Chapter 7

Carentan

Twelve days after the so called 'Invasion', the Allies finally push the Moratins back and are now on their way toward the Crystal Empire. But it only a matterof time before the Moratins could counter-attack.

But there is a problem. We cannot advance unless Carentan is taken. It has a main road that runs through the village and out of the region. Without the road, how are we suppose to get out and attack the Moratins in the other region if we`re stuck here in this small region that is surrounded by hills without getting shot up? We`re suppose to take the village during D-Day but has failed because of heavy resistance. So now, with heavy armor and infantry support on our side, we are going to try again. I don`t know who I`m talking to in this very moment. All I know is that we`re going to take this village and hope that we can get out of this crossfire.

Spike.

June 8

D+2

Carentan

0800 hours

Jets passed overhead as Spike, riding on Twilight back, was taking in nature breeze as the squad, as well the whole company they are in, were walking down a road that will led them to the outskirt of Carentan.

After the assault of the battery at Brecourt Manor two days ago, Red and Ace decided to give the girls and Spike rank like in a military transition.

As second in command, Twilight is given a rank as a corporal. Everyone else is either a Private First Class [PFC] or just a private.

The other former soldiers already have their rank. Peter is a Staff Sergeant, Grim a Sergeant, Allen and Garnett are PFC and Angel a Private.

There no point who has what-what, they been given a rank and has to deal with it.

They can get promoted by getting a battlefield commission or behind the front line.

When Spike is given a rank of PFC, he turns it down.

"Why would I get a rank higher than most of my friends? beside, I`m just a baby dragon." he said to Red, who is offering him the promotion.

"Do you just want to be a Private then?" Red replied.

Spike thought about it then said yes.

"Okay." Red nodded and walked away.

There other who are higher than Twilight but for some reason, she still given as second in command of the squad.

Both Grim and Peter were disappointed but that the way how life works.

As the company is walking, gunfire can be heard all over the region.

Spike shivered as he listens to the firefight all around him then said, "Hey Twilight, how long do we have to keep this up?"

Twilight replied by looking over her shoulder, "Oh I don`t know, as long as we push the Moratins back, we might be able to go back to Ponyville again."

Rainbow overheard them and said, "Beside that, why can`t we use helicopters to land us at the village faster than on foot? It is a lot easier if we can try that."

Twilight scoffed and shot back with a look, "Beside the fact that the Moratins had set up anti-air defenses all around us and it will be suicidal if we did that kind of plan."

"Yeah, I`m just saying. Man, I sure miss flying. I haven`t been using my wings for days now."

"Besides flying," said Applejack behind her, "I wonder what happened to all the residents from Ponyville after the Invasion. I hope they`re all right."

"What about Discord?" says Fluttershy, worried about the Greek lion.

"What about him?" said Rarity, "We have the Element of Harmony right? Why can`t we make him reappear like last time?"

"I don`t know," says Twilight, "We haven`t been using the Element for quite a while now. I`m not even sure we`re allow to use it during the war."

When Twilight finishes her sentence, the column stopped.

"What is it?" said Spike, getting off Twilight back.

Then, someone up front yelled out, "Six squads on both roads move it!"

There was a road that split in two ahead of them that led to the village.

Half of the company goes to the left while the other half, including the Equestrian squad, goes to the right.

They all were walking down the road when they were 150 yards from the village, a machine gun from one of the houses opened up on them.

Six soldiers on the lead column were killed while the whole column took cover by jumping into the ditches in the side of the road.

"I thought we flush them out!" Spike said to Twilight as they took cover.

"Well, the Air Force did the horrible job then!" Twilight replied.

Then, enemy mortar rounds begin to explode on the road, showering debris on the pinned down Allies soldiers.

There no way they could return fire now. Retreat is out of option.

All they could do is Advance and hope for the best that they won`t get wipe out. Not if there one MG that are pinning half of a company down.

Spike kept his head down when some ponies yelled, "Why isn`t anyone moving? Get up and move!"

Spike looked up to see who it was.

It was Red. He`d standing in the middle of the road, not bothering about the mortars or bullets that are flying all around him.

Neither spike nor the other ponies ever seen him screamed at them so loudly and deadly serious.

"Do what I do!" Red yelled then charged toward the house where the MG is.

Spike looked around the ditch he is in. Red is right. No pony is moving an inch.

Then, Ace rises up and yelled out for every pony to hear, "Follow me!" and charged toward the house.

If these guys can do it, so can I. Spike thought as he too, rises up and charged toward the house, then he was followed by every ponies else.

When he got there, Red and Ace both toss a grenade at the same time through the window where the MG is, and the explosion destroyed the whole floor.

After that, the fight was on. Ponies are running all over the place, firing and taking cover at the same time.

Spike took cover beside a chicken coop as he bump into a pony who in the same unit as he is.

When Spike tried to go around the corner, the pony grabbed him and pulled him back to where he is, saying, "Watch it! There a sniper on a platform up ahead. I`ll give covering fire, you`ll take him out. Alright?"

Spike nodded.

Right when the pony peeked around the corner, he took a bullet in the head and fell back toward and landing on top of him.

Spike pushed him off and checks to see if he okay, only to find the pony is dead.

Spike got up and quickly ran around another corner and ended up on a street.

While the fight was brought to the street, Moratins infantry started coming out of the houses, shooting everything they had. Pistols, rifles, assault rifles, mortar, even a mobile 88 artillery guns were shooting at the attackers.

Bullets were kicking all around him as Spike burst through a door of a house to get off the street.

Then, when he closes the door behind him for some reason, he heard something upstairs.

"Hello?" Spike called out as he slowly went up the steps.

He took out Rarity M9 pistol as he enters a room.

Right when he step through the doorway, he was quickly picked up and was thrown against the floor.

A large Moratin held him down by the neck and unsheathe a long dagger from his knife cover.

"Auf Wiedersehen, Baby-Drachen." the Moratin said as he pressed his dagger onto Spike throat.

Spike could n`t get his M9 to fire so instead, he manage to get a long breath then blew out his fire at the Moratin face.

The Moratin lets go of Spike as he screamed then crashed through the window.

After hearing a thud, Spike was panting when Red ran in the room.

"Spike, what happened?" Red said as he kneels beside Spike.

"Large Moras…tried to kill me…but…I killed him first." Spike replied, tear in his eyes.

He took out his M9 and said by holding it up to Red, "My pistol… would n`t fire. I think it jammed."

"Let me see." Red said as he took the pistol from Spike.

He looked it over then announced, "The condition is fine, it just that you left the safety on."

He turned the safety off then handed it back to Spike.

Then, mortar rounds are exploding dangerously close outside, shattering glass all over Spike and Red.

"Get up!" Red yelled as he picked up Spike ran downstairs to get out of the house.

When they ran outside, the house they got out exploded.

Red and Spike hit the dirt as debris fly everywhere.

They got up and ran up the street to hide behind a wall as a T-34 tank came into view ahead of them.

"Damn it!" said Red as he saw the tank.

The rest of the squad on now on the other side of the street, also taking cover in an alleyway.

"Spike!" Red said to him, "I need you to get to the other side of the street and get Rainbow to call in some air support!"

"Why me?" said Spike but Red cut him off, saying, "Because I`m a bigger target! They could n`t hit you a mile away because of your size! Now go and request for an air strike!"

"But…"

"Go!" Red yelled and Spike took off, dodging bullets and jumping over rubble to reach the other side.

He made it safely across and jump in beside Rainbow, saying, "Rainbow! Red is asking you to request for an air strike!"

"How should I do that?" Rainbow asked.

"Use your radio!" Spike yelled above the roar of gunfire.

Rainbow reaches back and replied, "Oh"

She set her SCR-500 radio on the ground in front of her and begins speaking into the field phone, requesting for an airstrikes.

"Copy that," said the receiver from the other end of the line, "What your coordinate?"

This caught Rainbow by surprise.

"What the holdup? Where is our air support?" said Applejack, reloading her SAW.

"A guy on the other end want a coordinate," said Rainbow, "I don`t know what that mean."

Applejack then walked up to her, grabbed the field phone and speaks into it, saying, "Look here, we got no time for this coordinate game. All you need to do is to take out this tank that is pinning us down or we all are going to die. Got that?"

The end is silence for a moment then said, "Roger that. We got visual of the tank. Stand clear for the payload."

Then, two F-22 Raptors came out of the horizon behind them then fly toward the tank, dropping bombs then fly back upward toward the sky, destroying the tank.

"Yahoo!" Applejack cheered into the phone, "You got `em! Thank for the help."

"You're welcome," said one of the pilots as the two jets is flying away, "Good luck Moose Sparkle."

"Moose Sparkle?" Applejack said to Rainbow after the line went dead, "What kind of hay name is that suppose to be?"

"It the code name for our unit," says rainbow, taking back the phone and put the radio on her back, "I kind of like it at first but it must`ve gotten really boring after a while."

Twilight jumped by and said to them, "Stop talking and advance! We still got to get to the middle of the village."

The Allied soldiers move up, passing the burning tank as well as corpses that got caught in the destruction and they reach the village square.

When they got there, they noticed that none of the other unit expect their own, has made it to their objective.

"That strange," says Rarity, passing an abandoned wagon, "All the other companies are supposed to meet us here."

"Should n`t F company be covering our rear?" said Allen.

"I don`t know," says Pinkie, "Hadn`t seen them ever since we move up."

"What about the rest of the company?" said Fluttershy, nervous.

"Don`t know that for sure either," Grim replied with an expression, "Maybe they got lost."

"Or worse." Garnett added, "They could be wiped out at any circumstances."

"We`re probably the only half a company in the whole division left in Carentan." Peter suggested.

Then Ace spoke out, "Enough chitchat and regroup!"

When they regroup beside a statue, Ace said to them, "Alright we got two full objective right now. We got to clear out any anti-air defenses that the Air Force was too stupid to take out around town and clear out any enemy resistance. Rainbow already called in reinforcement by choppers so I want to make it quick so we can get to it. Any question?"

Pinkie raised her hand in the air, waving, "Oooh, oooh!"

"Yes Pinkie?"

"Can we have cupcakes?" said Pinkie as she takes out a tray of freshly made cupcakes.

"What the… How did you?" says Rarity but we cut off by Pinkie who begin, "I found them in a bakery while we`re coming over here and these cupcakes felt so lonely I decided to take them and-,"

"Okay we can have the cupcakes later, "said Ace, "If you don`t get shot. Remember you`re objective and move out! We got 20 minutes till reinforcement arrives."

Before they depart, Ace added, "Oh, if you came across a basement while clearing out resistance, toss a grenade in there and keep moving. Might be some Moras hiding there."

They all nodded and took off to do their jobs.

Moment later while clearing out a house and destroying a SAM missile launcher, Spike found a basement door outside the house he is in.

He opened the door and, remembering Ace advice, took out his frag grenade.

What if there innocent lives down there? He thought as he ready to pull the pin. There could be.

Then, there is movement at the bottom of the stair.

Not wishing to pull the pin, he put his grenade back on his webbing and walked down the steps, saying, "Hello?"

When he reaches the bottom, out in the darkness at the far wall on his left, Spike could make out the figures of six ponies lying against the wall, away from the stairs.

"Don`t worry, we are liberator. We have come to free Equestria." Spike said to the figures.

Then, he saw a pairs of eyes looking at him as a little filly spoke out, "You are?"

"Yes." Spikes replied as he reaches for his flashlight, turn it on and pointed at the ponies, which were blocking their eyes from the light.

Spike shone the light away and asks in a calm tone, "How long have you ponies been down here?"

"Since the fighting started," said a mare, "We`ve been hoping some pony will come and rescue us."

Then, some pony called out from outside, "Spike, Spike are you down there?"

It was Twilight.

"Yeah, I`m down here. I think I found civilians here." Spike called back then said to the ponies, "Come on, I`ll get you out of here."

Spike led them out of the basement and went to the village square.

There are other civilians that survived the fighting, waiting for helicopters to pick them up and out of the battlefield.

All the SAM missile launchers in the area are destroyed as helicopters are coming in and landing in the square, dropping troops and picking up the civilians and the wounded out of there.

While this is happening, Spike wondered what would happened if he actually pulled the pin. Then, these ponies that he rescued would haunt him.

Spike shook his thought away and focused on getting these ponies to safety.

When the ponies Spike saved is boarding a helicopter, the filly hold Spike hand as she makes her way to the board in. When she board in, she hold Spike hand firmly as she say to him, "Thank you for saving us."

"You`re welcome." Spike replied as he let go of the filly hooves as the helicopter picked up speed and took off into the air.

When it about 200 feet's off the ground, some pony yelled, "Take cover!" as a rocket from out of nowhere fly by and hit the helicopter, exploding on impact.

The helicopter spin around in a circle and crashes into a building.

Then more rockets came by but the rest of the helicopters were out of the firing zone.

"Where did that come from?" some pony yelled after the crash.

Then, another yelled, "They`re attacking from the north!"

Every pony got up and gallops to the direction of the attack and quickly set up positions to stop the assault.

All except Spike, who is on the ground staring at the crash helicopter.

He killed a pony and now this? What the odd?

He continues sitting there when some pony come up to him and said, "Spike. Spike! We got to move!"

He looked up.

It was Twilight.

"Come on Spike! The war is not going to wait for you. We need you! Now come on!"

Spike nodded and got up and before he could run, heard some coughing on his right. He turned a spotted a Moratin coming out of a destroyed building. He stopped in front of Spike and lifted up his bloody face for Spike to see. The Moratin face is cut with bruised and blood is flowing out of his noise. But this scene does not pleased Spike, who eyes is fulled with hatred. The Moratin noticed this and was wide eyes as Spike leveled his M9 pistol at him then pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the Moratin in the chest and blood spurted out when he fall to the ground, dead. Spike looked at him then run down the road toward the firefight. When he reaches there, he got behind a stone wall next to Twilight and Red as Moratins tanks and infantry are advancing toward them.

Red took cover beside Twilight as he said to her, "We need to find a way to slow them down!" Then, pointed toward a group of trees next to the road. "You think you can make those trees fall on the road?"

"I`ll try." Twilight replied as she jumped out of cover and concentrates her magic on the tree line until a bullet found it way and clip Twilight horn half. There was a flash from the horn as Twilight screamed and fell to the ground.

"Medic! Pony down!" Red yelled as he dragged Twilight back to cover behind the wall.

Spike gasped in horror as he saw this then got up and begin firing his pistol at the Moratins.

When he ran out of ammo, he flopped down beside Twilight, head between his hands, waiting for the fight to end.

When the led tank is 50 yards away from them, it exploded, so does all of the other tanks.

Jets passed overhead and Allied Infantry showed up behind the Spike and the other, engaging the rest of the enemy.

"Now help arrived." Says Spike, disgusted.

Red helps Twilight up who said to them, "Why does this always happened to me?"

Every pony shrugged as they went back to the square, happy to see the rest of the 101st coming in.

While the infantry is passing by them, Spike noticed that the infantry don`t have the same patch as they do.

They have a patch of a bald eagle, the infantry has two swords crossing a sun and a moon, making a X.

Curious, Spike walked up to one of them and asked what unit is they`re in.

"I`d belonged to the Equestrian 5th Royal Guard." The soldier replied.

Spike thanks him and ran back to Red, who is helping Fluttershy bandaging Twilight head. And said to them, "Seem like Equestria finally got it own strength back."

The, out of nowhere, is a stallion voice, "Twily."

Spike turned to see who it was.

It Shining Armor.

He ran over and hugged Twilight on the spot, saying when he saw her head, "On no, I thought you were dead. What happened to your horn?"

"It fine, Shining Armor," says Twilight, getting up, "I`d thought it in the fight. It`ll grow back right?"

"No, it won`t," says Shining Armor , still looking at Twilight horn, "It only one set."

This caught Twilight by surprise.

To cheer her up, Shining added, "With the strength of our kingdom that has now come together. We can now take of this war." He pointed at his patch. "See? They even form a new division. Listen, Twilight, if you want to join my unit. I can make a transfer for you and your friends and I`ll make sure you all stay safe. You want to do it?"

The rest of the squad gather around Twilight as she thought about it then said, "Thank… but no thank. I`m happy with the offer but…" she look at her fellow teammates around her, "I think I`ll stay with these guys. I`ve been learning not just one little things but as the team and we will forever be known as the Screaming Eagles. No matter what will happen to us, we made a vow to stay together and the division as a whole. Right Spike?"

"Right." Said Spike, nodding.

Shining Armor nodded and said, "I`d understand. If this is what you want, I`ll allow it. Next time, just try to be more careful okay?" He smiled and so does Twilight.

They both hugged each other again and Shining left to walk back to his waiting staff.

When he disappeared, Red walked up next to Twilight and said to her, "You could`ve accept the offer, it would`ve keep you all out of harm way."

"Yeah, but we made a vow right?" says Twilight, putting on her helmet and combat gear, "We should stay together no matter what happen to us."

"And we stand alone together," Spike added, "That was our motto right?"

Red grinned and replied, "Yeah, I guess you`re right."

The squad resupplied themselves and, next day later, march out of Carentan with the rest of the 101st.

Their fighting spirit is as powerful as ever. They will do whatever it take to defeat the Moratins and take back what is theirs.

The breakout of the Canterlot region is only the beginning; they are now on the road to victory.

Author notes: I've noticed there not much of a change for this chapter. If there any mistake or something you wish to change, please please! Send a request to me. No one even bother to send my a message. Anyway, I hope you keep up with the story! Also, I've decided to do something new, if any of you wanted to make your own battle scene with a different unit and wanted to post it here, contact me so I`ll put it in soon for your entertainment. It has to do with something with this story. That all I`m going to say.]

[Transmission end]