A Soldier's Pain

LOCATION: SUGARCUBE CORNER

TIME: 1615(4:15)

'thought'

"speech"

(FLASHBACK) (4 months into the depoyment )

"Slice cover to the left over there by that house, your sector is from that tree to that one over there that far one to the right roger?" Sgt Dick said as we set up for another talk with village leader in another poe dank dirt village in the middle of no where while we sitting out here in the heat of the day while our CO and senior sgts were inside the big dung house in the AC, gotta love it.

"Sigh" so here we are again without anything happening again guarding another open field with nothing but cows in it and the occational dog or person coming along the field or something. 'Man this is so gay man we've been up and down this sector with nothing happening for the past month so what the fuck are we still doin here, UGH! I hate just sitting here with my thumb up my ass all day while those assholes sit inside the A.C. where its all nice and cool UGH!'

"SLICE YOU BETTER NOT BE ASLEEP OVER THERE I SWEAR TO GOD ILL FUCK YOU UP SO BAD WHEN WE GET BACK YOU WONT BE ABLE TO DO MISSIONS FOR A MONTH YOU HEAR ME SLICE!" Sgt Dick yelled at me again

"NO Im up sgt just thinkin is all dont yall worry bout me but i think you need to check on Moe Moe over there he aint lookin to good there he look like he's bout to fall now man so old and all" I said laughing as I went back to watching my sector as he went to check on Moe Moe and see if he needed to be swaped out for a second with one of the privates. As he went and did that I went back to thinking how much I hated upper brass and stupid ass missions.

CRACK!

"Sniper!"

"Johnsons down! MEDIC! Doc get over here he's not moving!

"Contact left!"

BOOM!

"RPG!"

BOOM,BOOM,BOOM,BOOM!

The sounds of the fight rang in my ears after the RPG exploded blowing me from my position and knocked me a little loopy from the blast. "SLICE! SLICE! YOU OK MAN!" I heard my buddy Burger started yelling at me from his position. I just raised my hand and waved as I got up."SLICE GET THE FUCK TO COVER NOW MAN" Jake yelled to me as I staggered to cover by one of the wall to a hooch.

"GET BACK ALL OF YOU! MOVE!" Moe Moe yelled at some of the Iraq's to get them out of harms way.

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

"SLICE FIRE YOUR WEAPON!" Sgt T yelled to me. I was with my baby Ronda and 500 rounds to send to who ever is shooting at us so I guess Ill return the favor right back at them. I moved to another slab of cover as rounds hit the ground as I was running, I just hit the wall as rounds hit the wall where I was at. I returned fire as another wave of rounds hit my cover.

I looked to my right to see my friend Burger pinned down by enemy fire, I saw someone move around to his right flank it was a boy no older than 12 he had in his hand an AK 47. And he was going for Burger and Moe Moe, I wasnt the only one who saw him my friends Jake and Sgt. T saw him to I was just able to act faster.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

(End Flashback)

"Slice you ok, Slice?"

"OH! Im so sorry AJ I just had some... stuff on my mind is all its nothin to worry about ok." I said as I looked away from her and tryed to not look at her.

"Hey sugar cube its ok you want to talk about it its not good to hold bad things in it'll eat you alive sugar cube." She said as she tryed to look at me in the face.

"Miss. Applejack even if I told you what it is thats botherin me yall would never understand what its like for what I went through over there ma'am yall just cant ever understand what ah have seen an done..." I said as I tryed to get up and leave, I had just made it out the door but she cut me off standing in front of me blocking my path. I just wanted to be alone for a bit this was to much for me not only am I in a whole new world but im a pony a FUCKING PONY away from my family and friends after all of what I went through to come back home after all Ive done to come back home after all the friends I lost FOR A FUCKING STUPID WAR they'ed never understand.

Applejack could never understand what I had to go through no one could ever undstand, this place its to peaceful there looks like theres never been war no real crime nothing like my world this place... would never understand the reality of my world and how ugly and beautiful my world is.

"O no you dont sugar cube your not gonna change the subject this time you cant let what happened eat you up inside like this you can-

"Miss Applejack move aside please I dont want to talk about it please dont yall worry none bout me ok ah'm just dandy." I said as I planted on a smile and tried to assure her that I was fine as tried to move around her but she just moved in front of me again "Please move Ms Applejack yall just couldnt understand what ah've had to do ok please dont ask me to please ah dont want yall to judge me like they did to me back home" I begged her I couldnt take it anymore so many memories the sceams of being called a murderer I just cant take it, it was getting to much for me I dont what it was about this female pony but she's hitting to hard against the walls I put up and she was breaking through the to fast for my liking.

"Please sugar cube I know its hurtin yall inside ah can tell by how yall dodged the questions when ah asked the way yall stare off into space the bags under yalls eyes from no sleep." She said " YALL CANT JUST KEEP BOTTLIN IT UP ALL THE TIM-

" I FUCKING KILLED HIM OK YOU HAPPY I KILLED HIM I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE IT WAS HIM OR BURGER I COULDNT LET HIM KILL MY BROTHER!" I screamed

"Who did yall kill sugar cube what happened tell me I wont judge yall ah promise." She said concerned trying to calm me down.

"Yea right fine I dont care anymore" I said as my eyes glazed over as I fell into my memories.

" We were on a patrol in a village in the southern part of our patrol sector for our battalion we were to visit the village leader and talk about any enemy activity in the area and the higher ups were gonna have dinner as well with the leader and his family, I was standing guard over a section of a field when we were attacked by a sniper and some infantry my cover was blown up and I was knocked for a loop for a second and was told to move out of there I got to some more cover and fired back at them, when I got back into the cover I looked to see one of my friends in trouble when a boy came around a corner he was armed and was goin to kill my friends so I fired first I shot 3 rounds into him one in his arm one in his chest and the... the last was where the boys left eye was. The boy was younger than my sister and I took his life before it even began, I KILLED A CHILD I TOOK A LITTLE BOY AWAY FROM HIS PARENTS I-

I didnt get a chance to finish what I was saying as I felt myself being pulled into a hug by the orange mare, I didnt know it but I had been crying and ive only talked about one mission but it was the worst one and the one nightmare that keeps coming back at night.

"Ah'm so sorry didnt know it was like that where your from ah'm so sorry sugar cube im so sorry, but it aint yalls falt yall where protectin yalls friends from him if you didnt do what yall did then yall might have lost yer friend, why I dont know what I would of done if I was in yalls position I dont know if ah could of done it sugar cube. Ah'm so sorry sugar cube ah didnt mean to bring those memories up ah just couldnt stand seein yall with that pained look in yer eyes when yall get that far away look."she said still holding onto me while squeezing me.

"AJ thank you, thank you so much you have no idea how much that means to me for you to just be supportive to me is more than I ever had back home once people found out what I did they turned on me they called me a baby killer and a murderer that I should've died there." I felt her squeeze me tighter as said that I could feel tears on my neck from where her head was as I pulled back I saw the tear streaks down her face she tried to pull away. I couldnt see her face she was trying to put up a tough face but I've seen that face every time I look in the mirrow, so I held her face there and looked right into her eyes and smiled at her.

"Has anyone told you got very beautiful eyes Ms. AJ" I said smiling at the blush that was coming on her face it was very cute but all good things must come to an end and it came when I saw we were pretty much in the middle of town and everypony was looking at us.

"Um well as much fun as this has been ah need a place to stay an I dont see no hotel or apartments or anything um you got any ideas Ms. AJ?" I asked as we started to walk down the road.

"Well ah got a room back on the farm if yall are interested but it aint free yall gonna have to pull yer weight round there yall get a room with a dresser and a home cooked meal after a hard days work. Ah'll introduce yall to the-

"LOOK OUT BELOW AHHHHH!"

CRASH

"OWWWWWW! What the hell was that?" I cried rubbing a knot on my head as I started to get up but there was a weight on my chest, I looked down and saw a creature with wings looking up at me when I realized how close we were to each others faces.

"Ummm ma'am if you dont mind could you get off me these guns aint really soft on my back and they're startin to dig" I said as I tried to get up but she hasnt moved off me she just kept staring at me, it was starting to weird me out a little but I was saved yet again be AJ.

"Gilda? What in tarnation are yall doin get off him did yall not hear him? She yelled at the griffon who was still staring at me that when I started to notice something familiar about her she reminded me of someone id love to forget with all my being.

"Whats your name girl?" I growled

"Gilda whats it to you?" she said

"Ms. Applejack you mind givin us a moment please I believe this griffon has some answers to some of my questions if you dont mind and I want to get those answers NOW! So please just give me a sec with this mare please, I believe me and this GRIFFON know each other real well." I asked/stated

"Um sure Slice um ah'm gonna head on over to the farm just follow this road and you wont miss it." She said waving as she left and headed home. I watched her reaction as Applejack said my name and thats when I knew it was her, her eyes where wide and she looked a little pale. Once I was sure Applejack was out of hearing range I turned to her with pure hate and rage.

"So this is where you went huh Jess, where is it where is my baby, WHERE IS MY BABY JESS WHAT DID DO WITH MY CHILD BITCH!

" AND WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO IF I DONT TELL YOU! YOU PUSSY YOU COULDNT EVER TOUCH ME IF YOU WANTED TO YOU STILL LOVE ME SO DONT TRY TO ACT TOUGH YOU LITTLE BI-

BAM!

"Dont ever say I love you after what you did to me bitch I'd never forgive you for what did so dont think Id ever love you. NOW WHERE IS MY CHILD YOU WHORE WHAT DID YOU DO WITH IT!" I screamed in her face as she was she was staring at me with a shocked look on her face from what I said and did, she was holding her face as she looked at me with tears in her eyes.

"OH HELL NO YOU DONT GET TO CRY SLUT YOU DONT GET TO BE SAD AFTER EVERYTHING YOU PUT ME THROUGH YOU FUCKING BITCH! NOW WHERE. IS. MY. CHILD! I SWEAR TO GOD GIRL ILL BEAT IT OUT OF YOU IF YOU DONT TELL ME BITCH, YOU GOT THREE SECONDS TO TELL ME WHERE MY BABY IS!" I screamedin her face

1.

She started shake as she saw me walk over to my kit I had a baton in my back pouch

2.

She was babbling about something about the baby so i stopped and asked her what she said but she stopped talking again but kept shaking, I was standing over her again and looked at her with pure hate.

3.

"I ABORTED IT!"