogether.

"Alright," he begins and said to Twilight on his right, "Twilight, you and your team will go over to that building over there and fire from the flank." He turns to his right, "Corrion, take your squad and go to the left side of the plaza and hit them from there. Hit 'em hard and fast. We still got to get moving once we clear the area. Wait for my command."

He went over to Rainbow and said to her, "Take your team and direct them to that position right them," he pointed at a low stone wall not far from any of the Moratin positions. "When AJ fire, you run. Got it?" Rainbow nodded.

Lastly before the start of the attack or ambush, Red went over to where Applejack and Jasper team and said to them, "Applejack, you'll start the attack when I give the preparatory command and Jasper, just shoot whatever the hell you want."

"Sound good to me." Jasper smiled as he and Friar load the bazooka.

After he gave the instruction to everyone, Red stays by with Fluttershy and Spike and waited for the right timing.

Many of the Allied soldiers grip their guns when they heard the command, "Applejack, fire!"

A long line of red tracers came out of Applejack gun and hit the Moratin infantry, hitting some of them while other took cover.

"Now!" Red yelled at Corrion and Twilight, who dash to their positions on either side of the plaza. They draw from the entrenched Moratins but safely got behind covers and fire at the enemy soldiers in front of them. Meanwhile, Rainbow leads her team to the middle of the plaza when they receive green tracers coming from a building on front of them by an enemy machine gun.

Red saw this and yells, "Applejack! Take out that machine gun." When another machine gun opens up, Red saw this again to Jasper.

The red and green tracers from both Applejack and the Moratin machine gun zipped across the battlefield and make it look like a light-saber battle that you see in Star Wars.

While Applejack is lock in a machine gun duel, Red order Spike and Fluttershy to stay put and lead Jasper and Friar after they took out the second machine gun to the middle of the battlefield.

Shooting at Moratins coming out of the bomb-shelter, Twilight order Marsh and Rarity to toss a grenade and move positions.

After their grenades exploded, they change their positions and attempt to flank the enemy soldiers from the side.

The battle of the tracers cease with Applejack victorious and she re-directed her machine gun and fire at the Moratins who are falling back to the bomb-shelter or escaping the plaza.

"We got them on the run!" Rainbow said when the firings cease.

Red rally his troop and said to Corrion, "My guys will go through the bomb-shelter while you go around and see if you can link up with other units."

"Alright." Corrion nodded and lead his squad out of the plaza while Red told his squad, "Those Moras knows will be coming for them so stay alert."

They went into the shelter and soon came under a firefight with surviving Moratins from the plaza fight. After they dispatch them, the Allied soldiers went deeper into the shelter, moving under floorboard of buildings above them.

While taking a lead, Red moved around a corner and caught a glimpse of Angel and the mare running around the next corner.

"I've found them!" Red said and ran after them.

Every time Red went around a corner, Angel and the mare went around the next. The chase leads the squad to a long dark hallway.

When he saw them again, Red ran down when, without warning, the dead face of Sweetcandy flashes in his mind in a heartbeat, causing the world around him to go black-and-white.

When he reaches to the end of the hallway, Red stop and shook his head, hoping for the color to come back when Sweetcandy face flashes again, this time causing the world around Red to go by into color.

Beside Grim, Sweetcandy had now starting to haunt Red.

"Red!" Twilight said when she stop next to him, "Red, are you alright?"

Red replied by wiping his face from sweat, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Let keep going."

They exit the shelter and came across a firefight between British soldiers who are taking the beating as they hide behind vehicles and the Moratins that are positioned in buildings and in rubble in front of them.

As the British soldiers were getting pick of one-by-one, the Equestrian squad came to their aid by shooting at the Moratins and taking cover next to their allies.

During the right, Rarity counted the British and discovered there are only six of them left on the street.

"It about time you Yanks showed up!" said one of the British soldiers.

"I'm not really American," said Rarity, "I'm a resident from Equestria."

"Whatever you are, thanks you."

"You're welcome." Rarity smiled then asks, "What happened to your unit?"

"We were driving through the city when the Moratin came and bombed our supply convoy."

Another British soldier next to him continues the story, "We've tried to set everything sorted out when those bastards came by and started to harass us."

"And now, "said the first one, "we're the only chaps left here defending the perimeter."

When he finish this, Red went over to them and said to them, "I want every able-bodies pony to fire at that building over there. Do you have any men left?"

The soldier next to Rarity said, "Well, old Thomas here got his back full with shrapnel and Jack over there got half of his face blown off by a grenade but still alive."

"You got any ammo to shoot?"

"We got a little. We've been saving them in case we get overrun."

"Alright," Red nodded then look at Rarity, "I need you to take these guys to the right while I take the fire team to the left, got it?"

"Wilco." Rarity acknowledges and turns to find Fluttershy, "Medic! We got wounded over here!"

As Fluttershy takes care of the wounded soldiers, the rest of the ponies begin their attack, first with Applejack SAW and one of the British LMG machine gunfire then the flanking assault.

Rarity leads the four British soldiers onto an enemy position. As they were assaulting, one of the British took a hit on the shoulder.

"Pony down!" Rarity yelled then rush to the wounded pony side when she was stop by another soldier, "Leave him! If we help him now, then we'll be like him. Leave him for the medic."

Rarity abandons her attempt then continues advancing.

They neutralize the enemy positions and waited for an enemy counterattack, which there is none.

Bombers still fill the sky, dropping bombs around them and the fire is getting worse by the minute.

After the firefight, one of the British soldiers said to Red, "Thanks you lads for saving us back there. Them Moras would've ticked is off."

"Not a problem." Red said then asks, "Have you seen a guy running with a girl who is wearing a helmet?"

The British scratched his head then replied, "I guess I have. I'd saw them running down that way."

He pointed down the street then said, "We've tried to stop them but the fire got so bad we couldn't follow them if we're getting shot."

"Okay, you guys better get out of here. We're going to find our missing soldier." Red said then turns to regroup his squad.

Fluttershy finished tending the wounded and join her squad when Twilight said to her, "You must've been so good at that. I'm glad you chose to be a medic instead of a rifleman."

Fluttershy smiled, "I always will be a medic."

The squad ran down the street where the British soldier pointed, passing overturn vehicles fill with dead bodies and discarded equipments all over the place.

In his mind, Red was hoping to find Angel as quickly as possible and get out of here. He doesn't want to lose him like how he lost the other soldiers that he commanding in his career as a lieutenant. He doesn't want to have another soldier dead because of him. He already has too much faults to be blame for. Allen, Garnett and Grim were good soldiers but Angel is just a kid. A kid who wanted to join the fight for his country and have a family and a mother waiting for him back home, if he can make it out of this alive.

When they past a burning building, Red saw Angel running toward a bomb-out building then yelled at him, "Angel!"

Rainbow next repeated his word but Angel seem to notice them as he and the mare went inside the building and disappeared.

The squad ran over to the building and when Red got into the doorway, the door ceiling collapsed, sealing the only entrance into the building with the squad outside and Red inside.

Red covers his face from the burning wood and shouted through the block doorway, "Don't worry about me. I'll find another way out. Keep moving!"

The squad nodded and keeps moving through the street when Red heard something from another room and went to investigate.

As soon as he stepped in the room, a bomb went off overhead, showering debris on top of him.

Red fell to the floor and felt unconscious which he is not. Every time he tried to open his eyes, he thought he saw Grim standing around him, saying, "This is what you deserve."

Red shook his head and got up. Then, he saw Grim again leading against a wall on the ground, dead.

Red shook his head again, trying to get the hallucination away from his mind.

When he opens his eyes, he realized that it wasn't Grim but a dead British medic. Lying on the floor around Red is more bodies that he didn't recognized when he came in.

Red look at the dead bodies for a moment then continue through the building. It happened again. Every time Red turned around a corner, Angel and the mare went around the next.

Red went up a stair and opens a door on top of it. When he opens it, rushes of heat overfill him when he realized he is in the middle of a burning building.

He saw Angel going into the next room and quickly follows them.

He screamed when the fire touches his skin as he went through the maze of flames and the ceiling above him is going to cave in any second.

Not wanting to burn to death and ignoring the pain from the flames, Red ran up on a ramp toward a window and crash through it, arms flailing in slow-motion as he sail through the air and splashed into a river.

He tried swimming back up to the surface but his gear is pulling him back down.

He let go of his weapon and reaches for his combat knife strapped to his boot but drop it when he pulled it out.

Since he couldn't get his gear off and he is in a state of panic, Red struggled to make himself free as he sink deeper and deeper into the water.

Before he reach the riverbed, Red stop struggling and think of everything he been through then felt he losing consciousness because of lack of oxygen.

Then he went out.

AN: With another one is out, I've been thinking of this chapter concept and storytelling. Surly the squad went through a burning city trying to find a missing soldier. But I also thought what the point of Red going through a burning building on which he almost got burn to death? In reality, soldiers in combat rarely have time to think when they're in a life-or-death situation. Their brains sort of like send an automatic signal to the body on which they immediately follow it without even thinking about it.

Speaking of Red, I wanted to bring up his PTSD disorder to the full scale which mean you'll be able to see the dead faces of his men, mostly Grim, in the little bit.

That about it on my note so I hope you has enjoyed this chapter. I wasn't good with the battle scenes but I finish the chapter, right?

Sorry but I have to let Sweetcandy die. The fate of his father is unknown.