THE STORY NEARS THE END.
MY SHIP DATE NEARS ALSO.
I TRUST A LOT OF YOU GUYS, SO I WANT YOUR OPINION. SHOULD I VOLUNTEER TO GO TO AFGHANISTAN AFTER BASIC?
THE IDEA HAS BEEN BOTHERING ME FOR MONTHS.
(halp meh!)
A week has passed since the attack on Ponyville and Fort Noble. The base was fully reconstructed, and life resumed like normal in the town. Derek and the others were all prepared to go to the Gala. Derek and the rest of the guys/stallion would ride separately from the girls, and they would meet in Canterlot.
"Come on Red, quit jerking off with your blues." Dan said impatiently.
"Sorry, holy shit." Red said as he re-checked his formal military uniform.
"Both of you, shut the fuck up. You're going to give me a headache." Derek grumbled.
"All three of you need to calm down." Dusty stated as he chilled in the large carriage that was taking them to the Gala.
"You fight to damn much. What you need is some Call of Duty." Jaycee said as he played MW2 in the carriage.
"Fuck CoD. Gears 3 for the win." Jean teased.
"FUCK YO COURT, NIGGA!" Jaycee screamed at Jean, who immediately laughed his ass off.
"Everyone just calm down." Michael said.
"You calm down!" Dan yelled.
"Well fuck you too!" Michael screamed. Dusty and Steelhoof were the only two beings in the carriage that were still sane.
"Everypony shut up!" Steelhoof hollered. With that, they all stopped bitching and kept quiet. They all sat in the carriage, each doing their own thing. Jaycee and Jean played MW2 on the Xbox Derek made for them, Steelhoof and Dusty quietly talked, and Red kept re-checking his blues. Derek was taking a nap while Michael and Dan drank some of the alcohol at the minibar in the carriage. They were all wearing the military blues, being they were all in the Grand Army. The uniform was exactly like the US Army blues. Derek had his service cap over his face as he slept.
Eventually, they arrived at the Gala. Red carefully woke up Derek as the others exited the carriage.
"Mmmph, here already?" Derek mumbled as he woke up.
"Yeah, now get out here before the girls show up." Red ordered. Derek readjusted his service cap and stepped out of the carriage. He joined the others by the gate and waited for the girls to arrive. The nine of them stood around for a while before the girls' carriage arrived. Twilight was the first to exit the carriage, and she spotted them right away. Next was Fluttershy. Red felt faint as soon as she stepped out of the carriage. She was normally beautiful, but her dress made Red nearly shit a brick house.
Next was Applejack, who had a southern style dress. Dan nodded and approved of her dress. He thought it made her look good. Rarity and Pinkie Pie stepped out at the same time, and then came Rainbow Dash. Derek watched as she walked out of the carriage with her dress. He never saw her look so good. Her mane was perfectly done, and her dress was the most amazing thing Derek ever saw.
"Hey, everypony ready for the party?" She yelled.
"Hell yea!" Red shouted. They all entered the Gala together. Derek stood next to Rainbow Dash, Red walked alongside Fluttershy, and Dan escorted Applejack as they all walked into the main room and up the stairs to Princess Celestia.
"The Elements of Harmony and Noble warriors! Welcome to the Gala!" Celestia said happily as they bowed and entered the ballroom. Derek, Red, and Dan were immediately met by a group of reporters and high class ponies. Dusty, Michael, and Tory slowly gained attention, and Steelhoof was basically getting stared down by everypony.
"Derek, oh my Celestia! Derek!" screamed a random mare. Derek was somewhat of a celerity in Canterlot after he defended the city from the Diamond Dog attack. Red was also famous and had his own group of fangirls swarming him.
"Sorry girls, I got a marefriend." Derek shouted. All the mares around him sighed and slowly dispersed. Red did the same, and he was finally free from the crowd. Derek and Red approached the bar, where Dan had already made himself comfortable.
"You drink more than me and Derek combined." Red remarked. Dan looked at him angrily and finished the drink he had,
"Just figure that out, Sherlock?" Dan retorted. The bartender chuckled lightly.
"Easy, guys. Let's just drink and be merry." Derek joked as he created an ice cold Icehouse beer.
"Aye, that looks good." Red stated as he made his own Icehouse beer. Dan simply raised an eyebrow and created a large cooler filled with Icehouse beer.
"Dan, I think you need to drink more." Derek joked. Dan smirked, and Red let out a loud laugh. After an hour of drinking and bullshitting, Derek decided to go spend some time with Rainbow Dash. As he left, Dusty replaced him at the bar.
"Hey guy, have a beer." Red said to Dusty. He tossed a beer to Dusty, who caught it and opened it.
"Thanks." He said.
TO DEREK….
Derek walked across the ballroom to where Rainbow Dash was. She was waiting outside a VIP area, hoping to talk with the Wonderbolts.
"Hey Dashie!" Derek called. Rainbow Dash looked over to Derek and smiled.
"Hey Derek." She said.
"Waiting for the Wonderbolts?" Derek guessed.
"Yea, but I can't get into the VIP section." She mumbled angrily.
"I can help with that." Derek laughed as he walked over to the VIP entrance. He showed the guard his ID and the guard almost shat himself. Derek entered the VIP section and waved Rainbow Dash in.
"Wow, thanks Derek!" She exclaimed.
"Anything for my little Dashie." Derek said as he put his arm around her.
"Please, don't embarrass me in front of the Wonderbolts." She pleaded.
"No worries, Dash. They're over there." Derek said as he pointed to the Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash wasted no time and bolted over to them. Derek sacrificed himself and drew attention away from the Wonderbolts by talking to somepony and once again receiving a swarm of fans.
Rainbow Dash talked to the Wonderbolts for about an hour before they had to leave and perform a quick airshow. Rainbow Dash quickly chased all of Derek's fangirls away and walked him to the dance floor.
"Remember our first dance?" Derek randomly asked. Rainbow Dash blushed furiously and turned her head to hide her face.
"Yeah…" She trailed off.
"That was probably the best thing to ever happen to me." Derek said as he danced with Rainbow Dash.
"Really? Even better than you getting your powers?" She asked.
"Definitely." He reassured. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled at his comment.
"So after this war, what exactly do you have planned for our wedding?" Derek asked. Rainbow Dash's heart jumped a bit at him mentioning the wedding.
"Uhh, well, we could have it here, in Canterlot." She suggested.
"Hmm, that sounds like a good idea." Derek thought out loud.
They continued to dance. Back over at the bar, Fluttershy and Applejack had joined Red and Dan at the bar. Fluttershy sat next to Red, who had his arm wrapped around her, and Dan was drinking with Applejack.
"Go! Go! Go!" Dan cheered as Applejack drank a beer. She finished the beer, and Dan picked up a new one and shot gunned it in a matter of seconds. Eventually, Pinkie Pie convinced Derek to get up on stage and announce that it was going to turn into a party. Derek walked up on stage and stopped the soft classical music.
"Hey everypony. Umm…" Derek struggled. "Tonight, me and some other warriors, as well as my wife to be are celebrating a great victory in Ponyville tonight. I suggest you prepare yourselves for a party, human style!" Derek shouted into the microphone.
Some of the ponies left, while others who were fans of Derek and Red stayed and cheered. Derek put the mic down and walked over to the middle of the stage. He raised his right arm and created a set of large speakers, some guitars, drums, and a DJ system on the far side of the stage.
"Red, get up here!" Derek yelled. Red quickly jumped off his seat next to Fluttershy and leaped onto the stage.
"What's up?" Red asked.
"Remember how to play guitar from our little band in high school and college?" Derek asked. Red nodded and walked over to a guitar. Derek went and grabbed a guitar and quickly tuned it. Derek also made a drummer for them.
"Alright everypony, we'll start this off with a song from where I came from. It's called Canto 34 by Five Finger Death Punch!" Derek hollered into the mic. All the ponies in the crowd cheered as Derek and Red started the song.
(Look the song up on youtube)
Derek played the main part for Canto 34, while Red supported with his guitar. After the song ended, everypony in the audience went crazy. Ponies from outside entered to ballroom to see where the music came from. Derek and Red bro-fisted on stage and then started to play another Five Finger Death Punch song, which turned out be Bad Company.
(Again, look this song up if you don't already know it, and the next song while you're at it)
Derek was amazing at signing the song, and everypony when ballistic after the song ended. Derek and Red's fangirls all crowded right in front of the stage and screamed their heads off, which annoyed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy beyond belief.
Derek and Red started their next song, which was The Pride for Five Finger Death Punch. Dan quickly jumped up on stage and helped Derek with the vocals. After that song, they had nearly all the guests at the Gala flooding into the ballroom.
"How's that for Gala music!" Derek yelled into the microphone. All the ponies in the ballroom cheered and stomped their hooves. Derek, Dan, and Red all high-fived and then huddled together.
"What should we play before we let the DJ take it away?" Derek asked.
"How about Sweet Child 'O Mine. I know you played that in college." Dan suggested.
"Yeah, that would be a good song." Red added.
"Alright, but you're singing Red. I can't do that high pitched stuff like Guns 'N Roses, but I know you can." Derek said to Red.
"Aight, I'll sing." Red agreed. They broke their huddle and prepared to play. Red stepped up to the mic and announced the song.
"This is a classic from our world. I'd like to dedicate this song to my Fluttershy." Red said, making Fluttershy turn bright red as most of the ponies turned and looked at her.
With that, Derek started the intro to the song. Dan and Red joined in at their times, with Dan on the bass guitar and the random guy Derek made on the drums. They played the intro and Red stepped to the mic and started singing.
(Lyrics to the song of songness)
She's got a smile that it seems to
me
reminds me of childhood
memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I stared too long
I'd probably break down and cry
Woah oh woah
Sweet child of mine
Woah oh oh sweet love of mine
Red sang the lyrics flawlessly, making Fluttershy blush even more as she heard the song. Derek nailed the first short solo, and the song progressed.
She's got eyes of the bluest skies
As if they thought of rain
I hate to look into those eyes
And see an ounce of pain
Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place
Where as a child I'd hide
And pray for the thunder
And the rain
To quietly pass me by
Woah oh woah
Sweet child of mine
Woah oh oh oh
Sweet love of mine
Derek started the second solo and played like a pro, not missing a single note. All the ponies cheered and Fluttershy watched in awe as the three humans played the song.
Woah oh oh oh
Sweet child of mine
Woah oh oh oh oh
Sweet love of mine
Woah oh oh oh
Sweet child of mine
Oh sweet love of mine
With that, Derek started the last big solo. He played with the tenacity and precision of Slash himself, and didn't miss a single note. Rainbow Dash admired his skillful playing as she danced to the song. They finished the song (I didn't type the rest for the sake of my sanity) and everypony in the now full ballroom cheered like they've never cheered before. Even some of the 'high class' ponies were impressed with the display and joined the cheering. Derek and the other two took a bow and left the stage, leaving the music to DJ Pon-3.
"That was amazing!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she joined them back at the bar.
"Thanks. I'm surprised I could remember all that, being I haven't played since college." Derek said proudly.
"I've never heard music like that before! It was the coolest music I've ever heard!" Rainbow Dash continued. She ranted to Derek on how awesome he was while Fluttershy crept her way to Red.
"Umm, Red?" Fluttershy whispered.
"Hey Fluttershy!" Red said happily.
"Umm, thanks for the song." She squeaked, too nervous for her own good.
"Yeah, I thought it was a good fit. I'm glad you liked it." Red said as he pulled her into a hug.
Derek finished a beer as Rainbow Dash finished her lecture about how awesome Derek's singing and playing was. Suddenly, Spitfire and Soarin appeared from the crowd. Rainbow Dash didn't realize they were directly behind her until Derek smiled and held up a new beer. She almost fainted at the sight of her idols standing behind her.
"What's up." Derek said as he started drinking the beer.
"Your music was very…. interesting. Would you mind if we got a copy of some of those songs?" Spitfire asked.
"No problem! I'll take them off my iPhone later and sent you some iPods to listen while you perform and whatnot!" Derek exclaimed.
"Great, it'll really set the mood for practice and shows!" Spitfire said happily.
"See ya later Derek! Bye Rainbow Dash!" Soarin called as they walked away. Rainbow Dash's opinion of Derek was now even better.
"The Wonderbolts just asked to have your music!" She squealed.
"Take it easy, Dash." Derek joked. Rainbow Dash laughed and joined Derek for a drink. Dan sat on the other end of the Bar with Applejack and drank. The night went great, way better than the last time the girls were at the Gala. Eventually, the party came to an end. Derek was fortunate enough to score several rooms for his friends. Each had their own suite, including his new allies.
"The party continues in my room!" Dan yelled to the others as they entered the guest hall.
Red threw his fist in the air and screamed "Oh hell yeah!"
Derek was tired out from all the partying, so he decided to go to his suite, which he shared with Rainbow Dash (Oh snap!) They walked in together and went about their own business, until Derek decided to take a shower. He casually walked into the huge bathroom and started the shower. He removed his armor, which was still in the form of his dress blues, and entered the shower.
Rainbow Dash decided she wanted to try and spend some 'quality time' with Derek. She quickly removed her dress and head ornaments, and then she crept into the bathroom. She quietly entered the shower, silently moving like a ninja.
"Boo!" She said loudly. The result was Derek jumping in surprise, slipping on the wet floor, and falling. He was dazed for a second, but then came to realize that he was laying on the floor of the shower, fully exposed to Rainbow Dash.
Derek stared at Rainbow Dash, who stared back. It was a long awkward 30 seconds before her eyes quickly darted down. Derek quickly got up and covered himself.
"You need something?" He asked, slightly embarrassed from falling and ending up in such an awkward moment.
"No, just spending some quality time with you." She said.
"In…. the shower." He mumbled.
"Is there something wrong with that?" She asked, almost in a depressed tone.
"Well….. I guess not, being we're getting married eventually." Derek stated. Rainbow Dash brightened up and walked next to him. He continued to cover himself.
"Really? I don't wear clothes most of the time, and plus I've already seen, so give it up." She said with a grin. Derek sighed in defeat and gave up. Rainbow Dash started laughing.
"What?" Derek asked.
"I totally tricked you! I didn't see anything! Hahaha!" She laughed. Derek face palmed.
"I can't believe I fell for that." Derek grumbled, but he let out a chuckle as he realized how clever Rainbow Dash was.
"Well, now that we're more comfortable with each other, we may resume the shower." Rainbow Dash said. Derek decided to go along with it. Rainbow Dash started the second showerhead that was on the other side of the large shower and washed. She laughed quietly to herself, thinking of how she tricked Derek. She actually got to see him naked, and she approved of what she saw. Her soon to be husband was hot.
Derek kept his back to her most of the time, until something happened.
Derek turned around to grab his razor to trim his now visible 5 o'clock shadow. As he turned, Rainbow Dash did the same, unknowing of Derek doing the same. Derek turned quickly, reaching for the razor, while Rainbow Dash turned to wet her mane more. They collided as they turned around, and found themselves pressed against each other. Rainbow Dash just so happened to be on her hind legs, so she was almost eye level with Derek. She looked at him in surprise, and he did the same.
"Uhh…. what's up?" Derek joked. Rainbow Dash looked into his eyes with the most intense look of love (and lust, a tur) he'd ever seen. The look she gave him made it feel like his heart was melting. He gingerly caressed her face, and gave her a quick kiss. She gave him a mischievous smile and pulled him into the most passionate kiss he ever had with her. He stroked her mane as they made out in the shower. Eventually, he had to break the kiss to finish the shower. They finished showering and dried off. Derek put his blues back on, and then formed them into his boxers and a white t-shirt. Rainbow Dash quickly dried her hair with a towel, leaving it slightly messy. She followed Derek into the bedroom, where he laid on the bed.
"You tired?" She asked.
"You have no idea." He stated. Rainbow Dash chuckled and walked over to the other side of the bed. She climbed in, and turned off the lamp next to the bed. She casually rolled over and ended up half on top of him. Derek breathed deeply and pulled her close with one arm. She once again started kissing him, with no objection from him. Eventually, things escalated, and they were soon rolling around in bed…
.
.
(Trololo)
.
.
The next morning came, and Red was the first to wake up. Fluttershy surprised him by staying with him for the night, even sleeping next to him. He got up and formed his t-shirt and boxers into an ACU. He exited the room and met Dan in the ballroom, where the bar was still open and serving breakfast.
"Morning Dan." Red said.
"Indeed." Dan replied. He seemed to be a little happier than he usually is in the morning.
"You seem unusually happy, what's up?" Red asked.
"Oh nothing, I just started going out with Applejack." Dan said.
"WHAT?" Red nearly yelled.
"Take it easy spaz!" Dan joked.
"How? When?" Red asked.
"Well, ever since that time you forced me to go on a date with her, we've been closer than before. Last night she was a little drunk, and she slept with me." Dan replied.
"Slept, what!" Red yelled.
"Not like sex or anything retard." Dan retorted.
"Oh, damn. You had me worried there." Red said in a relieved voice. "Although, she is quite hot. I wouldn't have blamed you if you did do it." Red joked.
"I should knock you out for that." Dan laughed. They spent the next 20 minutes joking around until the girls and the rest of the guys woke up and joined them for breakfast. Everyone was present except for Derek and Rainbow Dash.
DEREK'S ROOM…
Derek slowly woke up from a deep sleep. He looked around the room, and then over to his left. Rainbow Dash was still asleep next to him. He slowly got out of bed, being careful to not wake her. He entered the bathroom and started his morning shower. As he showered, Rainbow Dash once again entered the bathroom and walked into the shower.
"Hiya!" She said, making Derek jump a little.
"A little warning would be nice!" He joked.
"Sorry, I just enjoy scaring you." She said with a smile.
"Just remember, I'll get you back." He warned. Rainbow Dash smiled and rolled her eyes. The two of them showered and got ready for breakfast. Derek formed his clothes into his ACU, and Rainbow Dash did her hair in the usual way.
They finished up and walked out to the bar to get some food.
"Rainbow Dash, Derek! It's about time you show up!" Red called.
"Woke up late." Derek replied as he sat next to Red.
"So why didn't you come to Dan's room?" Red asked as he ate a huge pancake.
"I was tired as all hell." Derek answered. It was the partial truth.
"Oh really?" Red pressed, leaning toward Derek.
"Yes really." He replied, pushing him away. Red and Dan shared a laugh as they teased Derek, who simply ate his breakfast.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash sat next to Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack as she ate.
"I say, those new teammates of Derek's sure know how to party." Rarity said.
"They sure do, but they ain't nearly as good as Dan." Applejack stated.
"Perhaps. Rainbow Dash, where were you last night?" Rarity asked.
"I was tired, so me and Derek went to sleep." She lied.
"Oh really? Did all that racket we heard by your room wake you up?" Rarity asked in a sly voice.
"What racket?" Rainbow dash asked, slightly confused.
"Well, it started off with a lot of laughing, then some strange moaning, and then somepony screaming Derek's name. Ring any bells?" Rarity asked with a mischievous smile. Rainbow Dash stared forward, trying to hide her face as it turned crimson.
"OH! Maybe it was a ghost yelling at Derek! Maybe its ghost house is in the castle, cause I heard it telling Derek to come inside. MAYBE THE GHOST IS THROWING A PARTY!" Pinkie Pie said loudly. Rainbow Dash nearly spit out the apple juice she just drank.
'How the hay did they hear all that?' She thought. She was embarrassed as all hell at the moment. Her friends heard her 'quality time' with Derek. She had to admit, it was the best thing she ever experienced since the Sonic Rainboom.
"We'll talk about this later, girls." Rainbow Dash growled. They took the hint and shut up.
Breakfast proceeded, and everyone got ready to depart. Derek and the other guys entered their carriage while the girls entered theirs.
….
The trip back to Ponyville was mostly uneventful, except for the occasional joke to either Derek or Rainbow Dash about the night before. Rainbow Dash made the others stop, but Derek let the guys have their fun time, so they could get all their idiocy out of their systems.
Eventually, the carriages arrived in Ponyville, and they all entered the town.
The guys kept teasing Derek, who rolled his eyes and ignored them. He would allow it for only a short time longer. It may seem like peacetime for now, but Derek's new team was about to go on a secret mission, and Derek wouldn't allow any distractions.
"Alright, spend some time around town, but don't forget we have a meeting at Fort Noble in a few hours." Derek said.
"Right, I'll make sure we're all there." Red replied. Derek nodded, and they all went their separate ways into town. Dan met up with Applejack, Red went to Fluttershy's cottage. Derek walked around town with Rainbow Dash.
"So…. yea." Rainbow Dash muttered quietly.
"What?" Derek asked.
"Well, apparently we made some noise last night." She said with a massive blush.
"Correction, you made some noise, and yes I have heard from others about that." Derek said. Rainbow Dash blushed as Derek made the comment.
"Well, can't do anything about it now. What do you have planned for today?" She asked.
"I'm free till 5:00, but then I have a meeting and I have some work to do at Fort Noble." Derek replied.
"What kind of work?" She asked suspiciously.
"Building tunnels under the base and into Ponyville, as a means of escape just in case Ponyville ever comes under attack again." Derek lied, although he noted that it was a good idea.
"Hmmph. Well, you wanna go fly around until 5:00 then?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Sure, but you have to promise me one thing." Derek said in a serious tone.
Rainbow Dash looked at Derek and asked, "What's that?"
"You'll keep up!" He joked as he took off into the air.
A FEW HOURS LATER…
Derek gave Rainbow Dash a kiss and then teleported into a briefing room at Fort Noble, where the others were waiting.
"Alright, here's the deal. It seems Discord is reaching into other dimensions. Scouts have reported several portals in a compound deep in the dark zone, the same kind of portal that ended up brining Red here. Our mission is to drop into the dark zone from orbit and destroy the portals. I want to stay undetected as long as possible." Derek explained. "I want Jean to sit up on this cliff here with the Barret and provide sniper support."
"Hell to the fucking no! I don't camp dude." Jean said as he stood up.
"This isn't a goddamn video game Jean. Take the job and deal with it." Jaycee growled. Jean sat back down and crossed his arms.
"And you refuse to wear any armor, so you don't have a choice. The rest of us will creep into the compound and set explosives on the portals. We will detonate them after we reach the evac site. They won't know what hit 'em." Derek continued as he showed a simulation on the holo-table. They ended the briefing and suited up. They exited the briefing room and entered a shuttle, which carried them to a Frigate at the orbital harbor. They waited for the night to cover the drop zone before they dropped.
"Alright, the drop zone has been pre-programmed into the drop pods' navigation system, so no manual steering on the way down." Derek ordered. They all entered the drop pods and strapped themselves in. Tory and Michael put on special helmets the Derek made that would protect them in the event their pods had a leak and lost oxygen in space.
"Alright, dropping in three, two, one, DROP!" Derek counted off. They all dropped simultaneously and silently plummeted to the ground. The pods entered the atmosphere, and a loud rumbling was suddenly audible, indicating they were no longer in the vacuum of space. They fell downward for several seconds before the pods impacted the earth with a loud thud. The doors flew open and they all jumped out.
"Keep your eyes open, you never know if the enemy saw the pods." Derek said as they all scanned the barren landscape. It was currently dark, so Derek was sure they still had the element of surprise. He turned to the others and gave them their codenames.
"Tory, you're Silverwing, naturally. Dusty, you're codename is Overhaul. Jaycee, you're Ghost. Michael, you can be Cross. Jean, you're Gamer, and Steelhoof is just Steel. Dan, you're Heavy, and Red is Red. I will be Chief." Derek listed. Everyone noted their names and readied themselves for the next order.
"Jean, the cliff is over there. Notify us when you reach the top and set up the .50 cal." Red said as Jean started climbing the cliff.
Several minutes passed before Jean signaled Derek with a short radio transmission.
"Alright, radio silence from here on out. Let's move forward." Derek ordered. They crept through the rubble and remains of a small town before coming to a small guard post. Derek signaled the group to stop. Derek, Jaycee, and Red readied their silenced M4- SOPMODS, and all fired at once. They took down the first three guards, and then finished off the last four before they reported in.
"Move up." Derek whispered. They walked forward and climbed over the small barricade at the guard post. Dusty tossed his minigun over to Derek and climbed over while Red and Jaycee hid the bodies. Derek signaled to move forward once again.
SEVERAL MINUTES LATER….
They finally reached the outside of the compound containing the portals. Jean had marked three with a laser sight from his perch on the cliff.
"Three targets. Me Jaycee and Red will take one, Dan and Dusty, you take the other, and Michael and Tory will do the last. Steel, you keep watch." Derek ordered as they split up.
BACK AT FORT NOBLE….
Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack entered the base looking for their partners.
"Where in the hay do ya think they went?" Applejack asked in an angry tone.
"I don't know, Derek said he was planning an escape tunnel system for Ponyville." Rainbow Dash answered.
"I hope their ok." Fluttershy near whispered. They walked aimlessly around the base before coming to a door that said 'Ops Control'. Rainbow Dash looked in question at Applejack, who shrugged and opened the door. The room was full of Derek's men, as well as some ponies. One of the ponies happened to be Shining Armor, who was eyeing up the map of the area that showed each of Derek's team members' locations.
"Hey, what're you doing in here?" Asked an officer pony.
"Easy there Sergeant. I know them." Shining Armor said as he broke his gaze from the screen.
"What is all this?" Rainbow Dash asked. Shining armor sighed and turned to the large screen on the wall.
"This is Derek and his team deep in enemy territory. It's a live feed from their operation." He explained.
"So they lied to us 'bout the tunnel system?" Applejack asked angrily.
"Not quite, Derek did in fact start that. You may stay and watch the operation if you like. We will soon have a secure radio frequency set up so we can hear their voices as they work." Shining Armor said. Just then, a Ranger stood up from a computer monitor.
"Sir, we have a secure frequency, tapping into Strike Team 1's encrypted channel now."
Shining Armor led the three mares to the front of the room. They all looked at the screen and saw several green dots with codenames, along with several red dots listed as enemies. A sudden crackle on the speaker made Fluttershy jump.
"Ghost, three tangos to your right." Derek's voice warned on the speaker.
"Roger Chief, active camo activated. Red, check you corners." Jaycee's voice said.
"Roger. One tango approaching, take cover."
"What the hay are they doing?" Applejack asked angrily.
"They're taking down some inter-dimensional portals that Discord had made. We can't talk to them, but they can tell us what to do." Shining Armor explained. "Activate all helmet cameras in the group." Shining Armor told a pony. In seconds, four TV screens lit up with the HUD view from Derek, Red, Dan, Dusty, and Jaycee's helmets. It almost looked like they were seeing through their eyes on the TV.
"Wow, I didn't realize that Equestria was that bad in places." Fluttershy said as she looked at the TV showing Red's HUD.
"It's only that bad in the dark zone, or Discord's current territory." Shining Armor said.
TO THE TEAM…
"Gamer, what's it look like from up there?" Derek asked as he approached a portal with Red and Jaycee.
"All clear for all of you. The guards seem to stay posted on the outer area of the compound. " Jean reported.
"Let us know if they get wise to us." Red stated.
They crept up to the portal and quickly set several charges. The other two teams did the same, and they all started the sneak back to the place they entered.
"Something's up, one of the portals is glowing." Jean warned. The teams stopped and looked from their hiding places. The portal that Dan and Dusty sabotaged lit up, and a figure stepped out.
"Several enemies approaching, get out before you're trapped in there." Steelhoof said into the radio. Right as he said that, the figure that came out of the portal roared in anger and pointed to Michael's location, which was behind a stack of supply crates with Tory.
"Dear God, is that…?" Michael asked himself as he laid eyes on the figure. Suddenly, guards flooded around the compound and opened fire in Michael's direction.
"Team, it's time to go loud!" Derek shouted as he exited cover. The rest of the team did the same and opened fire into the horde of guards.
BACK AT FORT NOBLE…..
The control room was now buzzing with action.
"Do we have a 130 in the air?" Asked Shining Armor.
"Affirmative!" Replied a Ranger.
Rainbow Dash and the other two listened in fear as they watched the monitors showing each of their HUDs.
"C'mon, get outta there!" Applejack yelled. Fluttershy squeaked in fear as she watched a first person view of Red tackling a guard and stabbing him in the neck. Rainbow Dash's eyes were glued to Derek's HUD, and was fascinated with the concept of seeing what he saw during battle. She watched as he effortlessly gunned down several enemies before going into close quarters with three guards.
"Get the evac site ready, they'll need a quick escape." Shining Armor said to a Ranger. Suddenly, a load rumble was heard. They all looked to the monitors displaying the HUDs and saw a dark figure approaching their position. The monitor screens flickered for a brief second and returned to normal, only to show the team being charged by the figure.
BACK TO DEREK & FRIENDS…
"Fall back! Get to the evac site!" Derek yelled as he tried to hold off the guards and the strange figure. Jean used the sniper rifle effectively, taking out several enemies. Derek was suddenly knocked back by the strange figure, who materialized a demonic looking sword in his hand. Just as the figure struck, Dusty jumped in the way and caught the blade with his arm.
The blade breached his armor and sliced his arm open. Dusty groaned and swung his minigun around like it was a baseball bat. He landed a solid hit on the figure, and let go of the minigun. The force of the swing mixed with the mass of the gun threw the dark figure back several feet.
"Dusty, your arm is bleeding!" Derek said as he quickly stood up. Dusty casually looked at his arm and ripped the sword out.
"I ain't got time to bleed." Dusty replied as he readied his M9.
AT THE CONTROL ROOM…
A TV monitor displaying Dusty's armor and health status started beeping and flashing red on his left arm.
"Sir, we have an injury!" Yelled a pony at the monitor.
"Make sure the evac team has a medic!" Shining Armor told the pony, who nodded and sent a message to the evac team.
OUTSIDE THE ENEMY COMPOUND…..
Derek covered Dusty as they retreated with the others. They jumped over ruins and wreckage and raced away from the compound as hundreds of enemies fired at them. Derek, Red, Dan, and Jaycee hung back and held off their pursuers as best they could. Suddenly, a mortar landed between Derek and Red. Derek had minor shrapnel in his right shoulder and along his arm, along with some shrapnel in his leg. Red had the same but on his left, but the shockwave from the blast had broken his left leg and wrist and a medium sized chunk of shrapnel had lodged itself in his chest.
THE CONTROL ROOM…
Two more monitors lit up with red and started beeping, and a horrifying message came over the radio.
"Men down, men down!" rang Dan's voice over the radio. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked at the monitors in shock as they observed Derek and Red's injuries. The monitors showing their HUDs showed that their visors were cracked and were malfunctioning.
"We have serious injuries on two team members!" Yelled a Ranger.
"Get them out of there now!" Shining Armor hollered.
RD and Fluttershy watched the HUD monitors closely. They watched Red take his helmet off due to the fact that the HUD was malfunctioning. Derek limped over and started pulling Red to better cover as more mortars fell around them. Derek was suddenly hit by three shots, two of which breached his armor. One hit his right leg, and the other grazed his left arm.
"Hit! I'm hit! Jaycee, take Red, I'll manage on my own!" Derek ordered. Jaycee carried Red away as Derek limped over and quickly retrieved Red's helmet. Rainbow Dash watched as Derek made his way to the evac site with Dan. They finally arrived and met Jean and the medic, who treated Red for his more serious injuries.
"Let's get the fuck outta here. Dash is gonna be pissed when she sees my wounds." Derek's words made Rainbow Dash chuckle, but in all seriousness she was worried. She continued to watch as they flew away in Falcons, and saw the portals explode through Derek's slightly malfunctioning HUD.
TO THE FALCONS…
"Stabilized, he'll be fine. Captain, you need medical attention." Stated the medic.
"Do Dusty first, I'll be alright." Derek replied. The medic followed orders and started treating Dusty.
They arrived at Fort Noble an hour later. Derek's minor wounds started to heal thanks to his Noble powers, but the major wounds with shrapnel were still open and bleeding. They landed in a restricted area of the base, where the landing pads were in underground hangars.
"Medical to hangar bay three!" boomed a voice on the intercom, which echoed throughout the hangar. Derek jumped out of the Falcon and helped carry Red's stretcher to the medical area. As soon as he let go of the stretcher and let them take Red to surgery, he felt a sharp pain in his uninjured arm. He looked over and saw Rainbow Dash, who had just punched him.
"You liar! How could you do that?" She yelled angrily.
"Protocol, secret mission need to stay secret. I'm sorry babe." Derek apologized. Rainbow Dash lightened up here death stare at Derek and showed a small smile. Derek smiled back and started to walk down the hall with Rainbow Dash, when he felt his wounds.
"Hold on, I need to take care of something quick." He said as he stopped. He made his chest armor disappear and started taking the shrapnel out of his shoulder and arm. Rainbow Dash watched in disgust as he ripped jagged pieces of metal out of his body. As soon as he removed the metal, the wounds started to heal thanks to his stronger Grand Master powers.
"You quite done?" She asked.
"Indeed" He replied in a cheesy high class voice.
They exited the base and walked along the path into Ponyville.
SOME TIME LATER IN THE HOSPITAL…
Derek and the others in his team sat in Red's room and talked.
"What the hell was that thing anyway, I've never seen so much anger in anything's eyes in my life!" Red said. Michael looked at Derek and motioned to go to the hall. Derek complied and met him outside of Red's room.
"Derek, I know what came through that portal. It was Joseph, a past…. acquaintance of mine. I don't know how Discord got hold of him, but he is more dangerous than anything here, save for Discord himself." Michael explained.
"Damn. I'll tell my scouts to keep an eye on this Joseph character if possible. Did he do some bad things from your dimension?" Derek asked.
"Terrible things. Thing I don't want to even think about." Michael said.
"Alright, I'll keep on it. Let's just enjoy ourselves while we can." Derek suggested. They went back into the room and continued talking with the others. Derek couldn't help having a voice in the back of his head nag him about the new enemy. He just went along with the others and pretended nothing was bothering him…..
OMGWTFBBQ
JOSEPH IS A DICK, RIGHT?
Quote of the Day: "Let's go murder someone while we rape a chick as we burn their house down and do Meth." Me to a friend as we discuss what to do because we were bored.
Once again, fucked up sense of humor, a thank you.
OH YEAH AND DELVINIOUS FUCKED OFF AND WENT BACK TO THE TEMPLE TO JOIN THE OTHER NOBLE MASTERS SO HE'S NOT IN THE STORY ANYMORE.
SORRY.