The Horrors Of War

It was late at night, and most of the soldiers were sleeping in the vehicles or the tents outside. The other soldiers that were awake were patrolling the town or positioned on the roofs.

Twilight couldn't sleep. She was standing on the balcony of the Castle Of Friendship, watching the town of Ponyville. The town was practically destroyed, most of the buildings wiped out in the battle against the Japanese.

Princess Celestia had gone back to Canterlot, to organize a movement to help Ponyville recover. She gave her word that she'd be back with relief supplies and medical help soon.

"I can't do this...", Twilight muttered. She snuck out of the castle, where a lot of the homeless Ponyville residents were sleeping, and trotted to town.

Some soldiers shivered in the cold, some of them around fires. Edward shuddered as his last cigarette went out. He was about to fall asleep when the clip clops of hooves woke him up.

Twilight was levitating a teapot and two cups, one of them a larger size. She poured some hot tea for Edward, before pouring a cup for herself.

"So, cold night?", Twilight asked.

Edward nodded, before sipping the tea in his hands.

"Yeah...", Edward said. He smiled, before finishing the rest of the tea in the cup. "Thanks.", he said, giving the cup back to the lavender alicorn.

"You don't have to sleep like this, you know. The houses must still have warm blankets or-", Twilight said.

Edward pulled out his BAR and began to aim around with it. Twilight gulped nervously. "Well...I can make coffee, if you really n-need to stay awake.", she said.

"Relax, I'm not going to shoot you.", Edward said. "Just making sure the gun doesn't jam."

He gestured to a Hellcat, its main gun boring down on Twilight and Edward. "It's the tank you really need to worry about."

Twilight gulped. "Anyway...I need to tell you something.", she said.

Edward turned to Twilight, as she shuffled a hoof. She was about to tell him how he got here, but then she nervously glanced at the BAR on Edward's lap.

"Y-your boat is in Sweet Apple Acres.", she blurted out.

"Boat?", Edward asked.

"Yeah. Y-your boat? The thing you all came in?", Twilight asked.

Edward raised an eyebrow, before his eyes widened. "Our landing craft?", he asked.

Twilight blinked. "That's what it's called?", she asked, while drinking from her teacup.

"Yeah. See, we were going to attack the Germans and storm the beaches of Normandy. It was going to be the biggest attack operation in the history of the world.", Edward said. "We were gonna use the landing crafts to reach our destination."

"But beaches are peaceful.", Twilight pointed out.

"Wrong. The sand was covered in tank traps and barbed wire. There's a giant slope, with German defenses all over it. You'd freak if you saw it.", Edward said.

"What was it like?", Twilight asked.

Edward sighed. "It was terrifying."

Flashback: Yesterday?

Edward clutched onto his plastic wrapped BAR. A German 88 round struck the water next to the landing craft. Water splashed over everyone in the landing craft.

"Contact!!", a soldier yelled. The two 30. Caliber gunners in the back hatches started firing. Everyone in the landing craft ducked.

"Look out!!"

Edward peeked out of the landing craft to the left, to see another craft explode in flames, killing everyone onboard.

"Sir!! The artillery ain't lettin' up!", the driver yelled.

"Don't falter! Full speed ahead!!", Edward barked. The driver nodded and pushed the throttle to the max.

MG-42s started firing, and the bullets pinged and ricocheted off the front ramp.

Everyone was tucked inside the landing craft, even the driver. No one saw the German 88 bunker aiming right at them.

The German soldier in the bunker was about to fire, when a flash of white light caught his attention. "Mein gott.", he muttered.

The gunners in the landing craft stopped firing.

"Stop!! Stop the boat!!!", a gunner yelled. Edward was about to turn around and yell at the gunner's cowardice, when he was completely blinded by a white light.

Flashback end.

Twilight's eyes were wide in horror. "You were just gonna run into death?", she asked.

"Hey, we had over 150,000 guys. We'll win. Or, they will...", Edward said.

"You're just throwing soldiers into...into that fortress?", Twilight muttered in disbelief.

"Hey, a lieutenant once said, 'No sacrifice too great'. Every one soldier who dies will help save a hundred more.", Edward said.

Twilight was about to retort, when she realized he was right. Guards in Equestria give up their lives for innocents every day.

"It's not right."

Edward turned to Twilight. Twilight sniffled. A tear rolled down her face.

"It's not right. Why should ponies or...humans like you die? You have families too, right?", she asked.

Edward slowly nodded.

"Then why are you being sent to die? It's a war! What about back home?", Twilight asked.

"Would you rather the enemy attack everyone back home?", Edward asked.

Twilight went silent again. Every option in a war, all of them involved hundreds dying.

"It's still wrong.", she said.

Edward gave a deadpan stare, before sighing. "To be honest, I'm scared of dying too. But I'm even more scared for the millions back home. I would never forgive myself if the enemy attacked my country and hurt my family. That gives me purpose.", he said.

Twilight sniffled again. "Can I stay here?", she asked.

Edward groaned internally. "Fine, just don't jam my BAR with your tears.", he said.

Twilight curled next to Edward, before lightly snoring. Even though she never got to say what she needed to say, Edward's words gave her some closure about war.

Edward rolled his eyes, before he draped his military blanket over him, and drifting off.

"Friendship...what a joke.", Edward muttered.

The next morning, Twilight woke up to the sound of several footsteps and the rumbling of engines.

She opened her eyes, to see the vehicles leaving Ponyville, with the soldiers walking alongside the armored convoy. The jeeps were towing the two landing crafts, which they somehow removed from the buildings.

She gasped as she saw Edward sitting in the back of one of the Shermans, with a squad of troops with him. They were all talking and smoking.

She spread her wings and flew to the top of the Sherman. She landed on the hatch, next to the mounted 50. Caliber.

"Where're you going?", Twilight asked.

"Anywhere. We kept the peace, so we're gonna go find our way home.", Edward said.

"Do...do you have to leave?", Twilight asked in a pleading voice.

Some soldiers laughed. "She's got the hots for you.", a soldier said. Edward sighed, while Twilight blushed.

"I-I don't!", Twilight spluttered.

"Just shut up...you're making it worse.", Edward groaned.

"Anyway, yeah. We're leaving. Don't want to bring another species into this godforsaken war.", a soldier said, taking a puff on his cigarette.

"But...we didn't get to teach you about friendship!", Twilight protested over the rumble of the Sherman.

Jones opened the hatch, as Twilight stepped aside. Jones propped himself up and sat on the tank turret, next to Twilight.

"Listen, horse. The 'Magic Of Friendship' ain't gonna help solve this war. Not now, not ever.", Jones said.

"True that.", Edward said. "Come on, your town is really far. You should go back."

Twilight turned to see Ponyville barely visible above the hill. Twilight sighed and nodded. "OK, just don't die.", she said.

"No promises there.", Edward said, and the squad laughed, as Twilight flew back to Ponyville.

Twilight landed on the ground, where her friends were sitting. "No luck...", she said.

"Ah know this sounds bad, but Ah'm glad they're gone.", Applejack said.

"Applejack, how can you say that? They saved Ponyville, at the cost of their own!", Twilight said.

"Hey, I don't mean to change the subject, but has anypony seen Fluttershy?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah, we haven't seen her at all.", Pinkie Pie said.

"Let's go to her cottage. Maybe she stayed there.", Rarity said. The five ponies walked to Fluttershy's cottage, which luckily was uphill, so the water didn't hit her house.

At Fluttershy's cottage, Twilight noticed something next to her house. It was a giant mass of vines and bush leaves on the side, as if a monster were growing there. She decided not to mention that.

Applejack knocked on the door and waited. The door was opened by Fluttershy's pet bunny, Angel.

"Oh, hi. Is Fluttershy here?", Twilight asked. Angel simply pointed in the living room.

Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity walked inside, looking at all the animals in the room.

"Fluttershy? Are you here?", Twilight called. Soon, a yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane and tail walked in the living room.

"Oh. Hello, Twilight.", Fluttershy said, in her signature timid and quiet voice. Twilight and her friends all came up and hugged Fluttershy tightly, surprising her a little bit.

"What brings you by?", Fluttershy asked.

"We wanted to check on you. There was an attack on Ponyville, and we were worried.", Rainbow Dash said. "Well, I wasn't worried. I always knew you'd be able to look after yourself."

"An attack? Oh no, I hope everypony's alright.", Fluttershy gasped.

"Don't worry...we're recovering. Princess Celestia gave her word.", Rarity said, deciding to leave out the pony casualties and who attacker Ponyville.

"Thank Celestia you're alright.", Applejack said.

"Oh, of course I'm alright. I had to take care of my animals. Oh, not to mention my two visitors.", Fluttershy said,

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "You have visitors?", she asked.

"Oh yes. They come from a different country, and they are so nice. One of them loves animals, has a couple pets back at his home. Here, let me introduce you to them.", Fluttershy said, excitedly, yet still quietly.

She brought her friends to another room, and they all saw who Fluttershy was talking about.

Two men in camouflage uniforms were sitting at a table, holding small mugs. They had guns that looked like the M-1 Garand the American soldiers earlier had.

The younger man wore a different helmet that looked a bit like upside down coal scuttling container, while the older looking man wore an officer's cap.

The two of them turned to the ponies, smiles on their faces.

"Guten tag.", the younger man said, in a thick accent.