Chapter 4

Matt cradled the limp body of the pony in his arms as they made their way back to the tank. He didn't understand why he was so upset over shooting the creature. He had been responsible for the death of many German and Italian soldiers and not thought twice about it. There was something about this multicolored pony that twisted something inside of him.

“Why did you shoot it in the first place,” Ian pressed as they reached Lucky.

“I-I thought it was a kraut!” Matt nervously hissed in return.

“You thought that thing was a kraut?”

“I couldn't see it through the bushes.” Matt frowned. “I gave the pass-phrase, there was no reply and so I fired! God damn I am a idiot.”

“Yes you are,” Zeus growled. “You can't just go off and shoot something you can't see. You probably just alerted any nearby Germans to our position.”

Realization of the extent of his folly hit Matt like a wave.

“God damn it! Guys I am so sorry.”

Patton was waiting for them, an expression of pure rage etched painfully across his face.

“What the hell happened?” He demanded.

Ian saluted and answered. “Private Novak shot a miniature horse sir.”

Patton’s eyebrow raised in confusion. He turned his attention to Matt and the rainbow colored pony in his arms.

“Did someone paint the thing?”

“No sir,” Matt replied. “It seems to be its true color.”

“Interesting.” Patton took a closer look. “And it appears someone glued wings onto it.”

“What?” Matt looked back at the pony and for the first time noticed wings. He gently tugged at one and let out a gasp of shock. “I think the wings are real sir.”

There was silence from the others as they stared at the bleeding animal with new found interest.

“Men,” Patton said after a moment. “Save this animal. I love horses and this thing will be a perfect mascot for your battalion. Also, a winged multi-colored pony is something you don't see every day.”

“Yes sir!” They replied in unison.

“But stay on alert.” Patton looked around as if expecting Germans to come charging out of the bushes at any moment. “I don't want any of those pig bastards jumping our asses you hear?”

They saluted and Patton turned and went back inside the tank to man the 50cal while the crew was out saving the animal.

“Fishy!” Ian called for the co-driver.

Jeff’s head emerged from the tank.

“Ya sir?”

“You are our medic for today. Get the kit.”

The distant report of what sounded like loud firecrackers echoed through the trees. The forest, which had been filled with the sound of chirping birds, went deathly quiet.

“Now I wonder what that was?” Applejack said.

The others looked around at each other but no one had the answer.

“Maybe somepony is celebrating!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly after they started walking again..

“Maybe,” Twilight said flatly. But deep down inside she felt like whatever the noise was, it wasn't good. “I think we should walk faster girls.”

As if to spite what she had said, Rarity twisted her ankle.

“Oh my that hurts!” The fashion pony sat down on a rock and nursed her hoof. “I can't see anything in this dreadful darkness. I think we should camp here for the night.”

“But we didn't bring any supplies,” Twilight protested.

“I did!” Pinkie squealed happily as she pulled camping supplies and an entire tent from her saddlebags. “I also brought chocolate and marshmallows for s'mores!”

Twilight frowned but decided that they could catch up with the tortoise tomorrow morning.

“Fine,” she said flatly. “But we are waking up early tomorrow.”

Matt watched the sleeping animal as the tank lumbered along. The surgery had been successful but the loader didn't think that the pony would be walking anytime soon. The rest of the crew, excluding Patton, had been unhappy with having to share precious tank space with her. The pony, which the crew had dubbed Rainbow because it was the obvious name, had not woken up since he shot her.

“Should we stop for the night sir?” Bill called up from the driver seat.

Ian shrugged. “It is up to you. Can you see in the dark?”

“A little.”

As if on cue Lucky hit a tree.

“God damn it!” Bill cursed loudly.

Matt slid forward abruptly and fell out of his seat almost landing on the still slumbering pony.

“Yeah,” Ian said after the crew re-situated themselves. “I think it is time to stop.”

Day Two

Twilight was the first to wake up. She crawled out of the surprisingly large tent and looked around. Something were bothering her. Rainbow Dash had not returned last night and she was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh what a lovely morning.” Rarity, to the surprise of Twilight, was the second one awake.

“Good morning Rarity,” Twilight said pleasantly. “Did Rainbow Dash stop by last night at any time?”

Rarity shook her head. “No, I didn't see her. Is she still missing?”

Twilight nodded.

Applejack was the next friend to exit the tent followed shortly by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

“Pack up quickly,” Twilight started taking down the tent and her friends joined in. “I think Rainbow Dash is in trouble.”

Rainbow Dash was dreaming about large apes eating her while she screamed in pain. She scrambled to break free of the dream but something was preventing her from waking up. She struggled even harder against the wall of drowsiness as the monsters tore into her. To her relief she emerged from her sleep but found herself in a situation just as terrifying as the last.

Her eyes cracked cautiously open and she looked around. She was laying on a hard metal surface at the feet of the ape that had attacked her. She stifled a squeak of fear and held her breath, afraid that it had heard her. The ape made no sign that he noticed that she was awake, Dash suspected that it was probably probably too loud in the tortoise machine for them to hear. The other apes were arrayed throughout the vehicle and seemed to be preoccupied with whatever tasks they were doing.

She suddenly realised something that she should have noticed earlier. She carefully looked at her bandage covered chest and legs. These monsters had actually helped her. She then remembered the last thing that happened before she passed out. The kind and apologetic words of the ape that shot her. Maybe it was an accident and they didn't mean her harm.

“Hey Zeus,” Rainbow Dash jumped slightly as the nearest ape addressed the one next to him. His voice was barely audible over the machines growls. “Why do you think we haven't reached our lines yet? And how do we got so far away in the first place?”

The other one just shrugged.

“Okay then,” her assailant seemed content with the answer and went back to staring blankly at the metal walls. He then asked another question. “How much chloroform did Fishy use on the pony?”

'Chloroform?' Dash questioned mentally.

“Plenty,” Zeus replied flatly and Matt went back to watching the walls.

Dash found herself examining the peculiar clothing the apes were wearing. A khaki jacket, dark green coveralls, thick goggles and what appeared to be leather helmets adorned all but one of the members. The biggest, in both height and width, wore a black and brown jacket with a green uniform underneath and a shining green helmet with four silver stars in front. Under the jacket Dash could barely make out what appeared to be medals of a strange sort pinned to the uniform.

The previous question that the first ape had asked seemed to have sparked the same puzzlement in one of the others.

“Bill,” the ape sitting higher up, next to the one in the clean uniform and jacket, asked loudly. “I think we are lost again. The countryside doesn't even look like France!”

A voice echoed up from a hidden compartment in the front of the vehicle and Dash couldn't understand what it said. Apparently the other ape had understood and he replied.

“No, I don’t think we died and went to heaven.” There was a long pause and another muffled comment to which the higher up ape replied to as well. “No I don't think we went to hell either.”

The one named Matt laughed. “Are you sure we aren't in hell Momma?”

Dash was surprised that something that appeared to be male had a name like Momma. Momma glared at Matt then his eyes drifted slowly over to her.

“Well look,” he said pleasantly. “Our little friend is awake.”

Rainbow Dash’s heart sped up and she prepared for the worse. Matt and the shiny helmeted ape looked down at her and smiled. Matt reached down to pet her and Dash cringed away.

“Its okay,” he said softly.

She continued to edge away. Her injuries started to scream in pain and she winced in pain.

“Don't move,” Matt continued to reach towards her. “You are just going to reopen the wounds.”

His hand was inches away from her now and she couldn't back away anymore and was pressed up uncomfortably against the hull.

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he continued to coo. “I am not going to hurt you.”

There was no way she was going to let him touch her. She suddenly snapped at his hand with enough force to bite off a finger. Matt drew back just in time before her teeth could sever anything. The ape called Momma laughed.

“Wow!” Matt said shocked. Like a curious foal he reached out his hand to try petting her again.

“Don’t touch me!” Dash screamed angrily.

Ian watched the whole scenario between Matt and the colorful pony play out. When the pony had tried to bite his fingers he laughed and wished she had succeeded. When Matt reached his hand out once again Ian anticipated the same reaction. It would have been a proper dose of karma for Matt calling him Momma, his hated nickname. But what happened next shattered his world.

“Don’t touch me!”

Ian, Matt, Zachariah and Patton stared open mouthed and wide eyed at the pony. Patton was the first to recover from the surprise.

“Did it just talk?”

Ian slowly nodded his head. “Yes, I think it did sir.”

They continued to stare at the pony who glared hatefully back. They heard Bill's voice crackle in their headphones.

“I knew it,” he hollered. “We died and went to some twisted afterlife with talking, multi-colored animals! Damn it!”

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I do not own MLP:FiM
I would like to thank totallynotabrony, Spiffy Mcsquee and mines5 for being my pre-readers.