“Do you mean to tell me that all of these things are weapons!?”

“Not all of them, but all the items on the tables are, as well as some of the items over here.” John walked over to a spot in the middle of the room that had a large number of tubular looking devices, some large boxes, and a few bombs and missiles. Surprisingly, all the missiles and bombs were still on their storage pallets.

Celestia backpedaled towards the door.

“It’s alright, ma’am. The majority of this stuff is harmless. The only things that worry me are those.” He pointed at the bombs.

Celestia shakily turned towards her sister. “L-Luna? I’m going back upstairs. These items are not under my jurisdiction, so I’m leaving you in charge here. Please keep me informed.” Luna nodded and the Celestia promptly teleported out of the room.

John cast a questioning look at Luna, who was walking over to join him. “What our sister meant was that anything pertaining to the Guard, or is militaristic in nature, falls under our rule. She can still give orders if she needs to, but we are ultimately responsible for the defense of Equestria.”

John thought he understood. “So, basically, ma’am, you’re Captain Armor’s boss?”

“That is a correct assumption.”

“Well, with you’re permission, I would like to ask you a few questions and perform an inventory of everything here.” Luna nodded. “Right then… CORPORAL STAR!” Star ran into the room and saluted.

“Sir?”

John turned to the Corporal. “I need a clipboard, some paper, and something to write with.”

“Yes, sir!” Star ran from the room.

John turned to Luna. “Ok, when was the first time something appeared?”

The Princess thought for a moment, then walked over to the first table. “They started appearing a few months ago, starting with these items here.” She pointed at the items on the table, which john noticed was an assortment of pistols. “They were frequent, at first, but as the objects became larger, there was more time between appearances.” She gestured down the row of tables, and John saw that the weapons became larger the farther down the row he went, eventually ending with a pair of M134 miniguns and a 40mm grenade launcher.

“The last objects to appear before thou arrived were these.” She walked over to a pair of 2,000 pound JDAMs and John's eyebrows rose a few inches.

“Ok, and how much time did it take for me to get here, after those showed up?”

Luna thought for a moment. “We would say, about three weeks.”

John relaxed a bit. If it took three weeks for John to arrive, and things took longer to appear after larger objects, then, theoretically, nothing should pop up for awhile. But there was one more thing that was bothering him.

“Princess? Are you sure that this is everything?”

Luna put on a confident smile. “We are quite certain. The magic used to bring these items here is very powerful and also unknown to us, so, it was rather easy to set up a warning system that alerts us when new objects appear. The only reason we refrained from sending a search party when you appeared was because our sister received a letter from her student, telling her what she had found.”

John sighed. If any of these weapons got into the wrong hooves, bad things would almost certainly follow.

Star soon returned with the clipboard, paper, and a pencil, then resumed his position by the door.

John spent the next few hours taking inventory of everything in the room. By the time he was finished, he looked over the sheet of paper and whistled appreciatively.

Vault Inventory

Weapons
3 x Beretta M9 9mm
1 x Glock 18 9mm
1 x USP .45
2 x Desert Eagle .50AE

2 x MP5 9mm
2 x P90 5.7×28mm
1 x UMP .45

2 x SPAS 12 12ga.
2 x Remington 870 12ga.

4 x M4A1 5.56x45
2 x SCAR H 7.62x51

2 x SR25 7.62x51
1 x L96 .338 Lapua
1 x Barrett M82 .50

1 x M249 SAW 5.56x45
1 x M240B 7.62x51

2 x M134 7.62x51
1 x M32 MGL 40mm

1 x FGM-148 Javelin (Command Launch Unit)

4 x AGM-65D Maverick
2 x GBU-31 JDAM

Ammunition
20 x 50 9x19mm
40 x 50 .45
20 x 30 .50AE
20 x 25 12ga.
20 x 100 5.7×28mm
60 x 200 5.56x45mm
80 x 200 7.62x51mm
20 x 30 .338 Lapua
10 x 200 .50BMG
20 x 15 40mm
6 x FGM-148 Javelin (Missile)
100 x 200 30x173mm

Magazines
15 x M9
5 x G18
4 x USP
10 x Desert Eagle
10 x MP5
8 x P90
4 x UMP
32 x M4A1
12 x SCAR H
10 x SR25
6 x L96
5 x M82
3 x M249
3 x M240B

Misc.
2 x 20 MRE
3 BDU Pants (Woodland)
2 BDU Jackets (Woodland)
3 x AN/PRC-148 Radio
2 x Kneepads (Woodland)
2 x Boonie Hat (Woodland)
3 x Duty Cap (Woodland)
2 x Tac Vest
2 x Thigh Holster (Right Hand)
1 x Hip Holster + Belt (Right Hand)
1 x Camelbak (3L, Olive Drab)
4 x Rolls: Duct Tape (Olive Drab)
2 x Duffel Bag

It looked as if a Gate had gone rampaging around inside an Army armory, and dumped all the contents in front of John, who was smiling like a kid in a candy store.

“With your permission, ma’am, I would like to arm myself, and bring some of this stuff with me. Also, there are a few objects that I would like to try and duplicate, if possible.”

Luna thought for a moment. “We don’t see why not. After all, thou art trained in the use of these weapons, correct?”

“For the most part, ma’am. I am familiar with the majority of the weapons here, but there are a few that I have no knowledge of, namely the Javelin. Rest assured, ma’am, I will only take weapons that I have been trained with.”

The Princess nodded. “Very well, arm thyself, and let us leave this place.”

John walked along the row and picked up a duffel bag and began filling it up with stuff. He grabbed the pairs of pants, the jackets, a boonie hat, a duty cap, a pair of kneepads, a hip and thigh holster, the Camelbak, nine mags for an M4, three mags for his M9, the radios, three boxes of 9mm ammo, a can of 5.56 ammo, a few MREs, and a roll of duct tape. He also grabbed a vest, which he draped over his shoulder, and one of the M4s. He still had all of his equipment in his survival vest back in Twilight’s library, but it was more suited for surviving in the wilderness, not fighting.

With his rifle in his good hand, and duffel bag and vest over his shoulder, he exited the vault with Luna, who shut and locked the door. Then, accompanied by Lightning and Star, they began the arduous task of climbing the stairs.

When they reached the top, John was gasping for breath. “Ma’am,*gasp* one question *gasp*. How *gasp* the Hell *gasp* did you*gasp*get that stuff*gasp* down there!? *gasp*”

Luna looked at him and giggled, pointing a hoof at a large sliding door. “We used the elevator.” John facepalmed.

"Oh, you've got *gasp* to be *gasp* kidding."

Star laughed. "Even I could've told you that, LT."

John leaned against the wall to catch his breath. "You know what, *gasp* screw you."

After a minute or two, John regained control of his breathing, and they continued on their way. Soon, they found themselves standing before the castle gates

Luna broke the silence. "Here are three tickets for the 6:30 train to Ponyville." She levitated three tickets to John from out of nowhere. "We have spoken to Captain Armor, and he has agreed to place Corporals Lightning Flash and Star Streak under thine command for the time being. Thou are to report to Sweet Apple Acres tomorrow to oversee the safe removal and transportation of thy aircraft."

John transferred his rifle to the crook of his left arm, then saluted the Princess. "Yes, ma'am." John lowered his arm and took the rifle back into his right hand. "Is there anything else that we can do for you, ma'am?"

"Not at the moment, Lieutenant. We bid thee farewell, and we hope you have safe travels. Keep us informed of thy progress" The Princess then turned around and walked back down the hall.

John looked at Star and Lightning, a mischievous grin on his face. “Looks like you two are stuck with me.”

The trio made it to the train station without incident, but John received even more strange looks than he did in Ponyville, as well as a few scared shrieks. Maybe that was a good thing though. If he was going to be put on guard duty, he didn’t want anyone to get any funny ideas.

They were a bit early, and the train hadn’t arrived yet, so John dropped the duffel bag next to a bench and sat down, rolling his sore shoulder. Usually, he wouldn’t be so tired, but after spending almost two weeks in bed and having to climb what felt like ten thousand steps with about a hundred pounds of gear and only one arm, he was exhausted. Which was the reason he didn’t notice the two stallions that walked up beside him.

“We don’t like your kind. Why don’t you go crawl back down your hole, hairless mutt.” The two stallions glared at John. They seemed not to notice the two guards on either side of him.

Lightning and Star glared back and went to escort the two away, but John held out his hand, stopping them. He stood up and, not wanting to cause a scene, responded as politely as possible. “Is there anything that I can do for you, gentlemen?”

The stallions glanced at each other. “Yeah, get lost.” With that, one of the stallions tried to punch John in the stomach, but John saw it coming and caught the hoof. The other stallion, seeing that his friend’s attack had been stopped, turned around and bucked John in his bad arm. John grunted in pain and released his grip on the first stallion’s leg, stumbling backwards into the bench. Lightning and Star immediately pounced on the two troublemakers, tackling them to the ground.

“STAND DOWN!” John roared, and the two guards got off the stallions. By now, everyone on the train platform was looking at him, but he didn’t care. His attention was on the two stallions on the ground in front of him.

John took a step forward. “Now, because you obviously don’t know who or what I am, I’m going to let this slide.” He glared at the stallions, who reciprocated the gaze. “However, if this happens again, you two aren’t getting off so easily.” John stepped back and waved his hand. “Get out of here, before I change my mind.”

The stallions turned and walked away, grumbling to themselves while they went.

“You sure that was a good idea, sir?” John turned to Star, who looked concerned.

“It’ll be fine.” John rubbed his throbbing arm. “Everyone will learn soon enough.” He sat back down right as the train arrived. He let out an exasperated groan and stood back up, shooting a disapproving glance at Lightning, who was trying not to laugh.

John grabbed his bag and rifle and boarded the train, handing the conductor their tickets and finding a seat near the back of the train.

“So, sir, what are we going to do when we get back?” Lightning said as he sat across from John.

“When it’s just us, you can cut the ‘sir’ crap. As for what we’ll do, I was thinking of getting the rest of my stuff from Twilight’s, then finding a place to stay.”

“You can stay at the guard station until we get that big, ugly hunk of metal out of Sweet Apple Acres.”

John feigned an angry expression. “Hey, I do not appreciate you talking about my baby like that.”

Star started cracking up, and the train began to move.

John awoke to the sound of the train’s brakes screeching and the feeling of the train slowly decelerating. John grunted and sat up. Soon, he saw the platform, and the town of Ponyville, slide into view. It didn’t take long for the train to stop and the conductor to open the door.

John grabbed his gear and exited the train, where he was greeted by Twilight.

“So, how did your meeting go?”

John sighed and looked up at the sky. It was starting to get dark, so he guessed the time to be somewhere around 7:30. “It went well. Talked to the Princesses for a bit, became a citizen, got transferred into the guard… found out that you have a giant stash of weapons in the castle basement…” Twilight’s eyes went wide.

“Oh, that’s go-.. WHAT!?”

“Long story short, pretty much everything that has come through the Gates has been either a weapon, or equipment for a weapon, from my world. Don’t worry though, as far as I know, I’m the only one here that knows how to use the stuff.” John’s stomach growled, which made him realize that he hadn’t eaten since he was released from the hospital. “Hey, Twilight, do you mind if I eat at the library before I head to the guard station? I have my own food, so you won’t have to worry about cooking anything, and I need to pick up my stuff anyway.”

Twilight turned and started walking into town. “Sure, I don’t mind, as long as you don’t make a mess.”

Upon arriving at the library, John dropped the duffel bag and vest onto the floor and leaned the rifle against the wall. Opening the bag, he fished around until he found one of the MREs, then pulled it out and opened it, spreading the contents in a semicircle around him as he sat on the floor.

“What’s that?” Twilight asked when she noticed what he was doing. Lightning and Star also had interested looks on their faces.

John chuckled. “This,” he gestured at the various items around him, “is what soldiers eat, back on earth.” He picked up one of the pouches and put it into a bag with a small, white pad in it, then poured a small packet of water into the bag and folded the end over. “The food is in these bags,” He pointed at different sized packets with labels on them, “and this,” He then pointed at the small white pad, which had begun to sizzle, “is what heats the food up.” He put the bag down and proceeded to open two packets labeled ‘Crackers’ and ‘Peanut Butter’, while everyone watched.

He went on to explain each element of the MRE, and why everything was packaged the way it was. After a few moments, he pulled the, now hot, packet of food out of the heating bag and opened it.

Twilight looked disgusted. “Eew, you eat that? It looks like dog food.”

John laughed. “Tastes like it too, but it keeps me going.”

He quickly finished the meal and put all the, now empty, packets back into the duffel bag. He would throw the trash out when he got to the guard station. He turned to Lightning and Star, who were busy reading books.

“Alright guys, time to go. Might need some help with some of this stuff.” The two re-shelved their books and walked over to him.

“Sure thing, boss. What do you need help with?”

John handed them his flight gear, with the exception of his helmet, which he put on his head, then picked up the duffel bag and rifle. He then thanked Twilight for watching his gear and letting him eat at the library.

“Oh, it wasn’t any trouble. In fact, I rather enjoyed learning about what humans ate. You have a rather broad definition of food.”

John chuckled, then bade Twilight a goodnight.

When he stepped outside, the sun had already set. There weren’t any street lights, but most of the houses and businesses had lanterns out front, so the streets weren’t too dark. It didn’t take them very long to find the guard station. It wasn’t a very large building, but it had a large, silver shield above the door and a flagpole out front.

They walked through the front door and were greeted by a rather stout brown stallion sitting at a desk.

“Good evening, boys, what can I do fer ya?”

Star walked forward. “Evening, sarge. Do we still have an extra bed?”

“Yeah, why?” Star pointed a hoof at John.

The stallion gave him a disapproving look. “And jus who might you be?”

John rolled his eyes. “My name is John, and I-.”

The stallion laughed, interrupting John. “Well that’s a funny name ya got there, John. Tell me, why should I give you-“

“That’s enough, sergeant!” They all turned towards the source of the voice as a dark red Pegasus walked into the room. “The guy's had a long day. Besides, interrupting a superior officer like that is a good way to get your flank chalked up for a week of latrine duty.”

The stallion at the desk looked from the Pegasus to John, shock on his face, then stood at attention. “Yes, sir! I’m terribly sorry, sir.”

John held up an arm. “It’s fine, you didn’t know.”

The Pegasus walked over to John and offered a hoof, which John shook. “I only just found out myself, for that matter. Mail mare got distracted again. Name’s Lieutenant Crimson, parents had a strange sense of humor." John chuckled. "You can just call me Red, everyone does."

"Will do. I'm John, but I guess you already knew that."

Red nodded. "Anyway, enough of this welcome mess, you're probably ready to hit the hay. Racks are up the stairs, second door on the left, the loo is the first on the left, and my office is right over there if you need anything." He pointed a hoof at a door on the far side of the room. "The engineers will be expecting you at your crash site at around 0900. Businesses and shops around town usually open around 0800, so you'll have a little time to look around before you show up, if you want."

"Alright, thanks."

Red turned and walked back to his office, and John, Lightning, and Star headed up the stairs. John wasn't sure what he expected, but he wasn't surprised when he opened the door, labeled 'Bunk Room'. It was a rather large room with about fifteen beds lined up against the walls, with a chest at the end of each. There were only three occupied beds, but Lightning and Star walked to a bed on the opposite side of the room and dropped his gear onto it. John followed and dropped the rest of his stuff onto the bed next to his flight gear.

Lightning turned to John. "This one's yours. The chest is empty, so you can put your stuff in it if you want." He then pulled an alarm clock off a shelf above the headboard and put it on the bed. "Here's an alarm clock. It's enchanted so that only the pony in this bed can hear it."

"Cool. One question though. If there are so many vacant beds, why didn't the sarge want to give me one?"

Star answered while Lightning was taking off his armor. "There are fifteen beds here, and there are fifteen of us stationed here in Ponyville. Unfortunately, we had to send one of the guys to Canterlot the other day because he got jumped by a few Timberwolves out by the Everfree."

John winced. "Ouch. Hope the poor guy's alright."

Lightning was now out of his armor and was about to put it in his chest when John stopped him.

"Mind if I borrow this for a sec?" He picked up a piece of the armor. "Wait, didn't you used to be white?" Lightning's coat had turned from being white to dark blue in color.

Lightning shrugged. "Knock yourself out. Yeah, it's an enchantment placed on the armor, turns everypony's coat white when they put it on."

John looked over at Star, who was still white but wasn't wearing his armor. "Huh. That's interesting." He then pulled out the clipboard and pencil that he had put in his duffel bag and began to sketch something.

When he was done, he handed the armor piece back to Lightning, who put it in the chest at the end of his bed.

"Thanks. I'm going to hit the hay. Wake me if you need anything."

John nodded and opened his own chest, putting his flight gear into it. He then opened the duffel bag and pulled out the contents.

After the finger-numbing task of hand loading all of the magazines for his rifle and pistol, he put the ammunition in the chest. He then put all the magazines into their respective pouches on the vest (except for one that he put into the M4), as well as a radio and the roll of duct tape. The remaining items were put into the chest, which he shut and locked with a padlock he found on the shelf that the alarm clock was on. He propped the rifle up against the wall beside the headboard, set the alarm clock, and climbed into the bed, not even bothering to undress.

The alarm clock blaring in his ear woke John, which he promptly silenced. He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, checking to make sure that his rifle was still beside the bed. Rolling out of the bed, he unlocked the chest with his gear in it and retrieved the empty duffel bag.

He put the bag on the bed and dug through the chest to find what he thought he would need for the day. He figured he’d bring the kneepads and his nomex flight gloves in case the engineers needed help. He also grabbed a radio, the clipboard and pencil, an MRE, and the three pairs of BDU pants and accompanying jackets. They were a bit too big for him, so he planned on stopping by Rarity’s on the way to Sweet Apple Acres to see if she could fix them for him.

Pausing for a moment, he also grabbed the hip holster, which he clipped around his waist (which was pretty awkward since he was still wearing the sling), and his sidearm, as well as two spare mags. He figured that it was better to have the weapon and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Grabbing the rifle from against the wall, John laid it in the chest, which he shut and locked. He then picked up his bag and glanced around the room. There were a few more sleeping guards, but the room was still pretty empty. He exited the room as quietly as he could, not wanting to wake anyone. As he walked toward the stairs, he almost ran into Lightning as he came out of the bathroom.

“Whoa, sorry ‘bout that, sir.”

“It’s fine. Hey, if you and Star aren’t busy today, drop by the crash site at some point. Oh, and bring Dash and Twilight if you can find them.”

“Sure thing, boss. We were put under your command anyway, so we don’t really have anything to do, unless you assign something.”

John frowned. That wasn’t usually how things worked back home. He’d have to ask Shining for a crash course in guard procedures. “Ok, well, check with Lieutenant Crimson before you leave, and if he doesn’t have anything for you, go ahead and come over.”

Lightning saluted. “Will do.”

John continued downstairs and nodded to the stallion at the desk, who was different from the pony from last night, before walking out the front door.

He had set the alarm clock for 7:30, and he guessed that it had taken him about fifteen minutes to get ready and talk with Lightning, so he figured he had about another fifteen minutes to find Carousel Boutique. Piece of cake.

Forty-five minutes later, and after stopping for directions twice, he finally found the boutique and knocked on the door.

“Cooooomiiiiing!” John heard footsteps – hoofsteps? – and the door opened, revealing a rather surprised Rarity. “Oh, hello John, darling. I wasn’t expecting to see you out of the hospital so soon! Please, do come in.”

John remembered that this was only his second day out of the hospital as he entered the boutique.

“I haven’t quite finished with your garments yet, as they have been quite a challenge to put together, but they should be finished by tomorrow. Is there anything that I can do for you in the meantime?”

John shrugged off the duffel bag and unzipped it, pulling out the pairs of pants, the jackets, and clipboard. “Yes, actually. I was wondering if it would be possible for you to resize these for me. They’re a bit too big.” He handed the garments to Rarity, who looked at them with disgust.

“Oh, heavens! Why would you ever want to wear something that looks so hideous!?”

John chuckled. “Can you do it?”

Rarity took the clothes with her magic and placed them on a work bench. “Certainly, dear. They should be finished by the end of the day.”

John then pulled out the clipboard and flipped to the sketch he had drawn the previous night. “One more thing, would you be able to take this drawing and turn it into something like this?” He reached over to his left shoulder and pulled his squadron patch off his flight suit, the Velcro making a ripping sound as it came off, and handed the patch and drawing to Rarity.

She took the two items and examined them. “Hmmm, I think something can be arranged.”

John thanked her and put the clipboard back into the bag, shouldering it. He jumped when he looked at the clock on the wall. “I hope you don’t mind, but I really have to get going. It’s been a pleasure seeing you again, Miss Rarity.”

Rarity blushed. “Oh, the pleasure was all mine.” She then glanced at the camouflage garments sitting on the work bench. “Even if your taste in fashion is rather peculiar.”

John laughed and waved as he left. He would have to hurry if he was going to get to Sweet Apple Acres on time.

Author's Note

Took a while for me to write this one. Yes, the list of crap is a bit long. Yes, that's a crap-ton of ammo. No, I don't care.

Quick question though: Do you guys prefer the longer or shorter chapters? Just wondering.

The chapter length won't change the storyline or anything. Shorter chapters just means the updates will come sooner.