Chapter 32

FAREWELL IS GOODBYE

January 6th

Bastogne outskirt

0800 hours

The sound of the moving convoy on the road filled the air as birds chirped for the first time ever since the war on Equestria finally came to the end. All there is now is for the victorious army to move out and into the next dimension, and let the hard-won ponies to their devastated lands to recreate and rebuild.

Sitting on the hood of Venda next to the road, Red and Ace sat there quietly as Ace smoke a cigarette while Red stare at the ground, in deep thoughts.

Hating to see his brother in a condition like this, Ace look at the convoy then said to Red, "So no word on Peter?"

Red replied as he gave out a heavy sigh. "No, it's been seven days and I think Applejack got word on how Rainbow is doing. She's fine, I think, so that's good."

"Feel strange to lose doesn't it?" Ace asked as he took a drag from his cigarette.

"Just a bit." Red said then looks at a group of tanks rolling down the road as he exclaimed, "Ah… XXX Corp… if they've just been on time."

"Looks like we're still using a foolhardy plan from a foolhardy general. Montgomery's got greedy." Ace agreed then noticed Red looking over his shoulder, at his squad. They are standing near the first-aid tent, supposedly where Peter and Rainbow are kept at.

Red turns back around as Ace nudges him on the shoulder. "What's with you?"

Red thought for a moment as he exclaimed, "I'd told them."

"About what?"

Red replied back with a shrug. "Fluttershy… what she did and… what I did."

Ace got off the jeep as he said in an angry voice at Red. "Matt! I'd told you never to do that!"

"I know," said Red, guilty as he look at the ground again. "It's just… when…"

Without allowing him to finish, Ace spoke again, this time in a calm voice. "You should go check on Peter." Then turn and walk toward the convoy.

"Where are you going?" Red asked as Ace stop next to the road, turns and exclaimed with a shrug, "They're putting me to a different unit. I'll go where they'll go. So… I guess this is goodbye." He raised his hoof and wave slightly. "Farewell, brother." He jumps on a transport truck and Red watches him disappeared among the convoy.

"So long, Scott." He whispered then thought of something that he should do before he too departs.

He should go check on Peter.


Driving down the road, Red pulled over next to the aid tent and stops the jeep. When she heard a jeep pulled over, Rainbow walk out to see Red turning the jeep off, getting out and walk over to her.

She approached him with ease and said to him when she stops in front of him, "The doc… Gideon… wants to talk to you."

Red replied as he nodded. "So… you're okay?"

"Red…" begins to say with hate filling in her eyes. "This whole time… this whole time you knew exactly what happened to them…"

"Rainbow…" Red begins to explain but Rainbow shouted at him, "Don't you ever do that! Don't you come up and socially say my name like that! Not now…"

Red couldn't help it but feel a chill run down his spine as Rainbow continue, " Red, we will never fight together ever again." Without saying another word, Rainbow walk right past him, leaving Red there shocked.

The sound of the convoy and birds chirping filled the air as Red understand Rainbow feeling then walked into the aid tent, seeing the battalion surgeon putting some medicine away.

When he saw Red come in, Gideon stood up and said to him, "I've been waiting for you, Lieutenant, We need to speak privately."

"How's Peter?" Red asked, worrying.

"That's why we need to speak privately." Gideon told him then led him to one side as he said to him, this time with a sad and confused face, "Well, he doesn't know everything yet. He's mostly been in and out of it for a few days now."

Not understanding what he meant, Red exclaimed as he shook his head. "Wait wait, he doesn't know what doc?"

"Well," Gideon sighed before continuing, "He'd suffered some heavy trauma to his thoracic nerves… mostly lower that's uh… part of his spinal cord."

"Doc, what are you saying?"

Gideon look at Red in sorrow before he replied in a whisper as if something tragic had happened. "He's paralyzed."

Red felt shocked. He just couldn't move. Paralyzed. His best friend will be paralyzed for the rest of his life. That means…

"He doesn't know." Gideon said that causes Red to snap back to his thought. "I… I wanted him to find out from someone he trusted. He asked about you most of the time... when he's conscious."

When he finish, Red couldn't say anything. How could he tell him this? He got so choked up when he sees Peter sleeping on a cot not far from them.

Given by Gideon approval, Red walk over to peter and stand by his side. The last time they were together, they were arguing Red and his PTSD when he ran off to find Angel, before a mortar landed on the roof of the café they were in and the whole building collapsed on them.

Red remembers it too vividly. He thought that Peter had died that day. It was Rainbow who had saved him.

Emotion welled up inside him as Peter stir and open his eyes slowly. The first he'll see is his best friend. He smiled as he whispered out, "Gets… knock out a bunch… while I was… gone?"

Red replied back with a smile. "No."

"Who… who took my place?" Peter asked, wondering.

"Twilight for now." Red said which makes Peter chuckle, "Wow... Twilight! Miss Deathwish."

Trying to find a way to tell Peter the truth, Red said to him with tears forming in his eyes. "Uh… Peter? There's something we got to talk about."

"Is everyone okay?" Peter asked when he saw Red tears streaming down his face. "I heard about Friar… Is everyone else… okay?"

"Yeah, everyone is okay. It just…" Red said as he wipes his eyes then sighed. "It's you, Joe."

"What?"

"God…" Red look down at the ground then back up with his eyes filled of tears once again. "You're going home! You're going to see Erma and Carol. You're going to be a brother. A big brother. That building… ah… when it fell on us it… ah…"

Peter shook his head as he said, "Matt…"

"You're not going to walk again." Red said as he cried silently. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Peter didn't say anything. He was about to cry but then he shook it away as he look at the tent ceiling.

Red continues by holding one of his hoofs into his, "Look at me. Nothing… nothing will stop from finding you once this is all over. You're my best friend Peter."

"We're any of us… worth it?" Peter asked with Red sighing as his answer, "Yes."

Peter chuckle before going back to sleep, "At least… you learn something."

When Peter's gone, Red walk out of the tent and saw Twilight and Applejack standing in front of the entrance, waiting to hear the news about Peter.

"How is he?" Twilight asked but Red walk past here with a word, "Twilight, I can't."

He left them standing there, wondering what's wrong with Red.

On the urge of having an emotional breakdown, Red walked away from the area, from everyone else, and stops next to a tree. He sat down on the trunk and thought about Peter. While he is doing so, he reach for his holster and pulls out his .45, looking it over and cock the hammer.

"Now this looks familiar."

Red looks up and saw Grim walking over to him. "It's appeared we have much more in common than you've originally thought. "Bulletproof Red"! Reduce a tear at a lost of a friend." Grim said as he circle around the tree.

"It's not the same."

"Well that's the rub isn't it? It is the same. You stand, knee buckling from all the weight from your own guilt. You're a history repeating itself."

"I've still alive. There's more that I could say for you." Red challenge back but all Grim ever did is stop in front of him and smirk. "Are you?"

Over at the field tent, Applejack noticed that Red is talking to no one in particular.

The dead trooper continues at Red. "There's not much you could say about me or Fluttershy. She was weak and frail and crushed by the secret you've told her to keep."

"I was protecting her!" Red exclaimed but Grim is now yelling at him, "Is this is the same kind of protection you've offer to Angel or Peter? They trusted you Red! Much like the others did. But they aren't here either! Exactly how much your protection worth."

Not wanting to hear Grim anymore, Red closes his eyes and pleaded, "Stop… please."

"This is not your stop. There's more road ahead." Grim now lend closer to Red as he said to him. "So tell me, Matthew. You've made it through hell. How do you feel about… death?"

Red looks up at Grim. "I can handle death."


Holding his .45 in his right hoof, Red walk over to where his squad and that of 2nd squad was at when Applejack walks up next to him.

"Where are you're going with that bloody gun?" Applejack asked.

Red kept walking as he replied back without looking at her, "I'm surprise the higher didn't already given you an answer."

"Well, I think you should slow down!"

"Can't. People to see."

When he said this, Applejack stop on her track and watches Red climb on top of the hood of Venda then shouted while waving one of his arm in a circle, "Alright everyone, fall in on me! Let's move it!"

When he got everyone gather below him, including Rainbow who walked out of the aid tent to see what's going on, Red begin his speech. "Guys, its been eight months and there's not a man who haven't gave everything he had. Some gave more. We lost everyone we have known and fought with, including Peter."

Everyone was shocked but didn't say anything as Red continues, "The collapse broke part of his back, paralyzing him. He won't ever walk again, but he can talk. And you know what he said? He's asked me if anyone was worth it. We've all made mistakes. We've questioned what we're doing here and we've feel burdened by the cost of the fight, especially at the face of defeat. But I'm not retreating. I'll stand alongside with all of you. And I'm still standing right here. I'll walk us straight to the heart of the Moratin Empire if it asks of us and it probably will be."

He looks at Rainbow who is standing beside Fluttershy. "And I know some of you don't trust me right now."

Then he let his gaze rest on Applejack in front of him. "Some of you are clinging to superstitious. That end right now. I know some of you feel like we need something to blame. But it's just a goddamn gun!"

He turned around and chucks the gun as hard as he can at a field behind him. After he hears the gun clatter to the ground, he turns back around and looks at every single of one them.

"So here we are; brothers, sisters, saints… and as friends. Let's bring this fight to the Moratins."

When he finish, no one moved. The silence was broken when Jasper cleared his throat. "Well shit. You gonna use them… pretty word."

"I can't" says Rainbow as she turned around and walk away. When he saw her walk away, Red couldn't even more depressed then he got down from the jeep as Twilight went to him and exclaimed, "I thought you never to speeches?"

Red replied back with a shrug. "I'll probably never do it again. Not in a lifetime."

A couple of hours later, Red and Jasper are getting ready to board a helicopter that will take them to another world. The rest will stay even though they fought long and hard to free their world.

"Do you really have to go?" Twilight asked with tears in her eyes, crying to see her best friend go.

"I have to." Red said in a firm voice. "My life depends on it. I'm only carrying the fight for Peter."

"Group hug!" Pinkie exclaimed and everyone, with the exception of Rainbow, hugged Red and wishes him goodbyes.

After the embrace, Red nodded at Rainbow, who nodded back, then board the helicopter with Jasper.

The helicopter begin to rotate its rotor as Twilight shouted out at Red, "I'll never forget you!" then the helicopter gain speed and soon it was airborne as it begin it flight with out helicopters towards a huge portal in the sky that will take them out of the world.

As they fly into it and change back into human, Red smiled as he patted his .45 on his shoulder holster. He had learned one valuable lesson;

Friendship never dies.

AN: Congratulation for finishing the series! It took me a long time to get everything posted but it looks like we finally made it. This chapter is very sad and hates to see Peter go but the adventure continue for Red as he keeps fighting in the dimensional warfare. This chapter is also based from Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway ending so there will be no copyright issue sounds good?

Well, that's it for today and I hope you enjoy the series!

Wait! Before you go, it seems that I haven't posted 'The End' which means there is actually one more chapter to go. Keep a look out for it and I'll see you on the other side!