Prologue
I don’t recall the last time I felt joy. I think maybe it was Christmas, three years ago. I was with my Mama, my pa, my sister and my special somepony. We all sat around the tree eating peanut brittle; Mama’s very own. Also, unwrapping our presents. My sister always had trouble with preparations. I would always got stuck being the one to bring in the tree. I would get to the door, and then struggle for thirty minutes with getting it through doorway. We all laughed at that. I would try to get mad, then just laugh along with them. We all loved this time of year, or at least I used to. That was before I was drafted.
Chapter 1
I wake to find myself covered in dust. No surprise, last time I woke without dust on me was two years ago. This place is nothing but dust. Damn Saddle Arabia! Shots rang followed by explosions and shouts. I look at my chest, my body armor has been ripped to hell, and my helmet is gone. My sidearm is hanging loosely from the holster, which, is opened and ripped to shit. The strap for the vest, which connects in the front and under my stomach, is attached to itself by a hand-full of threads. To make matters worse I’m on my back!
‘Ouch, DAMN IT this hurts!’
I hear only war clatter, and then a strange thing happened. I heard nothing. Not a single thing I find this odd. “Lieutenant”! I hear on my left. I turn my head only to find if hurts too much to move again.
“What”! I yell back irritatingly 'what, cant anyone tell I'm busy'?
“We have to move, we’ll be overrun”. I realize whose voice it is. It’s Sergeant Cherry Bomb. He’s four feet away.
He is standing on top of a Tank that was blown up by an IED during my squads original movement through this Valley. The 'Sarge' is firing his M60 at a small group of the terrorists about 30 yards out firing down. A RPG head goes whizzing by, missing Cherry by a foot or so.
As the RPG explodes when hitting the Humvee behind me, I feel dizzy.
'Well at least Cherry is alive. where is Private GreenHorn and Captain 'Crunch" Punch?'
Chapter 2
“We have to move, we’ll be overrun”! That sentence plays over in my head. Over, and over, again… then silence, and darkness too. I had past out from exhaustion. The previous day my squad had fought for days without sleep. Passing out was the only sleep I’ve had in days… Weeks; GOD! I don’t know anymore. I was drafted for one year, but the Government signed me up for another year and a half. I honestly don’t remember how long I’ve been in this war.
I wake to silence. I see a blinding light. The only thing I see. After sitting; wait, laying here, my vision starts to fade into the site of three ponies, one on my left two on my right. At first I don’t recognize them. I soon realize that one of them is Cherry.
‘The Hell is he doing here.’
He’s one of the ponies on m right. I can’t hear anything and I find myself looking at him, almost admiringly. His red coat and visible crimson mane.
‘Who the hell let him grow his hair that long? We get buzz cuts every month at boot camp and in the field.’
A square, but soft jaw. He has a new scar above his sea blue eyes. Left eye, above the eye brow... The pony next to him has a pink mane, feminine features, yellow coat, and Aquamarine eyes. Holy Shit its Fluttershy, my sister.
Now the person to my left is a doctor. He has a brown coat, golden mane, and gold eyes. Tie, dress shirt, and lab coat. He’s telling Cherry and Sis something but it’s inaudible. I look around but only my eyes. They haven’t noticed me yet. I wonder why. Their voices slowly fade in, but not enough to hear the words. I hear a rapid beeping, then a flash of white light. I can al the sudden hear everything that is going on. I can see perfect. Fluttershy starts nuzzling me and kissing my forehead. The doctor and Cherry look stunned. Their faces are horrified like I just randomly appeared out of nowhere. No big deal, I was here the whole time…
After having been in the bed for a week, my doctor finally told me that I am able to walk around, but need to stay at the hospital. Being told this I tried as hard as I could to get up and moving. I examined the room; White linoleum floor, eggshell white walls, light blue baseboards, and stucco ceiling. It took days for me to stop anyone but when I did it was a nurse. I asked her if she knows how long I’ve been here.
“Excuse me ma’am, but could you tell me how long I have been here for?”
“And ya are?”
“Lieutenant Honey Badger. Ma’am.”
“Umm… let meh see.”
We walk to the nurse’s station, about ten feet away and around a corner. As we arrive to the station I observe the halls. They’re not the same as my room. They have blue linoleum flooring, Dark Green Baseboards, white walls, and a blue ceiling. The nurse grabs a clipboard and pen with her hooves. While she is searching for my name, she tells me to go sit and wait. I turn to go and look back to get a better look at her. She has a light orange coat and a blonde mane.
She has her mane in a pony tail, (‘Ha, pony, tail) and at the end is a red tie. As I turn back to take a seat; I see a small white flash before my face. I saw it just long enough to tell that something was flying past me to my right. I look right, and see a food tray, white in color, hit the wall and then the floor. With it are mashed, potatoes, butter, daisies, and a cup of water. The potatoes are smeared on the wall, the water is everywhere on the floor. I look to my left, and the nurse behind me has already trotted up next to me to see what the commotion was all about.
“What in tarnation was that?” She yells, right in my ear.
I don’t say anything but instead continue looking to my right. Then a light blue flash down the hallway, sent the mare back three feet into a chair.
“Damn ya!” She says irritatingly.
I look back at her, wanting to yell back
“Sorry, ah’ didn’t mean you. It was a friend of mine.” She says with an annoyed expression
“What kind of friend goes around fucking up hospitals?” I turn towards her as I am asking this question.
“Ah’ don’t like being talked to like that for one, an’ for your information that’s Rainbow Dash. She’s here because she got hurt, flyin’, doin' stunts and goin' to fast, not pulling up in time at a dangerous angle, like she usually does.”
“Rainbow Dash, huh. Sis told me about her. She’s is reckless but loyal as any friend should be"
At that point the mare looks above my head in fright. Her eyes widen so big I think they could pop out of her head. She shakes her head vigorously. I look up but too late. I get doused with a freezing bucket of water. Shock and shivers resonate through me like a pony having seizures.
'Luckily I don’t get those...'
I hear spits of laughter and I shake myself dry the best I can. After finally getting all the shivers out I look up and see a light blue pegasus holding back laughter. She is doing a bad job at it, and it becomes very obvious she finds this comical when she finally starts laughing so hard, she falls to the ground, almost gagging, like she can’t get enough air to her lungs.
“Rainbow Dash!” The nurse pipes up.” What in the hay do you think you are doing, dumping water on a patient like that?” The pegasus mare is still laughing. “He could get uh cold cuz uh you!"
“Oh, calm down, A.J. he’s fine, and he got a shower” She giggles as she spouts out that last part.
"Well you can just go fuuu..... nevermind, I'm going back to bed"
Author's Note
I will be revising this story
After having returning to my room I layed down in my bed and attempted to go to bed. After an hour or so, to no avail, i climbed out of bed and proceeded to the restroom to relieve myself. Finishing, I washed my hooves exited the bathroom, but before i could manage to make it completely to my room I felt extremely dizzy and tired. Trudging to my room the best i could i finally layed down.... on the floor, unitentionally.
'
The next day, I think, I woke to the orange nurse from yesterday reading a chart at the foot of my bed.
“*mumbling inaudibly” she looks up, then back at the clipboard.
“Good morning” no response from the nurse. “I said Good Morning.” Still no response. I sit up out of bed. “Hey, nurse!” Nothing.
I am completely amazed it is like I’m not even here. I try to get out of bed and to my surprise almost fly out, hitting the blue divider curtain. I look around and then back to the nurse. She is still reading the clipboard, walking over to her i read what it says:
Attending nurse(s): Ms. Applejack
Attending doctor(s): Dr. Red Cross, Dr. Blue Shield
Patient name: Honey Badger
Medical condition(s): severe brain trauma,
Symptoms: fatigue, loss of appetite, black outs, heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, increased white blood cell count.
Comments: Psychological evaluation: Due when patient has recovered fully, recommended but not required unless seen fit by assigned Psychiatrist .
A bunch of other things were on it too, but it was just charts and data I didn't understand. I go to turn and notice something weird. I look at my bed… I am still in it.
Epilogue
“WHAT THE FUCK! How can I be here and there at the same time?” I stare at myself, the one in the bed. ‘I don’t get it, how is this possible. Am I dead and now a ghost?’ Wait can I control this?’ I try my hardest. I stand here for what seemed like hours. Then all the sudden, a white flash, like when I was on the doctors table.
“Good mornin' Sugar Cube” I smirk at this.
"Good morning Applejack"
Author's Note
this has been revised now. please leave comments on the story i am excited to revise again WHEN needed! thank you for taking time out of your day!