(A/N: This is My first COD/MLP Crossover. This story is AU. This has some OCs (Original characters) and I'll try my best NOT to make any Mary Sues (or Gary stus in this case) Please R&R on what you think of it!)

(Summery: Shadow Company, Created by General Shepherd, Becomes a good U.S. Special forces after General Shepherd is killed. After weeks of debate, the decision for Shadow Company's future rests on the judgment of Task Force 141 leaders Captain John Price and Captain John "Soap" MacTavish (Yes, Soap is alive in this. So is Ghost since I'm a believer that he could have survived the gun wound that "killed" him in MW2. If you look, it shoots him in the stomach, and I've seen people with stomach wounds caused by gunshots survive and return to perfect condition.). After a long discussion about it, They agreed that Shadow Company could Aid the 141 in their missions "As long as they don't turn their guns on us again." Which The Shadow Company members swore to. Most of them admitted that they didn't even like Shepherd in the first place. Now Shadow Company, one of the most elite special force in the world ( next to Delta force and Task Force 141) assists in special missions that range from convoy protection to assassinations.)

(note: all OC characters in this story are NOT meant to have relations to any real living or dead people. Any and all names and descriptions are fictional. Any similarities between the characters and actual people, living or dead, are purely coincidental.)

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"It's important to know if you are dealing with shadows."

-Conrad Hall

Chapter 1: Dealing with Shadows

Location: Afghanistan Desert

Date: January 17, 2018

Time: 0600 hours (6:00 AM)

Mission: Three man team is to scout a targeted facility in the Afghanistan desert before SAS forces land at the targeted position.

The sun was just rising on a desert area in Afghanistan. OpFor members had been up since 5:00 AM (Middle Eastern time zone) guarding a facility that was holding Tomahawk missiles that they had recovered from ammunitions convoy that they had destroyed the previous week. While the Soldiers were guarding the facility, OpFor engineers were trying to break an extremely difficult code that the U.S. forces put into the Tomahawks programming system so that hostile forces couldn't use it. Never the less, OpFor was determined to crack the code. What they DIDN'T know was that they were being scouted by an elite recon team.

About 1500 Meters (0.93 miles for those not familiar with the metric system) on top of a large sand hill, There were three Shadow Company soldiers. the leader is a Captain, one a Lieutenant, and one a Staff Sergeant.

Shadow Company started using nicknames like TF141 and Delta force operatives to keep their identities secret. They were all wearing the standard Shadow company uniforms, but they each had different jobs.

The first one, A Captain and leader of the trio, was James Phillips.

Name: James "Specter" Phillips

Age:25

Date of Birth: September 17th, 1993

Height: 6'1

Weight: 220

Description: Blue eyes, Black hair

Rank: Captain

Military occupation: Squad captain

Preferred weapon(s): M4A1 ( Main) M1911 (Secondary)

Info: Captain James Phillips is of Mexican descent and is from Chicago, Illinois. James grew up on the streets, where he often got into fights. Those fights would prove helpful in Shadow Company as he is skilled in hand to hand combat.

Strengths: Leadership, hand to hand combat, Awareness

Weakness: During one of his first battles, he was stabbed in his left leg, which would be severe and took time to tend to the injuries. The leg wound has mostly healed, but Captain Phillips still experiences pain in that leg, making it a weak point if shot. To help the pain, military doctors prescribed him a certain type of pain pill that he has to take once a month.

"See anything?" Specter asked the Shadow Company soldier by him.

"Affirmative" the Shadow Company Soldier responded. He was observing the OpFor facility through the scope of his Barrett M82. "we've got multiple ground units around the entrance, and two towers with RPG teams ready to take down any choppers."

Specter nodded. "Alright, I'll radio it in. Pick one of the tangos that is using a RPG and take him out Scarecrow."

Scarecrow nodded. " Yes sir."

Name: Nick "Scarecrow" Walker

Age 22

Date of Birth: January 1st, 1996

Height: 6'4

Weight: 200

Description: Brown eyes, Brown hair, has some muscles ( is able to life his gear's weight, which is around 90-110 pounds)

Rank: 1st Lieutenant

Military Occupation: Sniper

Preferred weapons: Barrett M82 (Main) M9 (secondary)

Info: Nick Walker is of White descent. Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Walker always like to go to firing ranges with older brother, Mark, who was in the U.S.M.C. Whenever Mark was on break and not scheduled to be at any bases, him and Nick would go to the firing range, where Mark showed Nick how to fire Sniper rifles and also showed him how to judge a shot based on wind speed and how far away the target was. He is a devout Christian, often quoting scriptures while sniping. When he was asked how he felt about killing and being a christian, he explained how to bible said that there is a time for war, and how he will watch over those that honor him.

Joining the army and then becoming a Sniper in the Rangers in 2014, and ranking up fast for his bravery and decisive actions, he was a Corporal by the time of Russia's invasion of the United States. He became a 1st Lieutenant by the time of Makarov's Death. When he Became a member of Shadow Company, his nickname became "Scarecrow" because of his custom mask, which the original mask was the Standard Shadow Company black mask, but he had stitched a Smile into the mask, giving it the look of an evil smile, like a Scarecrow would have.

Strengths: Long range fighting, Speed, Stealth, Played Wide Receiver at UGA in college, so has good awareness and has healthy strength

Weakness: shortly after the battle of D.C., Scarecrow started to look for his brother, who was a captain in the Marine forces that was sent to help the Rangers, until he came to a soldier that he knew was a friend of Mark. He asked him where Mark was, but the Soldier put a hand on Scarecrow's shoulder and then grimly shook his head. He told him that Mark took a direct hit by an RPG while defending his 4 man team so the could get in a chopper, but Mark didn't make it. Nick, In Shock, broke down then and there. While he knows his brother was Christian (Mark brought Nick to Christianity) he still mourns about the lost of his brother.

"You alright?" asked the third Shadow Company soldier.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Scarecrow said while aiming at one of the Opfor that had a RPG. Scarecrow was the only one out of the three Shadow Company soldiers that was wearing a Ghillie suit over his Shadow Company gear. It was the same color as the desert sand.

"Alright, we need you in the battle since you're sniping these bastards," Jester said.

"Don't worry. Just don't get in my cross-hairs." Scarecrow replied. Jester simply shook his head, looking back towards the base.

Name: Derrick "Jester" Jennings

Age: 20

Date of Birth: June 6, 1998

Height: 6'0

Weight: 200

Description: brown eyes, black hair, muscled

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Military Occupation: Demolitions Expert

Preferred weapons: M249 SAW ( main) M9 (secondary)

Info: Derrick is African American. He lived in Oklahoma all his life, and was very interested with explosions. His love for explosions started at age 9, when his dad bought him a whole set of firecrackers for July 4th . He would always study different types of bombs, grenades, mines, and any other type of explosive weaponry. During his teenage years, he would work lifting heavy automotive parts, which made him strong enough to carry heavy weaponry. He got his nickname "Jester" For having a comedian like attitude, which he would use to lighten the mode. He and Scarecrow would make cracks at each other sometimes during combat.

Strengths: Demolitions expert, Strong.

Weakness: He can get carried away with his demolitions, and can tend to blow up things danger close to his squad.

"So, you think the British guy with the Mohawk will let us have some R&R after this?" Jester asked Specter.

"I doubt it. They didn't when we gave them the location of that hidden bunker where a Spetsnaz general was planning to drop a napalm strike on a part of Russia and make them think that the U.S. did it, Which we helped stop, now did they?" Specter replied. Jester scoffed.

"A "No" would have been good." Instead of calling each other "sir" the three communicate to each other as if they were all the same rank. They only use the proper talking when a soldier that has a higher ranking than all of them is around.

Specter got his radio out. "Overlord, this is Echo 3-1. We have confirmation on the LZ. Our team Sniper will take out the RPG teams to distract them while Task Force 141 units are landing, over."

"Overlord copies, two CH-46 Sea Knights carrying Task Force 141 and Shadow Company units are entering your sector and will land at the position where you pop the green smoke. take out those RPG teams so they don't take down our birds."

"Copy that Overlord." Specter replied. "Scarecrow, take em' out when we are close to halfway there. Jester, let's start our run. " Specter ordered.

"You got it."

"Time to die," Scarecrow said as he aimed at one of the OpFor that had an RPG. Scarecrow waited for the right moment, and judging the wind speed and the gravitational effect of the bullet, he fired. He watched through the Scope as the bullet penetrated the RPG soldier's head that he was aiming for. Since they were almost a mile away, the Opfor soldiers couldn't hear the gunshot Like Scarecrow did (which he was use to.)

"One down." Scarecrow said as he re-cocked the gun for the second shot. After he took the shot on the second RPG soldier, he noticed that some OpFor soldiers were scrambling outside the facility to make a counter attack.

"Specter, you're going to have visitors. Better pop those green flares now." Scarecrow said over the radio.

"Copy that. Popping green smoke now, cover us the best you can," Specter replied over the Radio.

"Roger that." Scarecrow replied, going back to picking off targets with his M82 Barrett. Thanks to his scope's magnification, he could clearly see the OpFor running towards Specter and Jester, who had just deployed green smoke flares to notify the landing position.

"Echo three-one, this is Thunderbird. We see your smoke signal, landing now." Said a chopper pilot over the radio chatter. Scarecrow took out another OpFor before turning the scope briefly to see the choppers land.

"Touchdown." One of the pilots said as the choppers landed. Multiple Soldiers from Task Force 141 and Shadow Company got out of the vehicles. Since Shadow Company was re-commissioned, The 141 now only had British and Australian soldiers, While Shadow Company had the U.S. soldiers.

"all units, be advised, black hawks Thunderbird and Raven will provide machine gun fire, but will then have to return to base to refuel, over."

"Copy That! All Task Force units, move out!" Said a British Captain, one that could be recognized by his trademark Mohawk. "Task Force units, regroup with Shadow Company units and head straight for the entrance gate! Price and I will meet up with Specter and Jester of Echo 3-1" Soap said as him and Price ran ahead to meet up with Specter and Jester.

"Glad you could make it to the party boys!" Jester said.

"We're not here to have a party, just here to crash it." Price said.

"Well, that's better! Let's get going!" Specter said. " Shadow company moving out!" " Scarecrow, report enemy positions to us that we need to watch out for and that we can take out while you provide Sniper cover, over" Specter said into the earpiece he had on. The earpiece is used by all the soldiers so they don't have to use handheld radios.

"Copy that. OpFor are moving into the building where target goldmine is located. They're guarding it at all costs." Scarecrow reported to Specter by radio.

"Roger. Shadow company, move forward!" Specter ordered.

"141, watch our six! Operation Goldmine is a go!" Price said.

But Operation Goldmine would take an unexpected turn when the forces find 6 new visitors that look human, but are from another dimension entirely.

Shadows of Hope

"sometimes, fate has a reason for creating new friendships"

-The #1 Bushwacka

Chapter 2: New Friendships

Twilight Sparkle and her friends were on their way to Canterlot Castle, where Princess Celestia was waiting for them to tell them why she had required to see them immediately. When she got the letter to tell them to pack necessities because they were going somewhere special, she could tell by the handwriting that the letter was written hastily, so it must be VERY important.

When they arrived at Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia was outside waiting for them.

"My little ponies, why I am glad to see you we must hurry, there has been a grave problem." Celestia said. She urgently led the Ponies to a room where the elements of harmony were kept. There were six podiums, each one with the mane six's cutie mark on it, with a light shining on the top of the podium, this was were the elements of harmony was suppose to be.

"What happened?" Twilight asked Princess Celestia.

"The Elements of Harmony have suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. I was able to use my magic to find where they have disappeared to, but I can not find there exact location. This is where I need you and your friends. Since you, the Mane six, are telepathically connected to the elements of harmony, only you six can find them.

"How?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The Elements of harmony have been located at different locations on a planet known as "Earth"," Princes Celestia informed them. "I need you to go to this planet to retrieve the elements of harmony, and fast, before dangerous results happen. The mane six new what she meant. The Elements of Harmony is what holds Discord trapped in his stone prison. without the Elements of Harmony, Discord can slowly break free, which will cause havoc all over Equestria."

"We will do our best Princess," The Mane Six said unanimously. Princess Celestia was proud that she had such brave subjects.

"Of course you will, I have perfect faith in you. But you must be warned. The inhabitants of Earth, The "Humans" are an advanced, but dangerous race. While there may be some that will help you on your journey, there will also be ones that will challenge you." Celestia warned.

"Also, if Discord is set free, he will go after you to retrieve the elements himself. But to hide your appearance from him, your physical bodies will be transformed into the human female appearance while you are in mid teleportation. Also, you will all still have your powers. "

"Well, I just hope we won't look dreadful," Rarity said. She always cared about her appearance.

Celestia smiled a little. " Do not worry, the Humans are a beautiful race, it is just that they have a dark history." Rarity seemed to sigh a sigh of relief.

"Now, I wish you the best of luck." Celestia said, casting a spell which opened a portal.

"Don't worry princess, we'll find those elements before you can say "Wonderbolts!"" Rainbow dash said. One by one, the Mane Six walked into the portal, preparing for what awaits them.

"Good luck, my little ponies. You will need it." Celestia said as she watched the Mane six enter the portal.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Ghost, tango on your right!" Soap warned Ghost. Ghost immediately turned around, shooting the OpFor soldier before he could react.

"Got him" Ghost said. Ghost had joined up with Soap, Price, Specter, and Jester. The TF141 and Shadow Company forces were now hugging the entrance wall. Scarecrow told them what they were going to face.

"Alright, you got two enemy machine gun nests setting up in front of the door. One is to the northwest, the other northeast. I'll take out the one that is northeast, so you guys just worry about the one northwest. After that, it's clear. All the other units went inside the engineering facility. I won't have a shot on the soldiers inside there, so I'll move up to one of the towers so I can sniper from there." Scarecrow said over the radio.

"So, we're going to be without sniper cover for about 5 minutes, right?" Specter asked.

"Depends if I can still run like I did in College," Scarecrow jokingly said.

"Just run as fast as you're feet can take you." Soap said.

"Yes sir."

"Alright. This walls gonna take a good bit of C4." Price said. Specter nodded, then look at his men, Shadow company was on one end of the wall, TF141 the other.

"Jester, Sledgehammer, you're up." Specter ordered.

"Yes sir," They both responded. The two moved to the front of the SC ( Shadow Company) lines so they would be in front of the door. They both worked quickly to set up the charges. Before long, they both got back in line.

"Charges set, ready to breach!" Sledgehammer said.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Jester yelled. He pushed the button which detonated the explosives, destroying the door completely.

"Go, go, go!" Specter ordered as the soldiers charged in. they saw that the machine gun nest to the northeast was already taken out, covered in Opfor blood.

"This is Scarecrow, I'm moving towards the base, so you're gonna be without sniper cover for a while." Scarecrow reported over the radio to the TF141 and SC units.

"Copy that," Soap replied. The units made a full sprint towards the building, also while taking down the other machine gun nest. But the OpFor units got some lucky kills before they were shot down by some 141 soldiers. They started with 40 men, but the machine gun nest took out ten, five from the 141, five from Shadow Company, so they now had thirty.

The men lined up against the wall, same way they did at the entrance.

"This door's been locked systematically and it's explosive proof. We would just be wasting explosives if we tried to blow it off." Jester said.

"Bloody great. Ghost, think you can hack into it?" Price asked.

"Should be able to. Just give me some time." Ghost responded as he set up a hacking system to the door's lock pad.

"Specter, this is Scarecrow." Scarecrow said over the radio to Specter.

"I copy, go ahead." Specter responded

"I'm in one of the towers now. I've got a clear view of everything inside." Scarecrow reported.

"Good. See anything we should be aware of?" Specter asked.

"Affirmative. There is another enemy machine gun nest on the second floor in front of the door. I would take the gunner out, but his body is covered by a steel bar that's supporting the roof." Scarecrow said.

"Got it, anything else?" Specter asked.

"No sir, nothing much… wait, what the?" Specter heard Scarecrow say over the radio.

"What is it?" Specter asked.

"All units, be advised," Scarecrow said. He was now using the public radio channel, so all of the soldiers could hear him.

"All units, be advised, this just got harder. We have a hostage situation."

"Scarecrow, what the bloody hell are you talking about mate?" Ghost asked.

"OpFor soldiers have six women tied up. They're using them as human shields." Scarecrow said.

"Confirmed Scarecrow," Soap said. " Can you tell if they're military personnel?" Soap asked Scarecrow.

"Well, um, I don't think so sir. They don't have uniforms on." Scarecrow reported.

"Well, do they have the local clothing on?" Price asked.

"Uh, negative sir."

"Then what the bloody hell are they wearing?" Price asked.

"Um, Nothing, sir. They're naked." Scarecrow answered.

Price just looked at Specter, who returned the stare. Ghost had even stopped hacking the door for a few seconds when he heard Scarecrow. Jester was the one to break the silence.

"They hot?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Five minutes earlier…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Twilight and the others were in awe as they were going through the portal. Even though it was frightening, it was a first for any of them. They were also looking at the images that were passing by. Little did they know, they were looking at pictures of Humanity's past. They saw the events of The Revolutionary war, The Civil War, WWI, D-Day of WWII, The Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam war, and other moments in human history.

"This is so cool!" Rainbow Dash said. Fluttershy was covering her eyes with her hoofs, and Rarity was doing her best to calm her down.

As Twilight looked around, she noticed an object coming towards them.

"Girls, look out!" Twilight said. The mane six moved just in time as a Telephone booth flew past them and went into one of the images.

"Well, that was odd." Applejack commented. Suddenly, a blue aura surround the mane six.

"Ooh, a light show!" Pinkie said with excitement. The blue aura then expanded, until it was completely around the six ponies. Then, the aura turned bright white on the outside were the ponies could not see one another.

Twilight was worried, but then had a tingling feeling in her hoofs. She looked at her hooves and gasped.

Slowly, white light went over her hooves, turning them into the human hands of a female. She then closed her eyes, waiting for the transformation to complete. When it did, she opened her eyes and looked at herself in the reflection of the white light, while she still had her hairstyle, she noticed that her horn was gone. She looked like she was in her early twenties. Her skin was now Caucasian instead of purple. She also saw that her hooves turned into human hands and feet. She also looked at her chest, and questioned herself why there were now two round bumps on her chest. She decided she would find out why when they got to where ever they were going.

She also noticed that her tail was gone. When the white light disappeared. She observed her friend's appearance. They looked to be around the same age as Twilight. They also had the same type of body like she did, all their skin colors being different shades of Caucasian. The other girl's hairstyle were the same as they were when they were ponies, but their tails were gone also. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's wings were gone, and so was rarity's horn. They also had the round bumps on their chest like Twilight did, but they all had different sizes. Twilight would definitely figure out they had them and why they were different sizes.

"Whoa, these bodies look cool, but ponies are 20% cooler," Rainbow Dash said.

"These look like balloons!" Pinkie pie said, poking at the round bumps on her chest.

"These creatures must walk on two feet," Twilight said, pointing at her own legs.

"I Think we'll have at find out more about these bodies later, girls, look what's comin'!" Applejack said. They all looked and saw an image of what looked like a big building, and they were heading straight towards it.

"Hang on! Join hooves!" Twilight said.

"But we don't have any hooves!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Well, join whatever these are than!" Twilight said, referring to her now human hands. The mane six joined hands as they entered the image, which would take them to Earth.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Door's hacked." Ghost said, getting back in the line up.

"Alright, anyone got a flash bang?" Soap asked.

"I got one sir," Said Nomad, and Australian soldier in the 141. He handed it to Soap.

"Thanks, mate." Soap said, moving to the front of the 141 line. The doors started to crack open.

"Flash bang going in!" Soap yelled, throwing the flash bang in. when it exploded, they could here the temporarily blinded soldiers that were waiting for them yelling from the explosion.

"Move in! remember, we have hostages, look for six females that are tied up." Specter said. SC soldiers easily took out the OpFor that was in front of the door.

"Iron, left side, high!" said one SC soldier to another.

"I got him. Thanks for the heads up Typhoon." the other soldier said. They're was constant radio chatter between the two groups.

After taking out the machine gun crew, the forces moved up to the second floor. They saw multiple machines, all of them looking experimental.

"These guys got more than a few tomahawks," Said Tick, a SC soldier.

"To right mate." Soap responded.

"Soap, look out!" Tick yelled. Before soap could turn around, he was tackled by an OpFor soldier, the soldier had caught him off guard and was able to knock Soaps weapon away. But before the soldier could kill him, Ghost jumped on the OpFor soldier, knocking him down. Ghost punched the OpFor soldier In the face before getting his tactical knife and stabbed the soldier in the chest, killing him.

"Thanks mate, I owe you one." Soap said. Ghost looked at him.

"Consider it payback for saving me back at the estate," Ghost said. Soap smiled and nodded.

"If you two are done, we've still got to save those hostages." Price said. The soldiers moved up until they saw the tomahawk missiles and the Hostages, both being guarded by two heavily armed OpFor soldiers, which were wearing Juggernaught armor. There was an OpFor officer behind them, and he pointed to the SC and 141 soldiers.

"Destroy them! Show no mercy!" the officer yelled in Arabic.

"Shit! TAKE COVER!" Specter yelled out. The soldiers immediately ran to their sides, where there were old boxes that they could use as cover.

"What the hell do we do now?" Jester asked. The SC and TF141 soldiers fired their weapons just over the crates, hoping that they will get a lucky hit on the juggernaughts.

"Scarecrow, come in! do you copy!" Specter yelled over the gunfire.

"I copy, I'm trying to find a weak point on the juggernauts now!" Scarecrow said.

"Hurry!" Jester yelled, throwing a grenade at the juggernauts. A 141 operative was shot and bleeding.

"Hurricane's hit. I'll tend to him!" Ghost said, getting out a med kit he had packed just incase.

"Found one. There's an opening between the helmet and the torso, where to can see the neck. But it's hard to hit." Scarecrow said.

"You mean you can't hit it?" Specter said.

"No. I said it's hard to hit. I didn't say I couldn't." Scarecrow said.

The next thing that Specter knew, one of the juggernauts fell to the ground dead. This distracted the other one, giving the soldiers a good opportunity.

"Open fire, now!" Price ordered. The soldiers opened fire on the juggernaut, their combined power killing him. The officer immediately got worried. He looked around, thinking of a way to escape, and then it hit him. He jumped towards one of the women being held hostage, one with a pink hairstyle, and grabbed her, using her as a human shield. The other girls shrieked and begged him to let her go.

"Oi, you untie those other girls." Soap ordered some of his men. The officer pulled out a pistol and pointed it at his shield's head.

"Drop your weapons or I kill her!" The officer said in rough English.

"Let her go!" Soap yelled, aiming and looking for any open shots. But none of them could find an open spot since the officer had a small, thin frame.

They still had their weapons aimed at the officer, just in case he made a mistake and gave them an opening. But the officer was careful with his steps, and made it to a back door.

"Well, you may have won this battle, but we shall win the war!" The officer said, before pushing the girl into Soap. The officer ran out and Ghost started to chase him.

"Leave him, we have what we came for." Soap said, untying the girl.

"T-t-thank you sir." The pink haired girl said. Soap simply nodded.

"Sir, what about that officer? He'll warn their leaders, and they'll be hunting us." Ghost asked.

"I wouldn't worry about him." Said a voice from the back door. The girls looked and saw what looked like a walking bush.

"Scarecrow, when did you get down here?" Jester asked. Scarecrow was standing in the door way, and he was carrying the officer, who was now knocked out cold.

"I figure you could use him for questioning since they have a lot more than tomahawks here. So he's not dead… yet." Scarecrow said.

"Alright." Jester said. He turned towards the six women.

"So, what are a bunch of good looking ladies like you doing in a place like this?" He asked them.

"Well, it's a long story," Said the girl with Purple hair with a pink streak through it.

"Maybe you can explain on the way back to our base, cause you're coming with us." Specter said. "Oh and ladies," Specter said, getting their attention. "you may want to put some clothes on before we get there." Jester chuckled some.

"Right, think there's anything we can use to cover them up?" Ghost said.

Scarecrow walked towards the girl with the blond ponytail. " Here, you can wear my ghillie suit." he said.

"Your what?" The girl asked.

"My ghille suit. It's what this is that makes me look like a bush. Here, I'll show you how to put it on." Scarecrow offered. As he was showing her how to put the suit on, he introduced himself.

"I'm Nick, but I'd rather be called Scarecrow. That's my nickname, see?" He said.

Applejack could tell he was from the south, even though his southern accent wasn't that strong. "Name's Applejack, And Ah Thank ya kindly for offering me clothing," Applejack said.

"Applejack, hmm." Scarecrow said. He observed Applejack as she pulled the ghillie suit's hood off her head and pulled her ponytail out from under the clothing.

"Looks good. Come on, maybe you and your friends can tell us about yourselves while we are heading back to base," Scarecrow said.

"Well, ah hope you're ready for a story then," Applejack said. The 141 and SC was able to find temporary clothing for the girls, so their bodies were covered up.

Soap was walking along, thinking about what had happen, when he felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned around and saw the pink haired girl.

"I just wanted to say, thank you." She said timidly.

"Not a problem mate, it's my job." Soap said.

"My names Fluttershy." Fluttershy said.

"Just call me Soap." Soap responded.

"Soap? That sounds like an odd name." Fluttershy said.

"That's what I thought when I first saw him." Price commented. Soap laughed.

"Well, it's really a nickname."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As the soldiers and the mane six arrived just outside the entrance base, they saw two CH-46 Sea Knights coming back.

"What are those?" Twilight asked.

"Helicopters. They're flying us back to base." Specter told her.

"It may not be as cool as flying around Equestria, but still, awesome!" Rainbow Dash said.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Jester whispered to ghost, who simply shrugged.

"Beats me."

As the Helicopters landed, the pilots helped the wounded on board first. Then, the soldiers and mane six got on. Soap, Price, Ghost, Scarecrow, Jester, Specter, and the mane six got on one helicopter with some other soldiers, while the others got onto the other one.

"So, you wanna start telling us why you're all out here in the middle of Afghanistan?" Soap asked.

"Well, Here is the story." Twilight said, explaining why they were there and their situation.

The tough, battle hardened soldiers of Task Force 141 and Shadow Company had no idea

Of the upcoming adventure and war that they were going to take place in.

Shadows of Hope

"Any Allies, old or new, in the end, will help you make it through."

-The Number 1 Bushwacka

Chapter 3: New Allies

"So, let me get this straight. You six are not really humans and not from Earth, and you've lost these, "Elements of Harmony" and while the elements are not back on your own planet, a great evil will break free and follow you all to find you and take the elements to rule your world, and possibly ours?" Price said.

"Yeah, you've got the right idea," Twilight said. The six soldiers were now thinking about what they had just heard.

"Well, there has got to be a way to help them. If what they said was right, this "Discord" character is a threat to our world just as much as theirs." Specter said.

"Well, I don't know. Even if we agree, we would have to talk to command and possibly the U.N." Soap stated.

"Well, couldn't you just get all of them together and talk about it in one big party?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"It's not that simple, even though I wish it was," Jester said.

"Don't I get a say in all of this?" The OpFor officer said. He had woken up shortly after they had left, and was now tied up.

"Just shut it." Scarecrow said.

"So why were ya'll there in the first place?" Applejack asked.

"Well, we were on a mission to retrieve stolen tomahawk missiles," Ghost said, pointing to the Tomahawk missiles that they had brought onboard with them.

"This was intended to be a "kill all" mission. But if it wasn't for Scarecrow, we wouldn't have known you were there and that you were being held hostage." Specter said.

"I was doing my job." Scarecrow said. "Nothing heroic."

"I didn't think it was heroic," The officer said. Scarecrow punched the officer in the back of his head, knocking him out again. This caught the girls, and even jester off guard.

"sheesh, I thought you were Christian," Jester said.

"Just because I believe in god doesn't mean I don't believe in fighting," Scarecrow said. Scarecrow was silent for the rest of the trip.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When the choppers landed back at a Fire Base Phoenix, medical staff was the first to arrive to take the wounded 141 and SC soldiers to receive medical treatment. After that, a U.S. Army Major walked out to meet Price and Specter.

"Gentlemen, I see you got the Tomahawk missiles, along with information on other equipment they working on," The Major said as Price handed him some photos and Blueprints that were put in a small bag.

"Yes sir, but we believe we've stumbled on a bigger problem." Specter said to the general. He led the Major to the six girls.

"Who are these people?" The Major asked.

"Eh, it's a long story." Jester said.

"We need clothing for them sir." Scarecrow said. The Major noted this as he saw the makeshift clothing they had on.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. But I still want to know why they're here." The Major said.

"I can explain why we are here sir," Twilight said, walking up to him.

"Alright, but you do need some clothes on." The Major said.

"They're should be military clothing in one of our facilities, ask Corporal Johnson about it. He's currently at the firing range." The Major said.

"Alright, Thanks for the info Major Ramirez," Specter said, Saluting him. Major Ramirez Saluted him back, before getting a call on his radio.

"This is Major Ramirez, go ahead." Ramirez answered. "What? What do you mean Colonel Foley wants to see me? What for? Are you serious?" Ramirez asked. "Alright, but where are we going to find 2 packs of beer and 6 bananas in the middle of fucking Afghanistan? You know what, let me see him. Ramirez out." Ramirez said, turning off the radio.

"Colonel Foley?" Jester asked.

"Yeah, and I thought I finally didn't have to be his bitch," Ramirez responded. Ramirez walked off, going to once again meet Foley's needs.

"Well, we better find this Johnson character," Ghost said. Ghost walked over to Rainbow dash.

"you alright?" he asked her.

"Yeah, just still getting use to being human." Dash replied.

"Well, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." Ghost said. Dash gave a little smile as the 12 walked towards the firing range.

When they got there, they could see a corporal showing new recruits in the Rangers how to field strip an enemy AK-47.

"now you see, the time for a regular person to take this rifle apart would be about twelve to 15 seconds, IF they now how to. But here in the Rangers and even the special forces like Task force 141 and Shadow Company, you have to be able to do it faster than that time." Johnson said.

"Excuse me, corporal Johnson, but I need to ask you something," Specter said. When Johnson looked up and saw who it was, he immediately saluted him.

"Captain on deck!" Johnson said. The recruits immediately stood at attention. The mane six had to admit, they were impressed by their quick reflexes and clean movements.

"At ease," Specter said, returning the salute. "I just need to ask you something." Specter whispered the question into the corporal's hear so the recruits wouldn't get any ideas.

"There should be female military clothing in hangar 5, that's where they have been keeping recent clothing." Johnson said.

"Alright, thanks." Specter said, turning around and started to walk off. "Oh, and for you new guys, pay attention and you'll be able to do this in battle. Show em' Scarecrow." Specter said.

Scarecrow, without saying a word, walked over to the table where the AK-47 was. Then, with quick speed, he did a clean field strip on the AK-47, disassembling it in eight seconds. He then put it back together in nine seconds, loaded the weapon with a AK-47 magazine that was on the table, and fired at two targets down the range. The gun worked perfectly, and he took down both targets with near perfect accuracy.

The recruits, along with the mane six, stared in awe.

"Wow, how did you do that that so fast, pardner?" Applejack asked.

"It took patience and time to learn, and it's saved my life plenty." Scarecrow said as he walked beside her.

"Maybe if I learn that, I could do it faster!" Dash said.

"Good luck with that," Jester said. "Scarecrow's time of 8 seconds is our company record. No one in Shadow Company has done it faster." He said.

"I still bet I can." Dash muttered.

"I'd worry about putting on clothes, first mate. This is it." Ghost said. The Mane six had not even notice that they were already at the hangar. They walked inside and came to an a door that had "CLOTHING" on it. Soap opened the door and they led the girls in. They then walked to an area that had another door, this one having "WOMEN" on it.

"Well, Guess this is it." Jester said.

"Alright. Get some clothes on, and meet us outside the hangar door," Price said.

"Of Course, I will be glad to get out of these rags." Rarity said.

"I don't blame you." Price responded. He smiled a little when Rarity seemed to steam a little at his remark.

"Well, we'll see you outside." Specter said as the 6 men walked out of the room. As Twilight opened some of the crates with her magic, she could see uniforms that were like the ones that the 141 and SC wears, except they were for women. The near skin tight uniforms would "turn a guy on" to say the least.

"I guess this is it." Twilight said. The girls put on the uniforms and observed themselves in a mirror that happened to be in the room. Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie had put on SC combat gear, while Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy had on TF141 combat gear.

"Well, it's indubitably better," Rarity said, observing herself. The girls were all wearing lightweight gear, with different styles for different occupations. Twilight and Rainbow dash had lightweight infantry gear on, Pinkie Pie had on demolitions gear ( the others were surprised she could carry the gear with ease.), Applejack had on Sniper gear ( about the same as Scarecrows) and Rarity and Fluttershy had on medical gear. Applejack had kept her regular hat on instead of putting on a helmet, unlike the others.

"Well, this gear can't slow me down!" Dash said as she rolled the sleeves of her uniform up to her elbows.

"Come on girls, Specter said they would be waiting for us outside." Twilight said.

The guys were chatting outside the hangar when the girls came out. They definitely got their attention. Applejack and Rainbow Dash walked up to Ghost and Scarecrow.

"What do ya'll think?" Applejack and Rainbow Dash asked.

"Uh, looks great," Scarecrow said.

"Yeah, looks good on you mate." Ghost said. Needless to say, Ghost was thankful he had his Sunglasses on, and Scarecrow was thankful he had his tinted goggles on. Scarecrow asked for forgiveness later that day.

"Bloody hell, for a women that is really a pony, Dash is hot." Ghost thought. "Wait, what the hell am I thinking, she's a pony! That's just sick." Ghost then thought, his brain conflicting.

"I wonder what Ghost looks like without his mask on…" Dash was thinking. Dash and Ghost then looked away

Applejack and Scarecrow were having the same thoughts.

"Ah have at admit, Scarecrow seems like a cute guy, for a human. Wait, what in tarnation am Ah sayin?" Applejack thought.

"I wonder if she's thinking about me… wait, did I just think that?" Scarecrow thought.

"Oi, Scarecrow!" Ghost said. Scarecrow and Applejack had broken out of their thoughts and noticed they had been staring at each other. They both looked away, blushing. But Scarecrow had his mask on, hiding most of his blush. Dash and Ghost chuckled a little. The four ran and caught up to specter and the others, who were heading towards base headquarters. Dash and Applejack were in the back.

"Thinking?" Dash said, chuckling.

"Aw, Don't be so immature," Applejack said.

"Come on Applejack, you can tell me." Dash said. Applejack and Rainbow Dash have been friends a long time, so she trusted her.

"Well, Ah admit, I was thinking about Scarecrow," Applejack admitted. " Ah know he's human, but I just have that "Feeling"" She said.

Dash gasped. "You to?"

"What?" Applejack said, caught off guard.

"I was thinking of Ghost the same way. There's just something about him that makes me feel for him." Dash and Applejack looked at each other, and then looked at Ghost and Scarecrow, who were talking to each other.

"Wonder if they think the same about us," Dash said.

"Well, who knows," Applejack said. They group quieted down when they got to headquarters.

"Alright. Twilight, since you're the group leader, follow me." Specter said. Specter and Twilight walked into a room that had "COMMAND HQ" on the door. Specter closed the door behind him after Twilight had walked in.

"Generals, This is Ms. Twilight Sparkle. She has important information to tell you and she requires our help." Twilight stepped forward and explained everything about why they were here and how Discord is looking for them. The generals, three American in command of Shadow Company, and three British in command of 141, counseled with each other. When they broke, one of the Generals stood up

"If this "Discord" can do what you say he can, he is a threat not only to our countries, but our world. While we agree to help you, you will have to convince the President of the United States and the King of the United Kingdom." The Generals turned behind them and looked at a large TV screen. The screen turned on, and the President of the U.S. and the King of England.

Twilight gulped and walked up to stand in front of the screen.

"Look in your bag," Said a voice in Twilight's head. The voice sounded like Princess Celestia. Twilight forgot she had her satchel with her, and reached inside. She felt one of her book of spells, which she put in there, but she also felt a small, round object. She pulled the object out, and was not sure what it was. She pressed a button on it, and a screen came up. The device floated out of Twilight's hand and hovered in front of the screen that had the president and king.

"Greetings. I am Princess Celestia, ruler of the land that my Messenger and student, Twilight Sparkle, comes from. We are in dire need of your help. The Princess, President, and King discussed about the situation, and after about 15 minutes, they agreed. The U.S. and Great Britain would help the mane six in search of the elements of harmony, and provide information and protection to the girls in their search.

"Thank you for your care and your time." The Princess said. The video screen than disappeared, and the device floated back to Twilight, which she put back in her satchel.

"Well, It's settled then." one of the British generals said. Specter saluted the generals, and Twilight bowed, The generals returning the salute.

When they came back out, Specter informed his men and Soap, Price, and Ghost while Twilight told the mane six of what had happened.

"So, where would the first element of harmony be?" Ghost said.

"I know," Said an officer that was listening to the conversation.

"And who are you?" Captain price said.

"I overheard your conversation and remembered something concerning the elements of harmony. The OpFor officer you brought back, during interrogation, he admitted that before you 6 women arrived, a necklace of some kind appeared. He described it as "having what looked like an apple on it, and it possessed great power." He said before their base was raided, they sent the necklace off to a bigger and more guarded facility in Pakistan." the Officer reported. Applejack gasped.

"Why, That's mah element! Tha Element of honesty!" She exclaimed.

"You said in Pakistan. Where?" Soap asked.

"The capitol. Islamabad." the officer said.

"Damn," Specter muttered under his breath.

"Alright, thanks for the info mate." Ghost said. The Officer saluted and walked off.

"Should we head out tomorrow than?" Specter asked Price.

"Probably, at best." Price said. They noticed how dark it was, and must have forgot about the time.

"Well, off to bed. What about sleeping arrangements?" Jester said. After some talk, the six men would get extra mattresses and sleep on the floor and

let the girls have the beds.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

After taking their combat gear off, the men had only their T-shirts and pants on, and they let the girls borrow some extra shits and pants that were now to small for the guys.

"Alright, see you in the morning, mates. And ladies, we talked about it, and tomorrow we're gonna show you how to fire some of our weapons, just in case you have to." Price said. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy would sleep with Soap, Price, and Ghost, while Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie would sleep with Jester, Specter, and Scarecrow.

Specter, Twilight, Pinkie, and Jester were already inside, and Applejack was about to go inside, when she noticed Scarecrow sitting on the ground, looking at the sky.

"Say, Jester, What's Scarecrow doin'?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, well, you see, like you, Scarecrow had a brother. Him and his brother were in the armed forces."

"What does that have to do with him sittin' out there?" Applejack asked. Jester sighed.

"You see, Scarecrow's Religion is Christianity. At night, before he goes to bed, he looks up at the sky and prays to his God. He also said that it reminds him of when he and his brother would hang out and look at the sky at night." Jester said.

"Well, Where's his brother?" Applejack asked. Jester looked at Scarecrow, and then back at Applejack.

"His… his brother died four years ago. An enemy RPG hit him directly while he was covering his squad, allowing his men, along with the wounded, to escape. He got the Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award, but it didn't help Scarecrow feel any better, to say the least." Jester said. " I'm his best friend, but he won't even talk about that to me." Jester said before walking inside the sleeping quarters.

Applejack turned and looked at Scarecrow. She loved her family dear, but she couldn't imagine the pain of losing her big brother, Big Mac or her sister, Applebloom.

She walked over and coughed, getting Scarecrow's attention. She was also curious of what Scarecrow looked like. He didn't have his mask on, but his shadow in the moon's light covered it.

"Oh, Hey Applejack," Scarecrow said without turning around.

"Howdy, mind if I sit by ya?" She asked him. Scarecrow motioned that she could.

"So, Jester told me why you're out here," She said as she sat down.

"Really now. Some people think I'm crazy cause of it." Scarecrow said.

"How would Fluttershy handle this?" Applejack thought.

"Well, Ah don't think that. Ah have a big brother and little sister back home. I love them dearly, and Ah couldn't live if Ah lost one of them." She said. " Ah'm mighty sorry about your loss, Nick." Applejack said. Scarecrow noticed that she used his name, but let her.

"So why didn't you go in with the others?" Scarecrow asked her.

"I figured you may have needed someone to try to comfort you." Applejack said. That's when Scarecrow turned his head towards her. She was speechless for a couple of seconds. He looked handsome, his hairstyle was the same as Zac Efron's was ( the way it looked in High School Musical) except it was the same dark shade of brown that his eyes were.

Applejack was intrigued by his good looks, as was Nick intrigued in Applejack's beauty. They were both quiet, looking into each others eyes. They then started to move their heads closer together. Their lips were about to touch when out of nowhere, Pinkie Pie popped up behind the two.

"Come on you two! Time for bedy bye!" Pinkie said. The two jumped at hearing her voice.

"Oh, uh, ok Pinkie." Scarecrow said, him and Applejack looking away from each other, blushing immensely. Scarecrow stood up and helped Applejack up. They walked together into the sleeping quarters. The lights had already been turned off, so Applejack couldn't see well in the low light.

She accidentally tripped on the mattress on the floor that Scarecrow was going to sleep on and held on to Scarecrow by instinct as they fell. When they hit the mattress, someone turned the lights back on, and Scarecrow and Applejack saw the position they were in. Applejack was on top of Scarecrow, and there faces were real close to each other, there noses touching. Everyone else saw this, and Jester started laughing.

"Gosh, Scarecrow, they haven't been here for a day and you already got Applejack on top of ya'." he said. Applejack immediately got off of Scarecrow, both of their faces bright red. Jester started laughing as Scarecrow told him to "kill the jokes for tonight."

"Alright, back to bed." Specter said. Everyone got in their beds and Specter turned the lights back off.

They would need the rest for Tomorrow's fight.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Preview of Chapter 4

"Get a Medic!" Ghost yelled. He held on to Rainbow Dash's hand while Jester and Soap was covering them.

Dash looked at the wound in her leg as Ghost was holding her hand, doing everything he knew to keep her conscious. Ghost than saw a medic coming, being covered by Scarecrow.

"Let's see what we got here," the medic said as he worked on Dash's leg. Scarecrow started to say a prayer.

"Oi, Scarecrow." Ghost said. Scarecrow stopped for a moment.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Say a prayer for me to."

Shadows of Hope

"Born to fight, Trained to kill, Ready to Die…Never Will." ~author unknown.

Chapter 4: The Fight

(A/N: There will be various references to books, movies, and games in this story. If you recognize any of them, they all belong to their respectful owners.)

Gunshots could be heard all around. Corporal Nick Walker was following Sgt Foley as they started to head towards the WWII memorial.

"Ramirez! Take out that BTR with that AT-4! Corporal Walker, Cover him!" Foley shouted as him and Dunn crouched behind some cover, blindly firing at the Russians.

"Man, Why does he always make us do everything?" Corporal Walker said to Ramirez, who shrugged in return. They ran to where an AT-4 was luckily laying against a wall. Ramirez picked it up and fired at the BTR, destroying it.

"Good shot!" Walker said. Ramirez nodded. They then heard Foley over the radio.

"Ramirez, Walker, Get your asses back over here now!" Foley yelled. Ramirez muttered something that Walker couldn't make out. They soon were back at where they left, and now a chopper was there waiting for them. Foley, Dunn, and some other rangers were already on board.

"Ramirez, we're getting some wounded on board the chopper, cover the marines bringing them on board!" Foley ordered. Ramirez got in position, and him and some other Rangers fired at relentless Russians that were trying to stop them. Walker turned just in time to see one marine, one he knew well.

"Mark?" Walker asked. He then could only watch the horror as he saw his only brother, who was covering some marines, push one out of the way just before a RPG rocket made contact, the following explosion absorbing his brother. Walker screamed than.

"NO!" Walker yelled, before everything went black.

Scarecrow woke up, breathing hard. He looked around, and saw that he was in his makeshift bed, the others still asleep. He looked over at a clock, which read 5:30 AM (Middle Eastern time zone) and sighed. It was just a nightmare, but one that has stuck with him ever since that fateful day.

Scarecrow silently got up and went to the shelter's bathroom. He turned on the light and observed himself in the mirror. His hair was messed up, likely to the fact that he had been tossing and turning in his sleep due to the nightmare. He turned on the faucet, still thankful that they could somehow get water in the middle of the desert. He wet his hair and then combed it so it looked like the look he always had. (Let's just say Zac Efron's hairstyle when he starred in High School Musical. If you wonder why I chose this hairstyle, It was just the first that came to my head.)

After he had brushed his teeth, he snuck back into the room where the beds were and got his Shadow Company Uniform out of his locker.

Just before he closed the door, he looked at a picture of him and his brother Mark from when Scarecrow had just become a U.S. Army Ranger. Him and his brother were in their uniforms, Mark in his U.S.M.C Uniform, Scarecrow in his Ranger Uniform. At the bottom of the picture, there was writing in Mark's handwriting. It read, "Best of luck to my brother as he fights with the rangers. I'm sure he will do great, but he does have to remember, the Marines will always beat the Rangers!"

Scarecrow wiped away a tear at that memory as he closed the locker quietly and locked it back. After he put his uniform on, he went outside, closing the door back behind him.

That was when Applejack picked her head up. She had watched him for the past few minutes, and noticed him looking at the picture on his locker, which she was sharing with him. She quietly got up and got her stuff out of the locker (luckily for her, Scarecrow told her the combination to the locker and how to unlock it the night before.) After she had got her uniform on and fixed her hair in the bathroom, she silently crept outside. She looked around, and saw that no one was out, except for the guards stationed (which couldn't see her anyway since there is no need to look inside the base.)

Applejack slowly walked to the spot where her and Scarecrow were sitting last night, and saw Scarecrow once again sitting there. She didn't say a word, but Scarecrow knew of her presence.

"What brings you up so early?" He asked.

"Ah Heard Ya up and about," Applejack replied. She sat down by Scarecrow. "Are Ya Alright?" She asked him. Scarecrow looked at her, and then looked back down at the ground. If it wasn't for the darkness and the fact that Scarecrow had his mask and goggles on, Applejack would have saw that he was starting to tear up.

"I.. had a nightmare about my brother. I've had it ever since his death, and it's always the same thing." Scarecrow said. Applejack was quiet, thinking about what he had said. She didn't know how to comfort him since she never lost Big Mac or little apple bloom, which she was thankful for.

"Ah, Ah'm sorry." Was all that Applejack could say. " I would lose a piece of my mind if Ah lost by older brother or little sister." She said. Scarecrow looked at her, and the moonlight started to shine towards the two.

It was then Applejack saw Scarecrow's eyes through his goggles, and saw that he had some tears rolling down his cheeks. She Reached out and pulled down his mask and pulled his goggles up to his helmet, so his face was uncovered. She shed a tear at the sight of his sadness, herself feeling for him.

"Ever since he died, I had felt a part of me gone, that is, until you and the other girls arrived." Scarecrow said, looking into her eyes. Her eyes were the same shade of green that his brother's was.

"Well, Ah'll help you with that however Ah can, cause Ah do try my best to help my friends, and Ya did help in saving us and gave me some clothin when we first met, so I do owe ya." Applejack said. Scarecrow moved closer to Applejack after she had said this.

"I think I know one small way you could pay that back," Scarecrow said. Applejack smiled at him, moving closer to him. They both moved their heads slowly forward, and they both closed their eyes as their lips touched, entering a romantic kiss. They both thought of the other's lips as tasting sweet, Scarecrow thinking Applejack's lips tasted like, of all irony, a fresh apple. They stayed like this for a few seconds before they pulled away. They opened their eyes to looked at each other.

They both smiled as Applejack said, " Ah think the enjoyment in that went both ways."

Scarecrow chuckled a little. "I think you're absolutely right." he said. He looked at a watch he had on and noticed that they had been outside for about 18 minutes. "Well, the others are about to be up, so I better get an early move on to the firing range to get things set up. Care to join me?" Scarecrow said as he got up. Since the sun rose early in the middle east, it was rising just as Scarecrow was.

"Why, Ah'd be honored." Applejack said smiling as Scarecrow helped her up. They pulled a quick kiss again before Scarecrow put his mask and Goggles back on. They then held hands as Scarecrow showed her to the firing range.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later….

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

There was a table of weapons separating the soldiers from the girls. Price Stepped forward.

"Welcome to Weapons training 101. What took us practically years to learn, we're going to teach you in a matter of hours. Now, based on what you told us about yourselves, you're all going to be assigned a specific position, or job. Fluttershy, Rarity, since you seem to not want to destroy, you two can heal. Soap will give you the basics for medical equipment and human health. Dash, you're gonna be working with Ghost on hacking and scouting." Price said.

"Twilight, since you are the girls leader, you will be the leader for your girl's squad. Specter can help you with some leadership tactics for the battlefield. Applejack, since you seem to have a very good patience and timing, you'll be working with Scarecrow for sniping. Pinkie, you'll be handling explosives with Jester." Soap finished for him. "Are we clear on this?"

"Yes sir." All the girls responded. The girls split up to separate parts of the firing range, were they would work on the skills that they were set to do. They all studied very hard for the next couple of hours, learning various things like medical tactics, Sniping tactics, Hacking operational skills, leadership skills, and other things.

They were disrupted when a Ranger Corporal came up to Soap. Soap listened to what the ranger had told him, and then nodded.

"Price, The troops are ready, and if we fly out now, we'll be over Islamabad by evening. Better tell the girls out to use a wing suit and parachute." he told Price.

"Right. Gather round ladies!" Price said, calling the girls. He told them what Soap had said, and explained to them how to use the wing suits and how to activate the parachute.

Rainbow Dash smiled. "Wing suit? I like the sound of this already!" She said enthusiastically.

"Now, if you got any questions, you better save it for the trip, we're heading out. We'll get the weapons you will have in battle. Let's go." Price ordered.

As They ran through the base, they could all see other soldiers, all of them either being TF141 or Shadow Company, getting their gear and weaponry together. Tank crews were getting their M1 Abrams fueled and ready for the upcoming fight. Scarecrow ran up to one of the Tank Crew members.

"So Jono, ready for this?" Scarecrow asked, him. Sergeant Jonathan Miller Smiled and shook Scarecrows hand.

"Just like a previous mission, just for a different cause right?" Sergeant Miller said. "They briefed us 15 minutes before the sirens went off." he said.

"Well, Me and the Shadow Company boys are taking the skies this time, so good luck with Anvil 3." Scarecrow said. Him and Sergeant Miller shook hands again.

"Make sure you keep that scope steady, You don't want to disappoint your brother now, do you?" He said. Scarecrow smiled and nodded. They saluted each other before they walked off to join their respective teams.

"Let's go! Let's Go!" Ghost yelled, getting the men onto the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy aircrafts that was carrying them to Islamabad. After Everyone got in, Ghost took his seat, which was by Rainbow Dash.

"You alright, Dasher?" Ghost asked Dash.

"Oh, yeah. While I hate to admit it, I am a little nervous. This is the first time I'll be fighting like this." She admitted.

"Don't Worry, just stay with me and you'll be alright." Ghost said. Dash smiled since she now knew that she had ghost to help her. For some reason, she trusted ghost, even though him and Scarecrow seem to be the "sometimes silent" type of person. She knew only thought ahead to the upcoming battle.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later… ( Expected a cliffhanger didn't you?)

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"2 Minutes." was Heard over a speaker in the back of the plane. It was now evening time, and no one was saying a word. The only one speaking was Scarecrow, who was saying a prayer over the soldiers.

"Lord, Protect us fighters of freedom from injury. I ask that you watch over us in this time of war. We do not fight for killing, but we fight so that every person on this earth shall have freedom. We ask that you have your hand over us, O mighty father, and protect us from our enemies. Give us strength in our time of need, and guide our footsteps onto the path of victory." Scarecrow said. Everyone said "Amen" after he had finished.

"1 minute, get ready!" The pilot then said. Everyone was surprised at how they had not heard a single shot yet.

"Too quiet if you ask me." Price said.

"They probably know we're coming, and just waiting for the right moment." Specter said. Then, as soon as a red light came on, which signaled them to get ready to jump, all hell broke loose.

"Incoming! Bank right! Bank right!" the pilot was heard yelling, drastically turning the plane to the right. Everyone had to hang on tightly as the sound of the engines was cut out by immense gunfire. Fluttershy looked very nervous, but Soap calmed her down some.

"Oh Shit! We just lost Tiger!" The pilot said. Jester could see a plane falling out of the sky, and he knew that those poor souls were goners.

They then heard was sounded like some metal hitting the plane.

"Was that flak?" one pilot asked.

"Shit, john, that was! There hitting us with everything they got!" The other pilot said.

They was more flak, and eventually the pilot screamed. "GO GO GO!" He yelled. The back of the plane opened up, revealing the evening sky, it flashing with various explosions. Two by Two, the soldiers jumped out, expanding their arms and legs so the "wings" on the suit was open and caught air. As the girls ran out, Rarity stopped for a second and looked down.

"Oh my! I am not jumping!" She stated, standing still.

"My bloody ass, your not!" Price said, grabbing her and pulling her out with him. Rarity screamed as she flailed around for a few seconds, before finally doing what Price instructed, so she started gliding with the rest.

It was then Fluttershy and Soap who were left on the plane. Fluttershy stopped for a moment, and looked nervous.

"I-I can't do it. Just let me stay." She told Soap. Soap looked at her and did his best to calm her down.

"Don't worry, mate, You'll be alright, you have my word." he said. "Just take my hand and stay with me." Soap said, holding out his hand. For some reason, Fluttershy trusted Soap, so she took his hand. She closed her eyes for a moment when they jumped. She then opened her eyes and saw Soap motioning for her to spread out her arms and legs. She did so, and the air caught in the wings of her wing suit, so she started gliding. She then focused on following Soap, who was joining up in formation with the others.

"Bravo 6-2, this is Echo 3-1, moving into V formation, over." Said one soldier over the battle radio.

"Copy that Echo 3-1, Bravo 6-2 will move into V formation to compromise. Watch that gunfire at low altitude."

"Copy that."

Scarecrow looked around, taking advantage if the birds eye view they had. He then noticed one major problem, and turned his radio to his squad's channel.

"Specter, be advised, we have enemy tanks coming into the city from the north. Advise, over." he said.

"What? Our tank corps was suppose to take out any tanks before we dropped!" Specter replied.

"Well, some must have stayed back." Scarecrow said. Specter then turned his radio to the company channel and told them what Scarecrow had said.

"Copy that. All units, be advised, change landing coordinates to LZ Alpha. Repeat, change landing coordinates to LZ Alpha, over." Price said. As they were all flying down, a bullet suddenly struck through one soldier, killing him instantly. Jester couldn't do anything but watch the dead body fall to the ground. After some time, the finally got to the altitude where they had to pull their parachutes.

"Pull!" Price yelled, everyone doing so. They all then flew slowly to the ground.

"Rainbow Dash botched her landing, which she was shocked that she did. Ghost had already took off his wing suit and parachute and ran over to help Dash take off hers. When she got hers off, She got the gun she had, a M4A1 with an ACOG scope, and loaded it.

"Where to now?" She asked him.

"We regroup with the others. I already took out some ultranationalists on the way to you, so they are moving on our position fast. Let's go!" Ghost said.

They both broke into a full sprint as the could hear various yelling and gunfire. After a few minutes of searching, they found Price, Soap, Rarity, and Fluttershy. They were taking cover behind a bus that had exploded.

"You're late to the party mate," Soap said as Ghost and Dash got to them.

"Well, Dasher got caught up. I had to help her." Ghost replied. "What do we have today?"

"Multiple hostiles up the street, and two RPG's on the roof. I expected better from these Wankers." Price said. He leaned out and fired a couple of rounds, hitting one ultranationalist soldier.

"Where are the bloody yanks? Weren't they suppose to regroup with us by now?" Ghost asked.

"They're in just as much shit as us mate!" Soap said. " Alright, slowly move up and use what cover you can. Watch for those RPG soldiers." Soap said. They moved up, taking out soldiers one at a time. The Girls felt guilty when they shot the soldiers, but they knew that if the didn't shoot them, they would kill them and their friends.

"I didn't see those RPG soldiers, they must have backed off." Rainbow Dash said. But as they all came out in the open, they heard yelling in a different language. They looked up and saw the two RPG soldiers, aiming right at them. But before they could fire, they both felt someone reach their arm around them and stabbed them in the heart. As one of the RPG soldiers looked up, he looked into the eyes of Scarecrow.

After the soldiers were killed, Scarecrow and Jester looked down at the 141 from the rooftop.

"You're late to the party mate!" Ghost said.

"You're lucky we were able to make it at all! It's hell back at our LZ!" Jester said.

"Yeah. We regrouped with the 3rd tank corps, but we were ambushed by Heavily armed units. Specter send me and Jester to find you 141 guys." Scarecrow added.

"Well, Lead the way!" Soap said. Jester and Scarecrow jumped off the roof, landing on a lower made roof, and the jumped down to the ground, tucking in their shoulder and rolling, but coming up weapons aimed. The girls were amazed how they were in sync.

"This way." Scarecrow said, leading the soldiers. As they were heading towards the LZ were SC was ambushed, they ran into the rest of the Task Force 141 soldiers. When they finally got to the LZ, Price and Soap saw that "hell" was right. They're were units spread out fighting, multiple soldiers bleeding, some with body parts missing. Ghost saw one injured soldier, a private, crying as the medic worked on him, scared out of his mind.

"alright, 141. Help them out however you can!" Soap yelled, the British units moving swiftly. Fluttershy and Rarity had to hold back some weak stomachs as they helped work on the wounded. Scarecrow and Jester ran over to where Specter and Applejack were. Applejack was firing just from over the cover she was using, and specter was reporting enemy positions to command, trying to get in an air strike.

"Sir, we found the 141." Scarecrow reported.

"Good, We'll move up if I can get this fucking air strike called in," Specter replied. Specter repeated the coordinates until he heard the reply, "Copy that Echo 3-1, target locked. Firing for effect."

They then could see the air to surface missiles hit the targets, some of the men cheering at the sight.

"Yeah, get some you fuckers!" one Shadow Company soldier said.

"Shadow Company, move up!" Specter ordered. Price ordered 141 to move up with SC. Applejack stayed close with Scarecrow as they moved up. A lot of the Iraqi forces must have been where that air strike was, because they went a long ways without being fired at.

"It's too quiet." Soap said. Ghost nodded in agreement. They eventually came to a long alley way that they would have to walk down to get to where intelligence told them where one of the elements of harmony was. Scarecrow moved up to Price and Soap, who was in front of everyone else.

"Soap, We shouldn't all move at once. This alley way is target practice for any snipers." Scarecrow said. He peered out just enough so he could see, and saw one tower in the distance, about 100 yards away. A simple shot for any sniper, if only the tower wasn't a high church tower, and the windows were small.

"What are we standing around for? Let's go!" Dash said, her arrogance leading her to run out to the alley way.

"Dash, NO!" ghost yelled, but before he could do anything, they could see Dash fall to the ground, screaming in pain and grabbing her left leg. Ghost immediately ran out to the alley way, and while under fire from a sniper, got Dash and dragged her to a solid piece of cover for them to hide behind.

"Shit," Price muttered. "Arrogance, one of the leading causes of a fresh faced recruit to get his brains blown out."

"Scarecrow, think you can get a shot on him? We can't move on with him out there." Soap said. Scarecrow nodded.

"Yeah. Stay back here boys, this snipers got talent." Scarecrow said. He got on his body and started crawling towards a low built wall. It was close enough for him to get to quickly, and the enemy sniper couldn't see him. When he got to the wall, Scarecrow set up his AS50 Sniper rifle and aimed at the tower, waiting for the right moment.

The ultranationalist sniper was looking through the scope of his Dragunauv, aimed at the wall that Dash and Ghost were behind. He then trailed slowly to the right, were he could se the tip of Prices hat around a corner. He then moved the scope down some and could see a figure in black clothing, and it was then that he noticed the scope.

"Gotcha," Scarecrow said, pulling the trigger. In a mere matter of seconds, the bullet had went through the enemy sniper's scope and into his eye, leaving a black eye from the scope and glass hitting his eye, killing him.

"I got him." Scarecrow said. A 141 medic then ran across the alley to where Ghost and Dash was. The Medic worked on her leg as Ghost spoke to Dash.

"You're gonna be alright mate, don't quit on me now." Ghost said, holding Dashes hand. Dash had a couple of tears streaming as she looked at her wound. She then looked at the medic and asked him how bad it was.

"You'll still be able to walk, but don't put to much stress on the leg." the medic said as he wrapped it up. He then gave her and ghost the thumbs up. Ghost helped Dash slowly to her feet, and they regrouped with the others. The girls hugged when Dash came back, and were all glad she was alright.

"We have to move, the lab is just ahead." Soap said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later, after some more fighting…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The two special forces stacked up against both sides of the wall, in front of a giant steel door.

"Ghost, you know what to do." Soap said. Ghost moved forward and started hacking into the door. I was surprisingly quick, and the steel doors creak loudly as they opened.

The Soldiers both cautiously moved in, as there was steam surrounding the whole place. They all toke cover behind metal equipment, crates, and pads as they listened to voices speaking.

"We have to move everything to your lab in Moscow as soon as possible! The Americans and British armies will be here before long!" A man said in English with an Arabic accent.

"Do not worry comrade, If we can find all these "magical elements" you speak of, the western countries will be helpless to our power." Said a deep voice in English with a Russian accent.

"Bloody hell, The reds are in on this to?" Soap said.

"With this power, we can restore Russia to it's Soviet Glory. Makarov will be proud." The Russian said.

"Makarov? Makarov's dead." Price said, remembering that night.

"Yes, While it was sad that his twin brother died that night, at least you still have your great leader," The Arabic man said.

"His twin brother? What the hell are they talking about?" Specter asked.

"Da. His twin brother looked just like him, enough to fool that old bag Captain Price at least." The Russian man said. " If he had not worked on sounding like his brother though, it would have never payed off." The Russian said.

"So Makarovs not dead. The Bloody snake, he'll let his own family die before him." Soap said. Rarity then saw a spider crawling by a crate that she was hiding behind. Out of pure reaction, she scream and fell backwards.

"What was that?" The Arabic man said. They then saw the soldiers

"Shit, our cover is blown. Open fire!" Specter said. The two forces opened fire, which responded with fire from Spetsnaz soldiers.

"Shit! The Special Red Stars are here!" Jester said, calling the Spetsnaz by the nickname he made up for them. An intense fire fight broke out.

Ghost and Rainbow Dash fired at some soldiers trying to set up a machine gun nest, taking them out. Specter and Soap were working together to move up to a container that had a necklace with Applejacks cutie mark on it. The element of honesty.

"We have to get that bloody thing before they turn it into a weapon!" Soap said. But they were to late at that. A Heavily armed Russian soldier had a chain gun that was connected to the container that had the element in it. He fired the chain gun, which fired orange plasma beams. It hit some TF141 and SC soldiers, and it disintegrated them. Soap and Specter Jumped behind some cover before it hit them.

"Holy Shit!" Jester said as he saw this. He then heard Specter over the radio.

"Jester, Scarecrow, take him out! He's got me and Soap pinned!" Specter said. Scarecrow looked around, and then noticed a ladder leading to a overhanging walkway.

"Jester, If me and Applejack can get up there to that walkway, we can take out that Soldier. Think you and Pinkie can cover us?" Scarecrow asked.

"You got it." Jester replied. Applejack and Pinkie regrouped with Jester and Scarecrow, and on the count of three, they put their plan into action.

"COVERING FIRE!" Jester yelled as Scarecrow and Applejack ran to the ladder. Applejack climbed it first, followed by Scarecrow. When they got up there, They found a spot where they could clearly see the soldier.

"Alright, We have to get him from here." Scarecrow said. He set up to take the shot, but before he could fire, a spetsnaz soldier saw them, and shot at Scarecrow. A bullet struck Scarecrow in the arm, catching him off guard.

"Dag nab it!" Scarecrow said. This is the first time Applejack heard Scarecrow say something that actually sounded like her accent.

"He got me in the arm, I can't take care of that wound and fire, you're gonna have to take the shot." Scarecrow told Applejack.

"What? Me?!" Applejack returned.

"Yes, you can do it." Scarecrow said.

"But, But, I can't kill!" Applejack said.

"Look, I hate it as much as you do. But it's either them or us!" Scarecrow said. Applejack looked at Scarecrow nervously.

"Trust me," Scarecrow said, moving his head closer, pulling his mask down, " You can do it."

He then kissed her, and she complied with it. Applejack, looking into Scarecrow's eyes, knew that he was right. This soldier could kill her friends, and she could not even think of knowing that she would have been responsible.

She set up her M21 Sniper rifle she had with her, and aimed at the scope. She Prayed that she would be able to make the shot. She aimed at an open spot she saw in the soldier's armor. She held her breath, steadying the scope, and fired.

Ghost and Dash suddenly heard the gunfire stop. They looked up above from where they had been taking cover and saw that the soldier was now dead. Dash looked up and saw Applejack looking down from the balcony her and Scarecrow had been on.

"Well, looks like old Applejack did it," Dash said, smiling.

"Well, let's get that element and get the hell out of here." Price said.

"That Russian officer and that scientist escaped in the gunfight sir," One of the TF141 soldiers reported to Soap.

"Don't worry about those muppets. We got what we came for." Soap said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later…

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The Mane six and the guys watched as the element of honesty was put in a lockdown chamber, which would be kept there until all the elements were found.

"Well, at least that's over." Ghost said.

"Yeah, thank Celestia." Dash said.

"But now we just have to find the other five elements," Soap said.

"Well, we could start by trying to find information on that officer and Scientist that was in that building," Scarecrow said. This was the best plan, and the men would start from there.

"We'll just have to wait I suppose," Rarity said.

"Well, I like it here! This planet is full of fun!" Pinkie said, jumping around.

"She always that energetic?" Price whispered to Rarity.

"Oh, you have no idea," Rarity said chuckling.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"But sir! They ambushed us! We had no time to prepare for their entry!" A Russian officer said to a man.

"One must be ready at all times, Officer Sharapov," Said a man. He walked out of the shadows and into the small light that the officer was standing in.

"In this time of war, with these new elements that could help us change the world, I need only the best." The man said. He then immediately stabbed Officer Sharapov in the heart, killing him.

Makarov walked away from the dead body and towards a television screen.

"The American and British dogs have no idea what will be coming after them, but You better keep your part of the deal." Makarov said to someone in the shadows.

"Oh, do not worry. Even with the newcomers, which includes me, They will not be able to stop us." Said a certain Draconequus.

"Well, I will keep my part of the bargain, so we have a deal Discord." Makarov said, shaking the claw of Discord."

"Yes, Earth shall soon be ours." Discord said, laughing.

"This is a war universe. War all the time. That is its nature. There may be other universes based on all sorts of other principles, but ours seems to be based on war and games."

William S. Burroughs

Chapter 5: War and Games

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A few days after the battle in Islamabad…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ghost was sitting in a makeshift hospital room. He was sitting beside Rainbow Dash, who was asleep in a makeshift bed. The wound in her leg had been getting better, but medics put her here for absolute confirmation that her wound would heal. Beside Rainbow Dash was "Band of Brothers" a book on WWII that she started reading.

While Dash was asleep, Ghost was slowly running his hand up and down her arm. After a couple of minutes, Dash woke up, the first thing she saw being Ghost.

"Oh, hey Ghost. How long have you been here?" She asked.

"For a while. I thought you could use the company," Ghost responded. Since they were in private, Dash thought this would be the best time to ask.

"Ghost, when we were fighting and I got hurt, was there another reason why you risked your own life to save mine?" She asked. Ghost paused for a moment, not sure if he should admit his feelings. Dash waited for an answer.

"Well, You'll probably find out sooner or later." Ghost finally said. " I ran out there because I personally didn't want you to die. Ever since we first met, I've had, well, let's just say "feelings"," Ghost said

"Really?" Dash asked.

"Yeah, and I also didn't want you to get scarred by that wound, like when.." Ghost stopped abruptly at his last word.

"Like when?" Dash asked.

"Like when I was scarred." Ghost quietly said. It was something Ghost never liked to talk about it.

"Scarred?" Dash asked.

"Yeah. It's why I wear this" Ghost said, pointing to his skull mask.

"What does it look like?" Dash asked. Ghost looked at her.

"You wouldn't want to see. The scar makes me look like a freak." Ghost responded.

"I don't think that something like that makes you look like a freak," Dash said. Ghost sighed. He eventually pulled his mask down and took off his shades to show her what he meant.

Dash honestly did not expect the length of the scar. It started under Ghost's left eye and went down to the edge of his under lip.

"See, Those bloody bastards did this to me." He said. "I can't ever show my face without being treated like an animal." Ghost said. Dash put a hand over his mouth.

"Don't say that. Just because you have a scar, does not make you a freak!" Dash exclaimed. "In fact, it makes you look tough," Dash said as she removed her hand. " I like that."

Ghost and Dash stared at each other, everything else seemingly going into a blur.

"How come you don't see me as a freak with this scar?" Ghost asked.

"Because, I learned that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. That applies to ponies, and humans as well," Dash said, remembering that they were in human bodies in a human world.

"Well, I defiantly didn't judge a book by its cover when I saw you," Ghost said, motioning towards Dash's Rainbow colored hair. Dash chuckled a bit.

"You know, I've started to like how we've been treated by you and the others here." Dash said, moving her head closer to Ghost.

"Well, we're one in a million," Ghost said as he moved his head closer to Dash. Their lips then touched, and they embraced in the kiss. After a few seconds, they pulled away, staring into each others eyes.

"That was defiantly one in a million," Dash said with a smirk. " So when will I be able to get out of here?" She then asked.

"Well, I talked to the doctor. He said that they're going to check your leg one more time, and they should let you go after that." Ghost said. "Price is probably looking for me so I better move on before he kicks my bloody ass." Ghost then said. "I'll see you outside Dasher" Ghost said. He then kissed Dash again before putting his mask and shades back on.

"See you out there," Dash said, smiling.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later…

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Where the bloody hell is he?" Price asked Soap.

"Trust me, Ghost isn't the kind to run off without a reason," Soap said, defending Ghost. They then saw Ghost running back towards them. Ghost saluted the two captains as he approached them.

"Ghost, give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick your bloody ass right now." Price ordered.

"Sir, I was checking on injured units in the medical center. I had an extended stay in Dasher's room." Ghost said.

"Alright. I'll let you off this time. But Don't let it happen again." Price said, patting Ghost on the shoulder. Ghost then walked off to where Scarecrow was motioning for him to help him with a piece of equipment.

""Extended stay"?" Price muttered to Soap.

"It's what he said. But in Rainbow Dash's room. You don't think he…" Soap trailed off and looked at Price.

"No! of course not. Ghost is a good man. No way he would do that to her." Price said. "Would he?"

"No, you're probably right." Soap responded. The two then jumped a little when Twilight tapped on their shoulder.

"Oh! Sorry to scare you, but do you know where Specter is? He wanted to talk to me for a few minutes about how to locate the elements of harmony." Twilight said.

"He's down at the basketball court with Jester. Just go that way." Soap said, pointing her in the right direction.

"Thank you very much Soap," Twilight said, walking off. As she walked to the court, Applejack joined her.

"Howdy Twilight, how's it goin?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, okay. I've gotten use to this human body. Looks interesting, actually. I just still wonder what these round this on our chests are, and why they are all different sizes. They seem fairly big, but different sizes." Twilight said.

"I asked Scarecrow and Jester about that, but they didn't want to talk about it. Do you think it's a sickness or a curse?" Applejack asked.

"Of course not! If it was and they knew it, they would let us know." Twilight exclaimed. "they probably don't have time since they are so busy."

"Yeah, guess you're right. But you know, I've noticed some guys eyeballin' us." Applejack said. Twilight looked and noticed two Army Rangers and one British soldier behind them. They were a certain distance behind, but Twilight could tell they were following her and Applejack.

"Let's move faster." Twilight said. Her and Applejack increased their walking speed, but then the soldiers following the moved faster. Eventually, the soldiers caught up to them.

"Well, hello ladies," One of the U.S. soldiers said as he stepped in front of the girls. The other two stayed right behind the girls.

"Um, well, hello." Twilight nervously said.

"Why were y'all followin us?" Applejack abruptly asked.

"Well, We haven't had a couple of fine looking ladies such as you in a while," The British man said.

"Wait, you don't mean you.." Twilight started before the three men moved. Applejack kicked one of the men in the chest, but was caught shortly after. The two girls screamed and flailed as they tried to get out of the pervert's grip. They dragged them into a shadow area, thinking they were home free.

But they didn't notice the figure in the shadow.

"What the?" One of the soldiers said as he bumped into a figure. They let go of the girls and turned around. The figure in the shadow didn't move.

"Oh, a wise guy try to ruin our fun, huh?" The British man said. He then Swung his fist at the figure, only for the figure to catch his fist. He then swung with his other fist, the same result.

Now, The British soldier was 5'9, and the figure was 6'4. He picked up the lightweight man with ease, and he stepped forward. The three men were filled with fear when they saw Scarecrow stepping out of the pitch black shadow. The British man gasped as he looked into Scarecrow's eyes. Scarecrow kneed the man, and dropped him.

Applejack and Twilight swiftly moved aside. One of the U.S. soldiers started to kick Scarecrow, but Scarecrow caught the soldiers leg and then kicked his other, knocking him to the ground. The third pulled out a tactical knife and lunged at Scarecrow. Applejack and Twilight gasped, expecting Scarecrow to get lethally wounded.

But Scarecrow proved them wrong with his training. He caught the arm that was holding the knife, and he twisted that arm, sending excruciating pain through the perverted soldier. He then tried to kick scarecrow like the last one tried. But once again, Scarecrow caught the kicking leg. As soon as he caught it, Scarecrow delivered a swift kick to the soldier's crotch.

The soldier yelled in pain as he fell to the ground. The three moaned in pain as Scarecrow angrily walked up to them. One of the U.S. soldiers got up.

"Aw, is little Scarecrow angry cause we tried to hurt his girlfriends?" The soldier mockingly said. Scarecrow continued to move towards him.

"Or is he just mad because is poor excuse of a soldier of a brother died." The soldier then said.

Applejack immediately knew that that was the wrong thing to say.

Scarecrow stopped, and the U.S. soldier smirked at this. But he then saw Scarecrow's expression through his mask. It was a man, who had no knowledge of mercy, and one of something that wasn't him.

Scarecrow charged at the U.S. soldier, pulling out his tactical knife. The Soldier suddenly chickened out of his mocking state and tried to move out of the way, but not fast enough.

Scarecrow pinned the soldier against the wall, who became extremely scared as Scarecrow put the knife to his neck.

"Don't say anything like that against my brother. He made the ultimate sacrifice that a piece of dirt like you wouldn't even have the dreams of being a hero like he was." Scarecrow intensively said. The soldier was now sorry that he said anything at all.

"Scarecrow, don't!" Applejack said. Scarecrow felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Why. He tried to rape and abuse you and Twilight, and he mocks a hero of our country. This pig doesn't deserve to live." Scarecrow said.

"Nick," Applejack said in a calm, mother like voice. "Nick, Would your brother want you to do this? Would this be something he would want?" Applejack asked.

Scarecrow sighed. He released the soldiers, but not before saying to the three, " If I see you near these two or any of the other girls again, you won't get a second chance."

The three immediately ran off. Scarecrow turned to Applejack. "Thank you for holding me back," he said.

"Even though Ah didn't know Mark, Ah know that he wouldn't have wanted that." Applejack said. The two embraced in a hug, all this happening while Twilight was watching.

"Now what were you two doing alone?" Scarecrow asked.

"Well, I was looking for Specter, and Applejack joined me before those three attacked us." Twilight said as she got up.

"Well, I guess I'll take ya to him." Scarecrow said as they walked towards where Specter was.

When they got there, They saw a crowd gathered around the makeshift basketball court. Various soldiers, some dressed in uniform and some simply in their combat pants and T-shirts, were gathered around the court, cheering and ranting. When Scarecrow, Applejack, and Twilight broke through the crowd, they saw Jester and specter playing one on one basketball.

"Danger" by Marco Polo & Torae was playing on a nearby radio. Jester was moving towards the basket with Specter guarding, each representing their respective areas (Specter representing the North, being from Chicago, Jester representing the West, being from Oklahoma.) Jester moved up towards Specter, when he moved the ball behind his back and moved that into between his legs, getting by specter and dunking it.

Reactions, good and bad, could be heard from the crowd. Specter got the ball and moved slowly towards Jester. Jester came up, waiting. Specter then started to act like he was going to charge, making Jester reach for a steal. But Specter took advantage and preformed a wrap around, finishing with a simple lay up.

The crowd had various chants and rants. Jester then noticed Scarecrow. "Yo, Scarecrow, wanna go a little two on two?" He asked. Scarecrow played a lot of street ball along with football, so he knew some moves. He took of his basic gear, wear he only had his combat pants, boots, and his T-shirt. Specter got Slammer, a 6'5 Shadow Company soldier from New York, as his teammate. Applejack cheered fro Scarecrow and Jester, but Twilight was cheering for Specter.

The 141 was starting to see the action, and so were the rest of the girls. "What the bloody hell are they doing?" Price asked.

"Eh, They're just hoppin around, kinda fun to watch em at times." Soap said as they watched the game.

The two teams lined up.

"Alright, Y'all gonna learn how we play Southside Street ball," Scarecrow said.

"Well, your southside's gonna get knocked up by the Northeast street," Slammer said. The game started off with Jester and Scarecrow getting the ball.

Jester did a leg cross coming up towards Specter, and as Jester crossed it between his legs one time, he let the ball go , which was a pass to Scarecrow. Scarecrow then shot from a makeshift three point line, getting nothing but net.

Specter and Slammer then got it, and Specter did a behind the back to a leg cross, getting Jester caught up as Specter went by him. Specter then shot, but the ball was blocked by Scarecrow. But as the bal started to fall, Slammer got it and Slammed it in.

"Yeah, you're gonna feel that slamma jamma today!" Slammer said.

With the next possession, Jester passed it to Scarecrow. Scarecrow then came up against Slammer. Specter started to move up some, and Scarecrow saw the opening. Jester ran up behind Specter and Scarecrow passed it to him, a backdoor pass to a lay up.

Next possession, Specter passed to Slammer, who tried to perform a lay up, but it was knocked down by Scarecrow.

"Alright, I'll give you that." Slammer said. The crowd was going nuts at the plays in the street game. On the last play, Jester and Scarecrow needed to score to win Jester had it, and rushed up, getting passed Specter, but the came up against Slammer. At 6'5, he was practically over towering the 6'0 Jester. Jester tried to find Scarecrow open, but he couldn't. He then had an Idea, and looked at Scarecrow.

Scarecrow knew what he was going to do, so he moved into action. Jester jumped, preparing to shot. Slammer did to, doing what looked like an "Air Jordan" move. But Jester faked the shot, went around, and threw the ball up towards Scarecrow. Scarecrow was wide open, so he showed off. As he jumped, he caught it and performed a backwards in-between the legs, and made a major slam dunk, a notorious tribute to Jason Richardson's dunk. The crowd of U.S. soldiers went crazy, and even the 141 units were impressed.

Notorious sayings like "White boy got some skills" and "That Shit was off the chain!" could be heard.

Slammer came up to scarecrow, and they fist bumped.

"Hey, good game man, and that dunk was the shit." he said, congratulating him.

"Thanks, you did great to." Scarecrow replied. As he walked up to Applejack, they wrapped in a hug.

"You were great! That's the most incredible thang Ah've ever seen in mah life!" She said as Scarecrow picked her up and spun her around some. The celebration stopped when a U.S. operative came up to the group of soldiers, quieting them down.

"Listen up gentlemen, the games are over. Another Element of Harmony has been located. Based on the information that Ms. Sparkle gave us, This one is the Element of Loyalty. It has been located in forested area in Japan. We need to get their before the Russians, and we have a head start n them. You have 2 days to get ready." He said.

The men moved to stations like they were in before the game, getting equipment ready. This combination of war and games is how the soldiers were always ready.

Chapter 6: One hell of a ride

Everyone was intense. While they had been use to fighting in forested areas, This was different. Japan was a combination of city and woods, so they could possibly go from street fighting to woodland war.

"Well, This isn't going to be easy. " Ghost said.

"Is it ever?" Scarecrow replied.

"Well, it's still all confusing to me." Twilight said.

"Shh, here they come." Dash said. The group of Scarecrow, Jester, Ghost, Specter, the girls, and a select few TF141 and SC soldiers quieted down as Price and Soap walked to where a slide projector was.

"Alright, this is what we were able to get from our Intel," Soap said. " We will make our entry point here, near Chichibu. We will then head northeast until we come to what's a supposedly old temple. That is where we should find the element of loyalty. We leave at 1830 hours. We have 10 minutes, so get your stuff together. Dismissed." He finished.

The soldiers started to walk off, and the girls regrouped with Soap, Price, Ghost, Scarecrow, Jester, and Specter.

"So, you think we can do it?" Twilight asked Specter.

"Anything is possible," he replied. The group talked as they got ready for the fight that lay ahead.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Time: 1830 hours

Location: Near Chichibu, Japan

Mission: Find hidden "temple" in Chichibu forest and retrieve element of loyalty before Russian Spetsnaz

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It was a quiet trip. Most of the soldiers had been sleeping on the long trip from the Middle East to Japan, but now they were almost there. Scarecrow was just waking up. He looked around and saw that most of the soldiers were asleep. The girls were still asleep also. A couple of soldiers that were up were either reading a book, checking their weapons, or praying.

Scarecrow then felt something on his left shoulder. He turned his head and saw Applejack's head leaning on his shoulder. She was sound asleep. Scarecrow thought that she looked so calm and angelic. He smiled and started to softly play with her hair. Applejack smiled as she felt the hand of Scarecrow. She opened her eyes, and yawned before picking her head up.

"Morning," Scarecrow said, but kept his voice low so he wouldn't wake up the others.

"Mornin' sugar," Applejack replied with a smile. "What time is it?"

Scarecrow checked a watch he had on. "In this time zone, it's about 6:50, so the sun will be rising soon." he said.

Applejack looked at her weapon, a Skorpion EVO with foregrip and an EOTech sight, and then back at Scarecrow. "Do ya have any idea what these woods are like?" she asked him.

"Not sure. I've been to Tokyo a couple of times, but never went into the forest near Chichibu," he replied.

"Do you think that those other guys could have possibly gotten here earlier than us?" Applejack asked.

"I'm not sure, but don't worry. As long as we're together, we'll be alright," Scarecrow responded, smiling.

He and Applejack then kissed for a moment, pulling away before anyone else woke up and noticed them. The silence was then broken by the intercom from the pilots.

"Rise and shine boys and girls, Welcome to Chichibu." one said. They looked out the windows on the plane to see the lush forest below them.

"30 seconds!" the pilot then called out. The soldiers got their gear together and checked to make sure everything was ready. Scarecrow put on the last part of his ghillie suit on (since he and Applejack was a sniper, they both wore ghille suits.). He then checked his ammunition and loaded his XPR-50, and then attached a suppressor.

"10 seconds," the pilot then said. The helicopter in use, a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, started to slow down as it was preparing to sit still above the LZ that was designated.

"Let's go mates!" Price said, getting the men to focus.

"Go, go, go!" the pilot said.

"Drop the cables!" Soap said. Two soldiers, one SC and one TF141, were holding cables. They threw them out the open hatch of the chopper and slid down them. The other soldiers followed, then the girls. When they got on the ground, some of the 141 soldiers got in a defensive formation as the others slid down the cables.

After everyone slid down, one of the 2 pilots started to pull the cables back into the chopper.

"Good luck down there," the pilot said over squad communications. The chopper's hatch then closed, and it flew off to a U.S. base in the Tokyo area for refueling.

"All units, operation hidden warrior is a go." Ghost said. The unites then moved in the direction that intelligence officers said that the temple would be in. they went for about 6 minutes without meeting any resistance.

"It's too quiet," Rainbow Dash said.

"Too right mate." Ghost responded. They stayed close to each other to make sure they wouldn't get lost. They moved slowly and stealth fully, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Price and Rarity were at the front of the line.

"Ugh, I can't stand the woods." Rarity complained.

"Well, I will admit, I would like to see what could possibly be looking back at me," Price responded .

"I feel the same, this reminds me of Everfree forest.." Rarity said, shuttering at the words everfree forest.

"Must be some hell," Price said with a joking smirk. But he quickly lost the smirk as everyone heard something moving.

"Something's coming this way," Ghost said.

"Hide!" Soap said.

"Shadow Company, One with the Shadows!" Specter ordered. This was a special stealth tactic made up and used only by shadow company, where as they would lie down in a dark area that was clear, but dark. Though it sounds like it is commonly done, Shadow Company perfected this tact as to where they could be lying down right beside or even in front of an enemy, but they are undetected.

Everyone held their breath as they saw what it was that made the noise.

Spetsnaz special units, and a lot of them. They were walking through the woods, obviously searching for TF141 and SC soldiers.

"If you have to move, do it very, VERY slowly. These guys could spot ants that aren't moving," Scarecrow whispered to Applejack. Applejack slowly turned her head back, and saw how still Scarecrow really was.

There was a Japanese Mamushi slithering over his legs but not reacting. Scarecrow was so still that the snake must have thought of it as hilly parts of the ground. Applejack silently gasped, then whispered it to Scarecrow.

"I know, if I move, I'll have snake bites all over my legs." he replied quietly. The snake finally got over both his legs, but then started going towards Soap.

"Bloody hell," Soap quietly muttered, staying still because the spetsnaz soldiers were still walking through, but wanting to move because the snake was staring at him.

The snake hissed, and started to coil.

Fluttershy was beside Soap, and saw the snake.

"Oh, no mr. snake, don't bite my friend," She whisper to the snake. It cocked it's head, as if understanding her. It then nodded at Fluttershy, and slithered off into the woods.

"How did?" Soap started to ask.

"Back in my world, I would always talk with the animals. They were my best friends," she said with a smile. After the soldiers were finally gone, the group got to their feet.

"We have to move faster now, they'll come back." Price said. The group started to pick up their pace, and were in a full sprint, until they ran into another group of soldiers, the same number of SC and 141 soldiers together.

"Враги заметили, открытый огонь!" (enemies spotted, open fire!) one of the Russians yelled out.

"Open fire!" Price ordered. Both sides let out guns blazing as they found a tree for cover.

Rainbow dash got a headshot on one as she fired her MP5 at one of the soldiers.

"Got one!" she called out. A TF141 soldier looked at her and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled at him, but she was then caught off guard as a RPG hit right at the soldier, blowing him away.

"Holy shit!" Jester yelled as some remains of a tree nearly hit him. He fired his MG36 at a spetsnaz soldier that was about to throw a grenade. He got a lucky hit, and the soldier that had the grenade fell dead, dropping the live grenade. It took 3 other men in the explosion.

Scarecrow aimed down the scope of his XPR-50 and fired. The bullet struck one soldier, went through him, and entering another. The two hostile soldiers fell, blood gushing from the hole in their heads.

"Nice shot!" Applejack said. She then fired her weapon, and shot one soldier hitting him in the shoulder. The kick from the bullet spun him around, the dead body's trigger still held as he did. It hit 5 other men near it, killing them.

"Nice shot to you to," Scarecrow said. Applejack blushed a little. The firefight kept going until the spetsnaz got a dangerous advantage:

Flamethrowers.

"RUN!" Price yelled, the remaining soldiers running. Some were caught in crossfire of the remaining spetsnaz. One 141 soldier was shot in the foot and knee and couldn't move.

The spetsnaz flamethrower unit walked up to the soldier, and flipped him over.

"No, please!" The British man begged. The Russian man had and evil smile as he pulled the trigger on his flamethrower. He watched as the British man screamed as he burned to a gruesome death.

Twilight was about to puke at the sight.

"Come on, we can't help him now!" Specter said. He the grabbed Twilight's hand. Twilight looked at him, and saw the care in his eyes. She then grasped his hand as they ran in the direction they started at the beginning of the mission.

After a while, they stopped. It was just Price, Soap, Ghost, Specter, Scarecrow, Jester, and the girls

"I… I think we lost them." Jester said, trying to catch his breath. No one said anything.

"What, am I the only one here?" Jester asked. He looked up, and saw that the others were quiet, and staring at what they were looking for. They had found the hidden temple. (It had the same design as Shangri-la, just without the need of power and zombies.)

"Alright, we have to find that element of loyalty, and fast, so lets all split up." Price said. The others agreed. They arranged groups of two, which were like this:

Jester and Scarecrow, Specter and Soap, Twilight and Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Price and Ghost.

"Lets move out." Specter said. The six groups separated and explored the temple.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Jester and Scarecrow were walking through the temple, and then came to what looked like an empty room.

"I don't like it." Scarecrow said.

"You don't like anything the easy way," Jester replied. He then stepped forward, but tripped over a plate that was sticking out of the ground. He fell on it, pressing it down. Then walls immediately shot out of the ground, and the two looked around.

"Great job, easy boy." Scarecrow said, crossing his arms, obviously un-amused.

"Hey, it was an accident!" Jester objected. He then got up, and looked behind Scarecrow.

"Uh, why is mud coming towards us?" Jester asked, pointing. Scarecrow turned around, and saw the mud filling the floor.

"The room must be filling up! Go! Through the maze!" he ordered.

The two went through the maze, and, after going in circles for what seemed like hours, they finally came to a waterfall (where the water slide would be.)

"Well, at least there is a waterfall to get the mud off our clothes," Jester said. Scarecrow simply scoffed.

The two stood right under the waterfall, washing the mud off. But alas to Jesters somewhat clumsiness, he slipped and fell onto the hidden waterslide. As he fell, he grabbed Scarecrow, pulling him down with him.

The comedy duo screamed their lungs out as they slid down the slide, trying to stand, but falling back down, getting soaked in the process.

"Jester, when we get off this thing, you are so de-" Scarecrow was cutoff as water splashed into his face.

When they came to the end of the slide, Scarecrow hit the ground first.

He grunted when he hit, but slowly got to his knees. But Jester then collided into Scarecrow, knocking him down again.

"I always hated damn waterslides," Jester said. He then sat up and looked around.

"Scarecrow? Where are you?" he yelled out, not seeing his friend.

"Mmph mmph mmph!" A muffled reply came out. Jester look under where he was sitting.

"Oh shit!" He said. He got off Scarecrow and helped him up.

"Thanks, but next time, BE CAREFUL!" Scarecrow said.

"Hey, what is that?" Jester asked, pointing at something stuck in a rock wall. Scarecrow turned around, and the two walked up to it. It took both the strength of Scarecrow and Jester to pull it out. When they got it out, they gasped. They found the element of Loyalty! (the elements are in the same shape the are in the pony's universe, incase you were wondering.)

"We found the element of loyalty!" Jester proclaimed.

I just said that.

"When did you say that?" Jester asked, looking up into the sky.

"Dude, are you serious?" Scarecrow asked.

There is no need for repeating what I just said.

"How was I repeating something if I didn't know anyone else said it?" Jester asked

"Dude, quit arguing with the author!" Scarecrow yelled.

"But I didn't hear him say anything! It's not like I'm about to tell something very important is later in the story."

You practically just did.

"What? FUCK!" Jester yelled.

"Listen! Bushwacka, excuse my friend, he's wanting to get way ahead in this story.

"I do not!" Jester protested.

"Dude, shut up!" Scarecrow muttered.

"Why?" Jester asked.

"Because, I've heard that characters that argue with the authors get the unlucky things happen to them."

Don't you two have a story to continue?

"Oh, yeah! Lets get going." Jester said.

"One of these days…" Scarecrow said. He then ran off to catch up with Jester.

"Guys! We found it!" The two yelled, coming to where a shrine was. But no one responded.

"Where is everyone?" Jester asked with a yell. Still no response.

"See, I told you not to argue with the author!" Scarecrow said.

"Why go blaming me all of a sudden!?" Jester replied. The two argued, moving around in a circle and pushing each other. Scarecrow then pushed Jester into the shrine.

"Oof!" Jester let out as he hit the shrine. The shrine tilted some, and a peculiar stone fell out of it and hit Scarecrow in the head.

"Ow!" Scarecrow said, holding his head. Jester then got up and picked up the stone.

"You ever see a stone like this?" Jester asked Scarecrow.

"No, looks like a meteor or something," he replied. Scarecrow's eyes then widened when he looked at Jester.

"What? Is there something on me? GET IT OFF!" Jester said, starting to spin around, knocking the imaginary thing off of him.

"Dude, look at the element!" Scarecrow said. Jester looked at the element of loyalty that he held in his hand. It was glowing a bright rainbow color.

"Whoa, you think its going to turn us into gays or something?" Jester jokingly asked.

"Really?" was all Scarecrow asked, un-amused. The element got brighter, and the two the noticed the stone getting brighter as well. The two objects then flew towards each other and stuck together, floating in the air.

"Ooh, new playmates!" said the voice of a young girl with a German accent. "You two can join my little game!" the girl then said. But this time, it was with a demonic voice. The element and the stone then started to swiftly spin around Jester and Scarecrow.

Electricity started to form around them.

"Dude, we are so screwed." Scarecrow said.

"Oh, this is going to be a total clusterfu-" The two disappeared.

Twilight and Applejack then came to where Jester and Scarecrow once were.

"Are you sure you heard Scarecrow here?" Twilight asked.

"I'm positive." Applejack said.

"Well, they're not here." Twilight said.

"Say, what's this writin' on this wall?: Applejack asked. Her and Twilight looked at it.

"That's strange," Twilight said. She read it aloud.

"Let the games begin."

If Scarecrow and Jester's voices were being recorded, you would think that they were being brutally tortured. The two screamed as they went through the teleportation process.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" Jester yelled.

"The Lord is my Sheppard, I shall not want…" Scarecrow said, quoting psalms 34 of the bible. The two then went through an opening in the portal.

Jester and Scarecrow came out of the portal and immediately crashed into some robots, hitting the floor with a loud thud.

"Robots? What the fuck?" Jester asked. The two got up.

"Hey, there's someone over there." Scarecrow said, and pointed at a metal box. He could see the tip of what looked like a helmet.

"Anyone there?" Scarecrow called out.

"Oi, who's out there?" replied a man with an Australian accent.

"Well, we're two U.S. soldiers in a special forces group called Shadow com-" before Jester could finish, they started to teleport again.

"Oh, come on!" Scarecrow said before they teleported again.

"Must have been our imagination," the helmeted one said.

Going through the teleportation process once again, Jester started singing a tune.

"When you need to fell big and strong, reach for juggernog tonight!" he sang.

"What's with you?" Scarecrow asked, who was doing backflips to pass the time.

"I don't know, I just feel like it is a drink that I want. Like how a Russian wants a bottle of vodka." Jester said. Scarecrow simply face palmed. They then went through another portal and landed on a bus. Scarecrow got up first, and saw that the bus was being driven by a robot.

"Whoa…" Was all that Scarecrow said, holding his XPR-50.

Jester landed in front of Scarecrow, and just now got up. He got up, and then immediately shot his hands up.

"What?" Scarecrow asked.

"Don't ya'll move now." Said a girl behind Scarecrow. She was pointing an AK-74u at his head. "Now just turn around real slow like."

Scarecrow turned around to see a brunette haired women that was dressed pretty skimpy. Jester came up beside Scarecrow.

"And what's a good looking lady like yourself doing here?" Jester asked.

"Surviving the zombie apocalypse, of course!" she said.

"Zombie apocalypse?!" Scarecrow and Jester blurted out unanimously.

"Yeah, how have y'all not heard of it?" she asked.

"Ma'am, we don't even know your name." Scarecrow said.

"Oh, just call me Misty," Misty said.

"Misty, I like that name." Jester said.

"What's yours?" Misty asked.

"Well, we don't really tell people our names. We're Soldiers in the U.S. Special Forces, in a very elite unit called Shadow Company," Jester said.

"We go by nicknames, like mine is Scarecrow." Scarecrow said, shaking Misty's hand.

"And mine is Jester, but I'm serious around women," Jester said.

"Really now?" Misty said, chuckling. The teleportation sound started again.

"Aw, come on! I meet a good girl and now we're gonna teleport?!" Jester asked.

We have to continue with the story. You'll get a girl later, don't worry.

"Who is he talking to?" Misty asked Scarecrow.

"It's a long story, but we're about to go. Good luck." Scarecrow said with a smile that represented his southern hospitality.

"Ok, nice meeting you, I've got freak bags to kill." Misty said, reloading her AK-74u.

Jester and Scarecrow once again entered the teleportation process.

"She was hot," Jester said.

"Dude, you didn't have a chance with her." Scarecrow said.

"Yeah I did!" Jester said. Scarecrow then looked up.

"Dude, look out!" Scarecrow said, pushing Jester. A British telephone booth went past them. Just missing Jester.

"Thanks," Jester said.

"Not a problem, but we're coming up to one!" Scarecrow said. The two looked at an open portal and saw a factory. A giant sign read "Der Riese". they saw 4 figures running around with zombies chasing them.

Scarecrow and Jester went through the portal. They landed, this time on their feet, and looked around. The factory looked like it was from 1945.

"Where are we?" Jester asked.

"Well, judging by the language on that sing, I'd say we're in Germany." Scarecrow said.

"Yo, heads up!" Jester said, aiming his MG36 at some undead zombies running towards them.

"What the hell are those?!" Jester asked.

"Zombies." Scarecrow said, aiming his XPR-50 at them. "Take em' out!"

"OOH FUCKIN RAH MOTHER FUCKERS!" Scream badass marine Tank Dempsey as he killed a zombie with the browning.

"You make rucky shot American." Takeo said.

"Still did better than you, asshole." Nikolai said.

"Um, I hate to interrupt your tea party, BUT ZHEY ARE EVERYWERE!" Richtofen yelled. The group began firing again at the zombies. But they soon started running the other way.

"Where the fuck are they going?" Nikolai asked.

"Where ever they're going, I'm kicking their asses!" Tank said, letting out a war yell and chasing them.

"For the rove of the emperor, will he ever stop?" Takeo asked as the other 3 chased him.

"Probably not." Richtofen said. As they ran after tank, they could see the zombies heading for the starting room.

"Is vodka finally getting me drunk again, or am I seeing two people killing zombies?" Nikolai asked.

"your vision somehow is right. There are two men fighting them." Takeo said.

"Fuck, and I was hoping I was drunk again." Nikolai said.

"Vwe might as vwell help zhem since zhey are not undead." Richtofen said. The group watched as the two moved tactically to outsmart and kill the zombies.

"Get them in a line, and then blast them! I'll provide sniper support from here!" Scarecrow said. He and jester moved into position and expertly took out zombies with their futuristic weapons with ease.

Scarecrow took out 4 zombies in one shot with his high powered XPR-50 and then heard a voice behind him.

"That shot was very honorable!"

Scarecrow turned around to see the German madman, Bushido Warrior, and Drunken Russian.

"Thanks for the compliment, but since you are all holding weapons, think you could help?!" Scarecrow exclaimed.

"Oh, right, We are on the way!" Nikolai said.

Dempsey was already in the starting room taking out zombies.

"You freak meats are going back to hell!" he yelled.

"Hey, thanks for the assist." Jester said.

"No problem." Dempsey said as he jumped down beside Jester. "Any man that kills freakbags is a friend of mine." he said. They made a crawler.

"Don't kill him!" Dempsey ordered. He and Jester walked over the where Richtofen, Nikolai, Takeo, and Scarecrow was.

"Now zhat we are togezher, who ze hell are you?" Richtofen asked Jester and Scarecrow.

"Well, we actually don't tell people our names. You see, we are U.S. soldiers in a very elite select company called Shadow Company, and we use nicknames to keep our identity secret." Scarecrow explained.

"I see, makes very much sense." Takeo said.

"great… more Americans…" Richtofen groaned.

"Doc, shut the fuck up before you get fucked up." Tank warned

"So, I'm Scarecrow." Scarecrow said.

"I'm Jester," Jester said.

"Name's Tank Dempsey, U.S. Marines." Dempsey said.

"My brother was in the Marines, oorah." Scarecrow said, saluting Tank. It was hard to mention his brother.

"Good man," Tank said, returning the salute.

"I am greatest man of group, Nikolai Belinski!" Nikolai proudly boasted.

"You mean most drunken idiot." Takeo muttered.

"Hey, I heard that!" Nikolai said. He then drank some more of his vodka.

Takeo stepped forward.

"I am Takeo Masaki, honorable warrior from a line of Japanese Samurai and Bushido." Takeo said.

"I've always studied the Japanese culture, I am honored to meet such a great warrior." Scarecrow said, bowing. Takeo bowed in return.

"Watashi wa anata ni aete koeidesu." (I am honored to meet you)Scarecrow said in perfect Japanese. Takeo was very impressed at the American's knowledge of his own language.

"Watashi wa mata betsu no rippana senshi o mitasu koto o koei ni omoimasu." (I am also honored to meet another honorable warrior) Takeo replied.

"What are they saying?" Jester asked as he and the others stood by.

"Who knows, Takeo always rambles on with his Japanese bullshit." Nikolai said.

"Anyway, we came here from the future, and we need to get back to our time, which is 2018." Jester said.

"2018? I did not know zhat zhe teleporter was capable of time travel! How interesting… Richtofen said with an evil smirk.

"Well, it can, but we need to get back to our own time," Scarecrow said as he and Takeo rejoined the group.

"Hmm, let's see…." Richtofen said. As the others too turns distracting the crawler, Richtofen work on the teleporter.

"Attach zhe Transproportional microfibulater to zhe atomic neurologic neutralizer…" Richtofen said. "For some strange reason, zhis is making me feel….horny…"

"Richtofen, JUST FIX THE DAMN MACHINE!" Dempsey yelled.

"Alright, sheesh." Richtofen muttered.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later…

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"All done!" Richtofen said proudly. "Now, just step into the machine, and I vwill teleport you back to your time."

"Thanks doc." Scarecrow said. He and jester stepped into the machine.

"Nice meeting you all, maybe we will meet again!" Jester said. The group waved goodbye as Scarecrow and Jester teleported back to their time.

"Now, I NEED VODKA!" Nikolai said.

"To late man, here comes the next wave!" Dempsey said. Everyone was out of ammo, except for Dempsey, because had the Wonderwaffe DG2

"GET INTO ZE TELEPORTER!" Richtofen said. The group did, but the zombies started to get in it as Richtofen activated it.

"COME GET SOME!" Dempsey yelled, firing the wonderwaffe.

"You idiot! You'll overload ze teleporter!" Richtofen yelled. Sure enough, it did, and the group started to teleport to a new location, in a new time (Kino Der Toten if you can't figure this out.)

"Oof!" Scarecrow let out as he and Jester hit the ground again.

"What do you think happened to those guys?" Jester asked as they got up.

"I don't know. If they made it out of that place, they've probably died of old age." Scarecrow replied. "But we need to find the others."

"First," Jester said, taking out the stone that caused them to teleport, " Lets get rid of this." He threw it away, thinking it would fall harmlessly on the ground. But it floated in the air, and moved immediately back to the shrine.

"Uh, lets get out of here." Scarecrow said. Jester agreed, and they ran away.

The two started looking for the others, and eventually they found them.

"Scarecrow, Jester, Where the hell where you two?!" Specter exclaimed as the group walked to them.

"Eh, it's a long story." Scarecrow said.

"Lets just say it was one hell of a ride," Jester said.

"Well, come on, we've got to get bloody moving. The chopper is here. You find the element?" Soap asked.

"Right here," Jester said. He pulled it out and gave It to Soap.

"Great job lads, now lets get going." Soap said. The group of 12 got on the chopper, and were heading for their base in Tokyo, where the other element of harmony they had was transported to.

"aw, I lost two playmates, but I shall get zhem back, and have many more!" Said Samantha. She then laughed, knowing that her game can start in this time to.

Chapter 7: Tokyo's Night Life

(note: the characters used/portrayed in this story all belong to their respectful owners.)

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Tokyo, Japan…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

(Note: This chapter contains graphic adult content, so be advised. But since you had been reading this story in the first place, you probably don't give a damn. On with the story!)

The survivors of the battle in the chichibu forest regrouped and rested at Fort Yoasobi ( night life in Japanese) until they would get their next mission. Scarecrow and Jester were still talking to themselves about their own little adventure.

"I have a feeling that that isn't the last we will see of them," Jester said to Scarecrow.

"For some reason, I agree." Scarecrow replied. The group went to the mess hall, where they had rice and sushi as today's meal.

"Not much, but I've had worse." Price muttered.

"What is this?" Rarity asked. She tried some of the sushi, and had to admit, it tasted pretty good to her. It tasted good to the other girls to.

"It's sushi. Practically fish." Scarecrow said, eating it. The group ate it until they had enough, and then walked to the base's HQ to report their mission.

When they got their, Price walked in with the element of loyalty.

"Good job, I knew you could do it." The general said as Price gave him the element. The General then called in some officers, who took the element to store it away with the other element.

"Yes sir, my men and Shadow Company always gets the job done." Price said. The two saluted, and Price walked out.

The group lazed around for a while, some going to different places. Jester was cleaning his gun, thinking about the trip, curious where that misty girl could be at this time.

"Hi!" Pinkie Pie said, popping out of nowhere. Jester was sitting on a crate, but Pinkie pie's sudden appearance startled him, causing him to fall off.

"How do you do that?!" Jester asked as he got up.

"Well, I don't really know, but I do know I like surprises!" She replied.

"Well, you are good at that." Jester said chuckling.

"Yeah, I am!" Pinkie proudly said, going into a super hero like pose. Jester chuckled a little.

"Well, I guess I'm my team's comedian then!" Jester said, he to going into a super hero pose. The two laughed at their silly poses, and they talked for a while longer. Jester and Pinkie moved closer together as they spoke about their homes, and pranks they had played on their friends. They smiled at each other, Jester looking into Pinkie's eyes, but the connection was broken by Specter.

"Jester, we need you and pinkie at hanger 6, over." Specter said on the radio.

"Copy that, we are on the way." Jester replied. The two got up and walked toward the hanger. As they walked, Jester grabbed Pinkie's hand. Pinkie looked at him, and smiled, squeezing his hand. The two walked together to the hangar, their connection to each other closer than before.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The six men and the Mane six were gathered around, talking until a sharply dressed man came to them. The man coughed to get their attention.

"You probably know why I am here. My Country's government has detected where an agent that his helping Russia find the elements of harmony is staying for tonight, and since your country has helped ours since the Tsunami that hit here, we have decided to help you." The Japanese man said in English.

"Nice. Where is he?" Soap asked.

"He is in Sekkusu no hausu, or in English, The House of Sex." The agent said.

"Sounds like a perfect place for a guy to go to…" Scarecrow sarcastically said.

"But, the problem is, Spetsnaz guards are disguised guarding the agent, so you can't go anywhere near in uniform." The agent warned them.

"So, we need disguises of our own," Ghost said, rubbing his mask covered chin.

"I think I've got that covered," Scarecrow said with a smile.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Man, How do you know these people?" Jester asked over a radio.

"I came to Japan during that 2 month break they gave me in 2015, so I heped a friend of mine that owned a car company here. I just made a few models of my own, and my friend would keep them until I can take care of them full time." Scarecrow said. He shifted gears as he drove his modified Holden HSV Maloo towards the club where the Russian agent was told to be. Scarecrow modified the car to be an exact replica of the race car Bassline from the Hot Wheels Acceleracers series. It even had the paintjob and speakers.

Scarecrow's clothing was like Shirako Takamoto ( character from Hot Wheels Acceleracers ) and he styled his hair in the same style as Shirako's, but kept it its' natural dark brown. Applejack was with him ( the team would be in groups of twos ) and she had a skin tight one piece suit, it looking like Samus Aran's zero suit, except the suit Applejack had was black with red lining.

"Ya sure these costumes will work?" Applejack asked Scarecrow.

"Trust me." Scarecrow said with a smile. He pulled his Headphones down to where they were resting around his neck, and he put on his orange sunglasses. The color of Scarecrow's clothes were the same as Shirako's from the movie. Scarecrow pulled into a private parking area, got out first, then opened the door for Applejack.

"Remember, stay close to me, and let me do the talking." Scarecrow said. Applejack nodded.

"Right," she replied. The two held hands as they walked to the door. One of the guards stooped the couple.

"Names?" The guard asked in Japanese.

Scarecrow took a pen the guard had, wrote his name down in Japanese, and wrote a fake Japanese name for Applejack on the paper, put $200 worth of Yin, 200 for both guards, on the clipboard along with the pen, and gave it back to the guards.

"Tell no one," Scarecrow said in Japanese. The two guards nodded, and one opened the door for them.

They entered, and this was a whorehouse if anyone saw one. The Vampire Club song from "Blade" Was playing, and on the main stage were multiple stripper poles, each with a dance, and guys crowded around it. Scarecrow also noticed multiple men with women that they more than likely paid off to be their girl for the night. Applejack saw one guy with a girl in each arm, and one under the table giving some.

"Applejack, Pray that this never happens in your world. We are pilgrims in an unholy land." Scarecrow said. Applejack stayed close to Scarecrow as they walked through, until they came to an elevator. Scarecrow pushed the button, and after a short wait, the elevator came down. When the doors opened, it revealed another man and woman kissing in the elevator. Scarecrow and Applejack got in, and the other two didn't even notice them.

Scarecrow crossed his arms as the elevator went up. A soft, jingly elevator tune was playing as they went up. The two lovers were still making out as Applejack and Scarecrow exited the elevator. Now they had to wait until the others showed up. They sat on a bench that was near the elevator, and it seemed quieter up here than it did down in the main room. The only sound that could be heard on this floor was the moaning from a couple of rooms.

"Talk about a Carefree place," Applejack said.

"Yeah," Scarecrow replied. Scarecrow then noticed some men dressed in uniform coming their way. Scarecrow could tell they were KGB.

"Here come some Russian agents. Try not to look obvious, but try to keep an eye on where they are going." Scarecrow said. As the KGB agents came towards them, Applejack quickly got up and sat on Scarecrow's legs, and started to kiss him. Scarecrow ran one of his hands through her hair as they kissed.

"Chert blyad', poluchili pravo na nego sverkhu, ona sdelala" One of the men said as the two KGB agents walked past the two. ( Damn slut, got right on top of him, she did. )

After they walked past, Applejack and Scarecrow stopped, and Applejack got off Scarecrow. She couldn't help but smile from the romantic moment.

"Well, that's one way to do it," Scarecrow said with a smile.

"Yeah, guess so," Applejack said.

"Scarecrow, come in," said Soap over a hidden radio Scarecrow had.

"This is Scarecrow." Scarecrow replied after he had picked up the radio.

"Mate, Me and Fluttershy just got here, And the others are on their way. Jester has the weapons in his vehicle." Soap said.

"Right, We're on the 8th floor," Scarecrow said. " Our target is possibly in room 564, we just saw two KGB agents enter the room." he then reported. "Also, if two guards stop you, say, "Watashitachiha, Nikku to shojikina no yujindeari, 200-doru wa doyo ni watashitachi o kaba shite imasu.". Be sure to tell the others to do the same." Scarecrow then said.

"Right, we are on the way." Soap said before cutting off. Scarecrow put the radio back into a pocket inside his vest.

"So, now we wait." Applejack said.

"Yep." Scarecrow replied.

"You think those two are the only guards?" Applejack asked.

"Probably not, but don't worry. As long as we have each other's backs, we'll be alright." Scarecrow said. He and Applejack then kissed again, and pulled away before Soap and Fluttershy came up to their floor.

"Finally. I got sick of seeing those blokes making out in that damn elevator." Soap said.

"They're still in there?" Scarecrow asked.

"Yep." Soap replied. "Anyway, The others should be up shortly with the concealed weapons." Soap then said.

"Alright, So should we do a little ease dropping?" Scarecrow said.

"Well, it would help, I guess.." Fluttershy said.

"Yeah, go ahead." Soap said.

"Consider it done." Scarecrow said. Scarecrow sneaked over to the door that the KGB agents entered. He put his hear close to the door to listen. Scarecrow was quiet for a few minutes, then his eyes widened at a certain sentence. He got up and headed back for the group.

"Anything?" Soap asked.

"Well, this will be bit of a shocker. From what I could translate, There is a third agent in the room. He talked with the other KGB agents about their government sending another large invasion force into the U.S." Scarecrow said.

"What the bloody hell?" Soap blurted.

"One of them said that their intelligence agency had detected a source of magic that relates to the other two elements that we have, located in the U.S., South central Michigan to be precise."

"Well, now all that's left is to capture the agent, alive, and force him to tell all to our intelligence agencies." Soap said. They then heard the "ding" from the elevator, and saw the rest of the team come in.

"About time." Scarecrow said.

"Give us a brake, do you know how hard it is to get past that crowd?" Jester said.

"You got one of the worker girls to talk to you, didn't you?" Scarecrow jokingly asked.

"Guys, this isn't the bloody time," Ghost said, interrupting them.

"He's right. Jester, weapons." Price said. Jester nodded, and opened a backpack that he had. Small, portable concealed weapons, like the Uzi, MP5, and others were in the back, along with sight attachments and silencers. Scarecrow got a P90 and attached a silencer to it. This would be one of the rare times when Scarecrow used a machine gun instead of a sniper rifle. The others got their weapons, then stealth fully lined u pat the door the agents were in.

"Ghost, plant the C4." Soap said. Ghost nodded and planted C4 on the parts of the door were the hinges were.

"So much for stealth," Specter said. Ghost then blew the C4, and the door went flying.

"Go go go!" Price yelled as they entered the room. They shot the two KGB agents that entered the room, and found their target scared half to death by the explosion.

"We got the target, radio it in," Price ordered to Ghost.

"I do not think so," The Russian agent said in English with a Russian accent. He then yelled something in Russian, and soldiers started coming in through the windows.

"They must be rappelling down from the roof! Take them down!" Soap ordered, the group firing and taking what cover they could. During the very close quarters fighting, the agent tried to get out.

"Oh no you don't!" Ghost said, jumping towards the agent. He grabbed him, and tried to pick him up. He was heavier than he looked, so Ghost figured he must have had a kevlar vest on. The agent then pulled out a tactical knife and tried to stab ghost, shouting various words in Russian.

Ghost and the man struggled, going across the room during the firefight in an almost comedic way. The Russian soldiers propelling into the room finally stopped, and the others could now focus on ghost and the agent.

"We can't shoot him, we need info from him!" Specter said. Ghost then pinned him on the floor. The others rested as Ghost had him on the ground.

"Not so tough now, are ya mate?" Ghost taunted. The Russian chuckled. This confused Ghost.

"You shall see soon." The Russian said. Ghost then noticed a device on the agent's arm that had a set of buttons. The agent pushed the button, and one of the elements of harmony's logos appeared on the device's screen. The agent then started to get stronger ( this process pretty much is like Bane from Batman, just with magic, not venom :p)

The agent then knocked Ghost off of him. Scarecrow tried to hit him, but The agent grabbed his arm, picked him up, and threw him into a wall. The force was enough to send Scarecrow went through the wall, and into a column in the next room, bending it. Scarecrow heard two screams. He shook his head, and turned in the sounds direction. He could see two women on the room's bed. They were naked and were obviously making love to each other before Scarecrow went flying into the room. He didn't say anything, just loaded his gun and walked out of the room, back into the one he was one.

The agent took a shot to the face from one of Soap's punches, but the agent struck back with a swift kick.

"Oh, so ya like kickin' huh? Well how do ya like this!" Applejack said, kicking the man in the chest with her bucking strength. He slumped back, holding his chest, but soon got back up. He picked up Applejack, and threw her into the same direction he threw Scarecrow. Scarecrow had just gotten back into the room, having to walk through three others.

"Okay, I'm back," Scarecrow said. He then saw Applejack flying towards him. "Oh, for the love of G-" *BAM* Applejack and Scarecrow went flying through the rooms again.

The two went into the column that was in the room with the lesbians. Applejack was on top of Scarecrow, Applejack flipped upside down on Scarecrow. So Applejack's ass was in Scarecrow's face, and Scarecrow's dick was in Applejack's face.

"Y'all got at be kiddin me.." Applejack muttered. The two lesbians were looking at them again. Applejack got off of Scarecrow, and then helped him up, both embarrassed and blushing. They exited the room swiftly, getting back to the fight.

When the agent bent over to pick up Jester to hit him, Price noticed a tube going from the device to the back of the agent's neck.

"There is a tube on the back of his neck! Get it!" Price yelled. Rainbow Dash looked to where he was saying, and she quickly moved into position. As she ran, she jumped, and reached for the tube. She surprisingly removed it with ease.

"NO!" The agent yelled. Reaching for the back of his neck. His muscles got smaller, going back into their original, small state. After the effects fully went away, the agent passed out. Jester got up, and threw the man over his shoulder. They could hear yelling outside, the language in Russian.

"Something tells me we need to go." Jester said, stating the obvious. The group got their weapons, and ran out the door, guns blazing. After about 5 minutes of fighting in the hallway, the group got to the elevator. When they saw the elevator door open, they saw the SAME couple that was in the elevator when Scarecrow and Applejack first got in it, kissing. The group got in, ignoring the couple.

"Gangnam Style" was playing over the elevator radio.

"As If this day hasn't been annoying enough." Price muttered. He then noticed Ghost nodded his head to the beat of the song, and simply face palmed.

"Ding!"

The group exited the elevator, then the building, knowing that reinforcements for the enemy would soon be here. The got into their cars, Scarecrow and Applejack into Scarecrow's modified HSV Maloo, Price and Rarity getting into a blue with dual red stripes Chevy Camaro, Ghost and Rainbow Dash getting into a jet black Dodge Viper, the Dodge Viper having a red Lightning bolt on the side. Pinkie Pie and Jester got into a Dodge Challenger, it painted the classic orange with black stripes. Fluttershy and Soap got into a Nissan Skyline, it painted a dark blue in the front that faded to black as the body of the car went back. Twilight and Specter got into a Purple Nissan GT-R with a race fin on the back on the car.

The group raced off in their cars, heading for a transport chopper that was waiting for them.

"At least we get to take the cars." Jester said over the radio.

"Oh, you think that, but after this, I'm getting my friend to hold on to them again. I worked too hard on these babies to get them messed up." Scarecrow implied. They raced off to where they were suppose to get picked up, and the Russian soldiers that were trying to find them didn't have any clues, besides some skid marks in the parking lot.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

Later…

/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Well, talk about a night well spent," rainbow dash said as she and Applejack were walking together, just talking.

"I guess y'all could call it that." Applejack said. They then started talking about what every girl on Earth talks about at least once in their life: boys.

"So, have you seen anyone "interesting" to you?" Rainbow Dash asked Applejack. This caught her off guard.

"Well, I, uh, well, to put it in a way.." She trailed off. She was a terrible liar to her friends. Rainbow Dash gasped.

"You do like someone!" Dash said. Applejack immediately clamped her hand on top of Dash's mouth.

"Could ya keep it down?! What if one of the others hear us?" Applejack whispered. Dash looked at her and nodded. Applejack let her go.

"But I can't believe you like someone! Who is it?" Dash asked.

"Well, uh, Scarecrow…" She muttered, barely audible for Dash to hear.

"Who?" She asked.

"Scarecrow." Applejack said, blushing as she did. She started rubbing her arm. Dash smiled.

"Aw, how cute, you and Scarecrow area couple! I mean, he likes you to, right?" Dash asked.

"Well, yeah." AJ said. She was blushing more than ever now.

"Aw, come on AJ, don't be embarrassed, all girls will go through something like this." Dash said, putting her arm around her friend.

"In fact, I'm going through it to," Dash whispered in Applejack's ear.

"What? Who?" Applejack asked, turning her head to Dash.

"Well, uh, Ghost." Dash said, chuckling. " he was always there for me when I was in that hospital, and one day, we talked some, and we, well, we did it." Dash said.

"You did it!?" AJ exclaimed.

"No no! I meant we kissed! I didn't mean we actually "did it"!" Dash exclaimed. Applejack sighed a sigh of relief. She would have defiantly been caught off guard.

"But, to be honest, I think he is very cute, and I would," Dash said. Applejack sighed.

"Well, at be honest, I feel the same bout Scarecrow. We firs kissed when we were outside together early in the morning. It was romantic," Applejack said, sounding love struck. The girls talked about their relationships, not paying attention to where they were walking, until they walked right into Scarecrow and Ghost, who were working on a couple of weapons. Ghost and Scarecrow turned around to see the girls.

"Oh, hey," Scarecrow said.

"What are you two doing" Ghost asked the girls. They looked at each other, then back at the men.

"Oh, just talking," Dash said, trying her best to not make a goofy smile when she looked at Applejack.

"Oh, well, we were about to get a bite to eat, want to join us?" Scarecrow asked.

"Why, we would love to!" Applejack said. The guys led the way, and the girls walked behind them. Dash turned her head to whisper to AJ

"You don't think they heard us, did you?" Dash asked.

"I hope not," AJ said. The two smiled at each other as they followed the boys.

"You don't think they heard our little conversation, did you?" Ghost whispered to Scarecrow.

"I hope not, but let's keep it between ourselves," Scarecrow said. The two men looked at each other and nodded. The group of four walked off to lunch.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Another part of the base…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"So, where could we be heading next?" Twilight asked. Her and Specter were looking at areas on a world map, taking guesses at where the elements of harmony could be.

"I'm not sure, but we will find out together," Specter said, smiling at Twilight.

"You know, this world has been very surprising to me, but I'm glad that you and your friends were here to help us," Twilight said, her and Specter making eye contact with each other. Twilight bit her lip a little bit. She thought about how Specter was smart, quick, and seemed to be strong, but also how he was devoted to his friends.

"Well, I have to be honest, you were an unexpected surprise to my world, but, now I'm glad you and your friends were here," Specter said. He put his hand on Twilights, and she looked at his hand, then back at him.

"It's like fate… wanted us together.." Twilight said, trailing off as she closed her eyes. Her and Specter then kissed. Specter ran one of his hands through her hair as they kissed. After a few more seconds, they pulled back, and smiled at each other.

"Who says work has to be no fun," Specter said, he and Twilight smiling at each other. They held hands as they made plans, both happy that they could reveal their feelings for each other.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

A/N: Well, this is the reason this story is rated M! :P But, who knows, it could become even more… "romantic" stay tuned for more, and leave reviews on what you think! Later!

"I still get nightmares. In fact, I get them so often that I should be used to them by now. I'm Not. No one ever really gets use to nightmares." -Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves

Chapter 8: The Nightmare Never Stops

"WALKER!"

Scarecrow immediately woke up, looking around. He was breathing hard again, as usual. You think he would be use to it by now. He looked over to his left, and Saw Applejack sleeping in the bunk beside him. He got up and went into the bathroom, going through his usual morning routine. Scarecrow then washed his face, to get the drowsiness out of him.

He couldn't open his eyes because of the water, so he felt around until he got a towel. He dried his face and looked into the mirror. What he saw Made his blood run cold. Just as he picked his head up, he could have sworn he saw his brother standing right behind him. Scarecrow immediately turned around, but nothing was there.

"Ugh, Those nightmares are getting to me too much.." He said to himself. He observed his Shadow Company Uniform. He looked at the Shadow Company patch that was put on both sleeves, just below the shoulder. He smiled at his Company's logo, The Black Spade with a desert colored background. In the top of the circled patch was "Shadow Company", and at the bottom, the Company's motto, "Death Waits in the Shadows", both sentences in black, with two black stars at each end, separating the two sentences. He put the uniform on and walked outside. It was quieter than usual.

"Nightmares again?"

Scarecrow immediately turned around, only to see Applejack.

"Yeah. You think I would be used to them by now," Scarecrow said.

"Trust me. No one never really gets use to them. All you can do is forget about it for the time being." Applejack said, getting close to Scarecrow.

"It's the only option I have, but maybe you can help me forget for now," Scarecrow said, smiling. Applejack smiled to, knowing what he meant. They closed their eyes as their lips touched, embracing in the romantic kiss. The pulled away about 10 seconds later.

"Well, Ah guess Ah'll wake the others." Applejack said, blushing a little.

"Yeah, it's about time to," Scarecrow said, Smiling before he put on his trademark mask (black mask with Smile stitched on the front), visor, and helmet. He then walked off to the weapons and ammunition storage room as Applejack went back into the sleeping quarters.

"See, I told you!" Dash said quietly.

"Right as you are, We better not let them know what we know, or let them know how are own relationship is," Ghost said.

"Uh, right." Dash said, then remember she had told Applejack about her and Ghost.

"Anyway, lets go. It's time for the others to wake up," Ghost said. He and Dash pulled a quick kiss, then Ghost slid his own skull mask on. He walked towards the ammo storage room where Scarecrow went, Dash going to their own quarters to wake up the other 141 members.

"Up this early?" Scarecrow called out. Ghost had stepped in quietly, but Scarecrow was trained to hear and see any sort of enemy movement.

"Well, yeah. My head was still a little shaky from last night." Ghost said.

"I don't blame you, If I hadn't street raced some in Atlanta when I was 16, I wouldn't have been use to the speeds and drifting." Scarecrow said, putting a 12x Ballistic scope on a M98B sniper rifle he was going to use for now.

"Any idea on where we'll be going next?" Ghost asked.

"Well, Specter said that there was a general and senator that immediately wants our squads at a top restricted military base in Southern Nevada.

"You mean that "Area 51"?" Ghost asked.

"Yep." Scarecrow replied.

"I thought that place was just a fake?" Ghost then asked.

"Heh, that's what they all said. But trust me, it's real. And there is stuff that happens down there that should never be revealed to the public." Scarecrow said, his voice immediately in a serious tone.

"Well, I wont say a word." Ghost said, putting a red dot sight on a G36C.

Specter then walked in. "There you two are," Specter said, "We're moving out. Going back into the states, in the Nevada base." Scarecrow and Ghost nodded, getting their choice of weapons together and heading for the C-130 Hercules that is taking them to the States (this one was large enough to carry all the TF141 and Shadow Company soldiers that were at the Japan base).

As they got on the plane, Scarecrow turned around, looking at the city in the distance. "Sayonara, Japan." He said. He thought of Takeo when he said Japan, wondering if his group and Takeo's group would run into each other again. Scarecrow Was half Japanese ( his father was American, his mother, Asian (Japanese of course) so he enjoyed visits to Japan. He the continued onto the plane, which took off after the hatch closed.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The plane ride was a long one, and most people were asleep, except for Price and Rarity.

"So, What did you do back on your world?" Price asked her, trying to start a conversation.

"Oh, well, I made exquisite clothing designs for the ponies of my town, and even some for the princesses. I hardly ever mad mistakes, and when I did, I immediately worked on them to make them perfect." Rarity said, proud of her job. Price smiled a little.

"You know, you and me, we're alike like that.. I only want perfection out of my troops, and our mission. And I work on our mistakes to make them impossible to make again." Price said. Rarity smiled, meeting someone that only wanted perfection, like her.

"But I guess the only difference is that I like to get my hands dirty if I have to." Price said.

"Actually," Rarity started chuckling, "I get my hands dirty sometimes to. You see, diamonds are not rare back in my world, but they're only found in caves, and I'm an expert at finding them. Some of my clothes have diamond designs on them, and, as much has it disgusts me, I will go into those caves and get the diamonds." Rarity said.

"Hmm, you wouldn't seem like the type to even think of that, but, I always thought girls like you were the best." Price said, smiling. Rarity blushed a little.

"so do you think we're close?" Rarity asked. As if on cue, the pilots could be heard talking over their radio.

"Alpha tower one, this is Shadow Falcon, we have the VIPs, codename "Goldberg", over." One pilot said.

"Copy Shadow falcon, You will make immediate landing on runway 4, we will use reflector beams on the plane to take it off local airway's radar as you come in. Special authorization will meet the VIPs at the runway." Was responded.

"Guess that answers your question." Price said. "Better wake the others up." Price then said.

"Of course," Rarity said, smiling.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When the plane landed, men from both the 141 and Shadow Company (it was all the squads soldiers that were in the Japan fight, not just the main guys and mane 6) could see the extreme security watching over the base.

"So, this is the Yanks most secret thing," One 141 soldier said to Ghost.

"Yeah, But you all know, not a bloody word or we'll be marked." Ghost said, knowing how important the base is. When they got off the plane, two men were waiting for them. One was wearing the uniform that a 5 star general has, the other in a slick black tuxedo.

"Senator McKinnon," Specter said, shaking the man's hand, Price doing the same after.

"I'm glad that you and your squads could make it. Now, if you will follow me and General Mason," McKinnon said, the group following him to the base.

"Enigma." McKinnon said to a Clerk that had two soldiers with him. She picked up a phone near her, labeled, "enigma."

"They're here." She said. She then nodded, and the senator, general, and the two special ops squads walked to an elevator, which were guarded by two Mps.

"Iceberg." McKinnon then said. One of the soldiers nodded, and the squad took the elevator (it was large enough to hold everyone at once) The elevator stopped once, and the general stepped out.

"Good luck," the general said, saluting them all as the elevator doors closed. The elevator the continued its decent. Scarecrow noticed that the room numbers went as " 7,6,5,4,3,2,51". This confused him, but then it hit him as soon as the elevator stopped at floor "51". Everyone stepped out, and were on a balcony, looking down at a large facility full of scientists.

"Welcome to the real area 51." Senator McKinnon said. The men were in awe. This is just the beginning." McKinnon said. They walked down a stairway and into the entrance to a large hallway, with multiple large rooms, guarded by more soldiers.

"Wood chipper." McKinnon said. The guards moved, allowing access. As they walked down the hallway, the senator pointing out some of the rooms. He pointed at one. "This was where back in the 40's, we had a super soldier program made to fight the Nazis. It was originally located in Brooklyn, New York, worked once, but the genius mind was killed by a Nazi collaborator. The Soldier helped stopped Hitler's scientific division from destroying the U.S., and the world, but sacrificed himself by crashing the plane carrying the bombs. We have had a Special Agency sent to Try to locate him, but they haven't done so yet. We've shut down this facility ever since."

"Impressive," Price said.

"Indeed," McKinnon responded. They walked down some more, the soldiers taking glances at the rooms. Jester saw one that said, "weapons testing". He was able to see a soldier with a weird looking gun, made of gold, with three light bulbs on it. The soldier aimed at one of 10 targets close together, fired, and a Lightning blot shot out of it, hit the target, then linked to the 9 others, destroying them. But the lightning then ran into the electrical system of the room, overloading the circuits and blowing the lights and the room's equipment. Scientists in the room quickly took notes after the event.

They walked for a while more, and Ghost could have sworn in one of the rooms he saw an alien in a pod, but shook it off. They saw many top secret projects. One room that caught Scarecrow's eyes was a room labeled, "Teleporters/115 containment center".

"Senator, Do you mind if me and one other soldier goes into the Teleporters/ 115 containment center?" Scarecrow asked.

"Of course, you have full authorization." The senator replied. As he and the others walked off, Scarecrow grabbed Jester.

"What?" Jester asked. He followed Scarecrow into the room, and they walked to a scientist.

"Excuse me, uh.." Scarecrow asked.

"Dr. Michaels." the scientist responded.

"Dr. Michaels, can you explain to me and my squad mate about this teleporter? It looks like a design We've seen before." Scarecrow said.

"Of course. This is a makeshift teleporter made from the same components of a design that our scientists found back in the 60's, originally made by the Nazis in the 40's. They had accounts of successful teleportation, but couldn't use it due to the fact that they lost the war before setting the entire program up. We are going to try to do what they couldn't."

Scarecrow and Jester looked at each other, then back at Dr. Michaels.

"What was the name of the man that made the successful teleporter?" Jester asked.

"Dr. Edward Richtofen."

Scarecrow's jaw dropped. "Did he have three men that was with him?" Scarecrow then asked.

"Why, Yes. The Nazis had a super soldier program of their own, and tested it out on three soldiers during WWII. One was American, one Russian, the third Japanese."

Jester and Scarecrow were now in shock. "Thank you for your time and information," Jester said as the two walked out.

"We met the inventor of the first successful teleporter and three experiments." Scarecrow said.

"Do you think these guys know about that temple?" Jester asked.

"I don't think so." Scarecrow said. Scarecrow's radio then went off.

"Scarecrow, we need you and Jester in the "Moon surveillance" room." Specter said over the radio.

"Right, we are on the way." Scarecrow said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

When Scarecrow and Jester got to the room, they could see both squads in a room full of pieces of certain space shuttles, schematics, and surveillance cameras.

"Ah, Scarecrow, Jester, glad to see you could make it," Said a Women in a lab coat. "I am Dr. Strickland, pleased to meet you." Scarecrow and Jester shook her hand, then she led them to a certain part of the room.

"Now, While your squad and TF141 was in Japan, we had agents at the base, and one reported to us about you two talking of meeting four men in 1940's Germany. How did this happen?" She asked.

Scarecrow and Jester knew they were caught red handed, so, with no choice, they spilled the beans.

"We had a mission to find a hidden temple in the middle of a Japan forest, and we found a rock, along with one of the elements of harmony." Jester started. Dr. Strickland wrote this down.

"go on," she said.

"Then, the two started to form together, and then it started to spin around us. We then heard this little girl, and that's when we teleported. First, we ended up in some place with long hallways and heard, but didn't see, these two guys. One sounded Australian, the other, American. We then landed on this bus in 2025, and met this girl named Misty (They forgot to mention her telling them about the zombie apocalypse happening at that time), then we landed in 1940's Germany, where we fought these undead Nazis and met the four men," Scarecrow finished. Dr. Strickland had been writing furiously on her notepad.

"Zombies? Interesting…. You two follow me." Dr. Strickland said. They did so, and they came to a line of security cameras. Dr. Strickland turn them on, and it showed surveillance videos of the moon.

"Gentlemen, this is the reason why NASA stopped sending men to the moon."

It showed zombies walking through corridors, one astronaut zombie moving very slowly, and four other astronauts killing the zombies. Scarecrow and Jester did not say anything, until they heard a familiar voice.

"Oh, I just love how zhere limbs fall apart. GET ME A BAG DEMPSEY!"

"Richtofen" Scarecrow and Jester said in unison.

"You know him?" Dr. Strickland.

"You can say we met." Jester said. They then, one by one, saw Tank, Takeo, and Nikolai, each fighting off the endless waves of zombies.

"How did they get there?" Scarecrow asked.

"We are not sure, but based on security footage, they got to the moon via teleporter.

"Can we get them out?" Jester asked.

"That is where you two come in. Since you have experience teleporting, we will send you two to that teleporter on the moon, and you will get the group to re-use the teleporter and you will teleport back to Earth." Dr. Strickland said

"So, you're sending us to the moon?" Scarecrow asked.

"Yep." Dr. Strickland replied.

"I didn't sign up for this." Jester muttered.

"Well, you can tell the next girl you meet that you went to the moon." Scarecrow said mockingly, getting a very use to playful punch in the arm by Jester.

"So when do we leave?" Scarecrow asked.

"Well, since we know that the teleporter works, we want you and some of your men, and some of TF141 to go up there." Dr. Strickland said. Jester and Scarecrow were silent.

"And we're going to explain this to them…how?" Jester asked.

"Well, that is your problem I guess. Meanwhile, I will help set up the teleporter." Dr. Strickland said, walking off. Jester facepalmed.

"Well, I'll tell Specter, but you're telling the Brits." Jester said.

"Alright. At least I don't have to deal with the captain." Scarecrow said.

"What is that suppose to mean?" Jester asked.

"The TF141 guys can't do anything to me because I'm in Shadow Company. Specter is, so he has every right to yell at you and kick your butt." Scarecrow said, walking to TF141.

"What? FUCK!" Jester replied, going to Specter and the SC girls.

"Hey, Captain Soap." Scarecrow said, getting the man's attention. Even though Scarecrow was taller at 6'4, he knew what the man could do, and knew to stay military strict, like he was.

"What's going on?" Soap asked.

"Uh, we got a new mission." Scarecrow said.

"And what might that be?" Soap asked.

"Well, uh.. How should I put this…" Scarecrow started. He then whispered the mission into Soap's ear.

"WE'RE GOING TO WHAT?!" was his response, getting some looks from the other TF141 guys.

"What's going on?" Ghost and Price asked in unison.

"We've got a new mission, and you guys are not going to believe this.." Soap said.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I still say we're going to die." Ghost said into the radio of his helmet. Specter, Scarecrow, Jester, Ghost, Soap, and Price, and the girls had Space suits on over their original uniforms, the guys having their respective country's flags on the shoulders, the girls having their cutie marks on theirs. Scientists were gathered around, gathering data.

"Now, be ready, the teleportation process will begin." Dr. Strickland said over the speaker. Scarecrow was saying prayer to himself, and Ghost overheard him.

"Oi, Scarecrow, I don't mean to interrupt you," Ghost said, getting his attention.

"Yeah?" Scarecrow asked.

"Say a prayer for me to mate." Ghost said.

"Attention, the teleportation process will begin in 5," Dr. Strickland said over the speaker.

"4,"

"Ready up." Specter said, loading his CM901 With a Red Dot Sight. The group loaded their weapons, readying up.

"3...2...1." the teleporter started, and after a few seconds, the group had disappeared.

"You think they will be alright?" Senator McKinnon asked Dr. Strickland.

"Do not worry sir. We have been working on this for years, nothing can go wrong. Then, as soon as she had said that, the power had cut out all over the facility, and everyone heard the laughing of a little girl.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Oorah! Come get some you motherfuckers!" Dempsey yelled as zombies chased him in the biodome. He had pack punched the pistol he started with, so now he had Mustang and Sally.

"Good hit American!" Nikolai said as Dempsey killed multiple zombies with one shot.

"Yes, a honorable shot my American ally." Takeo said.

"Shut the fuck up Tak, I commented on him first!" Nikolai slurred.

"You know, guys, I know I am one badass crackshot, but you know, I COULD USE SOME FUCKING HELP!" Dempsey yelled as he was reloading. Takeo and Nikolai shook their heads to help their friend out.

"Oh, zhey have surrounded Dempsey. JOY!" Richtofen yelled as he killed a zombie with the ray gun. The group continued to fight until they heard the noise of the teleporter.

"The fuck? How is the teleporter going?" Tank asked.

"I am not sure, maybe e should check it out while we have this crawler." Richtofen suggested. They agreed, and the four started to make their way back to the first room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The group successfully teleported, and were in the starting room.

"We've finally made it to the moon… You were wrong 3rd girlfriend, you were wrong!" Jester said, getting a facepalm from Scarecrow.

"Right, we know the mission, we better find these guys. Scarecrow, Jester, since you know them, you two lead the way." Specter ordered. The two nodded. The two lined up in front of the left door, stacking up. Scarecrow tapped Jester's shoulder, and they moved through the door, the others right behind them.

"Clear." Scarecrow called out. When they got outside, they were in awe.

"Hm, I always wondered what Earth looked like as a kid, I always wanted to see it with my own eyes." Price said.

"Well, there's a time for everything." Soap said, smiling. They then entered the room where the MPL was, then going through that door.

"Scarecrow, take point." Specter said. Scarecrow walked ahead of the group, looking through the scope of his M98B. As he walked slowly down the corridor, he came to an opening. There he could see two men in astronaut suits, one of them grabbing the other.

"Let go of me you miserable mutant!" Said a Japanese voice that Scarecrow recognized. He saw the one on the left knifing the one on the right, and looking through the scope, Scarecrow could tell the one on the right was not human. He quickly took aim and fired. With one lucky shot, Scarecrow was able to kill it. It blew up, producing a shockwave that blasted the other astronaut back.

"What the?" Takeo asked. He looked to where the shot came from, and saw another astronaut with a futuristic sniper rifle. Out of instinct, he aimed his AUG at the man. "Who are you?" Takeo asked.

"Takeo," the man said, walking closer, "It's me, Scarecrow." Scarecrow said, bowing before Takeo. Takeo's eyes widened, remembering meeting the comrade at Der Riese, which seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Scarecrow? How did you get here?" Takeo asked, bowing to Scarecrow in return.

"My country's government sent us to help bring you and the others back." Scarecrow replied.

"Us? That Jester is here to?" Takeo asked.

"Yep. And we brought even more help." Scarecrow said. He motioned for the others to come out, and Takeo smiled seeing that they had reinforcements.

"I better get my allies." Takeo said, motioning for Tank, Nikolai, and Richtofen to come out.

"You know, the oxygen levels are up in here, so we can take these helmets off," Richtofen stated. They did and introduced themselves to each other.

"Well, the Limeys finally sent some help," Tank said as he shook Ghost's hand.

"You can say that," Ghost replied.

"I am Nikolai, do you have any vodka?" Nikolai asked Price as he shook his hand.

"No, but hell, I wish I did." Price replied. Nikolai then wrapped his arm around Price.

"Finally, someone who shares my love of Vodka!" Nikolai cheered.

"Nikolai, no one loves vodka as much as you, you silly Russian," Richtofen said.

"Hey baby, wanna see what a Tank is like?" Tank asked as he met Applejack.

"Hey, lay off." Scarecrow said, staring dead at him.

"What? You mean? Shit." Tank said. He then met Rainbow Dash, and he chuckled a little.

"What?" Dash asked. She then realized. "It's my hair, isn't it."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but that's a first that I've seen." Tank said.

"It's alright, I get that often. Just don't say it often." Dash said. She then felt something hit the back of her legs. It scared her out of her mind, and she turned around and killed the crawler out of reaction.

"Oh, great job rainbow haired one." Richtofen sarcastically said.

"Hey, It wasn't her fault, you think she's seen a zombie before?" Ghost said, defending her.

"don't listen to him. The doc's fucked up." Tank said. They could then hear the moaning and yelling of zombies.

"Here they come…" Scarecrow said.

"Right, we better get back to the bio-uh, bio- the big round thingy." Nikolai said.

"Uh, Right." Soap said. The group followed Scarecrow, Jester, and the four zombie killers until they were able to get to the biodome. They split into groups of four, each led by the four zombie killers.

"So, you guys ever have any perks before?" Tank asked Twilight as they fought zombies, eventually having a crawler again. Specter and Ghost were messing with a crawler.

"Perks?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. Here, catch." Tank said, getting a juggernog and tossing it to Twilight. She tried the drink, and her eyes widened immediately. She felt the beverage make her feel stronger.

"I feel stronger than before, wow!" Twilight said, getting all (no pun intended) perky from the perk.

"Yeah, that's a common feeling." Tank replied. Specter tried some of the jug from Twilight, before smashing the bottle on the ground.

"Don't you know that's a waste?" Twilight asked.

"Makes me feel badass." Specter replied.

"I know the feeling," Tank said, chuckling. Tank then got a call on his radio. "The fuck do you want?" Dempsey asked.

"Dempsey, when we made groups, I zhought zhat Pinkemena would be fun to be with, BUT NOW SHE HAS FOUND STAMINUP AND IS RUNNING ALL OVER ZHE WALLS!" Richtofen yelled, almost hurting Tanks ear.

"DOC, SHUT THE FUCK UP! WE'RE ON THE WAY ASSHOLE." Dempsey yelled just as loud in return.

"What the hell is that all about?" Specter asked.

"Doc's having some problems with that Pinkie Pie girl." Dempsey responded.

"Oh, that pinkie pie…" Twilight said laughing. "What is she doing this time?"

"Well, doc said she found staminup and now she's literally running all over the walls."

"What's staminup?" Twilight asked.

"It makes you twice as energetic and makes you sprint longer and faster." Tank replied.

"Oh boy, She will be running all over the walls then." Twilight responded.

"ZHAT IS WHAT I SAID!" Richtofen yelled. They could her Pinkie pie laughing and running in the background."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Dempsey replied. His group then started to make their way to the biodome, where Richtofen's group was located.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"So, Takeo, What has happened since we met in Germany?" Scarecrow asked, the two friends catching up with each other.

"Well, we were able to leave Der Riese thanks to dumb luck by the American, but we ended up at a zombie infested theater Richtofen called, "Kino Der Toten". We then teleported to this Russian test facility, where we fought there until we teleported to some room we were trapped in. After we got some help from some people outside, we then went to what was suppose to be "paradise". Ha, a paradise full of zombies. After that, we came here." Takeo said. "What about you?"

"Well," Scarecrow started, "before we met, we were on a mission in the Chichibu forest of Japan, and we ended up at this secret temple." Scarecrow said.

"Secret temple?" Takeo asked.

"Yep. Then we teleported and met you guys at Der Riese. When you guys were able to teleport us back, we had to find a Russian spy that was at a Japanese strip club." Scarecrow said, shaking his head. "any man that goes in there on his own will has no honor. I did not want to enter the place, but I knew the mission was most important." Scarecrow said.

"You are a man of wise words, and of wise choice. Very Honorable." Takeo said. They both bowed to each other before Applejack and Rainbow Dash came over.

"I hate ta interrupt you two reciting memories, but Scarecrow, Specter just radioed in, saying the group is going to start making their way to the teleporter." Applejack said.

"right, we should get going." Takeo said, leading his group to the teleporter that could take them back.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Everyone ready?" Richtofen asked, getting a crowd full of nods and "Yeah"s and one "Yeah dicktofen.". "zhen here we go!" Richtofen yelled, activating the teleporter. In just a few short seconds, they were back at the Area 51 teleporter that the group used to get to the moon to get the zombie killers.

"Why's the power out?" Jester asked.

"I don't like this.." Scarecrow said, checking a hallway. "It's empty both ways."

"Anyone's radio working? Mines gone dark." Soap said, trying to contact the other 141.

"Nope, nothing," Specter said, trying to contact the other SC.

"Right. Move out, stay close together." Specter said. The moved down the hallway, wondering how it could become so empty. They had only been gone for about 30 minutes, and now it's like this place had been abandoned for 30 years. They walked for a while longer coming to another empty hallway full of rooms.

"I think we should split up." Soap suggested.

"Well, it would be a faster way to search these rooms," Scarecrow said. After agreeing, they split into groups of four.

"So, what do you think happened here?" Price asked as he, Soap, Fluttershy, and Rarity.

"Not sure, but I don't like it." Soap said.

"I don't like the dark…" Fluttershy said.

"I've got ya back mate." Soap said. Since the light was low, Soap grabbed Fluttershy's hand. Fluttershy griped his hand, and they stayed together as they went through some of the rooms.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I've got nothing." Takeo said as he walked into one room. Scarecrow walked in the room, noticing a line of cameras.

"Hey, maybe this is security cameras of the facility." Scarecrow said. His group, He, Takeo, A.J., and Ghost, gathered around as Scarecrow got it to turn on. They couldn't believe the security footage. It showed the soldiers of SC and TF141 fighting off zombies that were wearing the clothing of scientists, then the squads were separated by a large steel door that could only be opened by turning on the power. The zombies then split, some going after the 141, the others going after SC. Scarecrow looked at the time the video was captured.

"16:32... That is two minutes before we arrived, so this happened soon. We better find the others and tell them. They started to turn around, but then they heard a voice.

"Flash!" a voice called out. Scarecrow recognized the word. It was Shadow Company's default challenge whenever men were separated.

"Thunder," Scarecrow called out. They turned around, and saw some of the SC men.

"Scarecrow? The teleporter still worked?" One of the soldiers said.

"Yeah. What's your call sign and rank soldier?" Scarecrow asked the soldier.

"Hook, sir. I'm a sergeant." Hook said, saluting Scarecrow.

"Right. Are you and the five men with you the only remaining guys from Shadow Company?" Scarecrow asked.

"As far as I know sir. We were separated from the 141 by a large door." Hook said.

"Right, you and your guys are with us now. Keep it tight." Scarecrow ordered.

"Yes sir!" the 6 men responded. The group walked out, heading back for the others.

"You take command greatly. Very honorable." Takeo complimented.

"Thanks." Scarecrow said. They then heard what sounded like moaning.

"You hear that?" one of the other SC men asked.

"I heard it Wolf. You think that's those things again Hook?" one asked.

"Not sure Rocket." Hook responded.

"Wait, what is that?" Ghost asked, pointing in the direction of a blacked out hallway. The group could see the tons of glowing eyes. Takeo and Scarecrow realized immediately what it was.

"CONTACT!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Go! Go!" Specter yelled. He, Jester, Dash, and Tank were running down a hallway, trying to escape a horde of zombies that were following close behind.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKERS COULDN'T EVEN CATCH A TURTLE ON CRUTCHES YOU FREAK FUCKERS!" Tank yelled, firing his RPK at the horde while running backwards.

"Where are the others?!" Dash yelled

"I don't know!" Jester responded as they ran.

"COME GET SOME, YOU FUCKING COCK SUCKA MOTHAFUCKA!" Tank bellowed, throwing a grenade. It blew, taking out a mass of zombies. But the mass was only a fraction.

"We got to get out of here!" Specter yelled. They were then temporarily blinded as the lights came on. Specter could then hear his radio.

"Hello? Specter, we have turned on zhe power, and we have not run into any trouble. Und how are you today?" Richtofen asked over the radio.

"We've run into heavy resistance! There are-" Specter started, before Dempsey took the radio.

"THERE ARE A SHITLOAD OF FREAKMEATS CHASING US AND WE NEED TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE, FIND A WAY TO THE FUCKING TELEPORTER MOTHERFUCKER!" Dempsey yelled.

"DEMPSEY, YOU DO NOT NEED TO SCREAM! GOTT VERDAMMT! We have found some of zhese SC and TF141 soldeirs, and we stumbled across a room zhat had zhe Wunderwaffe DG2! Amazing! Anyway, all zhe doors are open, so head back to zhe teleporter. We have already let zhe others know, so we vwill be there. NOW SHUT ZHE HELL UP WITH ZHE SCREAMING!" Richtofen said.

Dempsey gave specter his radio back.

"What did he say?" Specter asked as he fired his weapon at the zombies.

"We're heading back to the teleporter room, and he's gonna try to fix it to where we can get the fuck out of here." Dempsey replied.

"Sounds good to me, lets go!" Specter ordered as they ran to the teleporter room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"The doors will hold for a while, thanks to Ghost's hacking ability." Price said.

"Right. Zhis will give me enough time to set zhe two locations." Richtofen stated.

"Two locations?" Tank asked.

"Jah. We are going to one in a different time, and The others shall go to a different place in zhis time." Richtofen said.

"So we're not gonna be with these guys anymore?" Nikolai asked.

"Zhat is right. Sad as it is, vwe must go to our own destiny. But we vwill keep you in mind!" Richtofen happily said. Takeo turned to Scarecrow.

"So, I guess this is goodbye again." Takeo said. It saddened him to leave a comrade with as much honor as himself.

"I guess so. Maybe we will be able to meet again by a chance of fate." Scarecrow said. Takeo smiled at his friends words.

"Maybe." Takeo responded.

"Yo, Tak, we're heading out." Dempsey called out.

"Well, Farewell my friend." Takeo said, bowing to Scarecrow.

"Farewell. And keep your honor. A man who has honor has more wealth than any rich man." Scarecrow said, bowing.

"Very wise words." Takeo said as they both came up. He then walked to the teleporter.

"Vwell, zhis was fun, vwe vwill have to make another date to meet. Until zhen, farewell!" Richtofen said, the group of zombie killers waving goodbye to the soldiers and girls. They then teleported. And the teleporter reset for the groups location. And not a second to soon.

"They've broken through! Open fire!" Price yelled. The group fired at the zombies as they ran to the teleporter. As they ran through the knocked over remains of equipment, Applejack tripped. As she turned around, the zombies were closing in on her. She screamed, and Scarecrow immediately turned around.

"A.J.!" He yelled, running back after her. He ran and reached for A.J.'s hand. She was just in reach, and she grasped it. Scarecrow pulled, and he was stronger than the zombies, so he pulled her away, a few zombie arms still holding on to A.J.'s legs.

"Start the teleporter!" Scarecrow yelled. Price did so, and the teleporter whirred up. Scarecrow threw a grenade near some of the 115 element. He then pushed A.J. into the teleporter, and then dove in as the grenade blew up. It caused a critical reaction of the 115 element, causing a huge explosion. The group had teleported just as it exploded, destroying the room full of zombies, the teleporter, and the underground secret facility.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Oof!" everyone said as they landed. They looked around, they were back in the Japan base they left.

"Hmm, wonder why we teleported back here…" Price said.

"Because we intercepted you in mid teleportation." The Japanese agent said. It was the same gent that told them about the Russian spy. "We have been able to get the information out of him that another element of harmony is located back in the middle east, in Sulaymaniyah."

"Well, we moving out today?" Specter asked.

"We already have transport planes ready for you." The agent responded. The groups restocked, and would use this trip as a moment to get some rest after the events that had happened.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Even with the help of the elements from Tunguska, you could not stop them. I'm starting to doubt your abilities in keeping your promise." Makarov said.

"Do not worry my friend, they shall be stopped, we just need people on the inside…" Discord said.

"I can send my best spies in their ranks." Makarov said.

"No no, I know someone that can help." Discord said. A floating telephone the appeared, and discord picked it up.

"Hello, is this the queen?" Discord asked. "Yes, I would like to know if you would like to help me and a friend in taking over a world. Oh, the usual, the mane six are trying to find the elements of harmony. You will? That is great, we will see you in 30 minutes. Goodbye." Discord then hung the phone up, and it disappeared.

"Well, who is coming?" Makarov asked.

"Oh," Discord said, chuckling, "Lets just say this queen can shift the shape of events, and is as good as a Chrysalis…" Discord finished, laughing.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Okay guys, I know it's been a while since I updated, but consider this a new years present! I do wonder though, I wonder what fan art of this story would look like, I would be interested in looking. If you have or know anyone that has fan art for this story, let me know! Anyway, see you next time guys! -The Number 1 Bushwacka

Chapter 9: Not all is as it seems

"How we experience the outer world is determinedby our inner world. We do not see the world asit actually is, but the way we perceive it to be."- Jim Hartness

The two squads had been at Fort Jenkins, A U.S. base near the city that they were heading to. They had received reports of Spetsnaz operations in the city, possibly involving the elements of harmony. But they were now heading towards the city in a group of LAV-25s.

"Anyone have any idea why the fuck we're here?"

"We have reports of the reds trying to use some of the elemental powers to see if they can control earthquakes. If they can, I feel sorry for the people in California." Specter said.

"With all honesty, I wouldn't mind. I met a guy from Cali, drove me nuts with his accent." Jester said

"Arnold Schwarzenegger on FOX news doesn't count." Scarecrow said, looking up the latest scores for La Liga Soccer on his Droid RAZR MAXX.

"At least he is in the U.S., unlike your Barcelona team. AND IT WASN'T ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER!" Jester replied back, shouting over the engine.

"At least Barcelona can win a Championship, unlike the past few years of the Oklahoma Sooners," Scarecrow yelled back.

"You motherfucker!" Jester yelled. The two argued about their two sports. Applejack, who was sitting by specter, had a questionable look.

"They always argue like that?" Applejack asked.

"This isn't even half of it. The two like sports, Jester likes football, and so does Scarecrow, but Scarecrow loves soccer. He was a star in high school, despite being the only white guy on the team. But he was good at football to, and saw that he had more college scholarships with football. So he took football at UGA. He has shown off his soccer skills during college and even here, and there have been some scouts that have checked him out." Specter explained.

"Oh. Well, What is Soccer?" Applejack asked.

"Well, Scarecrow knows about it more than I ever could, maybe you should ask him sometime." Specter said. He smiled and nodded, then turned his head toward his weapon, making sure it was in perfect condition. He then reached in a pocket in his vest, and pulled out a bottle, taking a pill out of it and then swallowing it. Twilight, who noticed this, started to ask why he had those, but she thought that she would it wouldn't be such a good time, so she would save it for later. The Windowless LAV-25 then came to a stop, knocking the group around some.

"Okay, we're here. Two by two, keep it tight." Soap said, standing up. The LAV-25's hatch opened, and the group saw the buildings, old and new that surrounded them. The girls viewed the area in awe, despite seeing the likes of Japan, Area 51, and even the moon.

"Well, being from a different planet, anything would amuse them." Jester said as they walked.

"You're telling me." Scarecrow said. The group followed Soap, who walked to a Marine.

"Right, glad you guys could make it. The reds have been reported in different areas of the city, possibly scouts for something bigger. I'm sure you've heard about them trying to use the elements to control earthquakes. So it's basically search and destroy." The marine said. The group the followed the marine as he led them to another squad of marines.

"So these are the 141 and Shadow Company. Didn't think they'd have some of the bushes in the city." One of the marine engineers said, referring to Scarecrow and Applejack's Desert Colored ghillie suits.

"I'd watch my words, we could be the ones that watch your back from a distance." Scarecrow said jokingly. Scarecrow and the engineer fist bumped. The conversations were interrupted when another marine ran to the group. He saluted the marine that first met the group, the marine saluting in return.

"Lieutenant, Command gave our orders. We're suppose to move to the east cause of Spetsnaz units detected in the area. It's basically search and destroy sir. They also said that Shadow Company and the 141 would move out with us." the marine said.

"Right. " the lieutenant said. The group readied their weapons and moved out, heading down a few alley ways. It was quiet the first few minutes. Too quiet.

"I don't like it." Ghost said, looking down the red dot sight of his SCAR-H, aiming down every turn or other alleys.

"I'd rather the whole mission be like this, followed by an easy surrender." Soap said, following Ghost.

"Now where's the fun in that?" Price jokingly said.

"Hell, I'd rather be home instead of being here." Jester said.

"What? In our "free country"? We say we're suppose to be the greatest country in the world, yet we invade poorer countries for what we need. Yeah, "Land of the free" alright." Specter said, keeping tight aim with his CM901. This kept Jester shut up for the next few minutes.

"Never thought Specter could get him to be quiet." Scarecrow muttered to Applejack. They then stopped as they came to the edge of a building, and a large, open area of the city was between them and the tower that they are suppose to climb to the roof to scout the target building 3 blocks from there. They would walk, but reports said that it was heavily guarded.

"Stack up." The marine lieutenant said. His marines stacked up on the building side, SC and 141 behind them. The marines were just starting to move, but Scarecrow stopped them.

"Wait. If these guys are anything like me, they couldn't resist a spot like this. Large buildings, close together, lots of windows…. It's basic training for us." Scarecrow said. "Almost cost me my life my first time in combat, moving with some rangers."

"So what do we do?" Twilight asked. Scarecrow looked at her, and if he were not wearing his custom made mask, she would see the smile on his face.

"Simple. SAT." Scarecrow said. He moved near the front of the group. "Someone give me their helmet." Applejack looked at ghost.

"SATs?" she asked him.

"Stands for Sniper Attraction Trap. It's a technique Shadow Company soldiers perfected to keep there men alive. Just watch him, you'll see." Ghost said. The girls watched in silence.

"Tucker, put that helmet to use." The lieutenant said. One of the privates, obviously private Tucker, unstrapped his helmet, and gave it to Scarecrow. Scarecrow put the helmet on the edge of the barrel of his M98B, and slowly poked it out into the open. He then held it in place, and all seemed silent. A shot then rang out, and the helmet went flying off. Scarecrow pulled his M98B back from the edge. He turned around, and saw Soap with his hand covering Fluttershy's mouth, who obviously had the look of a girl that was screaming or had just screamed.

"Right, the basic." Scarecrow said. He grabbed the helmet, which had luckily rolled back towards them, and observed the entry point of the bullet. "hmm… 7.62 by 54mmp cartridge… shot seemed to come from the northwest…" Scarecrow said. He got on one knee, and aimed to the northwest, and viewed the area through his scope. Between two buildings, he saw a small walkway with blacked out windows. "Dragunov. That looks like the perfect spot, but I have to wait for the confirmation…" he said. He waited, every muscle in his body tensed. He then saw what he needed, a flash from inside the walkway, showing a sniper scanning the area. Scarecrow quickly aimed, took a deep breath, and fired. He could see the faint color of red splashing out, a sign of the headshot. "Clear, let's move."

The group then proceeded to the building they had to climb, watching every corner for suburban spetsnaz. They slowly entered the building, walking slowly past the set of cubicles on each floor they covered. They got to the roof, 98 floors above the ground, and set up a scouting area. Ghost was setting up a communications radio, and Scarecrow and Applejack were scanning the area with their equipment, Scarecrow using his sniper rifle, while Applejack only used her binoculars. The scanned the suspected hiding spot of the Russian scientists, in the Alam Muttahid building. The building, first opened in 2016, was spectacled as one of the most unique buildings in the world. Being 1,870 feet high on each side, it is known world wide for it's unique U shape, which represents the "U" in united.

"That place is armed to the teeth. That must be where they have it." Scarecrow said, observing the building through his scope.

"Ya'll gonna need a lot to punch through those defenses." Applejack added.

"We have an air support on standby," one of the marines said.

"No use with it in there. If we destroy the building with the element in it, all will go FUBAR." Price said.

"We got enemy UAVs turning our way, need to get inside to avoid it's scanners or things are gonna get messy." Scarecrow said, getting his stuff together. He helped Applejack up, and the group moved inside the building.

"They have went inside the building." Discord said. Makarov, who was standing by him, exhaled roughly.

"Your girlfriend's minions better perform as expected." Makarov said.

"I've told you already, she is not my girlfriend!" Discord said, a little embarrassed.

"Just make sure they kill them." Makarov said, chuckling a little at seeing discords embarrassment.

"They are already in the building." Discord replied.

As the group moved back down through the building, all seemed quiet until they heard a crash come from a different room.

"What the fuck was that?" Jester asked, pointing his LMG in that direction.

"Probably just the tremors, this town is near a major fault line, now keep your eyes forward." Specter said.

"I don't know mate… remember how the reds found us in Japan?" Ghost asked.

"Good point." Scarecrow commented.

"Well, you never know. Johnson, Tucker, check it out. We'll stand by for you." the lieutenant ordered. Johnson and Tucker nodded, and went along the hallway that went into the room.

"Why do we always have to do this shit?" Johnson asked with no real reason.

"I know, right? I'd rather be back home with my girlfriend, I miss her to death." Tucker replied.

"Me to, mate. Ever since I met my girlfriend in Boston, we were perfect for each other." Johnson said. They then froze as they saw what looked like a shadow move.

"What was that?" Tucker said.

"Keep your weapon ready." Johnson replied. The two moved closer to where the shadow had gone, and when they entered that room, they saw what looked like two creatures who were a cross of an insect and a pony. The two creatures grinned at them, showing their sharp teeth.

"What the fu-" before Tucker could finish, the creatures pounced the two men, taking them down before more than 3 shots could be fired, before they could even scream.

"Where the hell are they?" the lieutenant muttered. After what seemed like hours, Johnson and Tucker came out, walking as if they had cramped legs.

"What the hell happened in there? We heard gunfire." Soap asked.

"We, uh, *cough* had ran into a couple of Russians, but we took them down. It's all clear now." Tucker said.

"Your voice sounds raspy, you alright?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Uh, yeah, it's the *cough* the sand. Yeah, I accidentally swallowed some sand blowing in the wind." Tucker replied.

"We'll get you some water when we get back to base. Let's move out. While you two were gone, we got the coordinates of the target building. We'll be regrouping with the 15th armored and 23rd infantry, then air strike will make an entrance for us. Anyone in the building is our problem." The lieutenant said. The group moved out of the building. Johnson and Tucker looked at each other, nodded, and followed the group.

They got to the exit of the building, and could see the tanks and men waiting for them.

"We ready to move out?" one of the soldiers asked.

"Positive, we're moving out as soon as the rain comes." the lieutenant said. The man nodded, and pointed to a radioman. The soldier picked up his radio, and said the coordinates of the building entrance path.

"copy that, we will move on your word." the radioman said. He then changed signals, and spoke the order on his men's radio. "23rd, this is Sgt. Boykin, be ready to move out, rolling thunder is bringing the rain."

"Copy, we have view of the Alam Muttahid building, multiple tangos spotted, coordinates 361 north, 451 west." a man said.

"Copy that left gunner, we will start our circling now. Be ready. Rolling thunder is about to boom." An AC-130, spray painted to look like a thunderstorm, the name "Rolling Thunder" was proudly shown on the sides of the plane.

"Copy that. I'm sending in a welcome gift with the 105mm, then I'll move to the 25 while our boys are moving in." the left gunner said.

"Copy that." the pilot said. "Happy birthday motherfuckers."

The ground shook as they could hear the explosion of the 105 crashing down.

"That's our signal, move out!" the lieutenant said. The company of soldiers and tanks advanced to the Alam Muttahid, fighting every step of the way. It was a tough fight, even with the help of the AC-130.

"All ground units, be advised, this is Rolling Thunder. Multiple tangos are in the building, but we do not have permission to fire upon it. You're going to have to take them out yourself." the Rolling Thunder Pilot said.

"Copy that Rolling Thunder, We're moving in." Price said, leading the way.

"Price, Your 141 and our Shadow company are coming in to support, ETA 6 minutes." Specter said.

"Right, they better get their bloody arse moving." Price replied. They got to the entrance door, only to find it locked and barricaded.

"Ghost, get the C4." Soap said. Ghost went to the front of the group, and place 4 C4 charges on the doors.

"When in doubt, C4." Ghost said, chuckling. He stepped back, and prepared to flip the switch. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

Everything seemed to slow down in front of Applejack. It appeared that everyone was moving at a slower pace, giving her time to aim her weapon at one of the Russians, and firing. She was not a disturbed about killing as she use to be. But this disturbed her in herself. She didn't like killing, she knew it was wrong. But she knew it was either her and her friends or them. The pace seemed to pick back up as the room was cleared.

"Price, if you and your men, along with Shadow Company, want to proceed to the target floor, the marines will stay down here to make sure reinforcements don't break through." The lieutenant said.

"Right, thanks. Moving out." Price ordered.

"Great. Just us again." Ghost muttered. The group filed into an elevator, and waited as they went up. An instrumental version of Psy's "gentleman" was playing as the elevator jingle.

"Bloody hell, this guy again?" Price groaned.

"What, at least he's not like bieber." Jester replied.

"True, but I mean come on. This song came out in 2013 and people still won't shut their bloody trap about it." Price replied.

"Why are we even arguing about songs?" Scarecrow asked.

"Passes the time." Jester replied.

"And it can be a comedic moment for the story!" Pinkie Pie suddenly said, catching Scarecrow off guard.

"Where have you been?!" Scarecrow asked.

"Well, the writer hasn't really given me anything to say, how else am I suppose to talk in this story?" Pinkie said.

"Pinkie, lets not discuss that." Jester said, remembering what happened in Japan ith his and Scarecrow's meeting with the apparent "author".

"Okay, fine." Pinkie said, putting on a little pouting face.

"We're here." Specter said. The elevator showed that they were on floor 200. The group filed out as quiet as a mouse, but that wasn't even as quiet as the floor was.

"They must have fled as we were coming up." Ghost said, noticing the mess that was around.

"No signs of element energy" Ghost said, checking a scanner he created earlier that morning on the way to the city.

"So we came here for nothing?" Rainbow dash asked, putting the strap that held her AUG around her shoulder.

"No, no, no. Something's not right…" Scarecrow said, looking around. He walked to the window, looking at the other side of the building. His eyes widened, and he cracked a smile, which was hidden by the stitched smile on his mask. He then walked over to Ghost and Rainbow Dash.

"Ghost, do you have one of those cables launchers that you can slide on?" Scarecrow asked.

"Yeah mate, but what for?" Ghost curiously asked. The group looked at Scarecrow as he was setting up the launcher at the window.

"Command said floor 200, right?" Scarecrow asked.

"That's right, but nothings up here." Jester said.

"Well, this building is known for it's unique U-shape. That means two towers at each end. So…" Scarecrow said. He didn't have to finish his own sentence.

"So that means two floor 200s…" Soap said, catching on to what Scarecrow was saying. "Bloody hell, the Yanks right!" he yelled.

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked. She was then caught off guard as Scarecrow broke the glass window with his knife, and fired the cable, setting it up to the other floor 200.

"Here goes nothing." Scarecrow said. He set up a clip to hang on to the cable, which was tied to a rope around him. He ran into a full sprint, and went off the edge of the building, sliding toward the other floor 200.

"Bloody smart lad he is." Price said, now understanding. The guys and girls hooked up to the cable, ran, and rode across the cable like Scarecrow. Scarecrow broke the glass with a bullet shot, and knocked down one spetsnaz soldier, quickly taking cover. The others did the same, and they knew this was the floor 200 they needed to go to.

"All Shadow Company units, be advised. Change tactical entry point to the 200th floor of the left tower, repeat, the LEFT tower." Specter ordered.

"141. New entry point is left tower, same floor. You know what to do." Soap said.

"We're coming in hot!" a shadow company soldier yelled. As the group was fighting, they could see glass break from the fire of multiple helicopters, then cables attaching to the building. SC and 141 soldiers slid into the building, opening fire. Some were shot right when they set foot, others didn't even make it into the building. One Russian had an RPG, and fired it at one of the choppers. It hit one of the choppers tail rotors, and it began to spin out of control. Soldiers that were connected to the cables were holding on for dear life, and, as remarkable as it seems, they were all able to luckily jump into the building. But they had to move immediately after, because the chopper crashed into the building, hitting Russian and U.S. and British soldiers.

"Move up!" Soap ordered. Both squads were slowly gaining ground. Twilight had just fired a shot from her UMP-45, taking one Russian down, when one suddenly jumped her from a hidden corner. She screamed, and Specter saw what was happening.

"NO!" he yelled, and jumped at the Russian, tackling him. They fought, but eventually Specter got his tactical knife into the Russian's throat. He then got by Twilight, and helped her up. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks." She said, giving him a quick smile. But she quickly pushed him down, her falling on top of him, so they both dodged a spray of bullets.

"Well, I guess we're even." Specter said, their faces close together.

"Guess so," Twilight said, blushing a little. They got up, and continued fighting.

"Right. Bravo 6-9, rendezvous ETA 20 minutes." The lieutenant said over a radio. He sat down in the chair closest to him, and pulled out a picture. He had ordered the other soldiers to go outside to guard the area. All except private Tucker and Johnson.

"So, you two said you had girlfriends back home, right?" the lieutenant asked.

"Yes sir." Tucker said, still with the raspy voice.

"You know, I hope we can all get home someday to see our loved ones. I'd like to see my wife again." the lieutenant said.

"Really now?" Johnson asked, moving closer to the lieutenant.

"Yeah. Which I guess you two feel the same way about your girls, right?" the lieutenant asked.

"Well, that's how the actual Tucker and Johnson felt." Johnson said. The lieutenant looked up, confused, but the last thing he saw was a pair of blue eyes and sharp teeth.

As the remaining spetsnaz soldiers were taken down, Shadow Company and the 141 secured the floor.

"Sir, energy signal is going through the roof when I put it next to this door." Ghost said, showing Soap his scanner.

"Right. We'll break the door down." Soap said. "Stack up!"

"Well open the door, you Brits just watch our ass." Specter said. The SC solders lined up against the wall next to the door, and jester stood in front of it. The girls waited in the back with the 141.

"Try not to laugh." Ghost said to Rainbow Dash.

"Laugh? Why?" Dash asked him.

"This is one of the ways SC soldiers enter rooms. When hostiles are known to be on the other side, the soldier will drop as soon as he breaks the door." Ghost said.

"What do you mean?" Dash asked again.

"Just watch." Ghost replied. Jest stepped a few feet back from the door.

"BREACHING!" Jester yelled. He ran to the door and drop kicked it. When he hit the ground, they could see a grenade fly over his head, thrown from the reds. One of the SC soldiers threw it back in, it exploding shortly after. The SC soldiers ran into the room, guns blazing, 141 following shortly after. Applejack jumped over an office desk to avoid a grenade, and she could see in the corner of her eye something glowing. She turned towards the glowing, and she could see what they had come for. One of the elements. It was the element of kindness, Fluttershy's element.

"Ah've found it!" Applejack yelled, starting to get up to get the element. She could see that it was in a container that was connected to what looked like a mainframe to a large jackhammer. But as she started to go for it, she was tackled by a spetsnaz soldier. They rolled around, Applejack trying to hit the man in the face. But her arms were not as strong as her legs, and the man was able to keep her from grabbing him.

But she got a blow to his ribs with her knee, and was able to get up. But the man got up just as fast, and aimed a pistol at her. Just as Applejack saw him, The man was tackled by Rainbow Dash, who ran her tactical knife through him. She got up, some blood on her hand. She shivered some as she looked at it

"Thanks, I owe ya." Applejack said.

"No problem." Dash replied, wiping her hand on her vest. Dash helped Applejack up, and they continued to clear out the room until they knew it was safe. As some of the other soldiers guarded the entrance ways, the girls and guys walked to where the element was.

"What the bloody hell is it connected to?" Soap asked.

"Looks like an experimental C-1275 earthquake manipulator" Ghost said.

"Okay, now in English please?" Soap said.

"Or at least Japanese?" Scarecrow said right after Soap.

"In other words, it's an experimental machine that is suppose to be able to start an earthquake anywhere, whether there is a fault line near that city or not." Ghost said. "I've never seen one in real life, only in schematics."

"Can you get the element out?" Specter asked.

"Won't be able to shoot the glass, but maybe I can get through the code that's holding it shut." Ghost said, hooking up his hacking equipment to the computer.

"Good luck with that." A voice said. The group quickly turned to where they saw a TV, and an all to familiar face plastered an evil smile on his face.

"Makarov." Price muttered.

"Ah, So I see you still remember. I thought you said that I would see you in hell. Well, I came back because you weren't there." Makarov mockingly said.

"You never wanted to go, you had to send your brother instead." Scarecrow said with a cold tone.

"At least my brother volunteered, unlike someone else's brother, am I right?" Makarov insultingly replied. Scarecrow clinched his fist and bit his lip in anger. Applejack could tell, and quietly grabbed his hand.

"At least his died like a hero, unlike your entire family, who you kill like a coward." Soap said, defending Scarecrow.

"Oh, did his mother go out the same way?" Makarov simply said. Scarecrow tried his best not to say anything, so all he thought to do was punch one of the metal walls of the machine, and actually left a dent in it.

"How is it a man of your idiocy can pull off so much chaos in this time?" Price said, pulling a chair near him and sitting down, as if he and Makarov were having a friendly discussion over their history.

"Well, for one, I'm not an idiot, and two-" Makarov started.

"He's had some help." Said a voice familiar to the ponies finished. The all to familiar draconequus reared his head into view.

"Discord. So princess Celestia was right." Twilight said.

"Oh, yes, right indeed. She's a very bright girl, I will give her that, just as you are, Twilight." Discord said.

"how do you know it's me?" Twilight asked, shocked because she thought that he wouldn't recognize their human forms.

"Simple, I just watched the way you all act, and I put the name to the body. Pinkamena was not so hard though." Discord explained, chuckling.

"Great, so now it's two we're fighting." Specter muttered.

"Make it three." another voice, this one feminine, said. She revealed her face after saying this. Her revealing herself caught all the girls off guard.

"Chrysalis?!" the girls said in shock.

"The one and only." She said with a devious smile.

"I knew we should have bought a bigger camera." Makarov muttered.

"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked.

"I hired her and her little friends to help." Discord said. "In fact, I think there are two of them now." Discord said. The group turned around to see that hteir men were lying across the ground, blood covering the floor, and two changelings stood there, blood on their teeth and claw like hooves.

"What the fuck?!" Jester said, pointing his M249 SAW at the two creatures. The two changelings looked at the group, and their eyes started to glow green. Then, in front of the guys and girls, They changed into exact copies of soldiers, one SC, the other 141. They each picked up a gun from the body nearest to them, and aimed the weapons at the group. The guys aimed their weapons in return, but before a single shot could be fired, everyone's attention was caught by the sound of whirring machinery.

"What the? I thought you said it wasn't operational yet!" Makarov exclaimed.

"It must be the fact that Fluttershy is near her element, giving it extra power!" Discord said. The element was glowing brightly, and the earthquake machine was moving faster and faster. In seconds, The building was shaking violently. The changelings changed back to their original forms and frantically flew off with their insect like wings.

"Everyone grab on to something!" Soap said, trying to keep his balance.

"Discord, that creation of yours better work to get the element." Makarov said.

"do not worry, it will, and the machine is running strong enough it doesn't need it now." Discord said, and he pressed a button, and the element disappeared.

"SHIT!" Specter yelled.

"Well, maybe we shall see each other at a later time, price." Makarov said. Price simply responded by giving Makarov the middle finger. "The feeling is mutual." he said, un-amused. The TV shut off.

The post Applejack was holding onto broke apart, and she started sliding to the broken windows. She looked up and saw Scarecrow, grabbing on to another post, reaching his hand out.

"Applejack, grab my hand!" Scarecrow yelled. Applejack was able to grab it, and held on for dear life. Fluttershy was screaming, holding on to Soap, burying her head into his shoulder. Soap was trying to hold both of them onto a large group of cables that had tore out of the wall.

"that machine's caused the fault line to erupt!" Ghost yelled. He was looking out, and could see the entire city feeling the wrath of the earthquake. He saw one tower collapse in the distance, then another smaller building collapsing. Specter could see the bodies of their fallen comrades sliding out of the windows, falling silently to the ground far below. The towers of the building started to creak, and everyone's hearing was drowned out by the sound of metal breaking apart.

"THE FUCKING TOWER'S FALLING!" Jester yelled. Scarecrow was somehow able to pull Applejack up with his one arm while making sure he didn't lose the grip. Applejack wrapped her arms around Scarecrow, and Scarecrow could tell that she was about to cry.

"Just hold on! We'll be ok!" Scarecrow said, holding Applejack tighter.

"I can't die, not now!" Applejack said.

"You're not going to die! I promise you! I'll give my own life before you lose yours!" Scarecrow said, trying to reassure her. It was not an easy thing to do when hundreds of tons of steel could fall almost 2,000 feet straight to earth. Applejack started to look down, but Scarecrow put hi hand under her chin and pulled it up. "don't look down, keep your eyes on me!" Scarecrow yelled over the loudness of the chaos surrounding them. They locked onto each others eyes. And suddenly, all the noise stopped for only a few seconds, but it seemed like hours.

"Nick…" Applejack started to say, but Scarecrow put a finger over her lips.

"Shhh…. Don't speak. Just keep looking at me." Scarecrow said. Applejack pulled down Scarecrow's mask, and they kissed. At that moment, they didn't care if all the others saw them or not, they knew that they could die at this moment, and they wanted to be together when it happened. As they pulled away, they looked at each other. The group then heard one last, loud creaking of steel and glass.

"It's going to be okay, Just hold on to m-" Scarecrow was saying, but then the sound that they all dreaded filled their ears. The steel mainframe breaking apart completely. Scarecrow and Applejack buried their heads into each others shoulders, all of the group screaming as the towers toppled over.

Hey guys, I'm sorry that I have not updated in forever, but I've been busy with finals testing for school, and I've been having to help my family a lot recently with some issues. But hopefully over the summer I can update better! Stay tuned for the next chapter of Shadows of Hope!

Chapter 10: Alone in the Storm

"You got to be willing to walk in a storm. That's what I tell people all the time."

-Ray Lewis

---

When she awoke at first, she couldn't tell up from down. Her vision was blurred, and she could feel some blood trickling down her arm. When her eyes focused, Rarity could see the hell that surrounded her. There was nothing left of the skyscraper that they were once in, only the destroyed pieces of concrete and steel to tell the grim story. Rarity moved some rubble that was on top of her, thankful that she wasn't crushed. It had now turned to night, no stars revealing themselves, as if they were all hiding from the destruction.

"Oh my sweet Celestia…" Rarity said, wiping dust and dirt off of herself. She couldn't stand the sight of it all, but she knew that even now there were bigger problems. She didn't know where her friends or the men were, whether they were dead or alive. She felt around the near pitch black ground, and luckily found the medical kit that she was supplied with, along with a tactical knife. She then viewed the cut on her left arm, obviously from a crumbling piece of the tower.

"Come on, remember everything that Soap taught you," she said, encouraging herself as she tended to the wound. She covered the wound with bandaging wrap, then wrapped some more over that and tied it in place, making a small fashionable knot out of habit. She slowly got to her feet, feeling around, her eyes still adjusting to the dark. As her eyes dilated to compensate with the night, she ducked as she heard voices speaking a language she couldn't understand, so they must have been the ones they were fighting. She could see that they had flashlights, searching the area. Rarity could see well enough to see a crack under some rubble, it being just large enough to squeeze into. She did, and tried to breath as quietly as possible as she could see the beams of the flashlights, followed by the feet of the soldiers with them.

Rarity's heart wanted to scream, but her mind knew better.

"This is dreadfully awful…" she whispered to herself. Her eyes widened and heart stopped when one soldier stopped right in front of her.

"Вы узнали что-то?" she heard one say.

"Он был всего лишь на прошлой неделе ветра, продолжить поиск." another said. The man moved on, and Rarity waited another couple of minutes before finally crawling out. The soldiers were out of sight, and she looked around, trying to figure out where to go. She saw a fire, and by it were a few men. She recognized some of them wearing U.S. marine uniforms, but they had their hands behind their head. Rarity snuck closer to the en, but stayed far enough where she would be out of sight. She then saw one spetsnaz soldier walk up to one of the marines.

"Tell us where you have hidden the other elements." the spetsnaz said to the man.

"We don't know anything. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you shit." the marine responded, spitting blood in the spetsnaz face after saying so. The soldier wiped his face and turned around, starting to walk off. He made his hand into a fist and pulled it down, and two other spetsnaz soldiers walked in front of him and slaughtered the marines.

"those monsters…" Rarity said, wide eyed from seeing this. She knew she had to move on. She stopped as she saw a soldier blocking her path, his back turned to her. She looked around, and found a pipe. She didn't want to do this, but she knew she must. She grabbed the pipe and started to sneak up to the man. When she got right behind him, she tensed and swung the pipe into his head, knocking him over and out cold. She searched the pockets of the man's vest, and found a tactical knife. She figured it would be better to keep her presence a secret than to expose it with a gun.

She moved on, hoping to find one of her friends, or one of the guys. She kept looking for a few minutes, until she did see someone she knew, but not how she wanted.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity quietly exclaimed. Dash was being pushed by one of the soldiers. Rainbow's hands were handcuffed behind her, but she was still trying to kick the man holding her from escaping.

"Let me go you no good fatty!" she exclaimed. The man was obviously stronger than her, keeping her at bay. They walked up to another man, who was wearing a red beret. The man pointed towards the south, and the soldier took Dash that way. Rarity started to follow in the shadows, until she felt a hand grab her shoulder, she spun around and looked into the visor of a spetsnaz soldier. She screamed and kicked the man, who grabbed his shin. Rarity started to run, but was soon tripped by the man in the beret.

"Well well, look at the beauty we have here." the man said, holding Rarity down.

"Let me go!" Rarity revoltingly said, trying to break free of his grip. The other soldier who she had kicked was now standing about 6 feet to the left and behind the man with the beret. The officer smiled.

"I always liked feisty girls, how about we have some fun." The officer said, a perverted smile coming across his face. Rarity struggled even harder, trying to break free of the man's death grip. She looked around, trying to find something to grab and hit him with, but instead saw something much different. She saw a figure standing in the shadows, who motioned for her to keep quiet. She then immediately looked back at the officer, who had just rubbed her thigh.

He laughed until he heard a scream behind him. He turned around, seeing the other soldier struggling to reach something behind him, a knife in his chest. The officer started to draw his pistol, but the man that had stabbed the soldier bull rushed him with the body. As the two fell, the man who had stabbed the soldier pulled his knife out, dodging a punch from the officer. He then grabbed the officer's arm, twisted it behind his back, and slit the mans throat. He gargled as the blood ran freely from his neck, eventually going limp. The killer pushed the body aside, sheathed his knife, and started to walk to Rarity. Rarity was both thankful and fearful, knowing this man saved her from the officer, but scared that he may do the same. It was when she heard a familiar voice that she calmed down a little.

"Rarity, you ok?" The male southern voice said.

"Scarecrow?" she asked, shocked. The fire reflected across his face, showing the brown eyed man that she knew. His mask was torn in places, part of the "smile" he had stitched on it cut off. He had a thin but blood red gash on his right cheek "Where are the others?" she asked.

"They're all captured. I was with Price and Ghost, but we got separated after a skirmish with some of the reds. My radio then went off, and Dash said that she had found the others being held captive by the spetsnaz, but then I heard gunfire and I lost contact." Scarecrow explained.

"I just saw Rainbow Dash being taken away," Rarity said.

"Good, at least we know everyone survived. Now we've just got to break them out." Scarecrow said. They moved, picking up supplies as they went. They eventually found rope, two pistols, and one intervention with one clip among the ruins. They then saw a convoy setting up, Scarecrow watching it through the intervention's scope.

"That must be a prison convoy, I can see them loading the guys up in a truck." he said.

"What should we do?" Rarity asked, obviously worried and scared to death. Scarecrow kept his cool, looking around. He then saw a ledge that was near the road that the convoy was on.

"Well, isn't that lucky. I have an idea. Simple, should be easy. Follow me." Scarecrow said, he and Rarity heading to the large ledge.

---

"Darling, are you sure this will work?" Rarity said, slowly letting the rope they found down over the side of the ledge.

"I can only pray so." Scarecrow said. He was at the other end of the rope, hanging over the ledge, a large drop below him. It was strong enough to support his weight and the weight of the intervention.

"That's as far as it will go." Rarity said down to him. Scarecrow aimed at the road with the sniper rifle, but the trees still blocked his view.

"Are you sure?" he called back.

"Positive!" Rarity replied. She then looked into the distance, then back at Scarecrow. "They're coming this way!"

Scarecrow tried to think of what to do, and an idea hit him. It was crazy, sounding like something Jester and Pinkie Pie would do, but he had to try it to save his team. As quickly as he could without putting too much stress on the rope, he turned himself upside down. This would make the planned shot extremely more difficult, Scarecrow's calculations had to be spot on. He aimed through the scope of his intervention, and he could see the now upside down road, the convoy soon appearing. Scarecrow started sweating, but it was soon hidden by the sound of rain, it starting to pour. He heard Rarity complaining about her hair getting wet and flat, but he blocked it out. He blocked out all the sounds around him, the only noises he could hear was himself and the whirring of the engines of the vehicles.

"Come and show me your mercy, as you do for all who love your name," Scarecrow said, starting to recite Psalms 119.

"Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil." he loaded the rifle.

"Ransom me from the oppression of evil people; then I can obey your commandments." he turned the safety off.

"Make your face shine on your servant and teach me your decrees." he took aim at his target.

"O LORD, you are righteous, and your regulations are fair." he held his breath, the last thing he always does before pulling the trigger.

---

"We've got to get out of here!" Twilight said, being pushed into the truck.

"But how? They've got us surrounded and handcuffed." Jester said.

"Well, Scarecrow and Rarity are still out there, maybe they'll figure it out." Soap said.

"If they aren't dead…" Applejack sadly muttered.

"Shut up back there!" one of the spetsnaz soldiers said in rough English, banging his fist on the glass. The convoy started moving, the group all sitting down. Dash tried to kick the back door open, but to no avail. The group looked out the windows to see the destruction that was mostly hidden by the night. Applejack sighed, worried about Scarecrow and Rarity, but then something caught her eye. When she first trained with Scarecrow, he told her about being "flashed". It's what he called it when another sniper's scope reflected in a light. This could tell you the position of an enemy sniper if your team is pinned down. She saw the flash, and had a feeling in her gut. She turned around, getting everyone's attention.

"Get ready." Applejack said, sitting back down.

"Ready for what?" Ghost asked.

"These guys are about to get the hay scared off of em'." Applejack responded, getting a questionable look from everyone.

"By what?" Rainbow Dash then asked.

"What else scares things but a scarecrow?" she rhetorically asked, smiling. They then looked through the glass as they heard the two Russian men yelling as the jeep in front of them started to swerve across the road, a body falling out. The jeep then flipped in front of them, the driver doing everything he could to dodge it. But they hit the jeep, the truck flipping. The girls screamed as glass shattered, one of the Russian men smashing against the back glass, breaking it. When it stopped moving, Price jumped up and reached for the keys he saw dangling on the rear view mirror, just reaching them. He unlocked his handcuffs first, unlocking everyone else's soon after.

"Find what weapons you can, and lets get the hell out of here. Applejack, you lead us to where you saw that flash, that must've been Scarecrow." Price ordered. A.J. nodded, and they started moving. They got weapons off the dead Russians in the jeep that Scarecrow took out. Multiple soldiers were yelling. Soap pulled out a radio he got off one, and turned the dial to the channel that he had last remembered using.

"Overload, this is Bravo 4-3, we are still alive in this hellhole, we need an evac now!" he yelled, firing at one soldier. Dash covered him, hitting another, Soap gave a silent prayer of thanks when command responded.

"how the hell did you survive? never mind that. We'll have a CH-47 head to the location of where checkpoint Charlie was located. ETA 20 minutes." Overlord responded.

"Copy that." Soap said, putting the radio up. Ghost fired an AK-47 in the direction behind the group, hitting a few spetsnaz that were chasing them. One jumped at Applejack, who fired the Spas-12 she was carrying. The kick from the shotgun bucked into Applejack's shoulder.

"Now I know what those trees back home feel like.." She muttered, moving her shoulder. They kept moving, certain soldiers dropping here and there from Scarecrow's shots. Soap went for the radio again.

"Scarecrow, if you can hear me, head for checkpoint Charlie. I repeat, checkpoint Charlie!" he yelled into the radio.

"Gotcha, me and Rarity are moving there now." he said, signing off.

"He's with Rarity!" Soap said.

"Damn good! I knew she had some rough and tough in her." Price said, smiling.

"Up there!" Rainbow dash pointed. They saw the lights of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter waiting for them. There were some marines out, firing at the spetsnaz soldiers. As they ran, Scarecrow and Rarity came out of some shrubbery to re-join the others.

"Glad you could make it!" Price yelled over the gunfire.

"Heck, I'm alright, you just may have to get the little princess here a manicure." Scarecrow said, referring to Rarity.

"Never in my life have I run through so much muck and dirt! Never again!" Rarity yelled, following Price.

"We're being shot at, and you worry about a little dirt?" Price jokingly asked, chuckling.

"Let's move! Come on!" one of the marines yelled to the group. The marines started piling back into the chopper, and the crew made it just in time. Ghost and Jester were still firing at the spetsnaz on the ground as they took off, keeping any RPG's from being launched. When they were out of sight, everyone took a seat. As almost everyone gathered around Rarity, who started to tell how her and Scarecrow met up and stopped the convoy, Applejack saw Scarecrow, soaking wet from the rain, staring into the night sky, holding the intervention close to him. She sat down beside him.

"Looks like the great Scarecrow does it again." Applejack jokingly said, sitting beside him.

"I don't consider myself great, just someone who wants the job done." Scarecrow said. He turned to her, and she became worried at the sight of the cut along his right cheek. She put her hand on his cheek, near the cut but not touching it. Scarecrow saw her concerned look, and put his hand on hers.

"don't worry about it, it was nothing." he said, trying to reassure her.

"I just want to make sure you're alright." Applejack said. Scarecrow chuckled.

"You sound just like my mother. I think you two would have got along." He gently took her hand off and grasped it, Applejack intertwining their fingers. She rested her head on his shoulder, and before long was fast asleep. Scarecrow played with her hair a little, and then kissed her forehead as they went back to base.

---

"Look, I can't believe it just as much as you. You don't have to repeat it over and over." Scarecrow told Jester as they and the others were heading to two planes. They were all shocked when they heard the news from their commanders. They were having to re-group supplies and men, and they had not detected any of the remaining elements in some time. While they were regrouping forces, they gave the girls and men a temporary leave from duty. They said they would be called back up as soon as they were ready.

"We finally get to go home, about bloody time. Even if it's not forever." Ghost said. The men had gathered around.

"We all are mate, but there's one problem." Soap said.

"He's right," Specter started, "the girls."

"Yeah, what are we going to do about them?" Jester asked.

"We would have to house them, but we live all over the place. I live in Atlanta, Jester lives in Oklahoma, and Specter lives in Chicago." Scarecrow said.

"Same here, Soap in Aberdeen, Ghost in Fullham, and I in Manchester, we'll be hundreds of miles apart." Price said.

"We'd have to keep them in contact, as well as each other." Scarecrow said.

"We can get them phones and let them use one of those video chat sites." Jester suggested.

"That could work, but we'd have to ask them." Ghost said. The men nodded and started to walk to the girls, who had been discussing something also.

"Well, we think we have an idea." Soap said.

"We do to." Twilight said.

"we'll split up." both said at the same time.

"Well, at least we're in agreement." Jester said, chuckling.

"We'll each go with one of you, but we'll need to keep in touch with each other." Twilight said.

"Right, we can get you cell phones and video chat, show you how to use them." Soap explained.

After some discussing, Everyone separated. Before the girls did though, they all group hugged.

"Make sure to keep in touch!" Twilight said.

"Don't worry sugercube, we'll be alright!" A.J. said.

"I'm nervous, but excited at the same time." Fluttershy meekly said.

"This is going to be great!" RD said.

"Oh, I'll miss you all dearly! Make sure that we do keep in touch!" Rarity exclaimed.

"I'm so nervouscited!" Pinkie exclaimed, smiling.

"You do realize that's not a word, right?" Applejack asked. The group laughed and said their goodbyes, getting onto each plane. Twilight looked out of the plane window as they took off. Specter put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it'll be alright, When we get to Chicago, I'll let you call one of the others. I have their numbers in my phone." He said with a reassuring smile.

"Thanks Specter." Twilight said. Her nerves were just about as high as her excitement for this. She was going to get to see "The Land of the Free" for the first time ever.

---

A/N: I know this chapter was kind of short, but I figured I would add this chapter pretty quick to help move the story along. Stay tuned for more!

Chapter 11: The Unusual Normal

---

Specter had been looking at the current events that was happening in the places that they had been in, checking to see if any news involving what they had been doing had been released. So far, the government has been able to keep their missions secret, but it was still safe to make sure. He looked over and saw Twilight, who was in the seat beside him, fast asleep, a blue blanket covering her. The book on U.S. history she had been reading was set down on her chest. Specter smiled, glad that she could find some kind of peace in this. She had fallen asleep over the Atlantic, which was about an hour into the trip.

He looked at the U.S. passports that he and Twilight had gotten, wondering how the girls would pass U.S. customs. He remembered that when he had asked that question, the administrators said that it had been, "Already taken care of". He could the pilots communicating with an airport control tower. They started to descend, and Specter could see the Willis Tower of the city he loved so much. He softly nudged Twilight, who took in a breath of air as she woke up.

"Yes? How long was I asleep?" Twilight asked, rubbing her eyes.

"About 2 hours. I figured you'd want to see Chicago." He said, pointing out the window. Twilight crawled over to the window, and looked in awe of the architecture. It may have not been like some of the towers that she had seen in the middle east and Asia, but she was always amazed at the structures that the humans were capable of creating. It was about another 5 minutes before they landed. As they got off, Twilight stayed close to Specter.

"Just remember, Your name is "Teresa Sparkle." He whispered to her.

"What about the last name?" Twilight asked.

"It's not as important, many people have unique last names." Specter said. As they walked through the airport, after being checked and going through an x-ray, they came to what Specter had thought about the trip here: the passport checker. The woman behind the desk checked his, gave him the O.K., and he walked on and waited at the door for Twilight.

"Teresa Sparkle.." The woman read, looking at the picture. Before they had all left, the girls had their pictures taken, and they gave it the check over before approving it. Twilight smiled, like she had in the picture.

"O.K." The woman said, handing it back to her. Twilight walked on, catching up to Specter. They both breathed a sigh of relief as they exited the airport.

"So how are we getting to your house?" Twilight asked.

"I had a friend of mine bring our car. He owned an old tow truck so he brought it over here. I just hope he didn't scratch it while parking it. They continued walking until they came to a blue 2000 Ford Mustang GT. They got in, and Specter found the keys in the hidden compartment, just as he told his friend. He started it, the revving of the engine reminding him of the days he had it in college, he was thankful he decided to pay his friend to take care of it instead of selling it before leaving for boot camp.

They both put their seatbelts on and Specter backed up, and they left the airport, heading for inner Chicago.

"So where are we going first?" Twilight asked.

"I have some money saved up, I'm going to pull enough out to buy you some new clothes." Specter said.

"Ooh, I read about these, "Malls" you guys have here." Twilight said. Specter chuckled as they rode down the road.

---

"This is it." Scarecrow said, pulling into the driveway with his Bassline model, the same car he had drove in their mission in Japan. He was glad his associate in Japan could get the car to come into the U.S. and get it at the airport for when they arrived. Applejack had already been taking in the sights of downtown Atlanta, and she had a great time shopping for clothing with Scarecrow, even though it was mainly just for her. Scarecrow did buy some new black DC shoes though, but everything else in the back was pretty much for Applejack. They got out of the car when they got to the outskirts of Atlanta, looking over the farm that was in the behind Scarecrow's house.

"It's very nice of ya to let me stay here with ya." Applejack said, observing the extravagant looking two story brick house. They parked.

"It's not a problem at all. Now I hate to ask, but think you could help a little carrying some of these bags?" Scarecrow modestly asked her. She turned around and saw Scarecrow with his arms full of bags, some more in the car.

"Sure thing," Applejack said, chuckling. She grabbed some other bags as Scarecrow unlocked the house and went in. Scarecrow sat the bags down, and sat on the couch he had. While they were at the mall, Scarecrow got his hair cut and styled different, he now had a David Beckham style Faux hawk instead of the "Zac Effron" look the others would joke sometimes joke about.

Scarecrow remembered one time when they were on break that Specter, Jester, and Ghost threw a prank and started singing a song from High school musical when Scarecrow entered the bunker. It pissed him off at first, but he chuckled about it now. He went into his room and changed clothes, putting on a pair of light gray denim Jeans with a faded red shirt, then putting on his pair of Georgia boots he had in his closet. He walked back into the living room and turned on the T.V. showing Auction Kings was on. Applejack sat down beside him.

"So this is what the regular life is like for your kind?" A.J. asked.

"I guess. But it's weird though, I've been fighting for so long, I've almost forgotten what it's like. It's like an Unusual Normal." He said, putting his arm around Applejack. Applejack rested her head on his shoulder, the two resting while they watched T.V.

---

"Not much, but this is it." Soap said as they arrived at his house. It was a one story brick house. Soap had lived alone for a while, so it wasn't that big. It was on the outskirts of Aberdeen, in a small field.

"Oh, It's very nice. The field reminds me of my home." Fluttershy said, smiling. They went in, Soap putting the few bags of clothing he bought for Fluttershy on the table.

"I have one guest room, you can stay in there." Soap said, showing her to her room. It was a small room with a standard single size bed with a navy blue bed sheet and pillow. Fluttershy smiled.

"Oh, it's perfect." Fluttershy politely said. Soap knew it wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

"I'm glad you like it. If there's anything you need, I'll be making supper." Soap said. He first went into his room and changed into a pair of blue jeans and a short sleeve underarmour sports shirt. He looked at himself in the mirror, seeing how much more muscular he had become since he first joined the military. He walked out and went into the kitchen, getting things ready for supper. He learned that the girls were vegetarians, so he would just make a fruit salad for Fluttershy, and cook some spaghetti for himself.

---

Rainbow had been looking all over the place in amazement as Ghost drove his 07' Ford focus through the city of Fulham. She stared in awe as they passed Stamford Bridge. They had already stopped at a shop to buy her (you guessed it.) clothes for their stay. She was wearing a new pair of sunglasses, taking pictures with the phone she had gotten. Ghost quietly chuckled.

"She's just like one of those bloody tourists." He kept going until they pulled to his home, a small two story house. It belonged to his parents before they gave it to him in their will. He had done all he could to take care of it, and it still looked in pretty good shape. It was pretty much a sort of a vacation home, they would go whenever they were bored of Manchester. After his parents died, he moved to Fulham, where he lived shortly before leaving to join the military. They pulled up, Ghost getting the bags as Dash opened the door for him. Ghost set the bags on the counter near the kitchen. He took off his sunglasses and sat down on the sofa, laying down and resting. He turned on the T.V. and could see that Chelsea were playing a league match against Newcastle. He layed there watching the game until Dash got his attention.

"What do you think?" She asked, coming out with one of the outfits she bought. It was a cyan blue off shoulder shirt with a pair of small shorts, combined with a blue set of vans shoes.

"Looks nice." Ghost said, smiling. Rainbow Dash lay down on top of Ghost, and they lay together talking to each other and watching the game.

---

"I'm still so excited we're getting to go to your hometown! Maybe we can throw a welcome home party, invite your neighbors over, and then we can throw a welcome home after party! And maybe an after party FOR the after party! An then we can…" Pinkie had been going on and on ever since they landed.

"Jester still liked her and cared about her, but it seemed like she hadn't stopped talking ever since they left the airport. He kept his focus on the road as he drove his 2013 Dodge Challenger down the highways of Oklahoma City. He finally got to his old home, the 1 story brick house looking just as good as it had been when he left it. He pulled up, and Pinkie was still talking.

"Yeah, I could tell, how about we go inside for something to eat?" Jester said, not looking back. He opened the door to find Pinkie already standing there, which almost gave him a heart attack.

"Great! I can start baking now!" Pinkie said, running to the kitchen. Jester sighed, maybe he could rest. Pinkie reminded him of himself when he was a teenager, his dad saying he would never shut up.

"Guess I'm reaping what I sow." Jester said, changing into a pair of old blue jeans with a rip on the left knee, and putting on a white muscle shirt and a pair of Nike sneakers. He went outside to work on his car until Pinkie called saying the food was ready.

---

"It isn't the most etiquette lifestyle I have seen, but It is still very good an I'm glad you could shelter me." Rarity said as her and Price went through Manchester. Price chuckled.

"Well, I'm the kind of guy that is use to working with what's handed to me." Price said, seeing the sights of his hometown while driving. They pulled to his house, a 2 story house on the edge of Manchester.

"My, it sure does look nice." Rarity said, complimenting the house.

"Thanks.' Price said, trying to make sure he had a hold on all the bags of clothing Rarity just had to buy. The walked in, and Rarity sat in a chair near a T.V. Price sat in the sofa beside it. He could tell Rarity was looking at a painting that was hanging on the wall.

"My mother bought that in France, cost her 4,000 it did. I'm not even a fan of art but she insisted on hanging it there where everyone had to see it." Price said.

"I think it looks quite nice, the combination of colors gives it a unique look." Rarity commented.

"And when did you become the art expert?" he jokingly asked, smiling. Rarity chuckled.

"I think one should keep up with art." Rarity replied.

"I think I'll get dinner started." Price said, heading to the kitchen.

"I guess I'll watch the tele then." Rarity said, jokingly mocking prices accent. Price chuckled and went into the kitchen.

---

Applejack was watching a wild west show starring Matt Dillon, her and Scarecrow had finished eating.

"I'm going out, I'll be in the back if you need me." Scarecrow said, getting up, A.J. nodded, and lay down on the couch, continuing to watch the movie. Scarecrow went outside, viewing the grass covered land that he had worked hard on before he left. He was glad that one of his cousins agreed to stay there and take care of the place with her family. It looked in good shape for a animal-less farm. He passed the barn, and in the back he gazed upon a set of doors that led to an underground shed.

Him and his brother built the shed after a tornado that blew through Atlanta many years ago, just incase another one happened to appear. He opened the doors, closing them behind him. He went down the stairs and looked upon what he had done with it. Ever since his brother died, he built on an extra room that held his family's military possessions. His dad had joined the Marines, but he was killed fighting in Operation Enduring Freedom. He had a glass case with the military uniform his dad wore in that battle, a M16 on a rack beside it.

His brother's uniform, the one he had after completing boot camp was beside his dad's, an M16A4 on the rack beside it. A small box containing the Medal of Honor was in a display case, the name "Mark Walker" engraved on a small gold plank. Scarecrow's phone then began to ring, and when he looked at the number, it was A.J.

"What is it?" he asked answering the phone.

"Someone's at the door. I don't know who it is, but it's sounds like a guy." Scarecrow heard Applejack on the phone say.

"Alright, I'll be there." he said, hanging up. He left the shelter, went back into the house, and saw Applejack leaning against a wall away from the door.

"It'll be alright." Scarecrow reassured her. He went to the door and opened it, and who he saw was a surprise to him. He was wrapped in a hug by a man that looked to be in his mid 30's , one Scarecrow hadn't seen in years.

"Mason? How did you get here?!" Scarecrow happily asked, returning the hug. The bald headed man smiled as he answered his question.

"When I had heard that ol' Nick Walker was back in the states, I knew I'd have to see him!" Mason said. Scarecrow laughed, letting him in. Mason was using crutches, and he made his way to a chair.

"Hey, Ap-" Scarecrow started to call, before remembering the name that they had made up for her.

"Allyson, This is a friend of mine, Mason. Come on out." Scarecrow said. Applejack slowly turned the corner, walking towards them, suddenly seeming a little shy. Mason looked at Scarecrow.

"Howdy." Applejack then said, offering her hand to Mason. Mason shook hands with her gently.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Mason Estrada." Mason said.

"Name's Allyson Davis." Applejack said

"Mason comes from Texas, just like you Allyson," Scarecrow said. He was mentally hitting himself for being a convincing liar, but he knew it was for the best.

"Really now?" Applejack asked.

"Yep, San Antonio, born and raised. What about you?" Mason said.

"Well, I come from Fort Worth." Applejack replied, immediately looking at Scarecrow. She knew how terrible a liar she was.

"Yeah, met her before I left for Pakistan." Scarecrow said, helping her out.

"Really?" Mason asked, seeming a little impressed. He then looked at Applejack. "Well Allyson, You've got one good guy." he said, smiling.

"Thanks, I know he is." Applejack said. She then gave Scarecrow a quick kiss on the cheek, Scarecrow smiling and blushing a bit. Mason couldn't help but laugh.

"So how's life been treating you after the injury?" Scarecrow asked as he got up and went to the fridge to get drinks for the trio.

"It's been alright I guess, I've still been able to make a living with the compensation checks I've got." Mason said. Scarecrow came back with three cans of cold Coca-Cola. Mason and Applejack gladly took one, thanking him.

"Yeah, I still question about what happened that day." Scarecrow said.

"Same here. Sometimes I still get nightmares about what happened in that cave…" Mason said, shuttering.

"A cave?" Applejack asked. Mason and Scarecrow looked at her.

"You never mentioned it to her?" Mason asked.

"I hoped I wouldn't have had to." Scarecrow said. Applejack gave them a questionable look.

"Well, she might as well know, she'll find out sooner or later." Mason said.

"I guess." Scarecrow replied. He then turned to Applejack, grabbing her hands. "Honey, What we're about to tell you, you may or may not believe it, but it happened and it haunts us." Scarecrow said. She looked and paid attention very seriously.

"It started on a mission inside a cave near Afghanistan…"

---

"Hunter 2-1, check head cams before entering the cave, over." a radio officer said. Three U.S. Army Rangers, one by one, activated a small camera attached to their helmets.

"Sgt. Barnes, online." the radio officer said.

"Sgt. Estrada, online." he then said.

"Cpl. Walker, online." the radio officer then said. "Alright, all head cams are online, mission is a go."

"Copy that command, Hunter 2-1 moving in." Sgt. Barnes said. Sgt. Barnes was a 5'11 Caucasian man gripped his M16A4 and began to enter the cave, followed by Sgt. Estrada and Cpl Walker.

"Walker, Estrada, watch corners, I'll take point." Barnes said. The three men went into the cave as far as they could with night vision.

"It's too dark beyond this point, we're going to have to use our lights sir." Walker said.

"Right." Barnes said, flipping a small switch on a light that was also attached to his helmet. Walker and Estrada did the same thing. They looked around with the lights, looking out for any corners or sudden drop offs.

"Sir, My radio's gone to static." Estrada said. Barnes tried his, and it wasn't working as well.

"Mines out also. So much for command." Walker said.

"You guys still know the mission. It must be some sort of jammer that the insurgents have down here." Barnes said. "Keep it tight." the three continued deeper into the cave, looking around.

"What's this stuff on the walls?" Estrada asked.

"Chiroptera feces." Barnes replied.

"Uh, English please?" Estrada asked.

"Bat Shit." Barnes blankly replied. Estrada shuttered.

"I fucking hate bats." Estrada muttered As they went deeper, they stopped as Walker suddenly spoke.

"Sir, I found something." Walker said. Estrada and Barnes walked over the where Walker was, and they could see a body dressed in insurgent clothing.

"How deep are we?" Barnes asked Estrada.

"About 700 meters sir." Estrada reported. Walker turned the body over, and jumped back.

"Jesus Christ!" Walker said in shock. The three men saw that the body's eyes were missing, multiple large claw marks covered it, and some pieces of skin were missing. They could also see some bite marks.

"What the hell…." Estrada murmured.

"Wait, signal is getting stronger…" Barnes muttered. They three looked around, keeping a tight grip on their weapons. Estrada then jumped back.

"I just saw movement!" Estrada muttered to the others.

"Insurgents?" Walker asked, aiming his weapon in the direction Estrada was looking.

"No, It looked like some kind of woman, but she was moving fast…" Estrada said.

"The fuck are you talking about?" Barnes asked.

"I swear to god, it looked like a flying woman!" Estrada replied. Barnes's sound wave meter was beeping faster, a sign that what ever was here was getting closer.

"keep weapons ready, whatever is here is coming fa-" Barnes said before getting suddenly jolted into the air, being carried by a force unseen by Estrada and Walker.

"Barnes!" Estrada yelled. Walker and Estrada went in the direction he had went, which was deeper into the cave. The found Barnes on the ground, moaning in pain with claw marks on his shoulders, similar to the ones on the dead insurgent.

"I can't feel my back!" Barnes exclaimed.

"What was that?!" Walker frantically asked, aiming his rifle in different directions.

"It was- was like Estrada said, some kind of giant bat!" Barnes said, groaning in pain.

"There's no such things as giant bats!" Walker yelled, looking for any movement. Estrada tried his radio.

"Command, Sgt. Barnes is injured, we've got to pull out!" Estrada said. He only got static back as a response.

"Sir, that signal is getting stronger again…" Walker said, looking at his own sound wave tracker.

"Mason, You and Nick get out of here. What ever here is big and it must be hungry." Barnes said.

"I won't leave you!" Estrada replied.

"I can't move, my back's broken. Go, I'll cover you with fire while you get out." Barnes said, slowly readying his M16A4.

"Sir, we can't leave you." Walker said, regrouping.

"You have no choice, that signal is getting even stronger, there must be more of them. Now go before they get here and-" Barnes was suddenly grabbed again out of Mason's grip, multiple bat like noises could be heard and Barnes screaming.

"BARNES!" Estrada yelled. He saw a pair of giant wings in only a flash of a second before Barnes was swept away.

"Sir, we have to get out of here now. I'm sorry." Walker said, putting his hand on Mason's shoulder. Mason knew Walker was right, and he got up, the bat noises getting louder.

"Lets go. Hurry!" Estrada said. The two started running back towards the way they came from, not knowing what could jump at them from the dark, cold, black cave. As deep as they were the cave was almost freezing to the men, but adrenaline of the events kept them going.

"What the hell is in this cave!?" Estrada yelled as they were running.

"Who cares, we've got to get out of here before it gets us!" Walker replied. They came to a stopping point that led two different ways.

"Which way did we come from?" Estrada asked.

"I'm.. I'm not sure." Walker said. The two looked around, trying to figure out which path to take.

"We'll take the right." Mason finally said. Walker didn't respond. "Walker?" he asked. He turned around and saw Walker looking at the ceiling, a look of shock plastered on his face. "Nick?" he looked up and could saw a opening in the roof of the cave, and they could see multiple flying humanoid-bat like creatures flying towards them.

"INCOMING!" Nick yelled. The two aimed their weapons and fired at the speeding demons, yelling and screaming for their lives as they fought to survive.

---

Applejack had a look of horror and somewhat excitement on her face as the two men told the story. "Well how in tarnation did ya get out?" She asked.

"We had to fight until we could see sunlight coming from the outside, so we followed it. One of those things got my leg, crippling me. If it wasn't for Nick, I wouldn't be here." Mason said.

"I did what needed to be done." Scarecrow said. "Anyway, we got out and we found another Ranger squad coming towards the entrance. They took us back to command and tended to our wounds as best as they could. When the officer asked what happened, he couldn't believe what we had told him. We haven't sent any more soldiers to the cave since." Scarecrow finished. Applejack was in shock and relief of this.

"That's awful…" Applejack said, hugging Scarecrow. Scarecrow embrace the hug, playing with her hair to calm her.

"Hey, it's okay, we thought the same thing." he said, doing his best calm her down. Mason sighed.

"My wife was just glad I made it home alive." Mason said. After some more talking, Mason had to leave, so they said their goodbyes, and after Mason had left, Applejack and Scarecrow saw how late it was and started to go to their bedrooms.

---

"So you were able to fight off those things while having to carry Mason?" Applejack said, holding Scarecrow's hand.

"With the help of God, somehow I did." Scarecrow said. They stopped in Scarecrow's room.. They looked at the moon through a window that was near the door. Applejack's green eyes seemed to glisten like an emerald in the moonlight. Scarecrow and Applejack got closer.

"You sure can handle yourself.." Applejack said, a small smirk coming across her face. Scarecrow chuckled.

"Well, I guess you could say so, but there is one person that always surprises me.." Scarecrow said, looking into her eyes.

"Really now?" Applejack said, giggling a little, knowing who he meant.

"Yeah, and she's a certain girl that knows how to take care of herself as well…" He said. The two put their faces closer together, and connected their lips, embracing in the romantic moment. Applejack could Feel Scarecrow's tongue enter into her mouth, but she welcomed it with her own. When they finally pulled away they both looked at each other in a romantic awe.

"Well then sugercube, lets see how we can handle each other…" Applejack seductively said. They kissed again, and Scarecrow turned to where his back faced the door, and he closed it as the sound of the two falling on the bed was heard.

Chapter 12: Crazy Rednecks

---

Twilight was using the laptop that Specter had, looking up more information about human history and culture. This technology had confused her at first, but with the help of Specter, she now knew how to use it like anyone else. She wondered if the others knew of this wonderful technology as well. To have the power to look up any kind of information in the few clicks of a button amazed her. She had spent about an hour on Wikipedia looking up information she was curious about involving humans when Specter came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't you think you should take a break egghead? You've been up all night." Specter jokingly asked.

"Well, there isn't much we know about this place, it's better to learn now," Twilight chuckled. She leaned her head back towards Specter as he gave her a kiss on the neck. They smiled at each other, Twilight feeling a comforting warmth in Specter's presence. Specter moved his arms back. Twilight looked back at the laptop to continue her studies

"I'll get something going for breakfast, care for some cereal?" Specter asked, touching her nose to get her attention.

"Sure thing." She said chuckling. When Specter walked into the kitchen, Twilight hid her face behind the computer screen and started blushing immensely. She had wondered how Specter hadn't seen it at first, but maybe he had and didn't want to ruin the moment. What ever it was, Twilight cast it aside and continued her research.

---

Scarecrow had just got out of the shower, and finished fixing his hair into a Faux Hawk and brushing his teeth. He observed himself in the mirror, seeing how he had changed over the years.

He also looked at the black tribal tattoo he had on his right arm. It was a sleeve tattoo, meaning it went down past his elbow. It didn't go all the way to his hand, but it stopped about 4 inches past his elbow. It then went up to where his shoulder was, but he didn't extend it past the shoulder. He was thankful for that now, because he still had the pain of remembering the day he got it.

He was in high school, before he had gotten saved. He went to a party, gotten drunk, and got the tattoo from a friend of his that was a tattoo designer. When he had become saved and studied the bible, he read that the Lord doesn't want his people to have tattoos or piercing their bodies. He had swore, even before he was saved, to never pierce his body, and he had kept that.

After he had become saved and discovered the teaching, he had discussions with his brother and the preacher of the church he attended at that time. He was relieved to discover that if you had a tattoo before you became saved, that it would not keep you from being able to enjoy God's heaven, but that it is indeed advised not to get any, especially after receiving the Lord's grace. He did have to admit though, his friend who did it was very detailed, and he made sure that it wouldn't sag over the years when he first designed it.

Scarecrow sighed, still regretting the action, but he wouldn't let his body speak for him. Before walking out, he checked his weight, and saw that he had lost some.

"Huh, I'm 194 now." He said. He came out of the bathroom and saw that Applejack was still in bed, her hair flowing freely instead of being in a pony tail He walked over to her and ran a hand through her hair, then ran it down her naked body.

They had both loved last night, Scarecrow somewhat still couldn't believe they did it. the warmth of each others bodies, being able to do or say what they felt without the worry of the others knowing, it was an amazing experience. It was honestly Scarecrow's first time, as it was Applejacks, but he knew he couldn't risk getting her pregnant, so he pulled out when he felt close and released on her. They had showered together that night, making out some in the shower while they did. Scarecrow put the cover over her body and put his clothes on, and started to make breakfast. Scarecrow and Applejack knew that this had to stay between themselves.

---

Rainbow Dash was already up and exercising in the living room.

"Just because I'm here doesn't mean I can't keep my work-outs going," She told herself. She was doing sit-ups while watching an episode of Doctor Who, a show that Ghost told her about. It seemed interesting, so she watched a couple of episodes, and now she seemed hooked to the show. Ghost had left a note on the table for her when she got up.

"I've had to make a run to get some groceries, I'll be back in about 40 minutes. If you need anything, call me." It read. Dash had already made her own breakfast, and she enjoyed pancakes. She was surprised at how cooking here on Earth was much similar to their own cooking methods. But she had already ate her breakfast, and now proceeded to do push-ups. After she had finished, she got up, wiping some of the sweat off of her forehead.

She went into her room to change, and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a white long sleeve shirt with a pair of blue pants, combined with blue shoes. She then did some poses in the mirror, such as flexing her arms and trying to look like a model she saw on an advertising billboard.

"Having fun?" A voice said behind her. Dash quickly turned around and saw Ghost leaning against the door, who was doing his best not to crack a smile. Needless to say, he was failing.

"Did you watch me dress?!" Dash asked, blushing.

"No, I just came in and I heard you in here." Ghost said, chuckling. He then walked over to Dash and gave her a look over. "You won't hear any complaints from me." He then complimented.

"Well, That's what matters to me." Rainbow chuckled.

"Are you sure Rarity is the fashion expert and not you?" Ghost jokingly asked.

"Oh, please, I'm at least 20% cooler." Rainbow said. The two laughed and walked back to the living room.

"So what is there to do?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I know a park here, maybe we can go out there and play some football, we can buy some boots on the way," Ghost said. Rainbow Dash liked the idea, she wanted to be the best athlete, even in this dimension. They got into Ghost's car and drove off, heading to buy their shoes and a ball, and then to the park.

---

Jester was lifting weights in his makeshift weight room, bench pressing 365. He was able to do it ten times before he had to rack it himself. He got up breathing hard, and Pinkie was watching.

"Wow, you're pretty strong!" Pinkie complimented.

"Well, it was a lot of practice and training," Jester replied, smiling.

"Yeah, just like Rainbow Dash! She would practice and work out almost every day! But she got a little boastful about it so me, Twilight, and Applejack all dressed up as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well to show her how a hero can be modest, and she did become modest, but she is still a great athlete!" Pinkie said in one breath. Jester laughed.

"And I bet you could win a "Most Energetic" award." Jester replied.

"Oh, I bet so! Maybe I should start that competition when we return home!" Pinkie said. Jester then heard the phone ring.

"I got it," Jester said. "Hello? Yo, Scarecrow, what's up!" He said excited.

"Ooh, Is that Scarecrow? Tell him and Applejack I said hi!" Pinkie said. Jester nodded and started to speak into the phone again, but Pinkie suddenly shot up.

"Pinkie Pie says hi!" Pinkie yelled enthusiastically. Jester shook his head in an almost comedic way, and put the phone back to his ear.

"What's that?" Jester asked. "Applejack's still asleep? Aw, I'm sure you two looked cute in bed together." Jester jerked his head away from the phone, and Pinkie could hear Scarecrow's voice pretty loud through the phone.

"It was just a joke! Damn," Jester said, chuckling. "So have you heard from Specter?" Jester then asked, putting the phone back to his ear. "I'll call him, see what he's up to. Alright, catch you later. And don't crash that dirt bike like you did when we were in college," Jester said. He laughed at the end, Pinkie figured Scarecrow must've made a funny comeback. Jester hanged up, and then dialed Specter's cell phone number.

"Who are you calling now?" Pinkie asked.

"I'm calling Specter, see how he and Twilight is doing in Chicago." Jester said. Needless to say, he wouldn't expect what Twilight would explain to him when she answered.

---

"Get out of here ya bloody mutts!" Soap yelled, chasing a pack of Stray dogs that had gotten through his fence. They somehow got into the chicken coop he had, and the chickens were now running a muck, Fluttershy trying to calm them down.

One of the dogs barked at Soap, but Soap didn't back away. "I bloody hate dogs." muttered Soap. He didn't have any of his weapons to shoot the dogs, which he knew he couldn't do with Fluttershy hanging around, so he had to get a baseball bat in case one of them tried to attack.

"I convinced the chickens that everything is alright, and they've gotten back into their little house." Fluttershy said. She saw the trouble Soap was having with the dogs. He was chasing them until soap tripped over a root and fell into a mud puddle, the result of recent rain that had fallen.

"Thanks Flutters, now think you could help me with these bloody dogs?" Soap asked, getting mud out of his eyes. Fluttershy saw the dogs looking at him, the a smug look on their faces, as if they were laughing. Fluttershy jumped in front of them.

"It's not very nice to make fun of someone when they fall or get embarrassed, and shame on you for trying to catch those poor chickens. You scared them to death! I ought to tell your mothers!" Fluttershy said. The dogs took a step back as Fluttershy started to give them "the stare".

Soap, for a reason unknown to him, felt a chill go up his back as he saw Fluttershy using her stare at the dogs. In the back of his mind, he was replaying the theme song from a movie he watched one time. "Koyaanisqatsi" He thought the name of it was. The dogs started whimpering, and then ran off.

"Oh, but be careful out there!" Fluttershy then said, losing the stare. Soap let out a sigh of relief, wiping the mud off his clothes.

"Are you alright?" asked Fluttershy, who went over to Soap, helping him wipe some of the mud off. Soap wasn't really paying attention until he felt a feminine hand go across his crotch, followed by a somewhat quiet yelp from Fluttershy. Soap immediately looked up to see a blushing Fluttershy, looking down.

"I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean to.." She stuttered. Soap put a finger over her lips.

"Hey, it's ok, it was an accident." Soap said, calming her down. He was blushing himself, but he did his best to hide it. Fluttershy kept her head down but looked up at him, her hair hiding one of her eyes.

"I-If you say so…" Fluttershy said. Soap smiled, he found her shyness somewhat romantic and comedic. He chuckled.

"How about we go inside and you give one of the other girls a call?" Soap suggested, smiling. Fluttershy smiled and nodded, and they walked into the house.

---

Rarity was hard at work. While Price was getting a haircut at a mall they went to earlier, Price said Rarity could visit some other stores.

"As long as you keep in touch," Rarity remembered Price instructing. She checked her phone, and then she looked up and saw the store of her dreams. "Britain's latest fashions" was the only poster she had to see in one of the windows to immediately run in and observe the human's style of "fashion". She had to admit, these designs were gorgeous, but she could see some areas that with her work could make her better.

"Can I help you?" A young woman asked. Rarity could tell by the uniform that she worked at the shop. Rarity told her that she was a "Fashion Designer from a far away place" and thankful that the woman believed that, having a look of surprise on her face. They discussed the latest fashion styles in the world today. After they had finished talking style, Rarity purchased one of the best sewing kits she could find to work on some clothes that she was just dying to make.

Rarity chuckled at the warm memory, and also Prices reaction when he heard the price.

"Do you know how many tickets to a Man U game I could get with that!?" He asked shocked.

"I don't know, 4?" Rarity replied while working on one of her designs.

"I still can't believe that- wait, that is probably how many Man U tickets I could get with that amount. Damn prices." Price muttered.

"You really shouldn't cuss yourself out, you know?" Rarity jokingly suggested. She was hiding her giggling when Price steamed. She was sitting on a stool she got from the kitchen, using her new sewing machine to stitch together the needed materials. It had took her a while to figure out how to work it, until Price finally showed her.

"Where in the world did you learn to sew darling?" She asked.

"Hell, I use to have made the uniforms for my squad to make sure they would have a better chance of surviving, Ghost wouldn't have been alive if I hadn't triple cross stitched those threads." Price said. He explained and showed Rarity how to work it, and now she was working away. She stopped when she heard the phone ring.

"I've got it." Rarity chimed. She picked up the phone and sat back down in front of the sewing machine. "Hello?" She chimed in a happy mood.

"R-Rarity? How are you?" Said a meek, timid voice that Rarity recognized immediately.

"Oh, Fluttershy! It seems like it's been forever! How are you?" Rarity asked. She stopped sewing and leaned against the table she was working on, still sitting on the stool. Price was sitting on the couch and looked over to see Rarity.

"Pff. Even in their world, all women act the same when talking to one another." He said to himself, and went back to watching the news.

"I'm alright, how are things in…in….uh…." Fluttershy stammered.

"Manchester." Rarity heard Soap say in the background.

"Yeah, Manchester…"Fluttershy said. Rarity couldn't help but giggle.

"Oh, I'm fine darling, How is Abeerdeen?" Rarity asked.

"It's not "AbEERdeen, it's AbERdeen." Price said.

"Right, whatever." Rarity replied to him.

"Oh, it's very nice. Soap has this little field with plenty of animals near by, and I can talk to them all day and help some of them!" Fluttershy timidly exclaimed.

"Well I'm glad you're having fun! Maybe we should call the others, have a group chat!" Rarity exclaimed.

"It won't work." Price said.

"Who says it wont?" the voice of Pinkie Pie suddenly said over the phone.

"Pinkie Pie? How did you find this number?" Rarity asked. Price's jaw dropped.

"Oh, it was easy peasy! Just a few quick buttons and here I am!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Oh, well, I guess we should go ahead and call the others." Fluttershy said. "I'll call Rainbow Dash." after a couple of rings over the phone, Rainbow dash was heard over everyone's phone.

"Hello?" She said, panting.

"Dash, are you alright?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm just playing soccer with Ghost and some friends. Hey! I'm open!" Dash was heard yelling. Before long, the group could hear cheering. "Yeah, goal!" Dash exclaimed.

"Ooh, what are you doing?!" Pinkie excitedly asked.

"Probably having to show up somebody in ANOTHER sport…" Rarity said.

"You got that right!" Dash said. "Gho-Simon, Rick is open on the wing!" Dash then yelled, keeping herself from saying Ghost's nickname.

"Right, darling, do you think you can get a hold of Applejack?" Rarity asked.

"No problem!" Dash said with a chuckle. A minute or so later, Applejack could be heard on the phone.

"Hello?" A.J's voice asked.

"Hey! How are things?!" The other girls asked.

"Oh, they're great. Wait, how are we having a group call?" Applejack asked.

"Guess these phones allow it." Rarity said.

"Or maybe the author is letting us!" Pinkie then exclaimed. Rarity simply shook her head, sighing.

"So what are you doing?" Dash asked, catching her breath. "Yeah, nice game, good save Andy!" She was then heard exclaiming.

"I'm just helping Scarecrow work on this "Dirt bike" of his. He says it's called a 2013 Beta 250 RR 2-Stroke. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but it sounded pretty important to him, so I'm helpin' him with it." Applejack told them.

"Well, that sounds special…" Fluttershy meekly said.

"Yeah, We'll have to come see it!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Hey, about Twilight?" Dash asked.

"I'll give her the call." Applejack said. Another minute or so later, Twilight picked up.

"Hello?" Twilight answered.

"Hey girl!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Oh, Hey girls!" Twilight exclaimed, happy to hear from her friends. "What's up?"

"Well, we're just talking, and Applejack was saying something about Scarecrow competing in a competition, right A.J.?" Pinkie asked.

"I was actually about to say that. Scarecrow did say something about going to a competition that his cousin was holding. He said something about his cousin being a competitor in some competition called the "X-games", and was scouting for some people that companies could sponsor in these "games" , and was hoping that you could make it to support him." Applejack said.

"Oh well I'm sure we can! What do you think Price?" Rarity asked.

"I'm sure we'd find a way." Price said.

"Alright, ask the others if we can all go. Applejack, where will it be at?" Rarity asked.

"Scarecrow said it would be in Virginia." Applejack said.

"Well, I'm sure we'll all make it Applejack," Twilight said happily.

"Yeah, I'm sure me and Ghost can make it, and I'd like to see this competition. Maybe I can compete!" Dash exclaimed.

"We'll see," Rarity said.

---

A couple of weeks later, in Virginia…

---

"So this is Virginia." Soap said. He and Fluttershy got out of the car that they had used to drive here after landing at an airport. Soap and Fluttershy looked like tourists, Soap wearing a classic blue tank top with the U.K. flag on it, combined with khaki shorts and sandals. Fluttershy was wearing a tan colored wide brimmed hat with a pair of sunglasses, combined with a light green T-shirt and pair of blue jeans. They were told by Scarecrow to meet here. They walked around the little town, seeing the sights until they heard the familiar voices of Price and Rarity.

They met up, Rarity and Fluttershy hugging.

"Good to see you somewhere other then the battlefield." Soap said, both men laughing. The four continued around, visiting little shops here and there. Rarity seemed interested in the antique stores, Price didn't really seem to care but he went in them with her. Fluttershy and Soap tried ice cream, Fluttershy enjoying it greatly. Before long, they ran into Dash and Ghost, then the others.

"I'm so glad to see you all!" Twilight exclaimed, the girls group hugging and rejoicing.

"They must be a close knit group back where they're from." Soap commented.

"Reminds you of those S.A.S. days, doesn't it?" Price replied with a smirk.

"So where's Scarecrow at?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, Nick is at his cousin's house practicing, he told me to come get you guys." Applejack said calmly. The others looked at her with a surprised look.

"He taught you how to drive?!" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly.

"Eyup. Before you guys got here, he taught me everything about driving and I got my license." Applejack proudly stated. She pulled her license out of her back pocket, and Specter looked at it.

"It's the real deal, State of Georgia driver's license." Specter said, handing it back to her.

"But how did you get it so fast?" Dash asked.

"I bet the author wanted her to already have it for comedic purposes!" Pinkie jolted. She got a look from everyone, and a silly grin appeared on her face. "You never know!"

"Anyway, we better get going. Come on." Applejack said. She led them to a SUV that was big enough to carry them all.

"This is Nick's car?" Price asked.

"Nah, It's his cousins, but they let me drive it so we could all fit." Applejack said. They all piled in, and Applejack cranked the SUV up, and started to drive back to their destination like she knew how to drive for years.

---

"We're here." Applejack said happily. As they got out, the group looked in awe at the house. It was a large mansion, made out of brick, with a couple of large glass windows. In one of them, Jester could see a small skate park. As they walked around the huge house, They could hear the sound of revving engines coming from the back.

"What is that?" Dash asked, catching up to Applejack. This all excited her, she knew she would have to try one of these things before they left.

"That's probably Nick and Tim practicing or just goofing around now." Applejack said. When they got to the back, The group saw what would be a motocross freestylist's dream:

The backyard was as big, if not bigger, than the house, with multiple dirt and man made ramps set up. There was one built ramp that when you launched from it, you would land in a foam pit. Rainbow Dash had the look of a 5 year old that was looking into the world's biggest candy store. They then saw a man with blonde hair, all of it combed back, waving at them. He was wearing Black motocross gear that had the Monster and Rockstar Energy Drinks logos on them.

"That's Tim." Applejack told them. They then heard the sound of a roaring dirt bike engine coming towards them, and they looked and saw another man, wearing the complete Red Bull Kini MX Barbwire Motocross riding gear and Helmet, speeding down the track on the dirt bike that Applejack had told them about on the way here.

"And There's Nick, he's heading for the foam pit!" Applejack explained. They watched as Scarecrow Went up the ramp that was set in the direction of the foam pit, and looked in awe as Scarecrow started to flip himself and the bike backwards while spinning to the right, and when he was right side up again he was still rotating the bike, and almost got it facing the way he intended as he landed in the foam pit. Tim and a couple of guys standing near him started cheering, as did the group.

"Crazy rednecks," Soap jokingly muttered with a light hearted chuckle.

"Whoa, that was so awesome!" Dash yelled excitingly. As the guys that were standing near Tim jumped into the foam pit with a cable to pull the dirt bike out, Tim went over to meet the group.

"You must be Nick's friends, I'm Tim Meeks." Tim said, shaking their hands.

"Tim Meeks? You mean, THE Tim Meeks? Gold winner at X-games 20 and 22?" Jester asked, suddenly becoming excited.

"The very same. But I'm not competing in X games 24 this year, I'm commentating." Tim said. He then pointed to Scarecrow, who was now walking towards him.

"Hopefully Nick can take my spot. He's dedicated to it, that's for sure. When ever his brother was overseas, he stayed with me and would practice on his free styling. He could have competed in X games 20, but he had already enlisted in the Army. He told me about the extended break that you guys had, but he didn't say any exact details. Anyway, lets go." Tim explained. They met Nick half way, and Rainbow Dash was the first to run up to him.

"Oh my gosh, that was so awesome! Think you can teach me or let me ride with you sometime?!" Rainbow Dash asked, the look of excitement still in her eyes. Scarecrow had a little bit of a nervous chuckle.

"We'd have to see," he said, giving her a friendly hug. He took of his goggles and Helmet, showing his Faux Hawk style as he happily met the others.

"Well, look who got the hair cut." Jester jokingly said.

"Yep, no more high school musical," Scarecrow replied, the two friends fist bumping.

"So you're going to try to be a motor head during break, eh mate?" Ghost said, shaking hands with Scarecrow.

"Hey, I have to do something to make this break worth it." Scarecrow replied with a laugh. He turned back as he saw Tim's crew lower his bike back to the ground. He then smiled.

"So Dash, about that ride, think you can handle it?" Scarecrow asked, looking at her. Rainbow Dash looked like she was about to jump out of her skin with excitement.

"Ohmygoshyesyesyesyesyes!" She exclaimed, starting to bounce up and down, almost like pinkie pie. Scarecrow then looked over to Ghost.

"You okay with it?" He asked him. Ghost crossed his arms.

"Just make sure you give us a show and she doesn't get hurt." he said, giving him a thumbs up. Dash hugged Ghost.

"Thank you so much!" Dash exclaimed.

"Come on, I'll get your protective gear." Scarecrow said, leading her to where Tim was. Tim nodded and the three went inside, and a couple of minutes later, Rainbow Dash came out with Blue and White motocross gear, the shirt and pants bearing a Rockstar energy drink logo.

"You look like a professional," Applejack chuckled. Dash posed in the outfit, her helmet in one hand, goggles in the other. They then heard Scarecrow revving up his dirt bike, and he drove it over beside where Dash was.

"Ready?" Scarecrow asked.

"Pff, you know it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She put on the helmet and goggles, then got on behind Scarecrow, wrapping her arms around his waist. She had to admit she was blushing a little bit with her body this close to Scarecrows.

"Good luck!" Pinkie called out while they rode off to where Scarecrow had previously started. When they got there, Scarecrow Revved the engine of his dirt bike, and then saw Tim giving the thumbs up from the foam pit, the girls and guys standing with him.

"Okay Rachel, remember to hold on tight, and keep your legs on the bike!" Scarecrow instructed to Rainbow Dash. "Also, as soon as we get to the top of the ramp, lean back! We're going to do a back flip!" Scarecrow yelled over the sound of the engine. Dash's eyes got even wider with excitement.

"Got it!" Dash exclaimed. Scarecrow counted down, the two took off. They could hear the others cheering as they came down the stretch. Scarecrow, with years of experience, didn't gun it all the way for he know that if he did, they would overshoot the foam pit, so he went about half speed until they were about 15 or so feet from the ramp, he then went full speed. When they got near the top of the ramp, Both Rainbow Dash and Scarecrow leaned back, the bike tilting backwards as planned.

Rainbow Dash couldn't believe it. She had flown upside down before, but this seemed like a whole new experience! Everything seemed to go in slow motion, a lock of her hair getting in her view, the wind blowing into her helmet, she felt as if she was flying for the first time in years. She could see the others jumping up and down, cheering, and as she looked at the world around her, she could see it upside down and watched it turn back right side up. Her vision was then obscured by the foam blocks, and the cheering became muffled, but louder.

She then saw Scarecrow, who gave her two thumbs up. He then gave her his hand and she grabbed it, and they came up together, and Dash fist pumped with glee. She was helped out of the foam pit by Applejack and Twilight, the girls cheering her.

"Wow, you looked like you had so much fun! Were you excited? Nervous? Ooh, were you nervouscited?!" Pinkie pie practically bounced around her

"Yeah, it was great!" Dash exclaimed. She then walked over the Scarecrow.

"You like it?" Scarecrow asked with a chuckled.

"You know it! And, thanks for letting me do the flip with you Nick," Dash said, offering her hand. Scarecrow smiled and shook it. Tim smiled.

"Now we can head to the mini arena my crew set up, and we can have some real fun!" Tim said with a laugh.

---

"We're the two dumbest people on a bike right now, the two dumbest people on a bike right now.." Tim sang with a laugh. He and Scarecrow were on mini dirt bikes, one of the bigger ramps in the distance in front of them. Applejack was standing by a CD player that was connected to some large speakers, and she hit the play button, and "The State of Massachusetts" by Dropkick Murphys began to play.

"Ready cuz?" Tim asked.

"I've been waiting on you." Scarecrow said with a laugh. The two started the mini bikes and zoomed off. They sped to ward the ramp, and when they soared off the ramp, they both started to do a back flip, Scarecrow adding a no hander to his. As they were upside down, they could see two more riders zooming under them. One had purple and black Fox motocross gear, the having orange and yellow Rockstar Energy drink motocross gear.

Twilight and Applejack looked up as they saw Scarecrow and Tim performing a back flip above them, giving them a thumbs up. After some time spent training, the girls were ready to ride dirt bikes with the guys. Tim had a garage full of them, so he had plenty to spare. Twilight and Applejack leaned their bikes to the left, and they went on one of the small ramps, launching into the air. Twilight braced for the impact when they landed, but she could feel the adrenaline run through her body.

"Yee haw!" Applejack exclaimed as they sped on the track. She looked over and saw a small car going over one of the ramps, and she could see that Pinkie and Jester were inside with their gear, Jester wearing green and black Monster gear, Pinkie having White and Pink Rockstar gear. Jester was driving, and started doing donuts with the car before speeding off. She then saw Dash heading for one of the large ramps.

Rainbow Dash was ready. She had the confidence that she could do some tricks on her own, and she started heading for one of the ramps. As she went up, she readied herself to pull the bike up just as she reached the tip of the ramp, as this could help her get more air. When the moment came, she launched herself, and she pushed her feet off of the pegs, and put them through the gap in her arms, and over the handle bars. After doing this, she pulled them back and found the pegs, and braced her body for the landing. She smiled, knowing she could do this to.

She looked over to see Ghost, was clapping. She then looked over to Scarecrow and Tim, who were now getting their normal dirt bikes ready, clapping also. In a short time, Scarecrow was revved up and caught up to Rainbow Dash.

"Ready to try a backflip?" Scarecrow asked her. Dash smirked.

"I'm ready for any challenge!" Dash exclaimed. Scarecrow raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, just follow me. And remember: lean back just before you leave the ramp, but don't over rotate it!" Scarecrow instructed. Dash nodded and followed him, and after some smaller jumps and tricks, They started heading for the large ramp. Scarecrow and RD started to lean back as they got to the edge of the ramp.

As they launched, Rainbow Dash started to feel the world turn upside down, and she looked around in awe. She kept landing back until her and her bike were right side up again, and Dash adjusted some to stick the landing. Scarecrow had done a backflip as well, and he slowed down, letting Dash catch up to him. They pulled over to where Tim was, Tim applauding.

"You're definitely ready for the X games!" Tim complimented, fist bumping Scarecrow. "I know some guys that work with different sponsors, I can get them to Sponsor you in the best trick competition," Tim said. One of Tim's friends came over and told him something, Tim getting a surprised look.

"What is it?" Dash asked. The others had stopped riding and where now pulling up to where they were.

"One of my teammates just informed me that the best motocross trick competition is going to have a trophy this year, along with the medals." Tim explained.

"A trophy?" Soap asked.

"Yep, he had a picture to, said it was donated by a guy that bought it from a pawn shop." Tim said. The friend that told him gave Tim a picture, and they group gasped as they saw it. The trophy had a base like the super bowl trophy, but had the top was a small motocross rider on a bike doing a backflip.

But what caught everyone's attention was the necklace that was branded into it, wit ha small purple gem that the girls recognized.

"My element!" Rarity exclaimed.

"What was that?" Tim asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing." Rarity said, blushing.

"Tim, now we've really got to compete for that trophy." Scarecrow said.

"I know, it looks nice, doesn't it?" Tim said.

"Yeah, so sign us up!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Tim smiled at this.

"Rachel, consider it done." Tim said to Rainbow. He then walked off. Scarecrow looked at Dash.

"Dash, this is the X-games. These are the world's best, It will be almost impossible, and very dangerous. I broke my back one time trying to qualify for the X-games." Scarecrow said.

"Don't worry, We'll be alright. But you know, You can say a prayer for the both of us, just for safe keeping." Dash said with a slight chuckle.

They couldn't see from the distance that they were being watched. One of Tim's men looked at his watch and pressed a small button, and the clock face dissipated and Makarov's face took it's place.

"Sir, one of the elements is being held as a price for these, "X games"." The man said. Makarov chuckled.

"An easy competition. Since you seem to know the most about these foolish tricks, you must compete to get it." Makarov told him.

"It will be done sir. I will come back to Volgograd with the element when I win it." the man replied, saluting.

"Do not fail me colonel Petrinko." Makarov coldly said, the video feed disappearing and the clock face reappearing. Colonel Petrinko walked back to Tim's house to get his gear, letting out a dark chuckle.

---

Preview of chapter 13...

---

All the excitement Rainbow Dash had had now turn to worry.

After seeing the malfunction that occurred causing Scarecrow to crash, she wasn't even sure if he was still alive. She was breathing hard, obviously nervous. When Scarecrow said that this event was life risking, he wasn't kidding, as she had just seen.

She could see some of the other riders saying a small prayer for Scarecrow as he was put on the stretcher, but the riders and fans started clapping when Scarecrow put one arm up with a thumbs up.

This gave Dash confidence. She knew she had to beat the Russian that was in first, she knew that this gained even more meaning than just getting Rarity's element.

Dash planned the trick she was going to do, and the crowed started cheering as she revved her dirt bike and proceeded down the ramp.

Chapter 13: The Big One

---

Rainbow Dash breathed nervously. She was as scared as she was excited, she had seen the crowd outside.

Now before they got here, Rainbow Dash and Scarecrow competed in the little scouting event, winning easy. But Scarecrow told her that this would be a lot bigger. And when he said a lot bigger, he meant A LOT bigger. Scarecrow walked up to where she was.

"You nervous?" Scarecrow asked.

"Wha- nervous? Who, me? I'm not nervous." Dash said. Scarecrow raised and eyebrow.

"Listen, it's okay to be nervous. This is my first time here as well. Just remember everything me and Tim taught you and you'll be alright." Scarecrow put his hand on her shoulder, and as he started to walk back to where his bike was until Rainbow Dash's voice stopped him.

"Hey, do you think you can…well, say a small prayer for me?" Dash asked him. Scarecrow smiled.

"Sure thing." Scarecrow put one of his hands on her shoulder and they closed their eyes, Scarecrow saying a quick prayer of thanks and protection. After he had finished, one of the technical crew told them that they needed to start heading out for the best trick event. Dash and Scarecrow nodded, putting their helmets and goggles on.

Scarecrow started his dirt bike, the one he and Applejack worked on, and Rainbow dash revved the engine of her dirt bike, a 2015 250 2-Stroke model, which Tim let her customize. She painted it, of course, cyan blue and put a drawing of her cutie mark on one of the blue panels. The two, along with 4 other drivers, rode out to hear and see the immense crowd.

---

"Hello and thank you for joining us here and X-games 24, I'm Jake Newell and I'm here with professional FMX rider and free stylist Tim Meeks. How are you Tim?" Said a man wearing a suit, donning a red tie. He had his sandy blonde hair combed over.

"I'm doing great man, I'm ready to see these tricks cause these are some great free stylists that are going to show off today!" Tim exclaimed.

"And the riders are setting up on top of the ramp, lets take a look at who's competing this year." Jake said. On the arena's giant video board it showed a list of the names of the people who were competing, along with their picture.

"Look, there's Nick!" Twilight exclaimed, pointing to the board. Nick and Rainbow were able to get their group VIP area tickets, so they were basically right at the action, staying on the side of the track. The group cheered, as did a lot of fans in the stadium. Jester figured that these people were only cheering cause they get to watch these guys do crazy shit.

"There's Dash!" Rarity then exclaimed. It showed Rainbows picture on the screen, which got some cheers and whistles. She had a big, confident grin, and winked at the camera. Rainbow Dash fist pumped when she saw her picture on the big screen.

"Oh, doesn't she look marvelous with her gear on, the helmet may be a little too much, but the suit is awe inspiring!" Rarity exclaimed. Rainbow Dash had on blue and yellow colored motocross gear, which was sponsored by Fox motocross. Scarecrow was beside her, he was donning the red and black Red Bull gear he had on at Tim's house.

Rainbow and Scarecrow looked at each other and gave each other a thumbs up. Tim and Jake could be heard over the speakers.

"So now ladies and gentlemen, the line up will be as followed:

First to run is Taka Kanauji of Japan. Second is Vincent Kerbela of Australia. Third is Jason Garcia of Mexico. Fourth is Boris Petrinko of Russia. Fifth is Nick Walker of the U.S., and last but not least, Rachel Dash of the U.S." It was announced.

"We also would like to inform the drivers and fans that this years winner will not only get an X-games gold medal, but this trophy also!" Tim exclaimed, a picture of the trophy appearing on the board." Jake said.

"Now let's go crazy because best trick 2018 is beginning now!" Tim then hollered, and everyone in the stadium started cheering.

The first person, Taka Kanauji, was cleared and he went down the ramp, speeding for one of the launch ramps. When he launched, he did 1, then 2 backflips, and landed it. The crowed cheered immensely, and the video board said he got a 89.25, which currently put him in first.

One by one the riders went, performing tricks, and as of now on the first run, Jason Garcia was in first with a no handed front flip.

"Think you can beat that?" Rainbow Dash asked Scarecrow as he revved his engine, which got the crowd cheering

"Watch and learn." He said with a smile as he slowly went down the ramp, but he went full speed when he got to the bottom, heading for the closest ramp. Just as he launched, he leaned back, showing he was going to do a backflip.

He pulled his feet up to the handle bars, setting one under it, and pushed his free leg and body outwards, doing a one footed Cordova while doing a backflip. When he started to get level again, he quickly adjusted to get back on the bike, and he did it just in time as he landed.

The girls were ecstatic, they had just seen Scarecrow pull off a trick that he told them was very hard. The crowd went just as crazy as they did, and Scarecrow fist pumped and then pulled out a cross necklace he was wearing, holding it in his palm. The other bikers were clapping, all except for Boris.

Scarecrow drove his bike back up the start ramp, and Dash fist bumped him.

"Great job!" She happily exclaimed. They looked at the board to see that Scarecrow was now in first with a 93.70. Dash and Scarecrow cheered.

"Surely we can get the trophy now, and get the element!" Dash exclaimed. After they had all finished their first run, they had a 10 minute break while the focus was shifted to street skating.

Dash was checking her bike when out of the corner of her eye she saw Boris going to a dark corner. She decided to see what he was doing, so she walked to one of the other riders and started to make a conversation with them, but she was listening out of Boris.

"Do not worry sir, I will win it. Yes sir Makarov." Dashes eyes widened at the name "Makarov". she had to tell Scarecrow. Dash finished her conversation with the other rider, and went back to Scarecrow.

"Nick, that Boris guy, he's working for Makarov!" she whispered to him. Scarecrow stopped what he was doing and looked at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Positive, I heard him talking to Makarov, like he has a little communicator." Rainbow Dash informed.

"Right… We can't expose him out here, we'll have to win the trophy and then get him for questioning." Scarecrow said. "Just try not to get noticed by him. I'm going to get some water." Scarecrow said. Dash nodded and went back to her bike. She didn't see Boris sneaking behind her back to Scarecrow's bike.

"That American delinquent is their team's only chance of getting the element." He muttered. Grabbed a near by wrench and made his own "adjustments" to the bike. Boris got an evil smile before quietly putting the wrench back and stepping back to his bike, somehow undetected by the others.

After the break had finished, the group went a second time, trying to beat Scarecrows score. Taka, Vincent, and Jason couldn't get a higher score, and Boris started to go down the ramp. He launched and leaned the bike backwards while doing a saran wrap. He spun the bike around as well, trying for a 360. He was luckily able to land it, and the crowd went crazy. Boris saw that the judges gave him a score of 95.45, putting him in first.

"Perfect…" he muttered with his wicked grin.

"How are we suppose to beat that?!" Dash exclaimed. Scarecrow looked at the ramp, and back at Dash.

"I'm going to have to try that trick I told you about." Scarecrow said. Dash got a shocked look on her face.

"But Nick, you said you almost died the last time you tried that own move of yours." she exclaimed.

"I know, I know, but we have to win." Scarecrow said. He revved up his engine, getting the crowd cheering.

"How could he possible beat that last trick Tim?" Jake asked. Tim had a bit of a shocked look on his face.

"I know one trick Nick has tried, and if he can stick it, he'll get first without a doubt, but it's very risky, very dangerous." Tim said. "He calls it the "Dead Man's Hand"

Scarecrow started down the ramp, and hit full speed as he got to the bottom. As he went up the launch ramp, he pulled back, starting the backflip. As he flipped back, he put his body over the handle bar, doing a kiss of death. He then let go of the bar with his left hand, hanging on with his right. He kept his body stiff, making a straight line with his body and the bike. He looked like a corpse holding on with one hand to a back flipping bike, thus the name, "Dead man's hand"

Scarecrow knew he now had to finish the trick by getting his body over the top of the bike's front tire and let go and cross his arms, like a corpse in a coffin. He did so as fast as possible, and the crowd was already going crazy.

But just as he was about to grab the bike again, he heard the chain on the dirt bike snap, and the sound of it locking up into the back tire, causing it to swiftly rise upward. It blindsided Scarecrow, and all he could do now was just try to avoid crashing on his head. But he was already speeding at the ramp, and as he tried to spin around to avoid face planting and breaking his neck, he landed on his left shoulder, and still he hit his head hard on the ground. He was barely conscious, but he knew he couldn't move.

He feared that he had broken his back and that he was now paralyzed. But before he could think anymore, he heard the bike land behind him, and he then felt the 230 pound bike crash onto him, then falling off., the crushing force knocking Scarecrow out.

---

The cheering immediately went to gasps and screams as they Saw Scarecrow's body go limp. The girls and guys could only watch in horror, the video screen replaying the accident so everyone could try to figure out what had happened. Tim had already left the commentators table and ran out to where Nick was, and a medical team was out there.

Rainbow Dash thought he was going to make it, until she heard the snap from the bike. She wanted to cry, but she knew she had to stay strong. She looked down at the bottom of the ramp where the other bikers were, and she could see Boris, who was behind everyone else, smiling.

"He must've done something to Nick's bike, causing him to crash!" she exclaimed to herself.

All the excitement Rainbow Dash had had now turn to worry.

After seeing the malfunction that occurred causing Scarecrow to crash, she wasn't even sure if he was still alive. She was breathing hard, obviously nervous. When Scarecrow said that this event was life risking, he wasn't kidding, as she had just seen.

She could see some of the other riders saying a small prayer for Scarecrow as he was put on the stretcher, but the riders and fans started clapping and cheering when Scarecrow slowly came to and put one arm up with a thumbs up, the medical team taking him out and Tim having to return to the commentators box.

This gave Dash confidence. She knew she had to beat the Russian that was in first, she knew that this gained even more meaning than just getting Rarity's element.

Dash planned the trick she was going to do, and the crowed started cheering as she revved her dirt bike and proceeded down the ramp. She was planning the steps as she went down the ramp, and as she launched, she began.

She leaned the bike backwards, starting the backflip, but she pulled her legs up and made her body straight over the bike as they flipped. She then let go of the bike, clapping her hands behind her back, then grabbed the back of the seat, doing a tsunami, then pushed herself forward, and with the momentum, she did a front flip in the air while the bike was back flipping, and she timed it just right to land on the seat. She grabbed the handle bars and set her feet on the pegs, and landed the bike. The crowd roared in cheering and whistling, and camera flashes, as it had been all night. Both Tim and Jake could be heard cheering for her.

"Oh my goodness! And the judges say Rachel has won it!" Jake exclaimed. Rainbow Dash ran to the top of the dirt hill and held her arms up in victory, the crowd cheering. She then went back down and saw her friends, and she took off her helmet and goggles as she ran to the group, the girls hugging

"That was awesome!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Yeah, woo hoo!" Fluttershy meekly exclaimed.

"Darling, you looked fabulous!" Rarity complimented.

"Oh my goodness ,you did it! You won! I mean I knew you would win but now that good! You should really become a pro, maybe take a dirt bike to ponyville even!" pinkie exclaimed.

"Thanks girls. Say, where's Applejack?" She asked.

"After you landed the trick, Applejack went after the medical team. They let her go with them to the hospital, I guess as a comforter to Scarecrow when, and hopefully, he wakes up completely." Twilight explained.

Rainbow Dash understood. "I'm going to get the trophy and then we'll head for the hospital they went to. Tim told me and Nick before the vent started that he can take the bikes back." she said. She then went to a podium that had Boris on it in 2nd, and Taka on the 3rd. Dash jumped up to the first and flexed her muscles, Taka clapping for her.

"This year's best trick event champion, Rachel Dash!" Tim exclaimed, giving her the gold medal and the trophy as well. Dash held it up proudly. After the cameras cut off, Tim and Rainbow Dash rejoined with the group.

"I'm going to help my crew get Rachel's and Nick's bikes hooked up to take back to my house, after that I'll drive to the hospital. Just let me know where it is." Tim asked.

"I've got you covered mate." Ghost said. Tim ran off, and the group then went to the special parking where they parked their vehicles.

---

Princess Celestia had been keeping close eye on Equestria ever since the mane 6 had left, and two days had passed. She had not even sensed the disappearance of Discord and Queen Chrysalis until it had been to late.

"Sister, you have been up the past two days and nights…" Luna said, concerned for her sister's well being.

"I simply cannot sleep until I know everything has been put back to balance… I do worry about them though…" Celestia said.

"Sister, if you may allow it, I can carry a book of spells with me into their world, If I use my magic correctly, I can teleport to where the mane six are currently at on this other world, also disguising myself as a human." Luna said.

"We do not even know if Humans are capable of magical possibilities." Celestia said.

"Even so, I can still keep in touch with you since had become mind linked." Luna said. Celestia turned around, the dark bags of sleepless nights starting to take shape.

"Luna, my beloved sister. I know you are very courageous, and have become much stronger in your magic, but I am still not sure." Celestia said.

"Celestia, my beloved sister. When I was nightmare moon, you lead this great land on your own, hoping for my return. Now the elements, the very thing that saved me from corruption, are in danger. I must go and help find them. My heart and our friendship shall guide me." Luna said, getting close to her sister.

Princess Celestia started to tear up some, she was so proud of how her sister had matured.

"Very well, but try to check in with me as much as possible via our mind link." Celestia said. Luna nodded, taking a couple of steps back. Her horn began to glow, and a portal opened up behind her Luna turned to face the portal, then looked back at Celestia, who nodded, tears in her eyes. Luna took in a deep breath and went through the portal, it closing behind her.

Celestia sighed, and looked back over her beautiful kingdom.

"be safe my little sister…" Celestia said, holding back tears.

---

"I just called Applejack, she said that Scarecrow is in the ER and they're having to operate on his spine. She said the doctor told her that the his spinal cord was fractured, but it's not broken so bad as to where he is paralyzed. He also suffered a concussion and a dislocated shoulder." Rainbow Dash told the group. They were all in the SUV they had earlier, the car even still had room for a couple of people.

"Thank goodness." Specter said. He was driving them to the hospital that Scarecrow and Applejack were in. The group talked about the recent events until they all heard a spark inside the car.

"What was that?" Ghost asked. Then, in a flash, a young Caucasian woman, almost the same age as the rest of the girls, appeared in the car naked, and landed in the laps of Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Everyone looked backed, everyone screaming from being caught off guard. The woman screamed as well, but It was Twilight who stopped the hollering.

"P-Princess Luna?" she asked, her eyes going wide. The blue eyes, Moderate cobalt blue hair, and a moon cutie mark on her butt….flank…..whatever.

"Twilight? Is that you?" Luna asked. The two then rejoiced and hugged, happy to see each other.

"Well, I'm sure this is a nice reunion and all, but WHO THE HELL IS SHE?!" Ghost blurted out.

"This is Princess Luna, Co-ruler of Equestria. She is the one that controls the night." Twilight proudly stated. Ghost had a bit of an embarrassed look.

"Oh. Sorry for yelling M'lady." Ghost said. Luna cocked her head sideways.

"It's alright." Luna said.

"Princess, what are you doing here?" Rarity asked.

"I have come to help find the elements of harmony. Since you all had used them to free me, I could feel a certain connection to them." Luna explained. She then looked around.

"Where is Applejack?" Luna asked.

"We'll explain on the way princess, but first, you need some clothing on." Rarity said with a chuckle. "Good thing I brought this!" She showed a bag, one she had been carrying with her ever since they left for Virginia, and pulled some clothes out.

"Rarity, you've done it again." Rainbow Dash chuckled. As Luna put some clothing on, Ghost called Applejack.

"Hey, It's Ghost. How's he doing?" Ghost asked. After a minute or so, Ghost nodded.

"Right, we're almost there, you said it was in the ER, floor 6?" He then asked. "right, Bye." he said, hanging up.

"What has happened? Has someone gotten hurt?" Luna asked.

"Sadly, yes, we'll explain on the way." Twilight said.

"And I have this video I recorded to show it! It had all of Rainbow Dashes and Scarecrow's tricks!" Pinkie pie happily said, showing Lune her phone.

"What is this?" Luna said, holding the phone.

"We have a lot to cover…." Twilight said.

---

"You've failed me." Makarov said. Boris grimaced.

"How was I suppose to know that the Rainbow one would do that to win!?" he replied.

"One must always be prepared." Makarov said. "And I do not need people who are not. Goodbye."

Boris then heard a beeping noise, and he heard from the radio, "Do svidaniya Proval" the voice of Makarov said.

"I should've known better than to take a car from Makarov." The car exploded, the blast killing Colonel Petrinko.

"No one gets anything done now a days. At least he had successfully put that one American into injury. I hope he doesn't make it." He said with a dark hearted chuckle

Chapter 14: Science Gives you Headaches

---

A couple of weeks had past, and almost everyone had returned home. They had stayed in a hotel while Scarecrow was hospitalized, but the doctors said that he was, "Extremely lucky, and would be able to make a full recovery soon."

What they didn't know was Luna was somehow able to conduct a healing spell that increased the healing rate of the injuries, but after that her magic seemed to fade away, the group guessing it must be a side effect of having a different body. After some talking, it was decided that Luna would Stay with Twilight and Specter.

"It's nice of you doing this for me." Luna complimented as she looked around the house.

"It's the least I can do until we're called back into service." Specter said.

"About that, what are we suppose to do about Luna when we are? We'd have to explain it." Twilight said, looking over to Luna, who was trying to work the T.V. Specter walked over for a minute and showed her how to use it, walking back to Twilight afterwards.

"I see what you mean. but hopefully we'll have enough time to figure out wh-" Specter was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I've got it." Twilight said. She went to the door and opened, her eyes meeting two men in black suits.

"Can I help you two?" Twilight asked.

"Ms. Sparkle," One said, pulling out a badge which had the C.I.A.'s seal, "C.I.A. We need to talk to Specter.

"How do you know who I am?" She asked, letting them in. The other looked at her.

"With all do respect ma'am, we know everything. We may not know all about where you come from, but when you come here, you're under our radar." he said. Twilight stopped, questioning this.

"Do these government officials always spy on their people?" she thought. She pushed it aside, as she had to with many other questions about this place. She joined Luna, but kept an eye on the three men. They were talking, Specter getting a concerned look.

"Well, we could give her the basic training." Specter said.

"We can't risk it. Their lives have been in danger in every battle, and the last one with the tower collapse was too close they will be safe, we have a place set for them in Michigan. The owner said he could watch them, but they have to swear to secrecy to not reveal any details. This man had military relations, we can trust him." One of the Agents said.

"I have talked to him in person, He is a good man." the other said.

"Well, who is he?" Specter asked.

"His name is Will." was all he could get out of the Agent. The three continued discussing, and Twilight looked back to the T.V.

"I have a feeling a lot is going to change soon…" She thought.

---

It had been 2 weeks since they left their countries, and the girls. Scarecrow had a medical evaluation, and he was cleared for duty. Price looked at a small paper he had about the place they were going to.

"Where the bloody hell is Yakutsk anyway?" Price asked, tossing the paper aside.

"It's the capital of the Sakha Republic of Russia." Ghost responded, checking his ACR 6.8.

"Well, the sooner we get this done the sooner we can get back to the girls." Jester said, loading his MK46.

"Too right mate" Ghost replied.

"Just keep your eyes open." Soap said, looking out the window. "this choppers dropping us off outside the designated area, we're using the night as cover." he said.

"Sounds like my kind of fight," Scarecrow stated, checking the variable zoom on his MSR before putting a silencer on it. "Silent takedown." He put the sling he made for the gun on, putting the sniper rifle over his shoulder.

"Right. Keep in radio contact at all times, channel 6. Ghost, you safe hack it so they don't detect us?" Specter asked.

"Piece of cake make." Ghost replied.

"For the love of God, don't say cake, That's all Pinkie made for me before she left." Jester groaned, causing the others to chuckle.

"Okay ladies, we're landing. Have fun." the pilot said, hovering over the ground. They let out ropes and slid down, the co pilot puling them back up before the chopper took off, leaving the squad alone in the dark, cold, misty night.

"Right, let's get moving. Our other squad mates can't come in until we scout the area and get confirmation on our target." Soap said. They walked for a while, sticking to the shadows.

"So who is this Bespalov guy anyway?" Jester asked, keeping his tight grip on the cold steel of the MK46.

"He was a muppet for Makarov, supposedly he was able to give Rojas the deal about the weapons trade for the Moscow Massacre. We couldn't find any dirt to prove it, but he then was an intelligence officer for scientific experiments. If we can capture him, we can maybe get some info about the other elements. We have some of the elements now, but we don't know where the others are, and if we don't, that doesn't mean they don't either." Price explained.

"Yeah, so we're suppose to tag and bag, not meet and exterminate." Specter added. They came to a fork in the road they were taking, but a local sign was there with directions. Scarecrow stepped up to try and translate it.

"It says both roads lead into Yakutsk , this one to the left goes through some hills that gives you a good view of the city. Sounds like I've found myself a sniper spot." he said.

"Right. Jester, go with Scarecrow to cover him if things get hot." Specter ordered.

"You got it boss man." Jester said. He and Scarecrow fist bumped and started going down the left road, the others going right.

"Just like old times, eh mate?" Soap asked.

"Heh, don't remind me." Price snickered.

---

Jester and Scarecrow were walking along, keeping their eyes open for any movement, but eventually just strolled along.

"So I heard this place was a major supplier of diamonds." Jester commented, looking around.

"Yeah, like we're gonna get paid for this." Scarecrow scoffed, looking around. It was quiet, a couple of birds chirping here and there. They went to a top of a hill where they could see some buildings of the town.

"Alright, let Price know we're in position while I set up." Scarecrow said, lying down to hide himself in the tall grass, making himself "disappear".

"Showtime." Jester muttered, pressing a button on his headset. "Hunter 4-2, this is Echo 3-1, we are in position for sniper support, over." Jester said. All he got back was static. He repeated his words, the static being the only answer. "They're not responding," he told Scarecrow.

"What do you mean, was our communications broken?" Scarecrow asked.

"No, it's ju-" Jester was not able to finish before disappearing. This, of course, caught Scarecrow off guard.

"What in the name of-" Scarecrow disappeared before finishing.

---

"Are we seriously doing this again?" Jester complained. Before long, Scarecrow appeared next to him.

"Okay, just for the record, WHAT THE HELL MADE US GO THROUGH THIS SHIT AGAIN?!" Jester yelled.

"Well, your yelling certainly isn't helping." Scarecrow replied.

"Yeah, but I don't think that is going to either!" Jester exclaimed, pointing at a blue box that was rapidly heading towards them. They wouldn't have had time to move, but out of no where they felt a pair of hands grab them, pulling them out of harms way.

"Hey, thanks for the help s-whoa." Jester stopped mid sentence, Scarecrow could not even speak at all. They were looking into the eyes of a cross breed of a human and a pony, her skin completely white, still bearing horns and wings, and while she had the hands of a human, she still had hooves where feet were.

"I see you two do not see my kind often." the women said, her flowing hair covering one of her eyes.

"You can say that Ma'am…" Scarecrow replied.

"I am Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria. I believe you two may have heard of me, Jester and Scarecrow." Celestia said, introducing herself.

"Oh, nice to- wait, how do you know who we are?" Jester asked.

"When you last teleported during your mission in Japan, I picked up the energy trace, and I saw you two. You two have a very rare achievement." Celestia said with a chuckle. Jester muttered something, but Scarecrow's eyes locked on the two figures behind her.

"Who are they.." Scarecrow said, locking eyes with another human-pony anthro, this one pink with horns and wings.

"Oh, This is Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire," Celestia said, Cadence smiled and gave a slight bow.

"It is and honor to meet you two warriors." She said. Scarecrow gave a traditional Japanese style bow in return, which seemed awkward to him considering they were freely floating in this time space continuum tunnel, or portal, or whatever they were in. Sci-fi shows always hurt his head as a child.

"And I'm Spike," the other one said. He actually looked like a regular human, except for his green spiky hair.

"Cosplay much?" Jester muttered to Scarecrow. Scarecrow elbowed him in the shoulder as a result.

"So how are we teleporting again?" Scarecrow asked Celestia.

"This I am unsure of… did you find another lost temple?" Celestia asked.

"No, we were just setting up a sniping position on a hill, nothing special, and- hey, all our weapons our gone!" Jester explained. Scarecrow checked his supplies, and sure enough, they were gone. His tactical knife and pistol had disappeared, but he still had his short hand medical supplies, ammunition, everything else.

"That is strange," Scarecrow said.

"Maybe it's because that author guy is getting payback for Japan." Jester said.

"Will you shut up about that?! We were lucky we weren't killed last time!" Scarecrow exclaimed. Cadence chuckled while Celestia had a bit of a confused look.

Before they could say anything else, Celestia looked to a portal that was coming up surprisingly fast. Before any other words could be exchanged, Celestia, Cadence, and Spike disappeared into thin air.

"Well, NOW what?" Jester smugly asked, crossing his arms and looking at Scarecrow.

"Why look at me, I'm not an expert time traveler." Scarecrow replied, thinking about what to do.

"Well, I guess we just have to wait, we'll end up somewhere." Jester said, getting into a sitting pose.

"Guess your right, but hopefully so-" Before Scarecrow could finish, he disappeared into thin air.

"Scarecrow? SCARECROW?!" Jester shockingly asked, comically looking around, before disappearing himself.

---

"Scarecrow, Jester, pick up you bloody bastards." Price said into his radio, only getting static as a response. "Your boys aren't very talkative Specter."

"Have our communications been jammed?" Specter asked.

"Negative. If the Reds were jamming us, I'd know. But our radios haven't been working for the past 10 minutes, it's strange.

"I can't get a damn fix on them, it's like they've vanished." Soap said, looking an a small laptop.

"We have to continue on with the mission, with or without them." Price said.

"With all due respect sir, those are my men, I don't want to move on not knowing what's happened to them." Specter said.

"Captain, We have a mission. We all have known those two long enough, they can fight off just about anything." Price said.

"I know. That's why it worries me that they're not responding." Specter replied.

"Look, the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can look for Scarecrow and Jester. Alright mate?" Price said. "We don't have a choice, we have to move out before Bespalov does." he informed. He turned back around, putting a hand on Specter's shoulder. "Don't worry mate, we're going to find them." he reassuringly said.

After some contemplating, Specter nodded.

"Yes Sir…" Specter said, checking his weapon and following the others. "God be with them…" he quietly said.

---

The first thing Scarecrow saw when he came out of teleportation was a floor, and he met it. The only problem was, it was with his face. He face planted, the rest of his body joining the ground soon after. He heard another loud thud shortly after that, and saw Jester had done the same thing.

Jester got up and helped Scarecrow, and they surveyed their surroundings, and they were surprised to say the least. They were in a room, surrounded by the girls they had left, as well as some people they didn't recognize. Scarecrow noted the one man in particular was looking straight back at him. This didn't make him feel uneasy, what made him feel uneasy was the fact that Applejack was looking also, along with a little girl and a bigger guy, whom he presumed were human versions of her big brother and little sister.

"Are we in an alternate universe?" Jester quietly said to Scarecrow.

"I don't know, we may be, the girls don't recognize us…" Scarecrow replied.

"Goddamn science shows.." Jester quietly exclaimed. They both shut up immediately when Celestia looked at them.

"This is Scarecrow," Celestia said, pointing to him, he gave a silent nod in return. "And Jester." she said, pointing to Jester, who waved for some reason.

"Hey.." Scarecrow said, his eyes shifting nervously to the Apple family.

"Sup?" Jester said, his eyes glancing the same way to Pinkie. They all said their "hellos" or some just waved or gave a nod, not recognizing them.

"These two are having an interesting situation with teleportation," Cadence said, "According to Jester, it will be a matter of hours or minutes before some 'all-mighty overlord of the storyline' takes them back to their dimension."

"Don't judge Bushwacka! He has control of us here t-" Jester started yelling, before Scarecrow covered his mouth. The look Scarecrow gave him got the message through.

"Excuse us," Scarecrow said, pulling Jester out of the room. The stepped out, going into the living room area.

"You know, we shouldn't be in here, it's not our house." Scarecrow said.

"Like we had a choice?" Jester responded.

"Right…" Scarecrow responded.

"So where are we, and why did the girls not recognize us? Even if we are wearing our masks, they still know our voices!" Jester exclaimed.

"Let's take it one step at a time. Let's find out where we are first." Scarecrow said. He found a laptop, and figured he could use it to find their location. When he turned the screen on, he saw the main menu for a computer game.

"Team fortress 3..." Scarecrow read, getting a smile. "I told you!" He exclaimed, Jester groaning.

"This doesn't count, we said when it would come out, not teleport to when it already came out." Jester replied. Both men chuckled as Scarecrow exited out of the game and pulled open the web browser.

"Google Chrome 5.0?" Scarecrow asked himself. "Wait, Future, right." he said, face palming in his own embarrassment. In the address bar, he typed in "Local Weather" and hit enter. In a fraction of a second, he saw that he was on the local weather website for Michigan.

"Okay, so we're in the U.S., but when? If the girls are here, do you think it's actually our own time?" Jester asked.

"No, not possible, they would have recognized us…" Scarecrow replied. He then had a thought, then typed in something else.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Jester asked. Scarecrow then slapped his right knee in anger, and got up. Jester saw what he looked at and face palmed. He was looking at the score for the World Cup final, the U.S. lost 2-3 to Germany. Jester then looked at the score, and something caught his eye. One of the Goal scorers for the U.S. had a name Jester immediately recognized.

#14 Nick Walker - GOAL, 67'

Jester rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but the name was still there. He looked at Scarecrow, then back to the name.

"Nah, it's just a coincidence." Jester said, closing out the browser. He and Scarecrow then slowly walked back up to the room the others were in.

"So, even if we are in a different time, how come they don't know us? Were they mind swiped or something?" Jester asked.

"I don't know.." Scarecrow replied.

"I hate time travel.." Jester scoffed, shaking his head. Scarecrow looked at him.

"People assume time is a strict progression of cause to effect but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wobbly wobbly, timey wimey….. Stuff." Scarecrow said. Jester's jaw dropped a little.

"Where the fuck did that come from?" he asked.

"It's the words a of a very smart man, and it definitely makes more since then why we teleported here in the first place." Scarecrow replied. They walked back in, the others, and the guy Scarecrow figured out was called "Will" looking at them. Not saying a word, they went back to where they had first landed.

As they did, Scarecrow could've sworn that A.J. had given him a look, one a girl would do if she thought you were cute. He didn't know why, but it just didn't feel right here.

"Ah, yes. Well the rest is simple. Discord will return with us, no matter where he is in the world. Apple family, your grandmother is in good hands, being taken care of by some royal guards, whom are also doing some of the farm work," Celestia explained. The Apple family all sighed in relief.

Obviously Scarecrow and Jester had missed some kind of important discussion involving this universe…place…time…whatever the fuck Jester and Scarecrow thought it was.

"Twilight, your brother says hello, and wishes you luck." Twilight smiled at this.

"Other than this, Ponyville is in good shape. I've cast a spell on the town so that the public doesn't get too grumpy from the lack of Pinkie."

Speaking of Pinkie, she started to shudder wildly. Twilight spoke, "Oh no, what now?"

"Will can explain," Pinkie said when she stopped shuddering.

"Explain what?" Will asked, confused.

"Not you, Will. Author Will," Pinkie said. Everyone pulled a blank.

"Has anyone seen my characters?" Something said.

"Oh, Jester and Scarecrow. Right over here. Go ahead, take 'em. Thanks for the que on that one, Pinkie," another said. With that, Jester and Scarecrow disappeared, leaving everyone with a huge 'What the fuck just happened' face.

---

Scarecrow and Jester landed again before they could even tell what happened, and they were back in their sniping spot, just as they had left it.

"What the fuck just happened?" Jester asked. Scarecrow shrugged.

"Cameo maybe?" he muttered.

"Goddamn it, quit with the fourth wall jokes." Jester said, holding his head.

"Right, let's just get to work." Scarecrow said, trying his radio again.

"Scarecrow? Jester? Where the hell were you two?" Soap's voice exclaimed over the radio. He could tell by the quiet pitch they were still in stealth mode, the enemy hadn't seen them.

"We… had some interference with the radio, we were trying to fix it. We're in position, I'm ready to take the shots when you give the order." Scarecrow said. Jester was setting up a rangefinder, he was going to be Scarecrow's spotter.

"Right, well, glad you to are back." Soap responded over the radio.

"Sir, you have no idea how right you are about that." Jester said, looking through the scope of the rangefinder, getting the statistics of a Spetsnaz squad.

---

A/N: hey guys, this may be the latest chapter for a while, my school is starting back, so I won't be able to update as often with the homework and all I'll probably have. But don't stray away, I'll try to update when I can! Stay tuned for more!

Chapter 15: City of Angels

---

"We're moving up to the east area, going through some alley ways, it's a bloody skating rink here." Soap reported. Scarecrow and Jester were watching the events from afar. The wind had picked up, making the cold weather freezing down to the bone. Being from the South, Scarecrow was use to hotter conditions, but he was capable of doing his job in artic conditions.

"Copy Stalker 2-4, suspected target building is still about 400 meters from your location." Scarecrow reported. He could see little parts of frost starting to build on his Sniper rifle, he knew that if he wasn't given the order to fire soon, the gun would freeze and lock up, making it nothing but a big stick.

"Bloody Hell, how big is this damn town?" Ghost muttered.

"Obviously a lot bigger than it was," Price bluntly stated.

"Hey Crow, another vehicle just went down the road heading east," Jester said, looking through his spotting binoculars.

"That's the 5th one in 20 minutes… They must be gearing up for something." Scarecrow said, watching it as it drove off. "Stalker 2-4, this is Echo 3-1, another jeep just drove off from the target area, they must be getting ready for something." Scarecrow said into his communicator.

"Or they're moving out.. Pick up the pace." Price ordered. The four sped up to a jog, going through the alley ways, but had to stop due to a patrol walking by the alleyway.

"Looks like someone's got a little birdie that told them we're in the area," Specter said.

"Too right mate. Scarecrow, a patrol just passed us, can you see if anything else is picking up at that building?" Soap asked.

"Yeah, they've just sent out some troop transports, but they're not in any rush. This Bespalov guy must be pretty important if they're having patrols out, cause if they knew we were here, they'd be scrambling." Scarecrow replied.

"Let's just get this over with. The sooner, the better." Price said. After some more traveling, they came in sight of the building. They had gone unnoticed so far, and now it was Scarecrow's job to keep it that way.

"Alright, we're in position, good luck you two." Specter said.

"Right. Jester, keep watch for anyone getting to close to our guys." Scarecrow said, checking his rifle to make sure it was not frost burned and still operational.

"Just like in the games…" Jester jokily commented, taking advantage of their bird's eye view.

---

"We're here." One of the two agents informed the girls. The humvee they were driving in was pure black, even the windows were so tinted you could not see in or out of them. Twilight was reading a book to pass the time, as she always has, Fluttershy was quietly explaining everything to Luna, and some of the others were asleep.

Rainbow Dash had not said much, just mostly listened to the music on her iPod Ghost had bought for her before he left. She missed him, and wished she could be by his side on the field. She didn't enjoy the killing, but she didn't want her friends or the guys hurt either. They were all conflicted by it, but Dash figured if these people could pull through it all, she could to.

They all got out, covering their eyes from the bright sun they had not seen for hours. They were told that taking a plane could have been risky because they could have been tracked and shot down, so they had to ride in the humvee the whole way.

"It's about time!" Dash exclaimed, stretching. The girls followed the two men to the house, and one of them knocked on the door. A young man, probably looking to be in his late 20's or early 30's, opened the door. After some explaining from the agents, the man nodded.

"Oh, yes, you told me. I have six rooms ready, they can come in." the man smiled, letting the girls in.

"Like we informed earlier, we will come back to pick you up when your "friends" have returned." the second agent said. They then left, leaving the girls and the man alone. Twilight knew this man knew they were involved with the military, but not exactly HOW they were involved.

"Right, so, um, I'm will, nice to meet you." Will said with a smile. Rarity thought he had the charming smile of a trusting man, so her past tensions were relieved. "If you can follow me, I'll show you all to your rooms." Will instructed, and they did so.

---

With the muffled blast of the MSR, another Russian fell unnoticed by his comrades. Ghost dragged the body into the shadows, and the team moved closer.

"Do you have a visual on him yet?" Soap asked.

"Negative Soap, This bastard must be a hide n seek champion." Ghost muttered, trying to find their target with the ACOG scope of his ACR 6.8.

"Well, you guys better hurry, this wind is changing constantly so I have to re-adjust often. I don't want to be caught off guard." Scarecrow muttered.

"Since when were you ever caught off guard?" Ghost chuckled as they moved along.

"I'd worry more about your well being then mine buddy." Scarecrow replied.

"I'm worried that both of you talking is going to get our bloody asses spotted." Soap muttered, breaking their conversation up. They stopped again, observing the building.

"I've got nothing sir." Ghost reported.

"Wait, I've picked up something." Scarecrow said. He turned his MSR to the left, following a figure moving, two Spetsnaz at each side. He pointed to different buildings and spots, as if giving instructions. "I've got a visual, Older man with an officers uniform. Based on what I can see, Grey hair, has some wrinkles, also has a nice shiner on his left eye." he reported.

"That's him," Price replied, "he got in a fist fight a day or so ago in a bar. Stupid bastard. Let's tag him."

"Right. Scarecrow, now's the time, stir the nest." Specter ordered.

"We are go, take the shot on your mark." Jester said. Scarecrow checked his MSR again, loaded it, and took aim at his target. An unsuspecting jeep driver was about to have a bad day.

Keeping his Breathing to a minimum, scarecrow prepared to do what he had done before.

"Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight" He pushed the bolt into place, the chamber loaded.

"My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer ; my shield, and he in whom I trust ; who subdueth my people under me" judging the wind speed and distance, he aimed about 3 inches up and to the left, and Scarecrow judged that this would alternate the bullets trajectory towards his targets cranium.

"LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him, or the son of man, that thou makest account of him." He put his finger to the trigger, taking in a breath of air to steady his aim. He pulled his finger back, the gun firing, Scarecrow felt the recoil and strengthened his should against it, as he was trained so many years to do.

"Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away." His highly trained eye watched the vapor trail of the bullet, something anyone else would not be able to see. One of the true advantages of knowing the ways of the long range assassins.

The group quickly got into position as they heard men yelling and orders being given out in Russian, the sign that Scarecrow, as always, struck his target.

"Echo 3-1, this is Stalker 2-4, we are moving out. Command, this is Stalker 2-4, we have confirmation on Bespalov, we are moving in to extract, over!" Price exclaimed as they rushed to the building, picking off Russians that were trying to do the same to them.

"Copy that Stalker 2-1, allied forces are on their way." Overlord responded.

"About Damn time!" Specter said, getting a clean shot to the chest on one Russian trying to flank them.

As Ghost was running, One tackled him, about to blast him wit ha pistol, but a bullet struck through his head, Ghost pushing the body off afterwards. "Thanks mate." Ghost exclaimed, picking up his ACR 6.8 and moving on.

"I told you to worry about yourself more than me." Scarecrow chuckled as he fired again.

"Jester, regroup with us to infiltrate and capture Bespalov, make it fast. Scarecrow, continue with sniper support!" Specter ordered.

"You got it Boss!" Jester replied, springing to his feet and heading for the city. "Good luck Crow." He told Scarecrow before sprinting off. Scarecrow didn't say anything, but Jester knew he would say "thanks", or at least a "Well, you heard him, go.". He loaded his MK46 as he went, getting ready for what awaited.

---

The others were doing as they wished, Fluttershy being in the back making a conversation with a squirrel, RD watching a soccer game on the T.V., and the others doing as they wished. Twilight was in the Kitchen with will, talking about his history.

"Well, , My father was a marine, my mother was a nurse. They met during a rotation my dad had in Pakistan, and after they both left duty, they got married, and then I came along." Will said. He then chuckled. "If my mother knew I was housing six women, she would drop dead with excitement. She always wanted to be a grandmother, but I don't lan on having any children for now." Will said.

"I can understand, I'm the same way." Twilight said, trying to build a character to her "Teresa" character. They were distracted by Rainbow Dash, who started cheering.

"What the heck's got you so happy?" Will asked.

"Chelsea just scored! Chelsea 3-1 Everton!" Rainbow replied, sitting back down to watch the game, Twilight and Will chuckling in response.

---

"We've got a fix but this guy must be a damn sprinter! He's trying to use this area to lose us! Ghost, don't lose sight of him!" Soap exclaimed, running through multiple alley ways. Scarecrow was taking down spetsnaz here and there that were trying to take them down, but the rapid movement would eventually take them out of his sights.

"This is Scarecrow, I'm going to move into city limits, I'll try to set up on a roof top where I'll have a better chance of keeping track of you guys." Scarecrow said.

"Shit…Right, hurry it up mate!" Price exclaimed. He slid under a railing, making sure to keep up with the others. "I'm too fucking old for this shit." He muttered to himself as he regrouped with soap as they chased Bespalov. For an older man, this guy still had a spring in his step. After about 15 minutes of running through alley ways and streets, the five regrouped with each other after splitting up, Jester joining them in the streets They had Bespalov in their sights.

"Sir, I can take him down with a shot now!" Ghost yelled, aiming his ACR 6.8 at his leg.

"It's too far out, we can't risk it, catch up to him!" Soap ordered, the group still running after him. They kept going until they were out of city limits, Scarecrow tracking from far behind. Eventually Bespalov turned around and tried firing his pistol at him, but Specter dodged a shot, and getting a gain of speed, Tackled Bespalov and held his arms behind his back.

"Command, cancel the others coming here, we've got him." Specter instructed.

"Copy that, an extraction chopper is en route to pick you up." Command responded. The others caught up, keeping their weapons aimed at Bespalov. Scarecrow eventually caught up as well, and he looked Bespalov in the eye.

"What are your men doing here?!" Scarecrow forcefully asked in Russian.

"Vy dumayete, chto ya skazhu vam? Ty durak!" Bespalov angrily replied. In response, Scarecrow Slammed his fist into his black eye, causing it to bleed, Bespalov wincing.

"POCHEMU MAKAROV POSLAL TEBYA SYUDA!?" Scarecrow yelled. Bespalov chuckled.

"Let's say Makarov was wanting to give his regards by visiting another country," Bespalov replied in rough English.

"Where is he going…" Price coldly stated, aiming his pistol at him.

"Let us say, he is going west to the city of angels…" Bespalov said, laughing like a loon. Price, un-amused with his psychotic laughter, put a single bullet into the man's head.

"What did he mean by Makarov "making a gamble"?" Jester asked.

"Who knows, that guy sounded like a psycho." Ghost replied.

"No, it means something. With Makarov, it always means something. He mentioned the west…where is a city of angels in the west?" Soap said, trying to crack the riddle. Price looked at Scarecrow.

"Does "City of Angels" translate into a city name in any other language?" he asked him. Scarecrow thought as hard as he could about it. He knew many languages, from Japanese to Catalonian. It the suddenly hit him.

"there is a close translation in Spanish, the angels translates…" Scarecrow said. The tone in his voice was not one of encouragement.

"Well, what is it?" Price asked him. Scarecrow looked him in the eyes, and Price could see the trouble looked under his ghilie suit.

"The Angels… Los Angeles."

Chapter 16: The Sun has Gone Dim

---

Hundreds of people were walking down the streets, going about their business, feeling the golden rays of the sun shine down on their beautiful town. They had welcomed another morning, some embracing while some, on their way to their daily jobs, were not as accepting of it.

A woman was walking with her little girl in a recently built park, enjoying the scenery. She pointed out the tall towers in the near distance, the sound of traffic that was commonly heard every day filling their ears. The little girl picked up a dandelion, smiling at it's elegant beauty. It's bright reflection in the sun was soon overshadowed, and the girl looked up to something she had seen before, but not in so many numbers.

Aircraft.

She had seen them before, but never in this many numbers at once. She pointed them out to her mother, who looked up. A shocked look came over her face to see many figures jumping out of the planes, parachutes popping open shortly after. People in the streets had gathered to see this as well, many confused, some running in fear.

The woman picked up her child and started to run, scared for both of their lives. Just as she had reached the entrance gate, she felt a small bit of relief. That relief was cut out shortly when from the sky one of the invaders had landed, stopping her. She saw the flag patch sewn on his shoulder sleeve, the three lines of white, blue, and red acknowledging his Russian heritage.

It was the last thing she was able to see before she heard the ignition of the man's rifle.

---

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM. CITY WIDE EVACUATION OF LOS ANGELES IS STILL IN INITIATION, ALL CITIZENS ARE INSTRUCTED TO IMMEDIATELY GO TO THE UNIVERSITY OF LOS ANGELES FOR MAJOR EVACUATION. CITIZENS ARE ADVISED TO PACK LIGHTLY, WITH NEEDED ESSENTIALS ONLY. CONTACT MILITARY PERSONNEL IN UCLA AREA FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS.

---

It was the message that the world had heard. The Russians had started the second invasion of the U.S., trying to succeed despite their first attempts. Everyone watching figured that Russia could possibly prevail with the U.S. in near economical ruins from the last battles on U.S. soil, but they knew Russia had financial struggles of their own. This was possibly a battle of wealth than territory.

"Will someone turn that damn thing off?" Price muttered, Jester turning off the video feed that they were watching. They were En route to Los Angeles, the large numbers that they had seen, they figured it best for special ops forces to be in it.

Price and Soap knew Shadow Company would be called out of the eastern world to help keep U.S. soil, so when the British parliament was asked for assistance by the U.S. government, the Limeys were quick to help their allies.

"Pretty fast set up for just 2 years time." Ghost said out, checking his weapons.

"Obviously they had some powerful friends." Specter muttered, checking his ACR. Scarecrow was checking his MSR, adjusting the scope on it. After doing so, he pulled out the cross necklace he had made himself. It had three old looking spikes put together in the shape of a cross, this tied together by metal wire. He gave it a quick kiss, saying a prayer after doing so.

"So what about the girls?" Jester asked, eyebrows raised.

"Well, supposedly, they're suppose to meet us in L.A. at a LZ. It's gonna be hell though." Soap explained.

"And Luna?" Specter asked.

"I'm not sure, but more than likely she's going to be thrown into this hell hole." Soap replied, the rugged expression on his face not changing.

---

It was the first time in years Twilight had seen Luna looked worried, and she couldn't blame her. It seemed like just minutes after they had seen the news, the agents were back, hastily taking them. They were able to say their goodbyes to Will, he said he would keep them in his thoughts and prayers.

Now here they were, back in uniform, readying weapons they had hope not to see again. They all worked together to give Luna the basic training needed, but they all knew that once that first bullet went past your head, everything else goes out the window.

"ETA 5 minutes." the pilot said over the CB. There were other men, both of Shadow Company and Task Force 141 readying up as well. From what the girls were told, L.A. was a very large city, and there were many twists and turns that could get them lost if they weren't careful.

Rarity was checking some of the medical equipment given to her when one of the 141 soldiers came over to her.

"Need some help with that?" the Scottish accented man asked. Rarity gladly accepted, and he helped her so.

"Name's Smith by the way. Marcus Smith. But the boys around here call me Shiner." the man said, introducing himself.

"Why so?" Rarity asked. Shiner took off his goggles to show his bruised left eye.

"Got into a fight me first day in 141 training. I won, and the commanders were actually quite impressed." he chuckled. He put the goggles back on, sitting by her. "Y'know, I've never been on U.S. soil before." he said.

"Are you trying to hit on me?" Rarity bluntly asked. Shiner shook his head.

"No ma'am, I figured you and the other girls might want to know are names incase you needed us out there." Shiner said. Rarity could tell he was being honest, and sighed.

"Sorry for the accusation darling," she lightly apologized.

"Don't worry about it." Shiner chuckled.

"2 minu-" the pilot was cut off by a shockwave hitting the chopper, knocking some of the men to the deck. Everyone regained their balance, all of them looking around.

"What the fuck was that?!" one Shadow Company soldier bellowed.

"It's the reds, they're trying to take us down!" a 141 solider hollered back, looking out a small window. The loud sounds of War filled everyone's ears, Luna looking at Twilight.

"Is this always common here?" Luna asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

"I wish I could say otherwise." Was all that Twilight responded with. They felt the thud of the chopper landing, and the door dropped open. Everyone rushed out, getting to what cover they could find. Spetsnaz soldiers were firing on their positions, and everyone could see that the battle had not calmed down, only intensified.

A five plane squadron of Martin F22 Raptors flew through the skyline, heading straight for a group of Mig-29s engaging them. Rainbow Dash dove for cover, peeking up and aiming her M4A1, firing at Russians taking cover as well. She was only able to pull three rounds off before ducking to dodge returning fire. Some small specs of concrete fell into her hair as the bullets hit her piece of cover, and one soldier was trying to make a dash to her before being hit by spetsnaz fire, the body falling backwards.

She could barely hear all the communication of her friends, fellow soldiers, and the radio chatter over the hell that surrounded them all. She had wish Ghost was hear, she was always able to pull through with his help.

---

"Three o'clock, high!" Jester yelled out, firing his MK46 at a small building that spetsnaz soldiers were firing from. It had been hell as soon as they landed, a Machine gun nest opened fire as soon as they had landed, ripping some of the men with them to pieces. They had gone through an alley way, encountering resistance there as well. They had run into a trio of spetsnaz, two of them trying to help one get out of his chute strap, but Specter and Price took down the two trying to help him, Scarecrow slitting the throat of the third.

"Overlord, we are moving to the LZ of V. , try to find us the quickest route to them, over!" Specter yelled into his radio, firing his SCAR-L at a small group of Spetsnaz.

"Echo 3-1, be advised, you need to move down Bonsallo Avenue then turn off into Vermont Avenue, The VIPs should be there to regroup." was what Specter heard over his radio.

"Copy that! Guys! We've got to get to Vermont Avenue!" Specter yelled out.

"You mean where that damned Police station is? FUCK!" Jester yelled. "That shit hole was covered with Spetsnaz on our fly by!"

"Than we better get there and clear them out before the girls get there!" Ghost yelled, taking down a spetsnaz that was about to pull a round on one of his teammates. One guy sprinted ahead, but was soon cut down by a MG.

"Shit, these bastards are dug in!" Specter exclaimed. They, along with other soldiers they had regrouped with ran into a building on the side of a crosswalk, hoping they could cut through. When they were behind stable walls, they stopped for a moment, giving all the men time to regroup.

Ghost found a CB radio, and tuned it in to certain stations. The news he heard was not good.

"Sir, Word from U.S. newscasters say That the reds just got units into New York harbor and Washington." Ghost said. Collective groans came from some of the Shadow Company soldiers, signs that they had a history with those places. Words were quickly exclaimed around the room.

"How the bloody hell did they get control so fast?!" One 141 soldier exclaimed.

"They invaded just 2 years ago, we're still recovering from that! This is going to put us six feet under for sure!" a Shadow Company soldier replied.

"Great, we're fucking boned." another muttered.

"Everyone shut up! For now, let's focus on staying alive and getting Los Angeles back!" Price exclaimed. "We're an elite group of soldiers, not a bunch of bloody pussies!"

Ghost was peeking out a window, before having to duck to dodge a bullet. "They're dug in alright, it's hell out there."

"You just notice?" Jester sarcastically asked. He sat down by Ghost, catching his breath.

"Are you really tired? we've only been here 15 minutes." Specter somehow chuckled.

"You carry…this damn armor…all day." Jester was able to make out.

Scarecrow snuck to a different window, trying to get a peek with his MSR. He looked around, seeing multiple Spetsnaz units fighting U.S. Marines that were in the area, he even saw some Delta force units. What quickly caught his attention though was the two BTRs heading there way.

"Sweet Jesus…." he muttered, before running back. "Guys! Incoming BTRs!" Scarecrow managed to yell before a chunk of the wall was blown away. The men saw the two BTRs were targeting the small building, and they knew that if they stayed in it they were sitting ducks.

"Move, go! Head for Vermont Avenue!" Soap bellowed, everyone quickly getting up. Ghost help Jester up to his feet and they sprinted with the others, dodging fire as they went. One unlucky 141 soldier was hit in the leg, screaming in pain as he collapsed. A Shadow Company soldier quickly ran back to help him, helping him up, the 141 soldier limping, holding on to the Shadow Company soldier

"Never thought a Yank would save a Limey.." the 141 soldier managed to say.

"Hell, we're not Yanks and Limeys, we're people." The Shadow Company soldier responded, helping him get to the others. The group had to fight off Spetsnaz near the police station on Vermont Avenue, but when they got there they held their ground inside the station, waiting for the others to re-join them.

---

For the first time in almost 1000 years, Luna was scared. Worse than Fluttershy was when the mane six first came to this world. She had kept a tight hold on this "gun" of hers, and when she fired it at the people she was told to fire at, she had the most horrible feeling in her stomach.

"How can these humans live with killing each other? How can the girls even?" the thought ran through her head many times. But like she was told, it was kill or be killed out here.

They group had ran al the way to where they were suppose to meet the guys and some other soldiers, a police station on Vermont Avenue. When they finally got there, Rarity's heart jumped when she saw Price, who was motioning for them to get in the building as fast as they could. They got inside, having a bit of worry gone when they saw everyone was alright.

Applejack wrapped her arms Around Scarecrow, hugging him tighter than she ever had before.

"Well, I missed you to." Scarecrow let out a small chuckle, Applejack smiling. They let go of each other, the gang back together again.

"Well, where do we go from here?" Applejack asked.

"I'm working on that now." Ghost said, working his radio. "Overlord, this is Echo 3-1, we have regrouped on Vermont Avenue, I repeat, we have regrouped on Vermont Avenue, requesting further orders, over." he spoke into the radio.

"Copy that, new orders are to proceed to JFK memorial Library and provide cover and support for civilian evacs at the University of Los Angeles, an Armored convoy has been instructed to head your way to pick you up." was the reply Ghost got.

"Copy that, Echo 3-1 over and out!" Ghost said. He informed the others of the orders.

"Are you kidding me? The university is on the other side of the city!" Jester exclaimed.

"That's why that convoy is picking us up, there heading that way also." Ghost replied.

"Well, it's a hell of a lot better than walking." Price muttered.

"Ya got that right sugarcube." Applejack said. Luna was off by herself, sitting in a corner of the room. Shiner saw her and decided to try to calm her down, he could see the nervous look on her face.

"Hey, you alright lassie?" he asked, sitting beside her. "I'm Marcus, but you can call me Shiner." Luna greeted him with a small smile.

"I'm Luna, and I guess so.." she said.

"Hey, It's ok to be nervous. New world and all, I'd be bloody terrified if I went to your world." Shiner admitted. Luna chuckled a bit.

"Do not worry, my home world is a lot more peaceful than this place." Luna chuckled. Shiner smiled.

"Guess I will have to visit then." Shiner chuckled. "Don't worry madam, If anything, I'll make sure you're alright." he said with a reassuring smile. Luna felt calmer now, and she stood up with him.

"Thank you for the encouragement." she told him.

"Don't worry about, happy to he- GET DOWN!" Shiner pulled Luna to the ground, a Spetsnaz soldier nearly hitting her. Shiner dodged a punch from the Russian, grabbed and twisted his arm, making the Russian man yell in pain, then swept his feet, stabbing him with his tactical knife after. He got back to his feet and helped Luna up back to hers.

"Y-you saved my life…" Luna said, shocked.

"It's the least I can do, you're quite an important lassie from what I've heard." he said, Luna blushing the slightest bit. They were interrupted by the sound of M134 miniguns.

"There's our ride!" Dash exclaimed. The group got up, got their weapons together, and ran outside, happy to see the armored convoy of four humvees with M134 miniguns and three M1 Abrams tanks. A marine sergeant got out of one of the jeeps to meet the group.

"Sir, we were told to pick up Shadow Company and 141 with our Convoy, I'm gussing that's you guys!" he yelled over the sounds of war around them.

"You've got that damn right! Let's get out of this pigs sty!" Specter exclaimed, everyone loading up.

"As far as I've heard captain, we're only leaving a pigs sty to go into a bog!" the sergeant replied. The convoy started to move, gunners focusing their fire on Spetsnaz units, the group firing out of the jeep windows when they could. One of the Abrams locked onto a building ahead of them and fired, blasting a group of Spetsnaz with RPGs into oblivion.

"Yeah, how do you like us now bitches!" Jester exclaimed as he watch the spetsnaz in the area retreat.

"You're going to regret those words when we get to the university.." the marine sergeant said as they went down the highway.

---

The sergeant wasn't kidding when he said that they were going into a bog. The university was on fire in multiple areas, the smoke had made the sun gone dim, and the sky was going into it's evening orange color. The watch on Ghost's wrist read 6:30 PM for this time zone.

They could see multiple evacuation choppers leaving the area, all under heavy fire from surrounding spetsnaz forces trying to take over the university. They could see soldiers fighting to keep their ground, civilians rushing to the evacuation vehicles, and all hell around. They convoy pulled into the University grounds, and the men piled out, opening fire on their chosen targets, some getting hit as they all ran for cover from the heavy fire.

A.J. ducked behind a fallen statue, aiming her rifle and picking off what targets she could before having to duck again.

"These guys must've come in by the thousands!" she yelled to Soap, who had just joined her.

"Thousands? Bloody hell, seems like millions to me!" he joked, firing his machine gun in short bursts. Applejack would've responded if she could have heard him clearly.

"We have to guard these evacuation teams until They've cleared out, then we can move out on the convoy and let air support do their thing!" the marine sergeant yelled to Price.

"Right, consider it done." He replied, getting a headshot on one, quickly reloading, ready to take out another few with his rifle. He pulled the pin on a frag, tossing it towards the oncoming Russians, getting a lucky blow on a small squad.

"All choppers are almost away!" Jester yelled as ducked down by Price.

"Right, hold out just a little longer." Price calmly replied, looking over the piece of cover. His eyes widened at what he saw.

"Get those damn birds in the air! We have enemy artillery incoming!

Chapter 17: Guarding the Field

"Overlord, this is Echo 3-1, requesting air strike! Target location is Parking lot 8! I repeat, Parking lot 8! Specter yelled into his radio, ducking down to dodge oncoming fire. The squad had moved their location from the Main Campus to the Athletic facilities, trying to distract the main units from the evacuation center. Scarecrow was At the back edge of the practice field for football, picking off targets from the woodline, his Standard Shadow Company armor hiding him in the shadows, it acting like the ghillie suit he didn't have.

He had gotten a trio of headshots with one bullet, reloading calmly, readying to take out another group.

"Shiner, foot mobile at your Two O'clock!" Ghost hollered out, Shiner quickly responding and firing at the Spetsnaz in that direction.

"Echo 3-1, we are trying to get air support to the University but Russian MIGs are trying to take them down, hold on for about 5 more minutes, over." was the Response Specter heard on his radio.

"Copy that, Alpha 3-2 has moved it's convoy onto our location with ground support, over and out." Specter replied before aiming is M4A1, firing again.

"Tangos coming up fast at our ten!" Twilight hollered, getting down behind some fallen concrete that had been spread across the field.

"Ah've got em." Applejack said. She aimed her M14 EBR, and picked off two of them, Rainbow Dash hit the rest. They had to duck to avoid projectiles from a tank shell.

"This Artillery is fucking us in the ass! Where the hell is that air support?!" Specter yelled into his radio, tensing as some flak from the tank shell hit his piece of cover.

"Echo 3-1, this is the Blood Angel, we are en-route to assist, you are advised to take cover, over." A response came.

"Copy that, we're moving back." Specter replied. He then yelled to the others, "Fall back to the other side of the field, Air support is coming in!"

Soap repeated this, and the Shadow Company, 141, and the girls all made a break for the tree line were Scarecrow and A.J. were, taking cover as they did so. They had to take some time though as they helped the wounded fall back as well.

"Blood Angels, target coordinates are 6-4 Alpha Zero, hooah?" a Pilot said.

"Copy That Angel 1, should we use the 105?" a gunner asked.

"Uh, use the 105 I the parking lot itself, but use the 20s in the field, just don't fire to the left side, those are our guys." Angel 1 said.

"Copy that, Setting up the 105 for the entry." the gunner responded.

"Hit em' hard Angel 2." another crew member said.

"Just keep the damn ammo ready Angel 3." Angel 2 chuckled.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

The spetsnaz soldiers were moving, and they could see the American and British soldiers falling back, so they started to chase them. But some of them stopped at the sound of a loud explosion behind them. One turned around and saw the huge cloud of smoke in the parking lot, concrete and metal, even some body parts, flying into the air. He looked into the sky, and what he saw was not a pleasant sight. He tried to get the attention of his fellow men, and yelled out what he saw.

"Vrag AC130 vyshe!"

/\/\/\/\/\

"Oh yeah, they got our welcoming present." The Spectre AC-130, painted black with the shark mouth design on the front, and red wings on the side, dubbed the "Blood Angel" by it's crew, started it's circular motion around the target area. Angel 2 switched to the 20 mm gun and took out what spetsnaz were caught out in the open field, mowing them down like ants.

"Hot Damn!" he exclaimed as he took multiple spetsnaz out.

"Good hit with that 105, 30+ K.I.A. Angel 2." Angel 1 informed.

"We got a guy making a run back." Angel 3 called out.

"I got him." Angel 2 said, making quick work of him with the 20 mm.

They guys on the ground cheered as the AC-130 fired at the spetsnaz, taking out multiple units at a time.

"Echo 3-1, This is the Blood Angel. We will follow your convoy to your next drop off point and provide air support." Angel 1 said into his headset.

"Copy that, we're Oscar Mike!" Specter exclaimed. Shiner helped Luna up, staying with her. They got back to the vehicle convoy, and started to move.

"All units be advised, your new orders are to head to the Griffith observatory and take control of the Griffith Observatory, which will set up a command post for that sector." Their radios suddenly broke out, Overlord giving the command.

"Shit, they've got us going all over the place!" Jester exclaimed.

"Solid Copy, we're Oscar Mike." Soap replied.

"Shiner, get on that gun!" Ghost said.

"Copy that." Shiner said, getting the top half of his body through the hole in the roof, setting up the M104 chain gun. He could see that in the other jeeps Specter, Jester, and a Marine were working the guns on their jeeps. They moved, the remaining Abrams tank following.

As they went down the highway, Dust and ash was covering some of the view, making some things near impossible to see.

"Curb Stomper , this is Ankle Biter, you have any clear visual up there?" The driver in Shiner's jeep asked.

"That's a negative Ankle Biter, Visibility is damn near impossible." was heard through the radio from Soap.

"Copy, keep it tight, get your trigger fingers ready. Blood Angel, any signs of contact?" Price asked.

"Negative Echo 3-1, the surrounding area is empty." Angel 1 responded.

"Try to increase the electrical calibration scan," Angel 3 said.

"Already did, nothing abso- wait," Angel 1 said. Convoy, be advised, enemy foot mobiles and light artillery is about 300 meters ahead of you, we're going to lighten the load for you." Angel 1 responded.

"Copy, switching to the 45 to knock em down." Angel 2 responded.

"Roger. Make sure you hit the target, not our guys." Angel 3 said with a small chuckle.

"Do you want to stay in this plane or not?" Angel 2 responded.

"Cut the chatter you two, those light vehicles are getting ready to move to engage our guys. Clear to engage." Angel 1 said.

"Copy that, Convoy, you might want to hold your location, this is near danger close." Angel 2 said.

"Copy that, Convoy stopping." Price replied.

"Light em' up." Angel 1 said. Angel 2 released the first two shells, both hitting their targets.

"That shook them up." Angel 2 responded. Angel 3 fired again, hitting a troop transport which exploded violently.

"hot damn, that must've been a full tank!" Angel 3 exclaimed.

"Glad to see someone is having fun." Angel 1 cut in.

"Lighten up, will you?" Angel 2 joked. Angel 3 switched to the 20 MM, picking off fot soldiers.

"Angel 3, a runner is trying to get into that building on the left curb, smoke em'." Angel 2 said.

"Copy, he's a goner." Angel 3 said, making short work of the man. "Convoy, you are clear to move."

"Copy that, thanks for the assist." Soap responded.

"No problem, the Blood Angels are always watching." Angel 1 responded.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As they went along the street, it seemed too quiet. The main noises they heard were the rumbling of the vehicles, and the sounds of battle in the distance.

"Shiner, you ok up there?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. How are you?" Shiner asked.

"I'm alive, which is the important thing I guess." Luna said, a hint of worry in her tone. Shiner felt sorry for her, she had to take all this in in so much of a short time. He dropped down from the chain gun, and sat by Luna. He pulled out a bottle of water, the almost shining fresh water covered by it's dirty container.

"Here, drink." he said, giving it to her. Luna drank some, welcoming the cool and refreshing taste.

"Thank you Shiner," Luna said with a smile. Shiner nodded. Getting back up into his position.

"He is such a nice man in a terrible world…" Luna thought. She saw him as attractive as well, for a human at least. His lightly trimmed black beard, the ocean blue eyes that his goggles tried to hide… they just put her into a kind of a trance. She shook her head, looking back out the window at the smoke and flames.

Shiner knew he couldn't push it. He was trying to be as friendly as possible to Luna, but he fought to hold how he felt about her. When he first met her, there was just something he saw in her, something that he felt the others didn't see. She was a beautiful woman, in human form at least.

In human form.

Those were the three words that always threw him off. He couldn't decide what to do, but he knew now wasn't the time to think that. He spun his minigun to the right, looking for any movement. He squinted his eyes, and coming out of an alley way were men in red uniforms. He knew what they were right away.

"CONTACT AT OUR TWO O'CLOCK!" Shiner yelled into his radio. The others obviously got the message, because Specter, who was in the front, started firing his minigun in the direction. The men returned fire, and out of multiple areas, they were suddenly being fired upon from what seemed like all sides.

"They're all around, don't let up! Drivers, focus on the road!" Price yelled, swerving his jeep to dodge some fallen debris. Jester unloaded his minigun into the side of a building, small bits of steel, concrete, and body parts falling. The others shot at the soldiers through the windows when they could.

One Spetsnaz was behind a dumpster, readying his RPD. He saw one of the American jeeps pass by, then another. He jumped out at the third one, firing his RPD at the gunner.

Shiner flinched back. He saw for a split second a Spetsnaz soldier with an RPD, but it was a second too late. He felt the hard, melting steel enter his neck, and was quickly losing sight. He raised his hand up trying to keep firing the gun for as long as possible until he lost all feeling in his body. As he fell back into the jeep, he used all of his remaining strength to speak.

"Luna…"

"MAN DOWN!" Ghost yelled. The blood had suddenly burst into the inside of the jeep, some of it getting on Ghost's sunglasses. He caught Shiner, checking his vitals.

"Shiner!" Luna screamed, shocked. His eyes were still open, but she couldn't hear him breathing.

"Chirst, he's fucked up!" Ghost exclaimed. He checked the vitals again, Luna looking at him.

"Is he…"

Ghost solemnly nodded. He them presssed a button on his headset.

"Unit's be advised, we have a 141 K.I.A.! Sergeant Marcus Smith! I repeat, Shiner is K.I.A.!" Ghost reported. A message of grief spread across the other's faces. His death came with many others, many they would have to mourn later.

Luna hugged his lifeless body, softly crying. The raging noise of war still surrounded them, Ghost firing his ACR out the window.

"SOMEONE GET ON THAT 50!" Ghost yelled. Luna looked up, then down ad Shiner again. She wiped her eyes with her arm, a serious look coming across her face.

"It's mine!" She called, getting up to the minigun. Ghost did a double take, but couldn't get her down fast enough.

Luna got lucky, activating the gun, and she pressed the two buttons on the handles, aiming at the spetsnaz, firing at them, getting some hits. Her arms felt like they were about to be knocked off, but she had to do this.

For the girls. For her friends. For Shiner.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

We're at the observatory, move, move!" Soap yelled, the Shadow Company and Task Force 141 soldiers, followed by the girls, sprinted into the building. They encountered some resistance, but working through, they cleared the building.

"Clear!" Jester called. Ghost set up a basic command post, transferring the signal.

"It's transferring the signal now, but it's going to take some time." Ghost told Price, wiping his face, which really didn't make any sense since he was wearing his skull mask.

"Right, we'll hold until then." Price said. Blood Angel was circling the building, guarding until they were done.

Scarecrow sat down against the wall, keeping his MSR close to him. Applejack walked over, and sat by him. Dirt and ash covered both of them, looking at each other. Scarecrow took his right hand and put it on Applejack's face, moving his thumb in a sweeping motion, cleaning her face, all without saying a word.

Applejack smiled a little, putting her hand on his. Scarecrow grabbed it, and the intertwined fingers. They sat there, close together, holding hands.

Fluttershy had not said a word since they got here. Soap went over to her.

"It's a bad sight, isn't it?" Soap asked her. Soap could tell she was shell shocked. She didn't respond, but Soap responded to her silence by hugging her. It was not his style, but every now and then he would have to change. Fluttershy returned the hug, holding him tight, softly crying into his shoulder. Soap rubbed her back, whispering to her that everything would be ok.

Everyone was taking the time to talk to each other, regroup, reload, do what they though was necessary. Luna was talking to some other guys, asking them about Shiner. She did all she could to hold back the tears when they explained how good of a man he was. They said Shiner was always loyal, he tried to stay committed to his first marriage, but his ex wife divorced him. He had never had sex, vowing to keep clean "until the right one came".

The calm was interrupted when Blood Angel radioed in.

"Echo 3-1 be advised, multiple foot mobiles and troop transports are heading your way, get ready." Angel 1 reported. Right after he said so, a 105 shell struck the ground, causing it to shake some. The group took positions outside, firing at the oncoming Russians. They must have been desperate, because this was a full fledged Russian banzai charge. Scarecrow took down multiple units with his MSR, the others taking down many men with their weapons two. But slowly, the started getting picked off themselves. Some men were hit, killed instantly, others were wounded, but the men kept coming on. Blood Angel did all it could to help, but still, the forces were overwhelming.

"Overlord, the Observatory is being overrun, we can not hold it! I repeat, we can not hold it, we need Evac now!" Price yelled, ducking for cover as a frag grenade went off.

"Copy, an evac chopper is on it's way, hold out until then." Overlord replied. Price swore under his breath. It always seemed like they were "on their way," never "Already in the area.

They held out until the chopper arrived, and the started to load on, Blood Angel covering them as they started to take off.

Angel 3 kept firing, doing his usual job, until he spotted something on his video feed.

"Angel 1, we've got a foot mobile with a guided missile, looks like a javelin!" Angel 3 said, it quickly being followed by "Shit, he just fired it!"

"Popping flares!" Angel 1 said, pressing a button on his dash board. The flares went off, and the javelin went astray. But as soon as that one was taken care of, another fired.

"Incoming! Fire flares again!" Angel 2 yelled.

"Their still reloading!" Angel 1 hollered.

"Fuck, Turn to the portside, TURN PORTSIDE!" Angel 3 yelled, but it was too late. The javelin hit the AC-130's tail, causing it to lose control. They group of men held on for their lives.

"This is the Blood Angel, we are going down! I repeat, we're going down!" Angel 1 yelled into his radio.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Angel 1 yelled before the plane impacted.

"Shit, Blood Angel is down!" Price yelled. Ghost tried to get in communication with them.

"Are there any survivors?" He asked into the radio. There was the sound of Static and gunfire, but a weak response was heard.

"This is Angel 3, I'm still alive.. Angels 2 and 1 are dead, I'm trapped! I need help!" was the response. The group looked at each other.

"We can't send the whole squad back, It's suicide." Specter said. They looked around, trying to figure out what to do, but it was Scarecrow who broke the silence.

"Overlord, this is Echo 3-1, Scout Sniper Scarecrow, requesting permission to return to field to extract survivor." He said. Everyone looked at him like he had just grown a second head.

"Negative Scarecrow, it's too hot." Overlord responded.

"With all due respect command, We've got a guy trapped down there. He's one of us, Like a brother. If someone doesn't help him, then why do we help anyone?" Scarecrow asked. It was silent, but then Overlord responded.

"Scarecrow, You are cleared for extraction mission of the AC-130 survivors." Overlord Responded.

The chopper started to swing around, quickly opening it's bay door. Scarecrow stood at the edge, but Ghost put a hand on his shoulder.

"Mate, you don't have to go in alone." Ghost said. Scarecrow turned.

"I don't have to, I need to. We can't risk everyone. If they kill me, so be it. They're only killing a man." He calmly replied. He looked back at Applejack, who's worried expression said what she thought of this. Scarecrow walked to her quick.

"Listen, No matter what happens, I love you and will always love you." He whispered into her ear. Applejack hugged him, Scarecrow embracing it. He pulled down his mask long enough to give her a kiss on the neck, then pulled it back up. He let go of her, and turned around, facing the bay door again. Thunder clapped from outside, letting them know that it had started to downpour.

The door opened, and Scarecrow sprinted out into the night, the fires of the building being the only way the others could see him.

He ran out, head on towards the oncoming Russians, taking as many down as he could with his MSR. He dove into the wreckage of the AC-130, and Saw the man, Angel 2, trying to get his leg free. Scarecrow went over an quickly helped him lift it, then helped him up.

"Can you walk?" He asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Angel 2 responded.

"Alright, head southeast, the evac chopper is there." Scarecrow said. Angel 2 looked at him.

"But where's the rescue squad?" he asked.

"I'm it." Scarecrow responded, not turning around. He ran to a piece of cover, setting up his MSR. He took cover behind the concrete slab he was using for cover, reloading. As he did, he Saw Angel 2 heading for the chopper.

Scarecrow took his mask off, tossing it aside. He knew if he was going to die, he was going to let the enemy see the face of the man that was giving them so much trouble. He set up his MSR again, taking aim

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;" He took down a Russian trying to flank him.

"my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation." he fired again, He took down two men wit guided missiles who were about to fire at the chopper.

"Scarecrow, come on!" Scarecrow heard Specter yell through his headset.

"Go, It's too hot, you have to get out of here!" Scarecrow responded, firing again.

"But-" Specter started to say.

"GO NOW!" Scarecrow yelled, firing again. He tuned the headset out, and kept distracting the oncoming army, their attention now on him.

"He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior" He took down three in a line, with one shot, reloading again. He then felt a sudden pain in his left shoulder, but he quickly got back into position, still firing.

"from violent men you save me. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies." He kept firing, taking down every Spetsnaz at the other end of his scope, dropping down large numbers.

He kept going until eventually another bullet struck his other shoulder. Blood falling from his shoulders, sweat and rain running down his face, he fought the intense pain, still firing, not backing down.

"We are at Bingo fuel, we have to go!" the pilot said.

"We're under heavy fire, Scarecrow, come on!" Specter tried again. The Silhouette of Scarecrow stood in place, taking down multiple Russians, not letting one get by him.

Scarecrow had to stop yet again as another bullet struck his stomach, but STILL he fought the pain, firing, until he ran out of ammo. He then grabbed an M4A1 from one of his fallen comrades, killing even more Russians, not backing down. He was bleeding in multiple areas, the pain was lashing out at him like a knotted whip. But still he fought, holding his ground.

He did so until another bullet struck him, and he fell backwards. He fell to the ground, losing feeling in his body. He then saw Mark, standing at attention, A comforting smile on his face. It was at that instant he knew death had caught him.

"NO!" Applejack screamed in extreme shock. They all looked in horror as Scarecrow fell back, dropping the weapon. She tried to get to him, but Rainbow Dash and Jester held her back. The Spetsnaz were still coming at them, they had no choice.

"SHIT! GO, GO!" Price yelled. The pilots started to take off, and Angel 2 was being treated by Ghost, both looking up just in time to see what happened. The chopper got into the air and got to a safe distance, the rain still pouring, parts of the city still ablaze. Applejack was still yelling in shock, Calling out for Scarecrow.

"Scarecrow! NO!" She yelled, crying. Rainbow Dash hugged her, cradling her.

Applejack's sobbing was what everyone had felt like doing.

The lone Sniper ran out to the line of fire to save one man, and eventually saving them all.

Bloody and battered, the Scarecrow guarded it's field.

Chapter 18: The Same Eyes, from Different Sides

---

Devastating.

It was the only word that Soap could come up with to give a battle report to his commanding officers. Out of the 141 and Shadow Company put together, they had lost over 40 men, not counting the number of U.S. Marines that were with them. It was the first time in years he had felt the real pain of loss, ever since Operation Kingfish when he thought he had lost Price. He rubbed his temples, then checked the batteries for the flashlight he had been using to see his writing, then continued writing after turning it back on.

They had arrived at a small U.S. outpost about 40 miles outside the city limits, Bloodied and Battered soldiers helping their fellow men off the vehicles. Specter and Jester had helped carrying stretchers, the girls doing their best to comfort the injured and dying. Applejack was still visibly shaken from seeing Scarecrow gunned down.

Soap had been up all night, not able to sleep. When ever he did, he saw his fellow men being torn apart by gunfire, and the scarring image of Applejack crying when Scarecrow's body hit the earth kept replaying through his dreams. He continued writing the report, anguish coming over his face as he wrote down the names of his dead comrades.

It had been a terrible night for them all. After some arguments, the girls had to get some sleep, but Applejack's soft crying filled their room, and they stayed up, being there to comfort their friend. Jester's hands were covered with blood helping treat wounded soldiers. He wasn't an expert in medicine, but he knew enough to help. But it seemed for every man they helped, 5 more took his place.

Ghost, Price, and Specter had to help the body counting, covering those that had not survived. Numbers stacked high, both of military personnel and civilians. The had carried so many bodies, Ghost had collapsed. Specter helped him up, giving him some of the water he had left.

Price couldn't bear to look at them, it kept reminding him of the hell they had went through in the city. It was the first time he was shaken up since his first days in the military.

---

"The Main headline today, as it will be for months to come, is the Story of the United State's fight against Russia, once again on U.S. soil. The western sea board is still under heavy attack from Spetsnaz forces, and major cities for the time being are under Spetsnaz control." The T.V. screen in a small bar in Scotland then changed to a picture of MIG-29s flying past the Space needle of Seattle, being chased by F-16 Fighting Falcons, then cutting to Portland were a group of Marines were taking cover from the shell of a Russian tank. The bar was filled with people watching, all the world had stopped, turning their eyes to the televisions.

---

"The German government has agreed to send forces to the United States to assist on the East coast, SKS forces preparing as we speak." This was heard in England, hundreds of people watching the news unfold on the big screens of TV's advertising screens, even the scoreboards of some football stadiums.

---

"Il Papa ha messo l'Italia in preghiera nazionale oggi, dicendo che il paese mantiene i suoi alleati occidentali nelle loro preghiere, e per Dio per guidarli alla vittoria."(1) An Italian T.V news reporter said, almost the entire population of Rome gathered in the streets, watching many T.V. screens, praying for peace and victory for the U.S.

---

"Deutsch KSK haben für die Vereinigten Staaten verließ heute gehen, um von New York nach Los Angeles zu helfen. Tausende haben die Kirchen und religiösen Stätten beflockt, betet nicht nur für unsere Soldaten und Familien in den Westen, sondern auch für die Männer und Frauen von Amerika, dass sie Schützen."(2) thousands of German citizens been watching the T.V. screens, Even Munich's Allianz Arena's outside walls were programmed to display the event to inform the people

---

Now, in the eyes of the world, the United States was the victim. 2 years back, no one had said a word when Russia invaded, due to the Moscow Massacre. But with the information released the latter year about the story behind the Massacre being truly revealed, they had seen how wrong they were. Now, with the U.S.'s forces crumbling, multiple countries took to help however they could.

The Pope had issued national prayer for the U.S.

All across Germany, U.S. flags were flown.

Donations were being made in large amounts to the Red Cross and to medical services to help the U.S.

The Japanese government had been discussing sending parts of their military to assist the west coast of the U.S.

Russia's brutality was strong, but the will of the World was behind the U.S.

History may be written by the victor, but it can be changed by revenge.

---

Celestia stood back as the man in her royal chambers suddenly awoke, looking around.

"Where am I?!" He suddenly asked, looking around desperately.

"It is alright, You are safe." Celestia said, calming him down. He looked at her, and after a little time, recognized her.

"You? but how did I-" the man started to ask, but Celestia stopped him.

"You are dead. I had intercepted your soul, and you've appeared here." She explained. The man put his hands on his chest, then his face.

"But...how did you..." he trailed off.

"It was a very powerful bit of magic, but I did it because you are still needed." Celestia said

"Needed?" he asked.

"That's right. Your comrades need you, and the one that you love needs you, just at her love needs you." Celestia said. "I had found out about it while performing the spell." she added.

"Oh. well, does that displease you ma'am?" he asked. Celestia shook her head.

"Actually, not at all. Love is one of the most powerful elements of Friendship, it keeps us all strong." Celestia said. "That's why you must go back."

The man nodded. "Alright. but how will I know I won't die again?" he then asked.

"You are a strong man, You shall make it." Celestia smiled. "Now, you must return. They need the Scarecrow."

---

First person point of view

---

I suddenly gasped for air, my face covered in blood and dirt. I couldn't feel my legs for a moment, and I thought I had lost them for a second. I picked myself up, looking around.

I saw the observatory, it set ablaze. I tried to conjure what had happened, and looking at the AK-47 near me, I remembered. I had volunteered to run back out here, to save that one man from the AC-130. I didn't know him, but he was a man, a human, like me, and that was enough needed.

I looked around, and saw the early sun rising. I could tell I had lost some amount of blood, how I was still alive was a mystery to me. I got to my feet, picked up the AK, and slowly started to move, falling to my knees occasionally. The others had left, like I told them to, leaving me alone in this hell.

I was surrounded by the dead, some of them being the ones I had taken down. It was a scarring image, and knowing I had done this only added on to the pain.

I'm a man God, killing was against his law. even though he states that those who fight in his name are protected by him, This wasn't war.

It was genocide. Not just for us, but for them to.

I walked along, not hearing a single noise, until I heard a voice cry out. It sounded like a man about my age, I couldn't tell his accent, all he did was cry. I looked around, keeping my weapon aimed the best I could, but the pain was still immense. I followed the noise until I found one man crawling, or at least trying to crawl, away from the battle scene. I couldn't tell who he was or what he was wearing, so I decided to get closer. Since I was still able to walk, as weak as it was, I was able to catch up to him.

I had stopped for a moment when I was able to tell the flag on his sleeve. Russian. The voice crying out was a Spetsnaz. I instinctively aimed the AK-47 at him, but for some reason, I couldn't pull the trigger.

I just couldn't. He may have been a Red, but he was human. After thinking about it, I decided.

The Lord had blessed his enemies, so in this case, so shall I. I caught up to him, helping him up. When he saw me, I could tell that he was shocked, and he probably would have tried to hit me if he could've mustered up the strength to. He looked into my eyes, mine looking into his.

His light blue eyes practically shown in the dark. His balaclava was covered in mud, the obvious look of pain stricken on his face. I looked down and saw him holding his stomach.

"Let me look." I told him in Russian. After giving me a worried look, he did, and I could see the bullet wound. I set him down, treating the wound. After doing so, I helped him back up.

"What's your name?" I then asked him in Russian

"Pavel Stapkovich" He responded.

"I'm Nick Walker." I responded in Russian. We kept going, telling each other about ourselves. He was like me, he didn't believe this to be right. He had signed up to protect people, not to slaughter them. We walked on for a while, both of us eventually getting the strength to walk on our own.

"Where are you from?" he then asked me. "Is this your place of birth?"

"No," I responded, "I'm from Atlanta. That's in Georgia, on the east coast."

"Why are you here fighting, and not there?" He then asked me. I thought about this for a moment, I hadn't really thought about it like that, why was I fighting here instead of defending my home? I then came to a conclusion. I looked him in the eyes, saying in his language,

"The people over here are just as important to me as the ones over there. We're all equal."

Pavel looked down at the ground, then back at me.

"I'm sorry This has happened, This is wrong of my people." he said. I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not blame yourself. I do not hate you or any man that I have fought here. I only hate the belief that some have, thinking this is right and ethical." I told him. Pavel nodded in agreement, and we went on.

We had walked through the early morning, telling each other about our lives until we stopped and rested. We had became close, almost like brothers. Pavel had taken off his Balaclava and helmet, revealing his light trimmed beard and short blonde hair. I had taken off my helmet as well, my faux hawk being nothing more then a mess of hair now, not that it mattered. After resting for about 10 minutes, we moved on, but were suddenly stopped by a jeep coming to our side, them pointing our weapons at us. We both stopped, putting our arms to our heads.

"Halt! wer bist du, was ist Ihre Nationalität?" one of the men asked. This confused me. This was German, not Russian, and definitely not English. Pavel looked at me in confusion.

"Ich bin mit dem US-Kraft namens Shadow Company, und das ist der Mensch mit dem Spetsnaz. Tu ihm nicht weh, er von seinen eigenen Leuten ist aufgegeben worden, hat er vereinbart, sich zu ergeben, wenn fair behandelt!" I then yelled. They circled us, one of them coming up to me.

"You can both put your arms down." He said in English, his German accent still strong. Pavel and I did so, the German men lowering their weapons.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" I then asked.

"Were part of the KSK, and we were sent by our country to help you Americans defend your land, just as you would do for us." he said. Pavel looked at me confused, I could only return the look.

"How long have you two been out here?" the man then asked.

"Obviously too long. Pavel was left to die, I was thought dead by everyone else, myself included." I responded. The man rubbed his chin, then nodded.

"Let's get you two back to the base outside of here, You can explain everything to us on the way." The man said. He then looked at Pavel. "how do we know he's not going to screw us over?" he then asked. I stood by Pavel, defending him.

"This man was left by his own men to die, but I, being a very man he was trained to kill, saved him. Why tell the ones that left him to destroy the ones that saved him?" I asked. Pavel looked at me, then at the man.

"Alright, let's go." he said, the KSK men getting into the jeep. I started to follow, but Pavel stopped me. I turned, and saw the grateful look in his eyes, some tears washing some of the dirt on his face. Without saying a word, he hugged me.

I was taken aback for a second, but I held him, hugging him as my brother would have hugged me. We then got into the jeep, and we drove off, leaving the broken city of Los Angeles.

---

"These KSK guys sure have come in Large numbers." Rainbow Dash said. She was standing next to Soap, who was checking ammunitions.

"Thank God for em', we can use all the help we can get." He responded. Rainbow Dash saw Applejack walk by, her hands in her pockets, keeping her eyes at the ground. Dash sighed.

"It's devastating for her way more than it is for us. She really cared about him." she said.

"Yeah, They were close. I think they had a liking for each other really." Soap said.

"Yeah, you can say that…" Dash trailed off, knowing the truth. She kept it hidden, for her friends sake. She looked over at the gate entrance, and saw a jeep come in, seeing the people inside.

"Hey, Soap, that convey is back, they've got two people with them." she said, not recognizing the two guys with them that got out.

"They ours?" He asked.

"One of them is a Red, but the Others Sha- wait, Soap, look!" Dash said, shaking Soap's shoulder. He looked up, and couldn't believe his eyes.

"Bloody hell, It can't be!" Soap exclaimed. Applejack had heard Soap, looking at him.

"What is it?" She asked. Soap was at a loss for words, all he could do was point at the man in the torn and bloody Shadow Company uniform. Applejack looked, her jaw dropping and eyes widening. "Sc-Scarecrow?" She shockingly asked. She immediately ran towards him, Soap and dash following. Applejack hugged Scarecrow, a bit of pain coming over his body, but he didn't care.

He looked into her eyes, giving a simple smile. They kissed, not even caring that Soap and Dash were watching.

"Well, I guess your suspicions were right captain." Dash chuckled, wiping some tears from her eyes. Soap was honestly trying to hold back a couple of drops himself. He grabbed his radio, speaking into it with new energy.

"Price, Specter, guys, come to the front gate now!" he excitedly instructed.

"What the bloody hell has got you in a good mood?" Ghost responded. Soap smiled.

"Our fields are still guarded!"

---

Translations:

1:The Pope has put Italy in national prayer today, saying that the country maintains its Western allies in their prayers, and for God to lead them to victory. (Italian)

2: German KSK have left for the United States today, going to assist from New York to Los Angeles. Thousands have flocked to churches and religious sites, praying not only for our soldiers and families in the West, but for the Men and Women of America that Protect them. (German)