AN: Its been a while, hasn't it? Well do forgive any mistakes or choppy writing. Its been FAR too long and I am rather out of practice. In any case, hope you enjoy!

Ascend Through Darkness Chapter 10 Operation Overlord Part 2

So far, everything had been going smoothly. In the first hour of Operation Overlord, Dempsey's group had successfully transported the allotted amount of AMTs to the orchards safely. Though it was so far eventless, the night remained young.

"Alright, get those turrets set up ASAP! I don't want those freak bags ambushing us with our pants down. 'The Great and Powerful' Trixie will remain with the ponies here to help them set it up. The rest of you, follow me. I'm gonna need some assistance in placing these mines."

"Whoa there, partner! You can't get anywhere with that leg of yours! Why don't you ride on top of me? If you say that explosive radius is really huge, then we better bury those suckers far away!"

"Good thinking, Braeburn. We'll be back soon. Let's move out, everyone!" The team galloped forward, away from the orchards at a fast, steady pace. Without the illumination from Trixie's magic, visibility would be an issue, even with the moon. Thankfully, Sheriff Silverstar brought a firefly lamp with them.

"Hey Dempsey," Rainbow Dash said. "Do we really need to be this far away?"

"Let's put it this way: When the Doc is excited about creating something, take every damn precaution you can with his inventions. I'm not about to go down thanks to some fucking mishap with the equipment. Silverstar, is there anything else out there besides buffalo and pony zombies?" The sheriff took a moment to think before replying.

"There ain't nothin' I've seen different so far. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"Good. I hate surprises. Alright, this should be far enough. Once we bury these Explody Bits, we're getting the hell back into civilization. You and Braeburn go take some of these mines and place them over there. Dash and I will cover this area." The team divided even further as each group took to their respective locations. Throughout the process, Dash and Dempsey had been conversing about Trixie and her mishaps in Ponyville.

"…then, Snips and Snails lured the ursa major into Ponyville in hopes of seeing Trixie vanquish the beast. At the time, no one knew it was an ursa MINOR until Twilight intervened and saved the day. You should've SEEN Trixie's face when Twi told everypony that it was just a minor! Trixie may be good at magic, but she's no match for Twilight."

"Hah! Sounds like that bitch got what she deserves! Although, she does seem somewhat milder now then before." Meanwhile, Braeburn and Silverstar were having a conversation of their very own.

"Braeburn, are you SURE these humans are the ones that saved Ponyville?"

"Well, I'm quite positive that they're the first humans in Equestria. Something wrong, Sheriff?"

"Yes, there is. These guys seem incredibly bloodthirsty and violent. Like they can't wait to get their hands on these varmints. While we have a mutual enemy, I just can't bring myself to hate what were once livin' creatures, ya know?"

"I feel ya on that one, Sheriff. But we ain't got a choice if we want our town to prosper, let alone live. Its just one of those times where we have to bite our tongues."

"I suppose it is. Here's hopin' these fancy gizmos actually work." Suddenly, the ground around them surged to life, as if something underground were burrowing to the surface. The earth shook with a mighty quake as the group nearly lost their footing. Then, zombies began to emerge from the ground.

"Damn it! We have to get out of here now before the mines go off!" Braeburn and the Silverstar took off with Dempsey and Rainbow Dash following closely behind. The Marine looked back to see that the pony zombies were slow in their movement. But it wasn't the undead they feared this time. As they ran towards the orchards, Dempsey dropped a couple of Explody Bits in hopes of slowing down their pursuers. While none of the mines have actually activated yet, it would be soon when everyone would witness the destruction they were about to unleash. With the orchard in sight, Dempsey bellowed towards the ponies.

"The freak sacs are coming! Get your asses in gear and prepare for a brawl!"

"So soon? But we haven't set up all the turrets yet!"

"Well, Trixie, we're gonna have to cover them while they're finishing up! I hope your magic is powerful, because we're gonna be making some freak meat stew pretty damn soon!"

"Who do you think you are to question my powers? I'll show you! I'll show you all my majesty and strength!"

"'Milder, huh?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Dempsey. He grinned at her in response.

"Any plans in particular, partner?" Braeburn asked. The Marine took a moment to contemplate. While they were unable to finish setting up the turrets or the mines, what they were able to get done would suffice for a while. However, this was meant to be a long term defense rather than a brief protection from a siege. Though his group saw the zombies emerged from the ground, they haven't witnessed any of the Explody Bits actually exploding.

"Besides what we've brought from the train, what do you guys do to fight off these maggot bags?"

"Well, we've got us some enchanted apple pies that explode on contact." It was only now that the he noticed a cartful of the explosive pies near their position.

"In other words, grenades… Alright then! We'll engage with them from a distance. With the turrets we've got on hand and the mines out there on the field, I'm pretty sure we won't have to do as much work. Let Trixie and I pick them off from afar. We've better long range capabilities than your good throwing arm anyway. If they get within throwing distance, pelt them with your grenade pies! If they get REALLY close, smash their ugly mugs in! The rest of you engineers should head to town. Warn everyone of the battle and keep them on guard. I don't want ANY mistakes on this goddamn operation, you hear me? Now let's get to it. Oorah!" With everyone ready, all they had left to do was to wait. It wasn't long before they bore witness to the ruinous power that the Explody Bits held. Even from their great distance, the explosion was incredibly vivid. Blasts of hot air could easily be felt as the winds whipped their faces. The resulting explosion caused a chain reaction as mine after mine detonated each other in a sort of ballad of chaos and death. The trees at the front were beginning to catch ablaze as each successful blast goes off. Their ears were in a constant ring after the 7th blast.

"Holy shit! Explody bits? More like fucking mini nukes," Dempsey then noticed the fire that was slowly spreading. "Rainbow Dash! Get a rain cloud and extinguish those flames on the double!" Unfortunately, his words literally fell upon deaf ears. She mouthed a "what?" in response. Realizing this, he pointed at the growing inferno and she immediately got the hint. The pegasus zoomed off to gather as many clouds as possible. As she went about with her duties, Dempsey tried to communicate with the other ponies but to no avail. He could barely hear himself shout at this point. Then, the AMTs sprung to life as they began to shoot at the incoming zombies.

"They're still coming," Dempsey shouted in vain. "Trixie, on me now!" Communication was definitely going to be a problem. The delay between understanding body language could prove to be fatal. Worst of all, some of the ponies and buffalo that stayed with the main group were knocked out. While Dempsey and Trixie engaged the enemy in long range combat, Braeburn and Silverstar were busy tending to the recently wounded. Rainbow Dash was still occupied with dousing the flames. Dempsey was the first to recover from the initial shock of the explosion, though now it was replaced by a familiar ringing from his gunshots.

"Hey, can anyone hear me? I don't want this shit any harder than it has to be!"

"Good heavens! You said that was part magical? I haven't seen such concentration of raw magical energy before!" She began to fire off various attack spells from her horn, giving off a dazzling display of light.

"Thank god you can hear me! Yeah, Doc, and Gersch's team whipped up that. I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but, that's just way too much firepower to serve a purpose as protecting a town!"

"Wait a minute, did you say Gersch? THE Gersch? I thought he was dead!"

"Yeah, well, he's alive, alright. He's in Canterlot right now. Probably creating more crazy shit with the Doc."

"Oh my, I must simply visit Canterlot now! He's one of my idols, the master of teleportation!"

"Hah, if you can live to see through this hell, why not?" with his magazine empty, he quickly reloaded his Skullcrusher and switched to its grenade launcher.

"I've come this far. The Great and Powerful Trixie is not about to die in the middle of this chaos!"

"At least you know how to kill these freak bags in style. I like that!"

"Its all part of the show biz. These curs explode so beautifully, I'll give them that!"

"These turrets are just wreaking havoc on these bastards! Wait, what's that giant dust cloud?" In actuality, the dust cloud on the horizon was a stampeding herd of zombie buffalo, ready to trample down anything that gets in their way. Their only memory of their previous life was stampeding on the sacred grounds. Thus, the never cease their rampant anthem.

"Oh shit, here comes the stampede! Trixie, how did you guys deal with them before?"

"Believe me when I say this, but those apple pies are their weakness. The fact that I've made them explosive is icing on this confectionary!"

"Huh, if you say so. I'll just stick with my good ol' guns here then. I'll be switching places with the boys. You stay here and keep killing those bastards!" She briefly nodded before returning to her assault. Dempsey quickly ran towards the two colts as they gathered up the wounded. "Hey, you two! We've got a stampede of buffalo coming and we need your pie throwing skills up front! You leave the wounded to me."

"How are they still coming after all that?" Braeburn exclaimed.

"We'll have time for questions later if we live through all of this! Now move it before we're overwhelmed!" With lightning speed, the duo colts brought their respectful cartful of explosive pies to the frontlines where Trixie and the AMTs were continually firing.

"Hope your pie arm is still kickin', Sheriff! Wouldn't want an ol' timer such as yerself getting a sprain out here on the field of battle, now!"

"Hmph, you young'uns wouldn't know a damn thin' about pie throwin' if it weren't fer me! I'll show y'all that age means nothin' on the battlefield!"

"Oh really? Well then, how about a contest? Let's see who slays the most buffalo with explosive pies. And no cheatin'!"

"Hah, I'm an honorable stallion! I wouldn't stoop as low as a varmint just to skip numbers! Yer on, Braeburn!"

"Princesses Celestia and Luna, what is this urgent matter you wanted to speak with me about?"

"Gersch, we wish to speak to you about Richtofen. You've worked with him these past few weeks and I believe it is time for your progress report."

"Of course, Princess Celestia. While he's making great progress in the field of magic and technology, I fear he may know about the Elements of Harmony."

"Hm, it was inevitable but at least we bought time. Sister, anything on the other humans?"

"I've spoken with the citizens of Ponyville recently and they've taken a shining to them, despite their brash behavior. I've also personally spoken with Takeo. His honor and devotion to his country is reminiscent of our Equestrian Knights of our medieval period. Nikolai poses little threat. If anything, all we simply have to do is give him vodka and that's it. Though he doesn't show it to the public, Dempsey has also taken a liking to ponies in general. I quote, 'though you guys are fucking cute, you know how to kick ass!' Richtofen is the only one who is actually dangerous."

"Princess Luna is correct. It is not the brawn we should fear, but the brain. At this point, it seems he is so enamored with all the different type of spells that he locks himself up in the war room 24/7. In fact, this is the first time in quite a while that I've been away from him for this long."

"If you've been keeping an eye on him for so long, how did he find out about the Elements?"

"Forgive me, Princess Celestia. He may have wandered off into the fairy tale section of the library while I was away."

"No, it is okay for now, Gersch. As long as he treats the Elements like an old mare's tale, we should be fine. In any case, restoration of Equestria is coming along quite nicely. With Dempsey and his group, we can purge our beautiful land of this plague. You are dismissed now, Gersch. My sister and I shall head over to the other cities along with some of those AMTs and pegasus guards."

"I will keep both of you informed on Richtofen's movements. Oh, and your Highness?"

"What is it, my subject?"

"Would you be so kind as to deliver this gift to Nikolai? I do owe him a drink, after all…"

It was quiet on Sweet Apple Acres. The zombies had finally ceased in their siege. Takeo along with Applejack was on patrol, should any of the AMTs malfunction and need replacing.

"How's everythin' on the west side, Tak?"

"Everything's in order. And you, Applejack-san?"

"Nothin' fishy," she let out a sigh. "I just hope Braeburn and Appleloosa are doin' dandy."

"With the combined forces of human and pony, these undead fools do not stand a chance! I'm sure they're faring well, my friend."

"You're right, Tak. With those four on their side, they shouldn't have to worry," the earth pony sat down at the base of a particularly large apple tree. "C'mon, join me! I'm positive you're pooped by now."

"I think I will. It has been a long time since I've had a break." With her invitation, he joined Applejack under the tree. She leaned against him for support.

"Ya know, before y'all teleported here with yer fancy gizmos, I thought there was no hope to regain our way of livin'. It all felt so hopeless and now that its within our grasp, it feels…strange," He merely grunted in response. "What am I suppose to feel? Happiness? Relief? So much needless death just to reclaim what was rightfully ours. Thinkin' about it confuses me."

"Peace, I have not heard that concept for a long time. The war consumed our entire world, leaving only ruin in its wake. I fought in the name of my country, my Emperor, my honor. Though, now I'm also questioning what is left of my world. If the zombies have invaded Russia, Germany, and Japan, what hope is there now?"

"Tak, what will you do, ya know, when this is all over?"

"I…I don't know, to be honest. I would like to return back to my home to fix everything, but what if its too late? What if I abandon this paradise for a lost cause?"

"Well, if you do choose to live here I'll gladly let you stay here, with me…" Applejack noticeably blushed as she spoke the last part.

"Thank you, Applejack. That is very gracious of you," he looked at her and brushed a strand of mane from her face. "You know, I had not realized how beautiful ponies are until now."

"Gosh, I hope yer not referrin' to little ol' me…"

"Well, who else would I be talking about? I consider you a great friend. Your selflessness and honesty have truly captured my heart!"

"Heh, I AM the Element of Honesty for a good reason…"

"The Element of what?" Out of realization, Applejack widened her eyes at her own statement. She stood up abruptly which aroused more suspicion in Takeo.

"N-nothin', nothin' at all, Tak! Just thinkin' out loud, heh. It happens often…" The earth pony gave a nervous grin. The human only smirked in return.

"You're an awful liar, Applejack-san. And I'd appreciate it greatly if you told me the truth behind that statement." She sighed in defeat as she settled down once more next to the human.

"I guess I'll come clean, then. Ya see, there are 6 Elements of Harmony. Together, they possess a magic so strong that it is coveted across Equestria. And, I'm a host for one of these elements, Honesty."

"Hm, very interesting. If that is the case, then there must be 5 other hosts out there for these elements! If we can somehow gather them up, we can use it to end this madness, right?" Applejack fidgeted slightly in her spot and looked away from his glance. "There's more, isn't there?"

"Um, yes, there is. I'm sorry, but that's all I can tell ya! Anymore and I fear I may be betrayin' her…"

"That is quite alright. Your honor is still intact in my eyes. I won't pry any further. Besides, we honorable warriors should stick together!"

"Heh, thanks for understandin', Tak. Come on, its gettin' late and we should hit the hay. Big day tomorrow, ya know!"

"…and so, because of fourth wife, I like pump action best!"

"Hah! You humans are a tough breed! Maybe even on par with us griffons, eh?"

"Never in my life would I expect to find legendary creature, let alone talking marshmallow ponies! Alright, are the AMTs all set up?" Fluttershy, along with Little Strongheart and Chief Thunderhooves approached Nikolai and Gilda.

"All of the AMTs are properly stationed, Nikolai." Thunderhooves stated.

"Da, that is good news, comrade! Time for a drink," Just as Nikolai finished his sentence, a scroll magically appeared in front of him. Out of reflex, he grabbed it out of midair. "Huh? I said drinking, not reading time!" However, Fluttershy was the first to notice something familiar about this particular scroll.

"Oh my, it's a letter from the Princess!" Everyone looked towards Fluttershy and her sudden outburst, but she quickly reverted back to her shy self once all eyes were on her. "Um, I mean, you should read it out loud…" The Soviet undid the royal seal and unraveled the scroll. Much to his surprise, a bottle of vodka was inside.

"Whoa! Amazing, is your Princess a communist, too?" After seeing the looks he was getting, he rolled his eyes and placed the new bottle of vodka in his bag. "Eh, never mind. Fuck you. Ahem, 'Dear Comrade Nikolai. There was one minor detail I had failed to mention to you about the Explody Bits. You see, the ones we administered to you are the grenade versions. In other words, the explosion will not be as big, but it is still very effective. Use these bombs wisely. P.S. I was never able to thank you properly for your aid in my escape from the Cosmodrome. I hope this vintage bottle of vodka straight from Russian distilleries will find you well. Sincerely, Gersch.' Bless this wonderful unicorn man thingy who gives vodka!" Before anyone could say a word, a series of massive explosions followed by brilliant flashes of light silenced everyone. Gilda and Nikolai were the first to recover.

"Agh, what the hell was that?" Gilda demanded.

"That, my comrade, is a sign of action! Everyone, to your stations! Zombies will be coming soon! And with zombies comes fun!" Nikolai, Strongheart, and the Chief took their places on the frontlines behind various haystack barricades. Fluttershy and Gilda took to the skies and are also armed with culinary weaponry.

"Gilda, are they coming, yet?" Nikolai called out. She took a moment to scan the landscape before spotting movement not too far off.

"They're slow, but those undead bastards are approaching us!"

"Oh, if they're slow, it means they're easy to kill! Easy killings mean more time for break. We should let the turrets do the dirty work for now!" The griffon and pegasus landed near the others with relief written on their faces. The buffalo were also at ease though they still carried their explosive pies.

"You know, this reminds me of those times in the trenches at Kursk. Very strenuous battle, I tell you! Those accursed Messerschmitts always doing those stupid dive bombing attacks! It kept waking me from hangover nap! So, in retaliation, I would kill those Nazis."

"Messerschmitt? The hell is that?" Gilda questioned." The Soviet took a swig from his newly acquired bottle before answering her question.

"It's an airplane, a flying machine. Oh, do you hear that? The whirring of the machinery! It's almost show time! Let us watch the beautiful carnage, comrades!" The rest of the group peeked over their barricades to watch with Nikolai. True enough, the turrets were beginning to find their targets as the zombies slowly approached. Much to the relief of the buffalo, none of their zombie counterparts were present. At last, the machines sprung into action and immediately began to mow down the zombies. While Nikolai and Fluttershy were no strangers to the turrets' handiwork, the others were. Gilda nearly squawked in surprise at the loud crackling of the shots but she held her tongue.

"This…this machinery! Its like having an army of unicorns on your side," Chief Thunderhooves exclaimed. "Nikolai, you simply must tell us more about these AMTs!"

"My god, why does everyone expect me to know these gadgets? Do I look that smart? I know I'm handsome but…"

"Was it not you who created this?"

"Of course not, Chief! It was another comrade of ours, Doctor Richtofen. He's the genius behind this madness. A bit on the goofy side too if ya ask me…" Before their nonchalant conversation could continue, Gilda got their attention with one of her trademark squawks.

"Guys, I hate to break it to you, but we can't just sit idly by anymore! Zombie buffalo are on the horizon."

"My former brethren have arrived already…?" Though he knew slaying the zombies were for survival, it still felt incredibly uncomfortable for Chief and Strongheart to kill what used to be their friends and family. With a grunt, Nikolai stood up with his EPC Win in hand.

"Comrades, I may not look smart, but I have good strategy! Those buffalo look tough, may do a lot of damage to buildings and stuff. So…uh…damn, lost my train of thought…someone help me out here." The rest of the group looked at each other before Fluttershy spoke up slightly.

"Um…you want us to target the buffalo while the AMTs take care of the other zombies? Oh goodness, I hope I got that right…"

"Bingo! My god, you ponies can read minds too? Wait a minute, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to go to those medic place thingies and heal stuff?"

"Oh, well, Dempsey said I would make a good field medic and the hospitals really only needed the supplies…" Nikolai placed his hand under his chin, as if to process the information faster.

"Hm, why not? You have wings. Good for…moving. Alright, comrades. Let's get to killing!" The five of them rushed headlong into battle, armed with their respective weaponry. Nikolai rode atop of Chief Thunderhooves with Strongheart at his flank. Gilda and Fluttershy took to the skies with their explosive pies and Explody Bits in special pouches. In a sense, this allowed them to act as incredibly mobile bombers. Despite their dire situation, no one could mistake the uncomfortable air that seemed to radiate between the griffon and the bashful pegasus. Gilda shot a glance at her.

"Listen, dweeb. If you wanna make it out of this alive, follow my lead," she vehemently nodded in response. "Alright, see those giant groups of buffalo zombies there? That's our target. We'll use those Explody Bits to mess em up good! These pies will be reserved for dog fights. I'm positive we'll see zombie pegasi soon…" Though Fluttershy could normally utter a sentence or two to acquaintances and friends, she found herself tongue tied in front of the griffon who once terrorized her. It was all she could do to keep from crying in front of her and risking the mission. Through her mental turmoil, she barely noticed Gilda veering strongly to the right. The duo began to pick up speed as they were getting ready to initiate their dive bomb attack with their deadly cargo. Gilda looked back to see that Fluttershy was keeping up with her pace with little effort.

"Not bad for someone who hardly flies…" she thought to herself. She raised her paw and held out three claws, signaling the countdown to release the bombs. Once it hit zero, both of them pulled the string attached to their pouches which dropped the Explody Bits on top of the unsuspecting herd of buffalo zombies. The two looked down to witness the carnage of the bombs for the first time.

"Whoa! What a rush! There's hardly any sign of those poor bastards!" While Gilda was cackling, Fluttershy couldn't help but look around nervously. This was too easy, even for her! She struggled far more on the way to Appleloosa than now.

"Um…Gilda…" The griffon turned to her, still chuckling.

"Hee hee, what is it, dweeb?" Before Fluttershy could say anything, a familiar blue fog rolled in and surrounded the town. While Gilda was perplexed, Fluttershy became alarmed.

"Oh no, hell hounds! Quick, we have to return to Nikolai's group!"

"Wha? What is this fog? I can barely see anything!"

"Hurry! There's no time." The pegasus already flew off without waiting for the griffon's response. But there was no time for questioning. Hell hounds sounded pretty bad to her. And if its something that causes even Fluttershy to become more outspoken, then it must be something to worry about! Thanks to her keen senses, she was able to see Fluttershy's pastel colorings through the dull fog. They sharply slowed their descent once the buildings came into sight. While Nikolai picked off the horde from a distance, Chief and Strongheart took care of the zombies within short range.

"Hyah hah! This is great! I don't have to use my legs to move, and I can still kill freely!" Nikolai seemed to be having such a blast that he hasn't noticed the fog yet. Though the buffalo looked incredibly worried. They looked towards the fliers who had just landed.

"Ah, Fluttershy, Gilda," Chief started. "We heard the explosions! Is that what's causing this strange blue fog?" Fluttershy violently shook her head.

"Hell hounds!" was the only word she managed to say. This got the Soviet's attention.

"Oh, is that what all this fogginess was? I thought it was just my vision blurring again! Hee hee, I was wondering why the air suddenly smelled of dog shit!" Lightning struck around the group several times but left no visible damage on the ground. However, in its wake were the fiery beasts. Everyone but Nikolai widened their eyes at the horrid sight.

"This…came from your world too?" Strongheart muttered.

"Da, they're quite the annoying bunch. Always chasing you, making you run…By the way, we really should start killing them."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Gilda brandished her claws. "Its time for some CQC! I ain't afraid of no demon dog!"

"Ooooo! A slicey dicey contest! Let Nikolai join the carnage!" He jumped off of Thunderhooves' back, following Gilda's charge into the fog. This left only the buffalo and Fluttershy to fend for themselves.

"Fluttershy, you seem to know more about these hellish creatures then we do," said Strongheart. "Tell us, what do we have to prepare for?" For a moment, the pegasus struggled to find the exact words she wanted to say.

"Um…well, they don't really 'zombify' you if you get bit. But, they do leave a nasty burn, so its bad either way."

"Hmph! These scoundrels won't even be able to touch us! Come, Strongheart! Battle awaits us." With a nod, they rushed forward to combat the hell hounds as well.

"Hey, wait for me!" Not wanting to fall behind her peers, she quickly caught up with them. Without a doubt, every single one of them was engaged with at least one hell hound. Nikolai and Gilda were killing off most of them while the buffalo simply stampeded over the dogs. The animal loving pegasus was nearly in tears at the sight.

"Oh, those poor dears…" she whispered to herself. "What could've caused this to happen to you…?"

"Hah! Mark one buffalo fer me."

"Are you blind, old man? That was CLEARLY the turret's work."

"What? U callin' me a liar, sonny? My pie CLEARLY took out that buffalo!"

"Grr, will you two can it? Are you trying to get on The Great and Powerful Trixie's bad side?"

"No, ma'am…" Braeburn replied with a sigh.

"Good. Now let's fend off this horde! I'd rather not be somepony's lunch." While they were at the frontlines pushing back the undead, Dempsey and Rainbow Dash both finished their respective tasks. She flew down towards his position with a confident smile.

"Wow, Dempsey! Didn't know you were so good at handling the wounded."

"Yeah, well, you gotta be if you want to look out for your troops. I may be an asshole in general, but I do care for my men," As he wiped the sweat from his brow, he looked up into the night sky. "Shit, man. Let's go back to killing! All this sappiness is starting to mess with my head." With an excited whoop, the rainbow pegasus jumped into the air with joy.

"Thought you'd never say that! Hop on, Dempsey! We'll attack em from the sky!"

"Ha ha! Death from above…I like your thinking!" With a devilish grin, he mounted Rainbow Dash and they flew off towards the raging battlefield. At the speed she was going, the Marine found it difficult to keep his eyes open. But he could still distinguish from friend and foe.

"We're about to descend! Get your heavy weaponry ready!" She shouted. Getting his Skullcrusher ready, she gave the signal of their descent. As they flew across the battlefield, Dempsey dumped his frag grenades and shot at the buffalo from above.

"Yeah! Suck it, freak bags!" The explosions greatly softened the incoming buffalo which allowed the ground troops to easily pick them off with little effort. "Yo, Dash! We gotta do another run!" She gave him the "hooves up" sign and they turned around for another bombing.

"Dempsey! How many more of those Explody Bits do you have?"

"Are you crazy? If we set them off here now, it'll fuck the whole town over!"

"I know that already! I can lure the whole zombie group far away from the town and then we can safely detonate those bombs!"

"Hah, don't tell me you're challenging yourself by trying to outrun the explosions!"

"You kidding me? I'm the fastest flier there is in Equestria! Now hang on tight! We're getting these stinkers outta town!" She flew dangerously close to the buffalo zombies as she whizzed past them. Once she was in front of the whole group, she whistled at them. Miraculously, they stopped what they were doing to pay attention to her. She bulged her eyes and cheeks out and stuck her tongue at them in a mocking manner.

"Bleghghgh bet you slowpokes can't keep up with me!" She turned around, smacked her rear and zoomed off.

"Are you sure pissing them off will work? I mean, come on! They got no damn brains!" The pegasus merely replied by pointing behind them. He turned to see the whole hoard; furious and on their tail. "Well I'll be damned…" She smirked and gained speed, luring nearly all the undead away from town and to a certain doom. Once the pegasus was satisfied with their distance, she shouted at Dempsey.

"Alright, Dempsey! This'll be our last bombing run for tonight! Let's finish em off in one fell swoop!" He gave her the ok sign in response. She sharply made a u-turn and signaled the Marine to release the Explody Bits. Going on her cue, he opened the satchel containing the rest of the bombs and dropped them over the horde. He tapped her side twice to indicate the job was finished. Instantaneously, the pegasus flew faster which forced Dempsey to grip around her neck. The tell tale signs of the beeping from the Explody Bits meant their job was finished. However, Rainbow Dash didn't count on how hard the explosion hit her, despite her current speed. As the shockwave from the explosions, hit the duo, the flier spiraled out of control, flinging Dempsey off her back. In a fleeting moment, they stared into each other's eyes. Fear and surprise showed in both pairs as they crashed into the ground.

"No…this can't be the end…!" both thought to themselves.

It took all his willpower to open his eyes to strange noises. He was greeted with a blinding light and familiar voices.

"Oh, thank goodness! Dempsey's finally awake!" Was that…Fluttershy? The Marine blinked a few times to adjust to the penetrating light.

"Ugh…where the hell am I…?" Suddenly, he was greeted with a tremendous crushing force around his chest. He could only grunt in response as the shy pegasus gave him her best hug.

"Dempsey I'm so glad you're awake!" She was practically in tears. He did the best he could to gently push her off.

"Jeez, man! Enough with the sappiness," she quickly complied. "So, what happened? Why am I in pain and in bed?" Suddenly, her expression changed to that of realization.

"Ah, I gotta tell the others! I'll be right back, Mr. Dempsey!" Before he could object, she was gone in a flash.

"Damn, she can really move when she wants to." He didn't have to wait long for his familiar squad to come into his medical tent. Nikolai was the first to talk.

"Holy shit, Dempsey! What the fuck were you doing, trying to fly like that? You are not a pegasus pony! Hah, and people say I'M the drunk one." Everyone merely rolled their eyes at his remarks. "Well, it is good that you have recovered. I wasn't in the mood to carry your body back, ya know?" Braeburn was the next to comment.

"Ah'm just glad y'all are fine. Were it not for everypony's bravery, I doubt Appleloosa would live to see another day! Mr. Dempsey, we're gonna prepare a nice feast for y'all, to celebrate our victory! It's the least we can do to pay ya back for yer hospitality…"

"Well, I'm just glad the mission wasn't a failure. So uh, can anyone fill me in on why I'm so fucked up right now?" Everyone looked at each other and then towards Rainbow Dash. She turned her head to the side in a somewhat shameful and shy manner.

"Uh…I can explain. I hope you guys don't mind but…I can use some privacy with Dempsey." Everyone nodded and walked out the tent. Once they left, she turned towards the Marine with glazed eyes. "I…I'm so sorry! I didn't think it would be that bad…" Slowly, it was all coming to him. He remembered the explosion, the zombies, and especially falling off Dash mid-flight.

"Oh, shit! So that's what happened. But what about you? Aren't you injured?" She nodded.

"Yeah, but its nothing compared to what happened to you…" He finally looked down at himself to see the extent of the damage. Nearly his whole body was wrapped in bandages. His left arm was broken. Oddly enough, the previously bad leg was now healthy. When he looked up to the pegasus, she was in tears. Slowly, she walked up to him and laid her head softly against her chest and began to cry softly. "I'm a terrible friend! I let this happen to you! It was my fault you're this badly hurt…!" He patted her back in a soothing and rather "un-Dempsey" fashion.

"Hey…I'll be fine. Its just a flesh wound. Give me a week or two and I'll be back up in no time, Rainbow Dash. Come on, now. Stop yer crying. It doesn't really suit you, to be honest." He gave a light chuckle. "I knew the risk coming into a fight like that. Hell, if anything, we're lucky to live through that! Live to kick ass another day, ya know? She smiled softly at his words.

"Yeah…you're right! Great, now you've seen me all…uncool and weepy…" Dempsey placed a finger to his mouth in a shushing manner.

"Hey, I won't tell anyone. Cross my heart-"

"-Hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye." They could only laugh at their own childish yet meaningful gesture.

AN:I know there's quite a bit of open ends here. But all shall be explained in due time...