A US Marine in Equestria

by The Dark Soul

Chapters

Chapter 1: Arrival
Chapter 2: Contact
Chapter 3: Nightfall in The Everfree Outskirts.
Gaiden: Captain Grant Hatch
Chapter 4: Nightfall in The Everfree Outskirts II
Gaiden: A Problem You Can't Trump (Noncanon)
Chapter 5: Out of Your Element
Chapter 6: Fluttershy
Chapter 7: Days Forward
Chapter 8: Minuette's Visit
Chapter 9: Exodus
Chapter 10: Capital
Gaiden: An Aircraft Astray
Chapter 11: P.o.W.
Chapter 12: God Save The Princess - Part 1
Chapter 12: God Save The Princess - Part 2

Chapter 1: Arrival

Author's Note

This story was inspired by a dream I had lately (It was horrifying, but the dream got me thinking about things)

This story was also partially inspired by the military life I yearn for....

Maybe one day....

Chapter 1: Arrival

A US Marine in Equestria
Written By: The Dark Soul

Arrival

Created by: The Dark Soul

The Reveille sounded off, signalling that its time to wake up. Many of the Marines inside the barracks groaned, some rolled over and some sat up. I was one of those who sat up. Because it was the smart thing to do... I rubbed my eyes and groaned a groan of weariness and looked over to see my bunk mate, Kelley rolling out of his bed and falling face first on the floor. I stifled a laugh. Hello. My name is Daniel Lemmings Crouse. I'm a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps, 11th Marines..... I was fire team leader of 1st Squad in Echo platoon, which lay in Alpha company. Service Number 28101. I was a rifleman. So in a nutshell, my job was to shoot whoever shot at me until one of us died from all the shooting.

"You alright there, Kelley?" I asked, smirking. He shot me a look.

"No.... Four hours of sleep in this heat. Liberty is going to be amazing. First thing i'm going to do is blast my face with an air conditioner." He said, staggering as he stood up. Our officer walked in, causing many of us to stand at attention in front of our bunks. Including Kelley. I myself tried to do the same, but instead I fell out of my bunk in a panic.

"Crouse! Get in line, son! I am not dealing with you today!" He ordered. I immediately got to my feet and joined Kelley at his side, my knees bent and fists at my side, thumbs on the seem of my boxers and my heels together. I stared straight ahead as the CO walked by. His stopped in front of me and stared me in eyes. I didn't meet his, rather I met his ears. The CO was a sergeant major named Arthur Perry King, he woke us every morning and... well.....he never liked me... never understood why either. Not that I cared, mind you. He was a bitch. But, that's not to say I didn't respect him. Man was a fucking ice cube, nothing he didn't like fazed him. He broke contact and kept walking, checking each soldiers bunk. When he got to the end of the barracks he did an about face and gave us our morning orders... Which were regularly: "Get dressed and get your breakfast. Your platoon commander will address you all afterwards!"

And so we put on our battle dress uniforms, many had their helmets on when they left, some didn't. You see, Taliban snipers favored the morning time to pick off sleepy Marines. So leaving without a helmet was never a good idea. But many of us were ballsy, including King..... soooo.... yeah... I had my helmet on because I quiet liked having a non-spongy head.. We all piled into the mess hall and got in line for our slop. And when I say slop, I mean scrambled eggs, some cold cut ham and a few sausage links... Tasty, but can get old.... But hey, better than beans and crackers with your own blood on it. I grabbed my breakfast and sat down next to Kelley. A couple other Marines sat with us. The didn't seem keen on interrupting our conversation though.

Kelley had decided to start a conversation about some fucking kids show his child watched. Told me before he was shipped out that he watched it with her. He said the name "My Little Pony" or some shit.... I don't know, I really wasn't paying attention. The other two Marines were laughing, but not because of whatever he was talking about, but because they knew I wasn't listening... I snickered a little too. Kelley is so oblivious. I kinda got lost in my own thoughts for a bit when Kelley said something that got my attention... I asked him to repeat what he said when I was jogged back to reality.

"I said... "What about you? Got any kids? Loved ones back home?" He repeated.... Funny, three months of knowing him and now he asks me. When I first met him that's the third question I asked.

"No... Single bachelor here." I said, boasting a smirk. I then looked at Wright (whom was one of the Marines sitting across from us).

"Didn't you say you had a wife back home, Wright?"

"Yeah, but I didn't say wife. I said girlfriend." He answered. Wright was this athletic guy. Ran track in high school and played football in college. He told me of the time he knocked some poor dude out with a tackle.... But I didn't believe him. I felt as though he was just trying to impress me. "I got special way to propose in mind. I just need to be discharged then I can put it in action." He said.

"Really? What, take her to Olive Garden and have them sing a song? They did that once for my grandfather on his birthday.... It was awesome." I said.... He stumped me with his next choice of words.

"Nope... Gonna take her to Sea World and pay to have a trained seal present the ring while I ask the question." He said. Damn.

"Props then man. Ill attend that." The other Marine said. Him I didn't know.

The rest of the meal was uneventful, some Marines were chatting, but I stayed mostly silent while finishing off my sausage links and ham. Fuck the eggs, they taste like sand. After we ate, we all went outside to be addressed by our platoon commander. He gave us our orders and a bunch of Humvees pulled up. Turns out we are going to reinforce a bunch of army guys and British soldiers. I grabbed my M4 Carbine and strapped my Ka-Bar to my leg before grabbing my pack (which was filled with ammo, water, rations, a small amount of smuggled Hershey bars.... hey its good for morale and before you ask how I keep them from melting, I place them on my canteen so the cold resonating from it cools the candy.... my mp3, which was a smuggled piece of equipment as well, and an assortment of survival gear and books) and calling shotgun.

The ride out was pretty quiet. The platoon commander was in the Humvee at the front of the convoy, I was in the one behind his. Driving was this Marine named Cunningham, good guy he was. Me and him became quick friends in Basic. Kelley was sitting behind me and this really quiet guy named Ray was sitting next to him. Didn't know much about him other than he was from DC, and that he had a wife back home.... ooooh by the way, he doesn't talk.... Like honestly.... He likes to keep to himself. I respect that. I switched on the radio... static. I started fiddling with the switch trying to find a station. As i'm doing this, Cunningham pipes up.

"Hey, try to find a station with rock. I need my tunes." He said, keeping his eyes on the road. Each Humvee was a car length separated, to minimize damage caused by a rocket attack or IEDs. I pulled my bandanna (which was just a plain old brown thing... It went well with my combat armor) over up over my mouth and nose before I answered. "Right...." It was boring in that fucking tin can. So of course Cunningham attempted conversation.

"Soooo.... Whats your genre?" He asked, not referring to me by name, but I knew he was talking to me. I looked over and spoke. "Ehhh, I'm mostly country." I said..... Hey! I was from Washington, that was all my parents listened to. Cunningham and Ray gave me a disgusted look. "buuuut I do like other songs in different genres.... Like Weird Al's "Everything You Know is Wrong" and "Ten Thousand Fists in The Air"" I continued, trying to not get spat on by Cunningham. He chuckled.

"That's a real mans song." He then glanced back at Kelley real quick. "What about you Kelley?" He asked.

"Ehhh... Not really into music...." He said.... Wow.... learning more everyday.

"Whaaaaat?" I asked, pausing what I was doing and looking back at him. He just shrugged.... SHRUGGED! What kind of world do we live in where you don't like music? That's exactly what I asked him, too. He answered.

"Ehh, more interested in this Fanfiction site. It was abo-" I stopped him there with the "talk to the hand" gesture.

"Ok, stop.... Stop before i'm obligated to slug you." I said, Ray and Cunningham laughed and I turned back to the radio. Annoyance pecking at my mind. Kelley knew I was joking because, he too, was laughing. I started to chuckle a bit too before a put on my poker face. Of course none of them could see it because, not only am I wearing a bandanna, but i'm also looking at the radio, attempting to find a station in this piece of shit car. Nothing.... I was beginning to get frustrated (that's not good either. I tend to punch things when I get angry. Frustration always leads to anger in me), but before I did anything rash, the music started playing. I started singing and clapping along, all frustration in me gone. I received a swat on the back of the head by Cunningham.

"Cut that shit out." He said, reaching for the radio. I swatted his hand away.

"Why? Its a good fucking song." I said, turning it up to spite him. He gave me the finger and I laughed. I started to sing along even louder. I loved fucking with Cunningham. "Because i'm Happy!" I sang. His fucking reaction was the best thing to happen to me in three days.

"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled, hitting the horn and causing the car to honk... He kept driving but stared at the wheel. My laugh was getting worse and infectious. My sides were hurting and Kelley and Ray were both laughing. Cunningham looked at me with a shocked expression.

"I better not get in fucking trouble because of you." He said, I turned and looked at the side view mirror and saw the Marines in the Humvee behind us laughing. They knew I was in here when they heard the honk. Guess they knew I did something Cunningham hated. Ha! I rested me Carbine on my legs and leaned back in my seat to allow my sides to rest. They were burning like hell. I sighed and looked out the window. Sand.... just sand everywhere. Stateside we have grass... I used to hate that... but I think I hate sand even more now..... What I would give to be home. I looked over at Kelley.

"What are you going to do when your service is over?" I asked. He thought for a minute before answering.

"Well, Crouse... I think i'm going to take my wife on a second honeymoon. Then when that's over i'm going to take my daughter and wife to Disneyland. Emily always wanted to go there." He said. The lead Humvee turned onto another road. Cunningham followed. "Wanna see a photo of my family?" He asked. I nodded, why the hell not? He took out of photo he had in his boot and gave it to me. I turned back around in my seat and took a good look at it. It was him standing next to a girl who was just his height. She had hazel eyes, dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders She was wearing a green polo and khakis... She was thin and... really attractive actually.... Gotta hand it to Kelley, she seemed like a nice girl, one that'll treat him right.. Score.....

And she was attractive.... Bonus points!

As for his daughter... She looked about five years of age, she had Kelley's eyes (blue). She had brown blonde hair that was styled into a ponytail (a result of Kelley's blonde hair, which I will remind you is crew cut now, and his wife's brown hair). She looked happy. I smiled and gave the photo back to the private. Kelley did a good job raising her from the looks of it.

"Nice. Kelley, you seem like a great father." I commented. He smiled and thanked me. I turned to Ray.

"What about you? What are you going to do?" I asked. He didn't answer. Instead he just gave me a chuckle and looked away. Man, was he a shy dude. Hope his wife treats him right. I turned to Cunningham, but before I could ask the radio piped up. A panicked Marine was on it.

"RPG!" The radio crackled out. And, as if on cue, the Humvee in front of us exploded in a ball of fury. I screamed when it exploded and grabbed my M4 Carbine. Many of the Humvees began to pull over and Marines piled out. I myself started shouting at Cunningham.

"Pull over! Pulloverpulloverpulloverpullover! Fucking pull over dammit!" I yelled. He finally did listen to me after a few minutes of me screaming in his ear.

Everyone found cover behind rocks and the cars while Cunningham manned the 50. Cal. I jumped out and threw my M4 to Kelley while running to the destroyed Humvee... Ray followed while Kelley and Cunningham suppressed the enemy. I grabbed the driver who was (by a miracle of god) still breathing. He was screaming in pain. I hushed him and picked him up. Ray was checking the platoon commander. He looked at me and shook his head. I then ordered him to check on the other passengers before turning and running back to the safety of our Humvee. The driver on my shoulders screaming insults at the enemy the whole way.

"Contacts! West of us!" Someone yelled.

"Corpsman!" I yelled as I lay him down on the ground. The man entrusted with keeping our bodies filled with blood started to run for us, but that required him to run out in the open. He jumped back as tracers flew past him.

"Suppressing fire!" Someone screamed before a crescendo of bullets flew out at the unseen enemy. We couldn't see them, but we had a good idea of where they were. I looked at the downed Marine.

"Your one lucky sonuvabitch!" I yelled over the sounds of war and I even offered him my best "everything-is-going- to-be-ok"smile. He offered me one in return but kept screaming. He was burnt to shit. "Don't worry, man! Your going home!" I said. Ray ran up to me, taking cover by the Humvee.

"Sir! Everyone else in the Humvee is dead!" He reported. Fuck! I turned to Kelley, whom was in the midst of reloading his rifle.

"Where the hell is the squad leader? We need orders!" I yelled through my bandanna. I kept my hands on the wounded warrior on the ground, trying to keep him alive.

"He was in the Humvee with the platoon commander!" He said..... Oh shit..... that......that means.....

I'm the new actual.

That realization hit me quick, and hard.... Like a rock.... I stood there thinking for longer than usual, brought back by Kelley handing me my M4... The Corpsman was with the wounded Marine, tending his wounds. "Orders?" Kelley asked me. I looked at him.... that's it. I am saying it... Fuck my life! I can't lead. I am a terrible fucking leader... My job is to shoot those who shoot at me, not FUCKING LEAD!

I guess I had to expect this when I volunteered for Fire Team Leader. My bad.

"Orders?!" He asked once more. I hid my fear of leading and anger for being left with the job and looked at the Marine on the ground. Then decided what we should do.

"Fall back! Corpsman, get that Marine in our Humvee. Kelley, your driving! Ray, your with us too." I ordered, they nodded and understood my reasoning. I looked over at Cunningham, who was on the 50. Cal. He was laying down heavy suppressing fire. I didn't say anything as he knew his job... I helped the Corpsman load the injured soldier into the Humvee and ran around the side of the vehicle, dodging bullets as I ran. I hopped in the front passenger seat before I turned on the radio and gave the order with a calm and collective voice.

"This is Sergeant Crouse, i'm taking command! Get into your tin cans and follow us! We are falling back!" I ordered.... Many "Yessirs" echoed from the radio as the people piled into their Humvees. Ray jumped in and Kelley floored it. We started speeding down the road (taking fire the whole time mind you) and the two other Humvees were behind us, following with a cars length in between and matching our speed. I got on the radio to base.

"Oh god! I don't want to die to this song!" The wounded Marine yelled, referring to the song playing on the radio. Give me a fucking break man, its a good song.

"Base camp! Base camp! This is Sergeant Crouse, 11th Marines! We have been ambushed by unseen insurgents and have wounded! Multiple dead! We are falling back towards our destination and could use some assistance out here!" I had yelled into the radio, what with gunfire ricocheting off the car, the wounded Marine in the backseat crying for his mamma, and Kelley's frantic breathing. I looked over and snapped at him, going full commander on him. "Calm the hell down, Kelley!" I ordered and he listened, regulating his breathing and trying to stay steady on the road.... He didn't even notice the bump in the sand.

"Uhhh, roger that base camp. We will turn back when we can to gather the dead. But the wounded and my men's lives takes priority." I said, responding to something command had said. "Uhhh. Roger that..." I said again. They asked us what our current location was.

"We are going south on the K-" I had started to say right before a loud noise has devastated the sound barriers and a great trauma of pain burned through me. I was stunned.... A great flash of light had blinded me for a bit and my ears were ringing.... And I felt sticky.... very sticky.... I smelled iron.... It was a very unmistakable smell. And the metallic taste I had signaled copper. I felt bad.... I felt.... I felt pain.. I felt like my insides were just outside and then put back inside again...... I...Did....I think we just.... Oh fuck..... No... No... nonononononononono...

Did we just hit a fucking IED?

The realization came upon me fast and hard..... We hit an IED.... I started hyperventilating and looked over to Kelley.... Was he still alive? I needed to know! I looked to where I thought was right... But I didn't know where "right" was! I was blind! I couldn't hear anything either over the damn ringing my ears produced.... We hit an IED.... Was Ray ok? Cunningham? The Corpsman? The wounded driver? I looked around, I could feel something... As if my hand had grazed something on the ground.... But I still couldn't see anything.... We hit an IED.....

I screamed out for Kelley. For Cunningham.... For Ray... For Wright.... for anybody.... I couldn't see my own hands, but I could feel ground... I could feel air.... I screamed once again.... We hit an IED.... Fuck man! Kelley had a child!!!! Kelley has to be alright! I started running.... or... what felt like it.... My legs were moving fast and I could feel myself screaming..... Under my command.... I had ordered Kelley to drive us over a FUCKING IED! Unknowingly, of course, but I had just killed everyone in the Humvee.... Whatever had happened..... I deserve to be hit in the face! Shot, even! Fuck me! We hit an IED.... I suddenly stopped running and felt a hard force.... It was against my whole body.... As if I had just gotten blasted again by the same force.... But, no pain... No blood... Just the smell of...dirt?

We hit a fucking IED....

<><><>

My eyes opened... and I was greeted with a blue sky.... clouds... I gasped and immediately sat up, frantically looking around for my friends (Kelley and Cunningham) and my other comrades.... I saw nothing... Or.. at least.. nobody... I saw grass.... and dirt... rocks... I saw poppies, and roses. I saw sunflowers and dandelions.. And I saw bees going about their business... One buzzed past me and didn't regard me in any way... Not the kind of thing you would see in Afghanistan. I sniffed the air, no iron... just whatever nature smells like... I immediately started checking my body for any wounds I might have.... no... did suffer... Nothing.... no blood... no broken bones.... I didn't taste the copper I had once tasted. No... Rather, when I took in a deep breath and exhaled, I could feel it leaving my body with a wave of refreshment... Like it would after brushing your teeth with sensodyne and taking in the morning air. I laughed with the knowledge that i'm alright. But immediately got worried... Where was Kelley? Cunningham? Ray? Where was the Corpsman and the wounded guy? I called out for them.... the response was my echo.

Hi, echo.

I called out again, but my friendly echo was all the responded to me.... I guess it was lonely... I turned on my radio and moved my bandanna down to my neck and spoke.. Hoping someone would answer.... Static....the wonderful sound a radio makes when either your getting ignored or no one is there to answer you.... Lets go with the latter... I cursed my luck and clicked off the radio before a bunch of bunnies ran out into the open.. They looked at me and started hopping my way... Ok.. I died in Afghanistan.... so does this mean? No, this can't mean that. I'm standing right here. Breathing the air and enjoying the view. Strangely, I felt.... happy... As if a great weight was taken off my shoulders.

I smiled and looked down at the bunnies... They were sniffing my boots and I reached down to pet one... The little ones scurried away when I reached for them, but the big one remained and actually accepted an ear scratch.

"Ill think ill call you.... "Big Daddy".... whatcha think?" I said in a very "who's a good boy?" tone. I don't think it liked the voice I used as it looked up at me and then ran off to join its children. Eh, didn't want to separate them anyhow. My mind was more in tune with the question: "Where the hell am I?" I raised my bandanna to cover my face before taking a better look around. The clearing I was in was beautiful. Flowers decorated it and what looked like a woodland area surrounded it... There was a small dirt path that led into it, but my training kicked in and decided to look around for anything I could use to build shelter or use as shelter.

There was one rule in the Marines that stood out from most.. It was "No one gets left behind." Maybe i'm back in the states? Fell out of medevac jeep and no one noticed? I don't know if that was a viable story but... it would explain why i'm no longer in the sands of Afghanistan. I mean, Afghanistan wasn't just sand... but... there was a lot of it. Anyways, if I just waited here than maybe they would realize their mistake and come back for me. Yeah... then I'd have a nice coffee... And one of my chocolate bars.... Speaking of which...

I unslung my pack and sat down under a nice shady tree. I enjoyed the nice cool breeze I was feeling (Must be autumn or something, nice) and closed my eyes. I opened them maybe seconds later and opened my back... My jaw kinda hung open a bit when I saw everything was still intact... My books, my rations and canteen... My compass.... oh wait scratch that, its fucking pointing east. Not north. Hell, even my chocolate bars and mp3 is still in great condition! Damn.... But wait, we hit an IED...... Why.... why is my stuff still intact, not to mention my fucking body? Miracle? Maybe so. Or maybe i'm unconscious and i'm dreaming! Yeah... that might be it... I decided that I would rather wake up then remain in this dreamstate.... A quick pinch and I would wake up..... I closed my eyes and removed my glove...

Then I pinched my ungloved hand.

I opened them to see that I was still in the beautiful clearing. I tried once more and, lo and behold, I was still here..... Ok so, maybe i'm not sleeping... Lets go with "No man left behind."... I took out one of the candy bars and unwrapped it before pulling down my bandanna. I might as well have something to enjoy before i'm found. I took a bite and savored the delicious sugary rush that came with it. The milk chocolaty taste that remained when all was said and done. I looked down at the bar and rejoiced when I saw I had five bites left into and immediately dug for my canteen. You know, I was quiet enjoying then nice scenery and the food. It was all a nice combination... So, understandably, I was kinda pissed when I heard rustling in the bushes not far behind me. But my instincts kicked in and I reached for my M9 Beretta while getting up quickly and doing an about face. It was probably Big Daddy or some deer or some shit, but you can never be too safe in the wilderness. Or so I thought from all those survival shows I watched as a kid.

I parted the bushes and saw nothing, but I saw what looked like something retreating further into the dense brush. It looked... blue? I followed it, my curiosity peeked. As long as I didn't go too far in then I felt fine. I kept my Beretta up at eye level and moved forward, following whatever it was that was in the brush... I stopped for a second and wrapped my chocolate up and put it in one of my pockets... Not a good idea if you value your merit and your feelings, but hell, who is around to see me do it? King? Ha!

I kept moving, clearing the brush with my free hand and keeping focus... Could be anything, possibly even a wolf trying to lure me.... Oh wait.... I turn to look back at my makeshift camp under the shady tree (which was just my pack and and M4 Carbine) and decided maybe it wasn't the best idea to follow the possible wolf or cougar, so instead of continuing forward I kept my Beretta directly in front of me and fell back slowly.The rustling stopped, as if the fleeing entity stopped when it realized I was no longer searching. I chuckled and decided, that if it was a wolf or cougar, that I would be able to fight better if we are both in the open. When I get back to my chosen den, I take a good long look back at where the entity had fled. You know, now that I think about it, I never saw a blue wolf or cougar before.... Regardless, better safe than sorry. I decided to change where I lay my hat. One of the reasons being that I prefer not to be eviscerated by hungry animals. Hmmm... maybe that's the only reason?

After all, I don't think my body armor will protect me against wolves tearing at my legs or arms. Or, god forbid it, a fucking Grizzly.... this looks like Grizzly land.... Trust me, I read about the Revenant.. But I guess that doesn't matter. Maybe if I stay here and keep my wits about me then the Marines will spool a search party. I sat down under an equally shady tree and and just stared straight ahead.... Waiting to see what happened.....

Fuck man, I got this feeling i'm being watched.. Fucking... I hate that feeling. Had it all the time in Afghanistan.

Minutes passed as I kept my eyes straight ahead, occasionally blinking, and had my ears on guard for anything that makes sound besides me and the bees. I was waiting the animal out. If it is trying to lure me, eventually it might either A). Run out of patience and attack me head on. Or B). Lose interest. I was not willing to take that fucking chance. I mean, it was already bad enough I went into the brush like an idiot. (I am an idiot. Hell, my mind is so active I fucking narrate my life in my head.) I continued to watch, keeping my Carbine out and ready to rock. My breathing was regulated easily and I was calm. Most people under these circumstances usually start freaking out. But they didn't go through Parris Island. That was hell, but fun. Don't get me wrong. Sloshing in the mud, live fire training, standing at attention and not being able to swat the flies laying eggs in your skin. Fun.

After what felt like an hour (it wasn't, I checked my watch, it was more like thirty minutes) I decided that the creature wasn't going away. I could feel it staring at me. Watching me.... was it judging me? Deciding if I was worth the effort? Or... was it scared? Maybe.... maybe... Hmmm. My mind got the better of me and I strapped my M4 to the straps on my body armor and drew my M9 before advancing back towards the where the entity was... I kept quiet and slowly advanced. I could feel my own heartbeat thumping in my chest....With every step I took the thumping got hard and faster... I felt like I was going to have a heart attack.... Shit this hurts. My mind was plagued by the questions: "What was watching me? Do I have any idea what i'm doing?" Nah, I don't think I did. Just then, my whole focus was taken off the brush and what was hiding in it.

"Aaaah!" Someone screamed... It was a scream and sounded fairly feminine. For a second there, every thought I had about what was watching me was gone. Hell, even the feeling was gone. Without thinking I ran towards the direction as fast as my legs would allow. The scream came from the dirt path, and so I raced down it, holstering my M9 and unstrapping my Carbine. My boots made soft patting noises on the ground as I ran.... I kept going until I reached a forked road...

"Come on! Really?" I yelled out loud with annoyance.... I listened for the voice to scream again...... Silence.... I was about to call out when I heard rustling from the bushes behind me. I jolted and quickly reacted to the noise, turning about fast and raising my rifle to eye level. There was something hiding in the bush... Part of me said just to walk away.... right now... The other part said to investigate.... So I did.

I slowly advancing towards the rustling, partially scared of what I was about to see (Humans do fear the unknown after all) and partially braced because I felt as if I knew what was there... A wolf? Big Daddy...... a bear cub..... Oh fuck please don't be that! I was close enough that I was standing over the bush.... Couldn't see past it due to the thick foliage, so I trusted my instinct and kept my rifle raised with one hand as I reached forward with the other. I was going to push the foliage out of the way to see what was hiding inside.... Ever so slowly I moved my hand, careful not to spook what was inside or to provoke it. My heart raced, readying itself for the unknown.... I pulled back the bush with one quick motion and immediately gripped the handguard on my rifle. And what did I see?

A fucking cowering mini horse.

I sighed through my bandanna and looked down. It was.... strange colored... I had a neighbor as a kid who bred horses... Not once had I ever seen a blue horse.... I lowered my rifle and looked at it. It was scared and was shaking violently... It wasn't facing me but it seemed to know I was there. I smiled... never had I seen an animal this cute before.... I kneeled and looked at it closely... It was about half my height and had mane and tail that was mainly colored ice with a blue streak. Its coat was blue and.... it had an hourglass on its ass. Both sides... Guess someone got creative? Either way, I knelt and watched it for a good bit, I totally forgot about the scream. Once I finished here I would go out and continue looking but for now...

The thing looked young, like a foal or something... But there was something off.... It had its front hooves over its head and it was shaking very violently... Don't know what it was but something told me that it wasn't your average horse... Like, maybe, it was just an adult miniature horse?

"Ssssh... Its Ok... You lose your mother, little thing?" I asked in a compassionate tone. I really didn't expect an answer from the thing. I mean after all, it was a horse, wasn't it? I jumped back and fell when I heard it scream... it screamed in a very feminine voice, a voice like the one I heard earlier... Had this thing just fucking screamed like a human? What the hell?! I startled me so badly that I when I got to my feat I aimed my rifle at it... It had jumped up and turned towards me. It was staring at me... It had deep blue eyes... Oversize for a horse.... And..... what the fuck?

Holy shit, it has a fucking horn.

I sat there and stared at the thing in front of me. It stared back.... I was looking at a fucking miniature unicorn. I lowered my rifle and studied its horn... blue like its coat.... It looked sharp... So pissing off the unicorn wasn't in my best interests.... Wait.. no way... This can't be real.... First, it screams like a human.... Now its a unicorn... No way.... no fucking way... Nuhuh this is NOT happening..... It was breathing heavily...

"Now there are fucking unicorns.... no way." I muttered.

I realized all it could see of my face was my eyes, the rest was covered with a bandanna... So I lowered it and let is see the entirety of my face. It didn't seem to calm, it tensed up even more. For a few minutes we remained in the stand off with our eyes, my brown eyes looking into its blue eyes, and vice versa. I began to wonder... was this the thing that was watching me in the clearing?

Eventually I decided that it would be in my best interest to return to the clearing instead of sitting her in standoff with a mythical creature. This had to be some sort of fucking dream.... But... it isn't... Maybe i'm seeing things... maybe its all an illusion from my wounds? No... no i'm not even wounded... I looked at it and strapped my rifle to my back before smiling and looking at it. That horn looked really sharp, so maybe I should leave a peace offering? So it doesn't run me through while I walk way and forget it even existed? Yeah, that's what ill do. Then, when I get back home ill drown myself in whiskey and forget everything. I reached for the partially eaten chocolate bar in my pocket and, as I did, the unicorn tensed up and back away. I laughed.

I pulled out the candy, unwrapping it and kneeling before extending my arm to the creature. It backed away and glanced back and forth between me and treat... I don't think it knows what it is.. So I retracted my arm and broke off a piece of the goodness in my hand before eating it.

"See? Good. Its good." I said, extending my arm once more to offer the unicorn my candy.... I had no idea if this thing even understood me. I don't know.. I don't even know if its real... The unicorn glanced back and forth between me and treat. It seemed to calm down and wasn't audibly breathing anymore. It actually slowly approached keeping its eyes on me before sniffing the bar... Its horn lit up and the.... oh shit this takes the pot. The candy floated out of my hand... Floated! It was encased in a gold glow and levitated out of my hand... So what? It can levitate things? Whats next?! Fucking T-Rex as president?

This cannot be happening... I cannot be seriously sitting here watching a unicorn levitate a candy bar out of my hand.

"Oh shit..." I said. It glanced at me before looking at the bar and taking a cautious bite... It chewed for a bit before smiling... That's it, enough's enough. I got up and walked back down the path hoping the thing wouldn't spear me in the leg. I glanced back to see that it was watching me...

Oh fuck me.... I'm starting to think i'm in a coma or something... This cannot be real... Like, seriously.... Unicorns? Am I in Scotland?

Chapter 2: Contact

Contact

Well, it was serene at least. The area was, not the situation. No, indeed, the situation was really bad and weird. I mean, the last thing I expected to happen to me was being blown away, waking up in a beautiful area, finding a unicorn, and then giving it a candy bar in an attempt to make peace and not get speared by it. Indeed, this was a weird situation.

I mean, come on! What was this? Dragon's Dogma?

Oh, wait.... that would be wicked sweet.

I sat there under my shady tree, the one opposite the trail, with my back resting up against the bark. I sighed in annoyance, fully aware of the predicament I was in. I was lost. I not-so-long ago determined that this was reality. After all, i'm sure if you pinch yourself hard enough that your skin goes black and blue then that means your awake. I gripped my carbine and held it close, ready to fire at a minutes notice.

Being lost in the USMC was a bad thing. It could cost you your life, or your job if your found alive before death drinks coffee with you. When your left behind, your supposed to stay put until they realize your MIA and come back for you, but if you wander off, then, not only is being found slim, but death is certain. I heard a story about a Marine being left behind when the US Forces abandoned an outpost over in the Middle East. The Marine, instead of following code, wandered off into the desert to find help. I'm pretty sure they found his bones a few months later. A fucked up story.

Now, think Crouse think.... You have a radio, and you can pinpoint your location with a map and the knowledge of the nearby areas.... but... I have no knowledge. There is no sand. No large ass rocks. Only grass and trees. So the only viable option is the radio. I reached for it, but stopped myself when I glanced up. My eyes landed on blue eyes. Blue eyes belonging to a blue unicorn. It was standing over at the trail, looking at me. It didn't seem as scared as it was when I first made contact, but it seemed very cautious. It recoiled slightly when it realized I was returning its gaze. I smiled under my bandana as I noticed a small chocolate smudge on her (I assume its a she because of the feminine scream she emitted earlier) cheek. I kept my eyes on it as I reached for the radio and I clicked it on. That static noise greeted me.

"Hello? This is Sergeant Crouse of the United States Marine Corps. 11th Marines, Alpha Platoon, Echo Company, First Squad. Service Number 28101. Does anyone copy?" I asked into the radio. I got no reply, and this caused annoyance to surge into my mind.

"Hello?! This is Sergeant Crouse of the United States Marine Corps. 11th Marines, Alpha Platoon, Echo Company, First Squad. Service Number 28101. Does anyone copy?" I repeated. Still no reply. I grunted in anger before noise made me react instinctively and reach for my rifle and look to the source. It was the unicorn, and she was approaching, slowly. She stopped however, and I assume its because I was looking at her. I brought my rifle closer to me and brought my radio back to the my mouth, ready to speak into it again.

"Hello?! This is Sergeant Crouse of the United States Marine Corps. 11th Marines, Alpha Platoon, Echo Company, First Squad. Service Number 28101. Does anyone copy?" I asked again, raising my voice and keeping my eyes on the unicorn. She cocked her head and rose an eyebrow as I spoke.

What the fuck? Unicorns have eyebrows too?

I was about to repeat my previous utterances into the radio, but stopped myself and carelessly tossed the radio to the side. If it didn't work the first three times, why would it work the fourth time? The unicorn continued to stare at me, occasionally blinking. As if it was studying me. Determining if I was any threat to it. I was. I have a carbine with five magazines, I have a Beretta with three clips, and, to top it all off, I have a Ka-Bar strapped to to my left leg, right above my boot. Not to mention the fact the unicorn was half my height.

Minutes (Funny, she had a picture of an hourglass on her ass) passed by as she watched me. I, in turn, watched her. We both were a good distance away from each other, I couldn't reach her and she could get away from me before I even had my sights trained on her. I was very uncomfortable. Like, seriously, I was staring at a unicorn. A unicorn... I really hope i'm in Scotland.

The thought that this was all a figment of my imagination did come to mind... but, as I've stated in the past, I have determined this is reality. The unicorn must be real too, as it telekinetically levitated a candy bar out of my hands. Seeing is believing, right? I finally made the first move after our stare down.

"Listen, unicorn thingy.... I don't know if you can understand me... possibly not... but... can, uuhhhhh, can you go away?" I asked, calmly. It recoiled slightly when I spoke, and it cocked its head once again. Great, not only had I startled it, but it cant understand me. Nice job dumbcunt.

I lowered my bandana and narrowed my eyes. "Please, your freaking me out. Go away, mythical creature." I said, making a "shoo" gesture as I spoke. It didn't comply, and this caused me to facepalm. This was giving me a headache. I tried to shoo it one last time (unsuccessfully) before reaching for my M9. I unholstered it and brought it up and cocked it, making sure the clip was in and that the bullet was in the chamber before looking back up at the unicorn. It was still looking at me. I sighed and looked away to continue inspecting my pistol when a voice broke the silence in the air.

"What....what are you?" The voice asked. I froze. My eyes remained locked on the firearm in my hands and I said not a word. Did... did that thing just fucking talk? I darted my head up and looked at the unicorn. It backed up slightly at the unexpected movement. My eyes met hers.

"Did you just fucking talk?" I asked. No... of course not... animals can't talk... how silly of me....

The unicorn did scream very human-like earlier though...

"Yeah... I asked you a question." It said. It.... iiiiit spoke. No fucking way.

"No fucking way." I muttered. So... not only do unicorns exist... but, they can also talk. They have human like eyebrows, and they are half the height of a fucking grown-ass man. I holstered my M9 and stood up fast. It must slightly startled as I did that because I noticed its pupils shrank... The fuck?

"There is no fucking way." I said once again. "No fucking way... No way. This is not real." I said. She looked uncomfortable.

"Uhmm..." She said, one foreleg raised like a horse would when taking thinking about taking a cautious step forward. Her eyes darted around as I debated my next move. What could I do? Shoot it? For what reason would I have? Its a talking unicorn, why should I shoot the damn thing? Seriously, this takes the cake, man. Beautiful, happy and fake colors. Magic. And talking unicorns... I've seen everything. I approached the unicorn slowly, and she...it... whatever, backed up. I kept advancing till she stopped retreating and knelt.

"Ask me that again." I said, narrowing my eyes. I had to confirm this... It had spoke! I need confirmation that it really was it that spoke, and not my imagination.

"Oh...ah...hehehe...Uuhhh.. What are you?" She stammered, looking away in a frightened manner.... Ok. Talking unicorns. Confirmed. I gasped and recoiled, reaching for my M9 (as I was one to do since boot camp after getting scared). I had my hand on the grip but pulled it back when I realized that it would be useless to use it. I doubt the damn thing even knew what a Beretta was. I turned away and went back to sit under my tree, refusing to give information away to the talking animal..

Talking animals... I used to wish for that as a kid... Mmmm, not so much anymore.

My eyes remained focused on the unicorn as I sat down, it looked very uncomfortable but also very curious. Curiosity killed the cat, dude. But seriously, if I were it, I would run away and never come back. But yet she remained and watched. Minutes passed as she watched me, and minutes passed as I dug through my pack for my canteen. I finally found it an opened it, taking a swig and replacing the cap before stowing back in the pack.

"Ok, unicorn. Since you can talk, tell me. Where am I? Scotland? Please tell me i'm in Scotland." I said, looking up at it. It rose an eyebrow at the word "Scotland".

"Scot...land? Scotland? A land of scotch? What?" She said. I resisted the heavy urge to facepalm. "No... Equestria. We are in Equestria." She said, slightly cocking her head again. This was starting to annoy me.

"Stop cocking your head." I demanded. She complied and her head went back to the normal angle. Equestria? What was that? Where was that? Sounded heavily made up, but she seemed so sure of herself.

"Equestria?" I asked. She nodded. Hmph, yep. This is one funny reality.

"Ok. Equestria. That's where we are, eh?" I said, she nodded once more. "You have a name, unicorn?" How silly of me to ask. But, names are usually an important thing. I don't want to keep referring to it as a unicorn.

"Minuette." She said, smiling slightly. Minuette? What the hell, man! What is going on?

"Minuette? Ha, they call you that because of the hourglass on your ass?" I joked, chuckling at my choice of words. "Minuette" blushed real red on her face, but a quick dismissal gesture turned it off. "Relax, Minuette. Its just a joke." This is fucked up. And by "fucked up", I mean stupid. I have been blown away and now I am talking to a unicorn that goes by the name "Minuette". Sounds french. A french unicorn? Oh ho! That's a thought.

I sighed and pulled up my bandana and stood up. The beast, in turn, stepped back. I slung my pack over my shoulders and grabbed my carbine.

"Ok, I've had enough of this bullshit." I said as I started towards the trail, passing Minuette. "I'm talking to a unicorn. This is fucked. Goodbye. And do not follow me." I said. I heard Minuette attempt to say something, but stopped when I was outta ear shot. And, before you even ask, i'm leaving because this is bullshit. It feels like its reality, but... no.. it isn't. Equestria? What the fuck was that? That was not a real place! I must be in a coma, or hell, or heaven.... limbo?

Look at me. Narrating everything, even if its just for myself.

Most people would piss with excitement about seeing a real live unicorn, others would piss in fear if they watched The Cabin in the Woods. I know Kelley would piss himself in glee. Him and and his fucking pony loving mind.

And I know he likes ponies too, just because I don't pay attention when he is talking about that shit doesn't mean I don't tune in occasionally to hear what he has to say.

I kept putting one foot in front of the other as I moved along the dirt trail. It was neatly trimmed, none of the dense foliage had spilt out into the trail. Must mean its a park or something, or maybe rangers had kept it neat so passersby would not be bit by snakes. Wait? Would... does this "Equestria" even have park rangers for places like this? Hmmm. I don't know. I have been here for seventy minutes and the only thing of note here is the unicorn and happy/fake color scheme of the surrounding...everything.

The cool autumn breeze was a nice touch, though. Very calming and soothing.

I looked up into the sky and saw that time had passed quickly as I walked along the trail. I hadn't gotten far from the clearing, so I know the unicorn was still nearby. But that didn't concern me. Not at all.

It concerned me that it was getting dark.

Chapter 3: Nightfall in The Everfree Outskirts.

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Gaiden: Captain Grant Hatch

Captain Grant Hatch

"Hatch." A voice called. Hatch remained undisturbed as he looked at the magazine that was held in his hands. He was reading Time Magazine.

"Hatch!" The voice called again, this time rousing Hatch from his reading. He looked up to see that everyone was looking at him, including the officer in charge of briefing them on the mission. He slumped down in his seat in a vain attempt to hide from the judging eyes. But worked rather poorly due to his tall stature. Another airman walked in and sat down next to Hatch.

"Right, now that you all are here... and paying attention, we can get this briefing underway." The officer said after clearing his throat. Captain Grant Hatch sat up and looked at the board. He was a pilot of a F-35B in the Red Devils. A Marine Corps outfit specialized in air interdiction. airstrikes, and other aerial recon. Call-sign "Ghost" for his quiet demeanor. The leader of his Flight was Major Jack Armitage, who was sitting in the front row.

"Gentlemen, I gather you here today because you have been called into action. Today is the day. The target is the Taliban-controlled city of Kandahar." The officer said, grabbing a laser pointer and pointing the red dot at the map on the wall. "The Taliban garrison is at their weakest and the brass believes its time. Australian, American, British, and local militia forces gather in a secluded camp in the mountain side in preparation for the attack. Your job is to provide air support for the ground forces and report enemy movements in the city. The 11th Marines will be deployed alongside you to act as your eyes on the ground." He said, he then pointed the laser at the slideshow that just started up.

"Kandahar has been in Taliban control for a while now, with small skirmishes taking place between US Forces and Taliban Insurgents. Recent reports show that the terrorists are packing plenty of RPGs, so keep away from the city until an airstrike is needed." He said. The rest of the briefing detailed the ground assault and key targets in the city that the Red Devils were to take care when the opportunity presented itself. Hatch remained quiet and payed attention as best he could. But his mind wandered when the officer stated that the Red Devils were not to engage ground targets unless an airstrike was requisitioned or a target building presented itself. Target buildings were things such as town halls, bunkers, armories, and general stockpiles. It was never a good idea to destroy the city your trying, as it lessened the rewards. But, destruction caused fear in the enemy. Fear is what could win a battle. A demoralized enemy would rather flee then fight a losing battle.

"Your to depart in twenty minutes, get your stuff in order and get in your birds and be ready to assist the attack force. Alright Marines, lets go out there and win this one for the boys back home! Oorah?" The briefing officer had said.

"Oorah!" The room echoed.

Hatch had gotten up, but then major Armitage stopped him.

"Hatch, come with me. We have something to discuss." He said before turning towards the exit... 'Oh no.' Hatch thought.

He followed his flight leader as ordered. Hatch was slightly nervous as Armitage had a history of one-on-one talks with the pilots under his command and all, if not most, of them were not pleasant. A thought picking at the back of Hatch's mind told him that he was gonna be alright, nothing bad.... But it was just a thought. He passed some of his fellow airmen.

After a few minutes of walking and turning corners in the main building, they finally arrived at Armitage's office. Being an officer, especially a commissioned officer, came with many perks, but its not all fun'n'games. There is a lot of paperwork involved and you would have to make many tough and unpopular decisions. Hatch decided he was fine being an underling. Despite being a commissioned officer. Hatch wasn't assaulted with all the paperwork and intrigue that came with the title of CO. This was because of his status as wing-man for Armitage. The aforementioned officer took a seat behind his desk after shutting the door.

"Sit." He ordered and Hatch complied. He wanted to say something but held his tongue as nervousness consumed him.

"Now, captain. You should know my tour is almost over and I plan to retire once I return to the states. I brought you in here to discuss who is taking my rank and position in the flight when I leave...." He started. Hatch calmed at this because this mean't he had caused no infraction lately.

"I have talked to the rest of the flight and they elected you to take my spot." He finished. Hatch kept a straight face, but, deep down, he always wanted to be a flight leader since he joined. Excitement consumed his emotions but he hid it behind a solid poker face. Of course, this was his everyday face so Armitage was none the wiser.

"So what do you say, Hatch? I've seen you take command when needed and your flight skills are close to rivaling mine. If I didn't think you would be a great candidate then I wouldn't have brought you in here." He said, resting his uniformed elbows on the table. 'This was like a dream come true.' Hatch had thought. But then he thought of the cons that would come with a higher CO rank.

"How about you keep your rank and I just take the position as flight leader?" Hatch haggled. This caused Armitage to frown for a second, but he soon smiled once again. A respectful gesture in a somewhat unnoticeable way.

"Well, if that's what you want. I could force the promotion but I don't feel like doing paperwork anyways. So, I guess this means you accept?"

Hatch smiled. He was always a really quiet guy, and if people asked him a question then he would respond with a smile for yes or a frown for no so Armitage got his answer. He then chuckled.

"Well, would you look at that. The wing-man is now flight leader. Well." Armitage said, standing up and shaking Hatch's hand. "Come on. Lets go brief the pilots on your promotion, Marine."

<><><>

"All airmen check in." Hatch said into the radio as he strapped himself in and put on his flight helmet. The 11nth Marines had deployed and were on route to the the city, where the assault was already in progress. From what reports had suggested, the Australian forces are holding back to keep fleeing Insurgents boxed in, whilst American, British and the local militia are in the midst of an intense gunfight... sadly, it also sounded like they were on the losing side.

'I'm glad i'm not a grunt.' Hatch thought.

One by one, the Red Devils sounded off, including Major Armitage, who was now acting wing-man instead of flight leader. As Armitage had suggested, the Red Devils were really happy with Hatch. He had proven to be a great pilot in their service together. So, naturally, they would elect him without his knowledge. Hatch was really happy with this new job, but also kinda nervous. He wasn't a terrible leader, as Parris Island had proven, but knowing that peoples lives actually depended on his decisions... It was stressful.

"Red Devil 10, checking in." The final pilot had said. Hatch had smiled under his helmet.

"All jets, prepare for take-off. Getting a green light from command now." Hatch had said, switching the channel to the control tower.

"Command, this is Captain Hatch, flight leader for the Red Devils. Awaiting green light." Hatch had stated.

"Roger that, Hatch. You are cleared for take-off. Give 'em hell Marine." The controller said.

Hatch started the jet by using the throttle lever and Centre stick. He steered himself to be on the runway and the jets behind him followed. As soon as he was in the middle of the runway he slammed the throttle down and the jet shot down the runway. He pulled the stick towards him, causing the F-35B to turn ever so slightly up. The F-35B was a military jet that was capable of air reconnaissance, air conflicts (AKA air supremacy) and bombing missions... But it was mostly designed for the latter. The Red Devils took great pride in this craft as it was really versatile and it allowed them to see a lot of conflict instead of staying couped up back in the states like a backpacking Army guy and it kept them off the ground, where their bullet-sponge brothers took the hits. The Major was in the air not soon after Hatch was airborne

"Wing-man you got my tail? We have little time to get to the target zone." Hatch asked as he circled the base. Soon enough, Armitage was at his side.

"I got your tail. We are awaiting orders." He affirmed. One by one, pilots of the Red Devils go airborne, shooting down the runways and becoming airborne almost in an blink of an eye. Those already in the air begin to circle the base as they wait for their fellow Devils. Soon, however, the final Devil is in the air and regroups with the flight. Hatch begins his new job with his first flight order.

"All Devils, form a delta with me at the head. We have limited time to reach Kandahar and help our boys on the ground. We are buddying with the 11th Marines on this mission so have you channels on joint communications." Hatch had stated. "We are Oscar-Mike."

"Roger that, Satan. Good luck out there and come home safe." The traffic controller had radioed.

<><><>

The jets soared through the skies for a good bit, on their way to Kandahar air space. The radio was abuzz with chatter from the pilots and the pitched battle at Kandahar. Hatch was busy talking to the platoon commander of the 11th Marine platoon that they were assisting.

"Negative, 1st Lieutenant Baker. We do not have eyes on your convoy. Relay coordinates." Hatch had said.

"Affirmative. Stand by." Baker had stated on the other end.

"Man, once you get passed all the sand and rocky terrain it really is beautiful out here." One Devil said over the radio, breaking the quietness that had arrived when Baker departed.

"You got that right." Armitage replied. For the next few minutes, the only noise was that of the jets breaking the sound barriers.

"Our coordinates are as follows. 32 04'51.9North 6559'32.2East. How copy?" The radio stated, signalling the return of Baker. Hatch smiled slightly. He knew that the Marines were on the Kandahar Highway. Not too far from the airspace the Devils are occupying.

"Check that. Should we rendezvous with you and provide air recon?" Hatch asked.

"Negative. Proceed t-" Baker had started before he stopped abruptly. "What the hell? Who honked?" He asked, forgetting the radio was on.

"Crouse's vehicle did, sir." Replied in the background after a brief pause.

"Dammit! When we stop, get the Marines in that car assembled.... Oh. The radio is on... I say again, Negative. Proceed to the-" It said once again before it was cut off. Hatch's demeanor went from indifferent to concern. He asked for a repeat into the radio but none came to answer him. He asked once again for a repeat. No answer.

"What's going on, Hatch?" One Devil asked.

"Radio must be malfunctioning. Armitage, try getting them on horn." Hatch replied.

"Roger."

Armitage tried his luck, asking for a confirmation on if they can hear the Devils. He waited, but no answer. Armitage tried once more, but nothing. Hatch has soon deduced it was not a malfunction and that something had happened. So, as an act of concern, he switched the channel to command to ask on the status of the 11th Marines. But a voice on there stopped him.

"Base camp! Base camp! This is Sergeant Crouse, 11th Marines! We have been ambushed by unseen insurgents and have wounded! Multiple dead! We are falling back towards our destination and could use some assistance out here!" He heard. This Marines sounded very unfamiliar and it instantly gave him the realization that the platoon commander was one of the dead.

"All Devils, circle the AO. We are staying put until I can figure out what the hell is going on. Don't crash into each other." Hatch ordered. A chorus of "Yes, captain." came over the radio before jets began peeling off and circling the area.

"Uhhh, roger that base camp. We will turn back when we can to gather the dead. But the wounded and my men's lives takes priority."

"Affirmative, Sergeant. But negative on the retreat. Find a good spot and dig in. We have some air units in the vicinity and we'll send 'em your way for an airstrike." Hatch knew they were talking about his group. "We'll send corpsmen your way once the coast is clear."

"Uhhh. Roger that..."

"Please confirm your current location, Sergeant."

"We are going south on the K-" He had started before he too was cut off. Hatch took his eyes off the horizon and looked at the radio. 'What the hell is going on?' He thought. First, Baker was cut off and pronounced dead. Now Crouse was cut off too? Did he die as well? The radio chirped with voices of Hatch's airmen. They were all wondering the same thing. A couple minutes pass as base camp tried getting ahold of the sergeant.

"Whats going on down there, Sergeant? You alright?" Asked the radioman.

"Aggggghhhh! IEDS everywhere! Send those air units now!" A voice screamed over the radio. This new voice was just as unfamiliar as the last. "I can't feel my legs!" He screamed once more.

"Read. Who is this?" The radio guy asked.

"This is... Sergeant Ray! Crouse is dead! Everyone in his tin can is dead but me! They hit an IED! Oh god! I can't feel my legs!" "Ray" had said. 'Damn, sounded like they were taking a pounding, judging from the yelling and gunfire pitching in from the background.'

"Acknowledged. Calm down Marine. Air units are in the vicinity and are on the way. Have a green smoke grenade deployed so the pilots know where to hit. Please announce your new coordinates."

"I have no idea where the hell we are! The platoon commander had the map and its all burnt to shit by now! Fuck, i'm dying here! Does any of you have any medical training?!" He asked to someone in the background.

"Please repeat. What is your twenty?"

"I said I DON'T KNOW! Fuck! We'll pop a green smoke but your pilots are gonna have to find us or we are fucked!" He said."Hey, man. Are-are my legs good? I don't wanna look down, are they good?" He asked to someone who is physically with him.

"Uhhhh... yeah...yeah lets go with that." A voice in the background had said. That obviously wasn't a good sign.

"Alright, Red Devils are on their way. Have the smoke ready or they won't know where to find you guys."

"10-4... Get them here! Fast!" Ray had finished. And with that, the radio clicked off on his end. The pilots began talking to each other over the radio. Some expressing their concern, some expressing glee in dropping a payload. Hatch felt neither concern or glee. Nor any emotion really. In his mind, emotions can impede the job of flying a jet. And if you fuck up when flying then it can mean your death. The radio operator on the other end started giving orders to the Red Devils.

"Hope you caught all that, Lucifer. Your going to assist your friends. Head towards the Kandahar Highway and begin strafing it until you find a green smoke. You're only doing one pass so make sure you make the bombs count guys. Good luck out there." He said. Hatch then reformed his delta and directed the flight to the highway, passing over mountains and giants rocks as he did. He saw green smoke in the distance and instantly realized that's where the engagement was occurring. He switched his channel over to joint.

"We see your smoke, Marines. We estimate five minutes to target zone. Hold out, guys." Hatch said. He got no reply. While that neccesarily wasn't a good thing, it also didn't mean anything. They were probably too busy keeping themselves out of the open to do it. Seconds seemed like an eternity in those flying cans as they approached the target area. Minutes passed along and no one said a word to each other. None of them felt it appropriate. Their brothers were dying on the ground while they were safe in the sky. What could they say? Finally, after what seemed like forever, they got close to see the jeeps. one was a black as coal with a few flames around it. And another was a bit further down the road, this one was still on fire. There was a corpse hanging out of one of the doors.

"We see your smoke. Enjoy the show." Hatch said. As they prepared to bomb the fuck out of the Taliban ground forces, Hatch started to hear a steady sound. It sounded like the lock-on warning.

"Holy shit!" He yelled in response to a ball of light coming straight at him. He pulled back on the stick to go up and avoid making contact with the missile. "Holy fuck! Evade! Evade!" Hatch yelled once more, causing the pilots to break off after more missiles were propelled at them.

"You see that shit? How the hell did they get stingers?!" One pilot had questioned into the radio.

"The real question is: How many do they have and how much ammo did they procure?" Armitage replied. Hatch took control and immediately gave the order to regroup.

"Echelon! Lets hit these bastards as hard as we can!" Hatch ordered, taking his place in the front of the Echelon formation. He circled around the target area, waiting for the rest of the pilots to catch up with him. Once they finally accomplish that, they begin to do another pass. Only for Hatch receive his lock-on warnings again.

"Hatch! I'm getting locked on. We need to finish the pass now!" Armitage yelled.

"Command, come in! We request permission to drop hell on the enemy!" Hatch radioed.

"Permission granted, Lucifer."

"Let them know hell, boys! Show it to them!" He yelled, clicking the release button and dropping a deadly bomb onto the enemy. One by one, he could hear the pilots behind them yelling oorah. That signaled, to him at least, that they had dropped one of their bombs. One by one, the bombs hit the ground, causing devastation and explosions loud enough to pierce ear drums. The lock-on remained however, right before a click was made.

"Evade! Evade!" Hatch yelled, pulling to the side. The pilots behind scattered as well, missiles trailing behind them. Hatch could hear the pilots on the radio. Some were pissed off. Some were annoyed. And some were downright stupefied.

"Honestly! How the hell did those bastards acquire a stinger?!" One such angry comment was.

Hatch looked back to see that the missile was still on him. And it was gaining speed at an alarming rate. One of his airmen noticed this.

"Hatch! Evade! Evade!" He yelled. Hatch had already tried evading it. If he tried anymore then he would be in danger of stalling or crashing. He had to find a good medium level to attempt a sharp turn. Time he didn't have. If he tried waiting then the rapidly approaching missile would impact and knock him out of the sky.

"I can't shake the damn thing!"Armitage seemed to have known this already and only offered this advice.

"Eject!"

Hatch slammed his fist on the ejection button.... But he did not eject. He slammed his fist once more and the button refused to eject him from the jet. 'Holy shit!! Holy shit! Holyshitholyshitholyshitnonononono don't fucking malfunction now!' He thought as he continued to beat the button with his fist. It refused to work. Instead, all he was greeted with was panic.

"Hatch! What the fuck are you doing?! Eject! That missile is gonna hit! Look out!"

"I'm trying! I'm try-" He managed to stammer out before a wave of shudders and heat washed over him. He could feel the shock-wave of the explosion that hit his tail, and he smell the smoke coming from it. His bird tilted downwards.

"Bird down! Bird down!"

"I got a lock-on warning! They are still active down there!"

"Evade!"

Hatch calmed himself with deep breathing and grasped the centre stick as calm and slowly as he could and pulled towards him ever so slightly. He was going to attempt a crash landing instead of just a crash... The ground was growing closer an alarming rate. Any second he would hit and, with the speed he was going at, he would most likely not survive. 'Fuck! Oh fuck! Fuckfuckfuckittyfuckittyfuckfuckfuckittyfuck!' He thought in panic. Every second seemed like an hour. Every second that felt like an hour felt like a year. Every second that felt like an hour and that felt like a year felt like a decade. Time went by so slow. He watched as the ground grew closer.

And the last thing he felt was a force beyond his comprehension. But, surprisingly...

There was no pain.

Author's Note

Gaiden - (外伝?, pronounced [ɡaideɴ]) is a Japanese-language word meaning "side story" or "tale".

Welcome to the first Gaiden of the story. These Gaidens will be used to tell side stories--parts of the story not from Crouse's view that either are part of the story, or just an interesting side story.
Gaidens can be shorter than your average chapter. Not like a hundred words, they usually will always be under 3k words. But there are always exceptions.

I can't take credit for this chapter or the character. Full credit goes to the OC Owner Thunder-Bolt. An aspiring US Marine. Give him some love and respect people. :twilightsmile:

A public note for Thunder-Bolt: Stop changing your fucking name! I had to edit this authors note three times in one week, but all together, five times a whole month!

I don't know much about aircraft and shit so, please, don't correct me if i'm wrong about anything I say about them, alright?

Chapter 4: Nightfall in The Everfree Outskirts II

Author's Note

HEY READ THIS NOW BEFORE READING AS, EVEN THOUGH ITS NOT REALLY IMPORTANT, YOU SHOULD STILL DO IT. HEY, YOUR READING MY STORY AND I PUT TIME INTO THIS, SO DO ME THIS ONE FAVOR OK?:

Dia duit. For those of you who didn't read my blog that tagged this story, and for those who wandered in late, I would like to say that I am sorry for taking so long to upload a chapter that is probs 1000-3000 words long. I got caught up in this one-shot I am working on and lost track of...well... time? No... no thats not the right word... Hmmmm, oh yeah, my imagination. But after working on this one-shot (I will not reveal the name. It is super secret and only Thunder Bolt is allowed to know because he is awesome), I got to thinking and decided to return to this story, then BLAMMO! My imagination kicked into full gear and this was the end result.

Oh, and if your wondering why this chapter is so short, well, it was originally intended to be thrice as long, but due to my wanting to return to this story for a bit and the need to post a chapter, I decided to scrap the original idea and put the other half of this chapter into another chapter which would not only leave room for a cliffhanger, but would also be great for pacing.

Enjoy!
Slainte mhaith!

Chapter 4: Nightfall in The Everfree Outskirts II

Nightfall in The Everfree Outskirts II

A fear of many nighttime hikers and campers. Wolves... Of course, I had nothing to fear of it. This is, after all, a dream in a coma... or so I think. After all, didn't I explode? One couldn't tell just by looking, as I had no singe marks, no missing body parts, nothing. There was nothing wrong with me. Hell, even my BDU was still intact. My pack, weapons, helmet, all intact. So yeah, a coma. A pinch couldn't get you out of it.... could it?

Bah, doesn't matter. Attend to the matter at hand, Crouse.

I looked towards my imaginary unicorn friend (whom was shaking and shivering on the ground while looking around in a frightened manner) and chuckled, as I knew this was all fake. She, however, believed it to be real. Of course I could not blame her. How would she have any way of knowing that this was all a figment of my imagination? Pure fakery. Hell, everything looked fake anyways. All colorful, as if it was from a modern-day children's cartoon.

"Calm down. Like seriously." I said, laying back against the tree behind me. I held the rifle close, as I wasn't truly worried about these wolves (Hello! Need I remind you that this is all fake?) as I had both survivalist training, and combat training. Doesn't mean I can't get a little worried or scared. Hell, I believe its normal to be scared in battle. Nervous. She looked at me, taking her glance from the woods to across the fire.

"Don't you understand? The Everfree... its outskirts.... You don't know of the place?" She asked with a questionable gaze... A arched an eyebrow, but with its brown coloring in the dark it probably wasn't noticeable. I shook my head instead of giving a verbal response.

"The Everfree... its a horrible and terrible place. Treacherous woods and dangerous creatures. Uncharted. Deadly. Its outskirts, which are appropriately named "The Everfree Outskirts", are just as dangerous at night. It not smart to be out here at this time." She said. I resisted chuckling at the prospect of this reality. Does this imaginary unicorn believe it all to be real? Well.. I guess its plausible that it does. But wait, if the outskirts are just as dangerous....

"If the outskirts are just as dangerous, then why are you out here?" I asked, smiling under my bandanna and pointing at the unicorn.

"I already told you! Besides, I hadn't planned on being out here this long. I just wanted to see whats what, then I saw you and my curiosity got the better of me!" She said, defensively. I leaned in, smiling under my bandanna. I saw the point she was trying to make, she just wasn't making it.

"Again, why did you come out here? You knew it was getting dark yet you wanted to see what happened?" I asked. No response from the shivering Minuette. "You know, they say curiosity killed the cat."

"Yeah, well, they also said that satisfaction brought it back." She replied. Huh, well played. But I could tell she knew my point well and she refused to visibly acknowledge it. Doesn't matter, we both quieted up when we heard another howl. One much closer. She looked at me in fear before scooting closer. Obviously looking to me for protection.

"You said earlier that your not afraid of wolves... Why is that?" She asked. I laughed in response before pointing to my weapon. She made a gesture that gave me the idea she had no idea what that was, and this caused me to sigh in vexation. I had no intention of explaining how it worked and what exactly it was. It donned on me that a quick explanation would be just firing it once. It would give her the idea that what it fires would penetrate almost anything what with the force these thing have. But I decided against it and instead decided to instead just word it to something she would understand.

"It hurts things with one squeeze." I said.

"One squeeze?"

"Yes, that's the abridged version of what it does." I said.

"Well, whats the full version?" She asked, to which I replied with a mental sigh.... When are the doctors gonna bring me out of the coma? I began to explain to her how the rifle worked. I told her how to fire it, and then remarked on how it would be impossible for her to do so. My rifle was soon encased in a golden glow and she smirked at me before giving control of it to me again. I soon conceded and apologized for what I said. I then explained to her how to reload it. It didn't take long, maybe a good fifty seconds. I mean, I wasn't trying to teach her discipline or anything because, not only was this all fake, but I would rather keep this thing calm.

It seemed to be quite frightened and when I began talking to it -- you know, taking its mind off of what it perceives to be actual danger -- it seemed to calm. Which was very good, as it always was prudent to keep...errr.... civilians calm during times of strife. Or else panic could ensue and bad things would come of that. I'm not fully sure how talking about a gun is calming to a unicorn, but i'm not going to question it either. Rather, I would question all of this when I wake up. I'll question why I dream't about a colorful world and a talking unicorn with an hourglass on its ass when I wake up.

Yeah, that's what Ill do.. that and get some something to drink. Soon, our conversation ended and Minuette seemed calm. A relief to be sure. But just because she was calm doesn't mean isn't afraid still, if she is then she is not showing it....well, not anymore anyways. I mostly believe its because she is confident in my abilities to protect her. Seriously! Rifle versus wolf! I like my odds. Besides, this is all fake, anyways, right? A dream? A figment of my imagination?

Still feels real though. But then again, sometimes when you dream, you forget reality from fantasy. Minuette looked around, nervously. No fear, though.

"Maybe we should leave, though. I'd feel a lot safer at my friends house." She said. I resisted the urge to scoff and played along, smirking underneath my bandanna.

"No. I do have a portable light source, but it would be only last for a few minutes. Not a long time to get out of the woods, then we would just be bumbling blind in the dark which would make us prime targets for those things. No, we remain here." I said. Hah! Listen to me, I sound like some guy on a survival sandbox game who thinks he knows everything! "Wolves have a pack mentality and that means that, errr, that they teamwork to get their prey. Sometimes they surround and box in their prey, sometimes they'll stalk and pounce, like a cat. But some also like to just charge head on and catch them by surprise... either way, I would to be able to see my attackers." I like dogs.

"Uhhh, you seem to know a lot about this stuff, don't you?" She noted.

"Yeah, yeah I do, don't I?." I said. I was opening my mouth to speak again but a howl cut me short... Good god, was that one close! I know that its normal to experience fear on the battlefield, but it was also prudent to not really show it as that might hurt morale for others... but I started feeling a good portion of fear for a second there. But I really didn't want to show it in front of the pony... this is starting to turn into a fucking nightmare. I got up, the disturbances I caused in the air wafting over the fire, which in turn caused it to sway. Minuette looked up at me as I unslung my pack before setting it down and digging through it.

Around me, trees bristled from unseen movement. The hairs stood up on the nape of my neck, and Minuette whimpered in fear... Where the wolves really that close? Fuck, damn foliage concealed them when they moved, despite the light produced by the flames, and the darkness produced by the night didn't help any... I looked behind me when I heard a low growl, but soon payed it no mind and continued to look for my flare.

Come on! Where is it?

A howl, closer than ever, broke the sound barriers. It sounded very close... Minuette got behind me.

"I...I think they are close." She whimpered. I continued to dig in my pack, for my flare. It wouldn't scare it off, but if I lit it, then I would have a brighter area to fight in which would help me should it come to that. Eventually, I believed I had found my flare and grabbed it. When I pulled it out, the sight of it gave me some relief.

"Get down." I said. Hehe, time to play hero. God, did I love dreams like this! Just... without a talking mythical horse and, instead, an actual woman taking its place. I rose, flare stick in hand and my rifle laying by my feet, and started twisting the cap. My eyes darted around for the source of the unseen wolf. It was watching us.

A soldiers worst nightmare, an enemy that can see him, but he cant see them.

Soon, the cap was off and I pointed the flare opposite to me, and away from Minuette. I started scraping the course side of the cap against the exposed part of the flare. Sparks were showing but I soon stopped when Minuette screamed. I looked to my right, only to be greeted by green eyes in the dark, far enough away from the light emitted by the flames. I was speechless and, in my bewildered state, I lit the flare.... and what I saw evoked only one sentence.

"What the hell is that thing?!"

Gaiden: A Problem You Can't Trump (Noncanon)

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 5: Out of Your Element

Out of Your Element

You know that feeling when your dreaming and it turns scary real fast, then you wake up and still feel the fear?

Well why the hell wont I wake up?!

I stared in fear at the monster in front of me. Wide eyed. Fearful. Bladder feelin' a wee bit full.

No...no... You're not a middleschooler. Control yourself. Your a Marine for Gods sake. You've fought Taliban in hand-to-hand combat, in shootouts, and faced death every time you left your bunk. Your a Marine.

It stared into my eyes. It with its green, deep, malevolent eyes. And growled a deep and very terrible growl. A growl that said it wanted my blood. It wanted to eat me. A growl that said that it had spotted its nighttime meal. I dared not move, as I was mesmerized. Stunned. Frozen with fear. I was scared beyond belief, and I could hear my own heartbeat - and it was racing. I felt a heart-attack would take place if I was older. My breathing was shallow.

"T-t-thats... a timber wolf?" I asked, looking back at Minuette. She nodded, cowering behind me. I looked back at the beast before me. It was no ordinary wolf at all. It looked to be made of wood, it was giant, its eyes glowing and misty with the color of green. A light green. It took a step forward, snarling the while.

"Minuette.... run.... run and don't look back!" I yelled, taking the initiative and throwing the flare at the monster. It recoiled from the bright light. The perceived threat of fire. While it was busy, I scurried for my rifle and catching a glimpse of Minuette fleeing down the trail, unbeknownst to the monster. I heard a roar and turned to see the beast charge at me. I leveled my rifle on the beast, keeping my breathing steady. It was putting one big wooden paw in front of the other, advancing towards me.

"Get back!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. The beast did not halt its advance. Big fucking surprise.

"I said get back!" I yelled once more, firing a burst at the wolf. It backed up from the sudden flash and (I hope) pain, judging from the wood splintering off. It growled and stared deeply at me in anger.

Hey! I believe had convinced it to keep some distance. Seriously! Haha!

"AWOOOOOO" It howled with much stentorian. It was ear-piercing, but I refused to drop my rifle so I could cover my ears.

I steadied my aim on the wolf and steadied my breathing as best as I could. The thing kept its distance, but was close enough that I needed five steps before I was in arms reach. It was watching me. Seemingly studying me. Minutes passed as we both watched one-another. I it, it me. I watched for any movement, but it seemed to remain in its defensive posture. My posture refused to falter as well, with me keeping my sights lined up with its head... Though, with the lack of blood this creature had, I doubt that any bullets to the head would end its life. As I sat there watching the beast, a thought occurred.

If too many factors favor the prey, a lone wolf will wait for the rest of its pack.

The realization hit me, and with a few thoughts, I decided a preemptive strike might be in order. I looked into the beasts glaring eyes with a glimmer of pique, lowering my rifle slightly. I started having second thoughts at this.

This is not an Insurgent. Hell, its not even fucking human! This is not like conventional warfare. I shoot this thing, which is larger than me, then I might die.

....

No. This is all a dream... Ill be fine... Besides, I don't feel like testing out the die-in-your-dreams-die-for-real myth.

I raised my rifle back up to eye level, my vision lurching down the sights of my rifle. Aimed right at its head. And slowly, ever so slowly, I pulled the trigger. In an instant, the once quiet situation was interrupted, and destroyed, by gunfire. I let loose a hail of bullets on the beast hoping that I would put it down before its friends arriv-

Gagh!

I hit the ground hard, my head landing first. My vision went to black for a second before it returned and showed me what had happened. The beast... The timber wolf... had pounced and pinned me. It was growling at me, looking down at me. It had its prey right where it wanted. Fuck that! I'm no ones meal! I raised my rifle (which was still in my hands) and fired it upwards on the wolf. The bullets teared through its neck, but it did not stop the beast. It barked in anger and raised its claws befor-

Sonamotherfucker!

It had brought its claws down on my in a swift motion, slicing through my body armor and tearing the uniform underneath. My flesh itself was diced and I could feel a warm and sticky sensation gushing over my skin. I tried to resist the wolf, but my strength did not match its own, and it teared at me again. Slicing more wounds into my skin, and shredding my uniform. I could feel my blood gushing down my stomach and chest... I could see it through my uniform. Staining it.

God... The pain!!! You-fuck- You shoul- cant feel this much pain in a dream! Fuck! Agggh!

The beast grabbed me in its mouth before tossing me aside. I landed hard, screaming and yelling in pain and terror all the while. It barked and pounced on me again. Ripping at my flesh and bloody uniform. I could no longer feel my helmet on my head. The pain.... God! Unimaginable! It kicked and bit and clawed and scratched! And all I did was thrash, wail, and resist as best I could. None of it worked. None of it convinced the monster to stop.

But, with one final scratch, it stopped its relentless assault and stared deeply into my eyes. Challenging me for more. I could see the marks where the bullets had impacted with its wood skull. I could feel warmth all over my body. There was pain everywhere. If I moved a limb. Pain. Opened my jaw? Pain. Moved a muscle?

Pain. Deep, scorching, hellish, pain. Pain I could not put into words perfectly. There was no fucking way to describe the shit I felt. NO FUCKING WAY!

I had claw marks all over me. Its claws? All bloody. There was blood in its maw. And I was covered in said blood. I must've looked tasty to it. In the end, I felt like I was going to die. I wanted no more. I wanted to not feel pain anymore. It was all excruciating. I could not bear it! My vision began to blur, as I was losing blood all to fast. Though, if he slashed an artery, i'd be dead at this point so I must've "lucky" to not have died yet. But I felt death was inevitable at this point. But, with one quick thought, I decided to take him with me. I had no grenades, not on me at any rate, but what I did have was a pistol.

With a quick motion I drew it, and quickly shoved it into the glowing green eye before it could react and pulled the trigger so many times I couldn't even count. The beast growled in pain and pulled back as I continued to pull the trigger. Even when the pistol was no longer in its eye, it continued to fire bullets but soon ran dry. I continued to pull the trigger in my terrorized and shocked state. Its right glowing eye no longer glowed. It was dark, unlike its undamaged left eye.

*CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK*

I still continued, even after the beast got off of me. I was scared. Eventually, I quit and dropped the sidearm and stared wide-eyed and the hunter in front of me. I was sure I was finished, but I was surprised at what happened next. The monster turned and slinked away into the dense foliage. Limping was more like it actually. And soon, I was left alone in the dark. The fire was dimming, and my flare had died while I was being mauled. My rifle laid by the fire and my Beretta by my legs. My bloody, bloody legs. Slowly, and painfully, I lifted an arm up and placed my hand on my chest, where I could feel the most warmth. My retracted it and looked at it in the dim light.

Red. Blood. I gulped in fear as the revelation came upon me hard and fast. All the pain I suffer, the blood pooling from my open wounds. Why a pinch wouldn't wake me up... I'm not in a coma. This is real life.

"Oh shit." I murmured to no one in particular.

I looked over to my rifle and reached for it, but all that did was solicate a yelp of pain from me causing me to retract my arm back to my chest in a foolish attempt to put pressure on my wounds. How I was not dead was a miracle in its own right. I looked around for my helmet, but I couldn't see it amongst the grass, dirt, blood and cloth. My breathing was heavy, so heavy it was all I could hear. I attempted to steady it but it didn't work. I could feel no calmness inside me. I felt panic. Fear. Stuff I shouldn't be feeling. I mean, they say that fear is a logical and rational response to actual danger but you should never show fear to the enemy. They can perceive it as weakness. But... ehm.

My vision, which was now a blur, was getting worse. I could only see shapes now. And soon, the urge to sleep came upon me. To pass out and enjoy a nice and comforting nap as I die. I tried for a good few seconds to stay awake, but to avail. My head slumped over and laid on its side, and I slowly dozed off -- bleeding out.

Through this though, I swear I heard someone say "Its over here!"

<><><>

"What is it?"

"I don't know. But its name is Sergeant Crouse."

"What kind of name is that?"

*grunt*

"I don't know. But... it... it stood up to a timber wolf to allow me to run away. It can't be evil, not like what lives in the Everfree."

"Well. It seems badly hurt. So many cuts... all the blood.... But, I've dealt with stuff lik-err-- similiar to this before. So...well.... I can probably help it but, i'm not too sure. I've never seen a creature like this before."

"Well... can, uhh, can Harry pick it up?"

"Well, I didn't just bring him to help ward off the wolves.

"Alright, well. We cant leave this or that pack. He seems attached to the pack and this seems to be a weapon of some kind. According to Sergeant."

"It talks?"

"Yes. Fluent English."

"Alright... How exciting! Hehe. Well, lets get it out of here. Harry, be a dear and pick it up. Be careful though, it is hurt bad."

*grunt*

"Ill gather its things."

<><><>

My eyes opened, and a wave of light burned my eyes. Not too much to solicit a groan but enough for a squint. It seemed the light was coming from a nearby window. But that didn't concern me. What really concerned me was my location. I dared not move a muscle, as soon a wave of pain crashed over me. This actually earned a painful groan, but I still refused to move. Every muscle hurt. Those that didn't hurt like a motherfucker was sore like a motherfucker. My eyes searched my body. I was no longer wearing my BDU, and was completely nude. Someone had stripped me in my coma state. Gauze and bandages covered my nude form. A dark red being a main feature on most of it.

"Where the fu-"

Nearby in the room, a door opened. Though I could not see this door, which in turn mean't I could not see who had opened it.

"Sounds like somepony is awake." A feminine voice had said. I dared not move my head as I didn't want another wave of pain. My captor came into my peripheral, but I couldn't see her clearly. My training kicked in.

"Sergeant Daniel Lemmings Crouse. Service Number 28101 Born June 25th, 1975. Born at Albion, Washington, United States of America."

"W-w-what?" She responded. I could see her back away out of my peripheral.

"Sergeant Daniel Lemmings Crouse. Service Number 28101 Born June 25th, 1975. Born at Albion, Washington, United States of America." I stated once again through gritted teeth. Whenever I moved a muscle, I felt pain and soreness. But it was necessary. Part of the US Military Code of Conduct required me to give that information. Nothing more. It would be high treason to answer any further questions.

"Umm.. O-ok, err, Sergeant. How are you feeling?"

"Sergeant Danie-"

"Oh no no no no. No need to repeat that, whatever it means, I heard you the first time. I just wanna know if your OK. If you need another pillow or.. something." She said. I remained silent.

"Ummm. Ehehe.. Well, Ill be back with something to drink. Do you like tea?" What an odd interrogation.... maybe they are just trying to get on my good side.

Remain silent, Crouse.

I didn't reply to her question, but instead elected to stare at the ceiling. I could no longer see my captor, but I could hear her voice. It sounded very timid, now that I think about it. But calming as well. And despite the timid vibe i'm getting from her I still feel like she is comfortable around me. Calm, if you will. She coughed in an attempt to get my attention, but my eyes remained forward. As if captivated by something on the ceiling she did not notice.

"Well... OK. Ill be back later to check on your progress." She said. I heard footsteps before a door had closed. Despite the pain I would have suffered, I turned my head towards the door. It was made of wood (now that I mention it, this house looked to be made of wood. Which was an uncommon thing here in Afghanistan.), but it was shut. No traces of my captor. Another part of the Code of Conduct flooded my mind.

I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape.

I had to escape. I would not allow the enemy the satisfaction of torturing me, nor could I handle it. I feel broken all over. I feel like....fucking shit. Slowly, I moved my arms and got pain as a greeting from this sudden movement (sudden for my arms. Who knows how long they have been in place.), but it did not deter me. I had to get up. When I got a feel for my movement, I slowly rose to my feet. Groaning softly in pain as I did not want to alert my captors of my activity. When I was upright, I looked around more, ignoring the pain I was receiving from standing up and otherwise moving. Around me, it seemed to be a bathroom. Large enough for me to lay down in, but it was also small enough to where my head was grazing the ceiling. Medical supplies layer scattered on the counter, and the medical cabinet was left open. The toilet was a small thing. So small that I guess if I sat on it, I would probably break it. The tub looked big enough for me to stand in, but not sit nor lay down in.

When I was finished scanning the room, my eyes landed on the door. About ten feet away. My BDU was not in here, nor was my pack or my gun. Which meant I had to go commando until I found something to wear. No weapons also mean't I had to rely on my hand-to-hand training if I met opposition. I wasn't to worried about that, but then again one chop to balls and I might down for the count. Or, god forbid, a fucking bullet to the dick.

I slowly moved my legs, trying to get a feel for them. It hurt. Like Hell. But I had to ignore the pain and move. My captor could return any moment and I had to get moving. One foot in front of the other. I reached the door, what would normally take a few seconds took about a minute or so as I shuffled the whole way. The door was smaller than me. To small for me to just walk through, no, I had to bend over to get through. I put my hand on the knob but stopped myself, and slowly withdrew it. I knelt and put my ear to the door. Nothing. No sound.

I stayed in my kneeling position and opened the door slowly. Making sure not to make a sound. I opened the door slightly, and scanned what I could see. Just a hallway. A door or two but nothing worthy of note. Still made of wood and the rugs made of... I guess fur? I don't fucking know. I then opened the door all the way to reveal the rest of the hallway. Still nothing noteworthy. After deciding the coast was clear I proceeded out of the bathroom and slowly shut the door behind me. I should check the rest of the rooms. Cunningham, Kelley, Ray, and the others might be here. If their lucky, they are not. And I just don't mean if they weren't captured. Trust me, I've heard stories and you'd rather be dead than face Taliban torture.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I walked in a crouch. Careful not to make noise and also careful to not allow any creaking from the wood. When I arrived at the door, I put my ear to it. Nothing. Silence. I silently prayed that my comrades or my BDU and supplies, or both, were in there. I then put my hand on the doorknob and slowly opened it until I could see the full interior. What was inside was...strange to say the least. There was a bed, an armoire, a bench and other miscellaneous items that didn't particularly catch my attention. What did captivate my attention was the pictures on the dresser. They were colorful. Come to think of it, everything looked colorful. Happy, I might say. I slowly crept into the room and shut the door behind me, careful as always to not make a sound. No sign of my compatriots but I did see my rifle on my captors bed. But before I went to equip myself I staggered quietly to the pictures, keeping my painful groans to a silent whisper.

"What the fuck." I murmured. It was more of a statement than a question.

The pictures were of a yellow horse with...wings? A... Pegasus? What? Most of them were of this horse standing next to a bunny. A little white thing that did not at all look happy. In fact, it looked downright pissed. But the horse didn't seem to register that. I backed away from the pictures in a fright as I faintly remember dreaming about a colorful world... mythical horses.... and a mythical land called Equestria... oh god.

I stammered to the window as best I could and slightly pulled the edge of the curtains to allow me vision of the exterior of the building. What I saw shocked me. As what I did see was... beautiful grassy plains and hills, a stream with fish swimming about. A bridge going over said stream and....

A fucking yellow Pegasus with butterflies on its ass tending to a garden.

I could hardly believe my eyes. This was not Afghanistan... No, no way. This.. this -- I looked down at my wounds, the realization kneeing my in the nuts again -- This was real. I turned to my rifle and quickly grabbed it, checking the ammo to see that there was half a clip left in it. My pistol lay next to it, but was empty, no bullet in the chamber either. I looked around, eyeing the room for my BDU and my holster. Nothing. Suddenly, a thought came to me. I packed an extra pair of desert cammies before I... well... blew up. If I can find my pack, then at least I wont be running around with my dick slinging every which way as I run. I grabbed my rifle and left the pistol, determined to come back for it later.

I exited the bedroom, making sure to clear the hallways. I had limited to bullets so every shot had to count, at least until I got to my pack. Five extra magazines is something I also can't leave behind. I checked the other room, but all that was in there was another bed. A guest room, perhaps? I turned towards the stairs and started towards the stairs, staying light on my feet and ignoring all pain. I didn't exactly feel in my element, what with being naked, patched everywhere with gauze and bandages, and in a Pegasus's house, but training keeps you alive in these situations. As you have no idea what's going to happen. No idea.

I soon reached the bottom of the wooden stairs. Keeping on the alert, I scanned the room. It was a one-room downstairs. It seemed to house all the necessities for life. A kitchen, a living room (no TV. Just a tea set. Yes, with tea cups.), a few closets (I assume), a front door, and other things not worthy of note. What I did notice, however, was a pack sitting on a couch. A pack that looked to be the very same I was looking for. I advanced to it, continuing to scan for unknowns. It was pretty quiet. I reached my pack, and set down my rifle, unzipping the main compartment of it and digging around in it. Everything seemed to be here, my chocolate, my rations, my MP3, clothes, ammo. Everything. I grabbed a few magazines and sat them next to my rifle, grinning the while. Then I found what I was really looking for. A change of clothes. I mean, don't get me wrong. Being in your birthday suit is fun and all but when your getting shot at, would you rather rely on your skin to protect your precious flesh and manhood? Or a Kevlar? I didn't see my helmet, but one problem at a time. I took out the pants and looked around for my boxers and decided instead to put those on first. As I was getting ready to slip the boxers up my legs, however, the door behind me opened.

Instinctively, I dropped my boxers and grabbed my rifle before doing a one-eighty, aimed and ready to fire. Ready to kill...

Author's Note

Military Code of Conduct

I
I am an American, fighting in the forces which guard my country and our way of life. I am prepared to give my life in their defense.

II
I will never surrender of my own free will. If in command, I will never surrender the members of my command while they still have the means to resist.

III
If I am captured I will continue to resist by all means available. I will make every effort to escape and aid others to escape. I will accept neither parole nor special favors from the enemy.

IV
If I become a prisoner of war, I will keep faith with my fellow prisoners. I will give no information or take part in any action which might be harmful to my comrades. If I am senior, I will take command. If not, I will obey the lawful orders of those appointed over me and will back them up in every way.

V
When questioned, should I become a prisoner of war, I am required to give name, rank, service number and date of birth. I will evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. I will make no oral or written statements disloyal to my country and its allies or harmful to their cause.

VI
I will never forget that I am an American, fighting for freedom, responsible for my actions, and dedicated to the principles which made my country free. I will trust in my God and in the United States of America.

EDIT 12/3/16: A friend seemed to have problem with a sentence or two and I thought about it for a bit, and decided to be more clear with the "Fear is a weakness." and changed it to "Never show fear in front of the enemy. They will perceive it as a weakness.".

EDIT 12/18/2016: I would've tagged gore, but there isn't enough to constitute the Gore tag.

Chapter 6: Fluttershy

Fluttershy

Its like one of those old war movies. The soldier is in a war torn city that is also the battlefield between his forces and the enemy, he enters an old and destroyed building and investigates the first room, only to find a picture of the previous occupants. The husband, wife, child and/or baby, immortalized in photo. Then he hears a noise behind him, and drops the picture, whipping around and almost kills the source only to find that it was his squad-mate checking on him.

The only differences between this scenario and that was: This was not World War 2, none of my squad-mates were at the door, I was naked and was not holding a photo, rather a pair of boxers, and my intruder was not human. But instead a Pegasus half my size. Was this a shock to me? Yeah. How big of a shock? Well, i'd be lying if I said not by much. I mean, I brushed off the unicorn as a dream earlier and I still feel a bit dazed. I'm in pain, and I felt drained of energy.

I stared down at the Pegasus, and she (it had the same body structure as the unicorn and had a feminine voice. I was ninety-nine percent sure it was a she.) returned my look. But, hers was a look of fear, while mine was a look of readiness. Seconds passed as we stared at each others. Truth be told, I should've calmed down after realizing who, and what, it was but... well.... I felt naked (figuratively, despite actually being naked), I felt like I was in unfamiliar territory. I mean, not because its a wood house. My parents and I, when I was young, lived in a cabin out in the woods for a good bit, so its not the wood. I guess its mostly because of the transition from desert to grass, and dream-state to real life.

Either way, the pony looked fearful. And it was understandable, after all. I would be fearful if I encountered a creature that, supposedly, is unknown to me and its waving a weapon in my face. When a Marine is pissed at you, then you made a deadly enemy. But, in a small way, I saw that she was slowly calming herself. Her breathing was more regulated than it was when she entered as she had gasped when she saw me up and about -- probably wondering how a creature in my condition is moving, or because a potential feral predator is loose in her house and she has no means to defend herself. Finally, after a few moments, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Uhm... Well, uh-uh h-hello there Mister... I-I-I-I assume, your a mister, of course! Judging from your uhh, your...p-penis..." She said, with the last part under her breath. "But uhhh... Hello, Mister Sergeant. I-I see your up and about now, ehehehe. I, uhh, thought that, well, with the extent of your wounds and... well.. I-I thought you wouldn't be up for a few weeks at most. But, this is... well... this is a nice surprise. Hah. So, errr, how are you feeling?" She said, breaking out of her fearful gaze and strolling towards me. Slowly. She had a slight blush when she mentioned my dick but it went away after she got to the "Sergeant" part. To be honest, I was sorta surprised but now that I know the dream last night was real ( you don't dream that kind of pain. You can feel pain in dreams, but never in that level of pain. I'd be lying as well if I said I wouldn't have nightmares for days to come). I lowered my rifle as she approached.

"Uhhh..." Is all I mustered out. She looked up at me with a cocked head.

"What's wrong? Minuette, she, uhh, said you could speak."

"I-I can. Its just... Who are you?" I assume that's the correct thing to say.

"Oh! How wonderful, you can speak! I mean, I already knew that after you spoke to me earlier in the bathroom, but I kinda started thinking that's all you knew." She said smiling. It was kinda of a cute smile, if i'm being honest. "Well, since you asked. I'm Fluttershy. Uhh, nice to, err, formally meet you Sergeant." She said. I half-expected her to hold a hoof out to shake my hand but she did not. I assume its sorta of an alien thing in this world, or maybe it didn't apply here. Either way, I smiled back, throwing aside my rifle and watched as it landed on the couch behind me. She looked at it, confused. But she didn't press the matter on what it is. Instead, she looked up at me, avoiding letting her eyes even land upon my manhood. Hehe, I couldn't help but laugh mentally at that. I took a knee as to avoid keeping it in her face, but I was met with intense pain. I ignored it. As with Minuette, she was at waist level and it wouldn't be proper to make her look at my dick while looking up at me. She backed away at my movement, tensed.

"Its OK, its OK. I'm not gonna hurt you." I said, with a calming voice. Of course, I couldn't exactly tell if she was calm or not. She didn't ease up any, or if she did then I did not notice it. "Look, i'm... I don't know where I am right now. Or how long its been since, uh, since this." I said, gesturing to my wounds. "If you could tell me exactly where I am, and how long its been then I'd be in dept." I said. I gave her my best smile, the kind of smile you would give your friends. Its really the only smile I could give, as being away in war hardened me. I really had no warm smile, like a smile you would give a baby. It was gone. Fluttershy eased up with my words and my smile, visibly too.

"Well...My name is Fluttershy, and your in my home. I mean, my home is your home, of course! But, technically it is my home. And its been at least three days since your wounding. But, no worries. I've worked with animals ever since I left Cloudsdale and I delt with things similar to what you had so I knew what I was doing. You might still feel pain for a few days and sore for a few weeks after, but you'll be alright if you don't put too much strain on your muscles." She said. Cloudsdale?

One thing at a time, Crouse. Thank her and press her more. Ask for other things later, your survival is top priority.

"I certainly thought, with the extent of your wounds, that you would not walk for a while. But, whatever you are, your kind must have great strength to walk after all that." She added.

"Yeah... Well, thanks.. I guess. I owe you my life, but I still am unfamiliar with my surroundings. Where exactly am I? What nation, I mean? The United States?" I asked. I honestly wanted to know where I was. Minuette called this place "Equestria" and... well confirmation is always a good thing.

"The United States? What's that? Oh no, dear no this is Equestria. Where else would you be?" She asked.

"Home." I mumbled under my breath. If she noticed any despair that I was feeling at her answer, she did not say a word. Instead, she looked back at the door, before back at me.

"Well, I would love to stay, Mister Sergeant, but I have to finish what I was doing outside or my daisies will die. I only came inside to check on your tea. I left it brewing, but it seems that it is not yet ready. But, if you can walk, maybe you would like to help me?" She asked. Was she really oblivious to my feelings right now? Or can she not sense them?

"Equestria, you said?"

"Yes. Equestria." She affirmed. I huffed in response, thinking on this. That is what Minuette said. I thought back to her supposed help with my wounds and decided helping her would allow me to ask her more questions, but I hurt reeeeeaaaalllly bad right now.... On the other hand, I haven't been outside in three days. I could also ask about Minuette and where she is.

"Yeah, Ill help you." I said, standing up. She averted her eyes, but looked happy none-the-less.

"Thank you. If your OK to walk, I mean.. But, if-if-if your OK. Then lets go." She said, turning and starting for the door. I stopped her.

"Hold on. Let me get dressed."

"What do you mean?" She said, stopping to look at me with a hint of confusion.

"Uhm... Uhhh, well. With my kind, its not decent to walk around with your, errr, thing hanging out." I said, deciding not to use a word she may feel uncomfortable with. It might be funny with her embarrassment when mentioning it or looking at it, but I'm sensitive to it. Kinda reminds me back to basic. I was fine getting naked in front of other guys, but most of the other recruits weren't like that. I can't tell you how many times I had to encourage the recruits, make them feel like it was normal (it was normal in the military, but we were recruits in basic. It felt alien to them) and eventually they were comfortable with it. The COs liked how I took charge with that situation and gave me a commendation. Not a medal, just praise for my leadership.... I digress so much. "Just, let me get my extremities covered and Ill join you." I said, she gave an affirmed nod and left me alone with my clothes. I looked back out the door to see she forgot to close it.

But that might be for the best.

<><><>

I stepped out the door, my boots, while damaged, was not as damaged as my BDU. My backup BDU only lacked the body armor, but still retained my ranks. I was not wearing my helmet (couldn't find it), my blouse or my tan t-shirt. The reason behind the latter was that I seemed to not have packed a backup. I guess I assumed I was going to be fine in that market but I was wrong. So all I was wearing was my boots, back-up trousers and belt, and my blousing garters cuffing the bottom of the legs of my trousers. I thought it would be hot out, as I forgot what the weather was like before I got mauled, but I was wrong. It was cool. The sight of green instead of tan greeted me with confusion. I was of course really confused by all of this, but I long ago decided to stop worrying about life and go with the flow.

The reason I was so calm about all this is because I have high hopes that finding my way home will be as simple as turning a TV on.

My wounds still hurt, but Fluttershy popped in while I was dressing and told me to get some morphine for my wounds should I need it. Of course, the pain was tremendous. But my adrenaline was still kicked in and I decided to use morphine regardless. So the pain isn't as bad but I still know its there. I looked over, my eyes scanning for Fluttershy. I spotted her not far from the house, tending to her garden. I started towards her, but a little bunny approached me. I looked down at it and remembered that it was the same one I saw in the pictures. It didn't seem to recognize me, nor did it seem happy to see me. It gave me a glare (I shit you not. It actually glared at me. It made an angry face at me. Almost human-like). I bent down, ignoring the small stabs of pain.

"Hey there, fella." I said, reaching to pet it. Its face turned to fear and scampered away from me towards Fluttershy. Typical. When the bunny reached Fluttershy, it tugged on her tail. She turned to see what was going on, but saw me and knew instantly why the rabbit was bothering her. She smiled.

"Hey Sergeant. What took you so long?" She said. The rabbit gave a look of confusion, glancing at me.

"I told you. I had to dress." I said, approaching her. The rabbit backed up, but Fluttershy reassured it.

By speaking to it.

"Its OK Angel, its just Sergeant. He is a... guest? Yeah, a guest. He is a guest." She said. I gave a look of doubt.

"Does it even understand you?" I asked, scoffing.

"Of course Angel understands me. Why wouldn't he?" She asked, glancing at my choice of attire but not questioning it. I mentally rolled my eyes before kneeling next to her. Angel scurried away from me, opting to keep a good distance away from me. I ignored this and decided to focus on helping Fluttershy. "Well, i'm glad your gonna help me. I could use some strong paws to carry some mulch and help me take care of my flower. Winters coming, and I gotta make sure the flowers are healthy before the snow. Or else they wont survive. Harry's out grazing, so that's why I asked you." She said sheepishly. Who is Harry?

"Harry?"

"Oh right! Harry. He is a good friend of mine, i'm sure you'll love him." She said, I grunted in response. I didn't really care to meet another animal right now. Animals is what almost killed me. I spent the better part of the day moving things. Mulch, fertilizer, pots and water the occasional plant. The tea was ready by, what, five? I'm not even sure what time, but sometime before dusk. Fluttershy claimed it took so long because it was imported tea from a place called "Griffonstone" (Note to self: Press her for information on Griffonstone) and it takes a while to brew to perfection, to where the taste is better than sunflower tea (The fuck?). Occasionally, my gauze would need to be replaced, as it turned out that I was still bleeding. And my bandages to be re-wrapped around said gauze. Fluttershy said it would be like this for awhile. Possibly weeks.

Every now and again I would ask her a question, such as "What is Equestria?" or "How did you carry me here?" and she would respond with "Equestria is my home. Your home too, if i'm sure." and "Harry carried you. He is such a sweetheart.". I would ask who Harry was (he sounded human) but she did say earlier that he was grazing in a field somewhere, and judging from my knowledge that humans don't bend over and eat like a cow or a deer, I determined he was not human, but perhaps another sentient and possibly intelligent creature like Fluttershy or Minuette. I actually wanted to meet him and shake his han-paw. Hoof?

We talked over tea, and she never did question my origins as she must've assumed I was a rare creature native to the Everfree. She also warned me of the horrors of that forest, as she also assumed I knew not of them. That few dare enter, and those that do never return. She told me of the dangers that lurk constantly in the forest, and at night, the danger spreads to the outskirts. She then asked how I survived in there to grow tall, but I never did answer that question as I had no answer. Right after that she told me of a town nearby called "Ponyville", which was built originally as a small community of farmers. But soon became prosperous due to the fertile soil. It was all very fascinating, to the say the least. Despite being all...unknowledgeable about this place. I wanted to know more, but she told me that's all she knew. She told me that if I wanted to know more, then I should go visit the local librarian. But of course, that's outta the question. I already know how ponies would react to my presence (think back to Minuette and her initial reaction), and she was female (what were they called? Mares, I think.) ! I got lucky with Fluttershy, because she, in her own words, is an animal lover and therefore not too afraid of me. But, think of how others would treat me? Especially a male!

My legs would regret it.

Soon, I asked her how much she knew about me. My kind. Not too surprising, she said "Not that much. I don't even know what you are.". I told her what I was, and she seemed happy to know. But she still backed up her original statement by saying "Still don't know. Are there others of your kind?" and I would reply with a "I don't know anymore.". Of course, deep down. I knew the answer was truly no. But I refused to accept that. I didn't want to believe I was the only one. But I doubt there were others. If there were, I would've seen them. I mean, i'm not native here. Whatever brought me here, it brought me and me alone. Of course, I had no intention to tell Minuette or Fluttershy that I had come from another world....yet.

It was getting late, and our garden work finished hours ago. Fluttershy decided to show me to my room, and bid me goodnight.

<><><>

I stared at the floor boards, my mind racing. It was dark out, and Fluttershy was fast asleep. Angel was with her. Minuette had not come to say hi, but that might be for the best. Fluttershy had provided me a bed and a room, but it was still small. Standing made my head graze the ceiling, and when I sat down my head was halfway to the ceiling. The bed was big enough for me, but my legs would hang off the end if I lie down. I hate it when friends see me in a state like this. My cheeks were wet, as tears had fallen.

Another tear streamed from my eye as a thought that plagued my mind came back to me. A thought that I was scared of, but a thought that is undeniably true. Fluttershy had said that I am the first human she has seen, and said I closely resemble the monkeys that inhabit the Undiscovered West. According to her, expeditions sent there came back and had knowledge about apes and monkeys, but not humans. After being told this, I had suffered a fear that isn't like the fear of being mauled, or shot. Its a fear you could feel if you felt alone. Endangered. The fear went away after she said "apes" because I believed maybe there were more humans, but then she said that they had no reports of hairless apes. I asked her how she knew this, and she said she was present when the expedition returned. The realization hit me hard. I mean, how would you feel if you were told you were probably the only human in existence in this world? No reproduction capabilities, no fellow humans, just you. Your memories, and your tokens of a world passed. You would feel how I felt. Alone. But only, not only did I feel solus.

I was alone.

Author's Note

While I was writing this chapter, the Live Reader Count thingy showed that I was not the only one viewing this chapter before it was even published, and I gave no one a link or a password to get on this chapter.

Any explanation would be great.

I think it may be a site admin or something.

Chapter 7: Days Forward

Days Forward

They say that having friends means you are not alone. They say making friends means you have people to watch your back, people to look out for you, people to side with you, and to be with you in your darkest moments and to shelter you when you need it. To congratulate you on your triumphs and to hold your hand when your broken. Did I ever have friends that did half that shit? Sorta. But now? No. No I do not. I am alone.

It has been days since my arrival, my mauling and my awakening, and Fluttershy has been a courteous host. Despite being... an animal. To be honest, this whole situation was weird and I would be lying if I said I didn't panic every second, but I don't know. It feels weird, but everything looked happy. And to be honest, I felt a little content. I didn't feel like I belonged, but I felt content.

Snow had started to fall a few days ago and I've been helping Fluttershy ready for it. She had always been trying to put my help off, give me an excuse and whatnot just so I could relax but I knew what she was really trying to do. She knew I felt like shit. She knew I was in pain with every muscle I moved, and she knew I didn't care. She wanted me to take it easy, even though I kept telling her that pain was weakness leaving the body, she denied that analogy of it. Saying that pain is a natural response to wounds such as mine. She had always given in so I could help her, but always told me to becareful so I don't rupture something but nothing has happened yet, so I assume I'm good.

Fluttershy has been trying to keep my presence a secret, at my request of course. When townsponies came over to ask for help with their animals or to check to see if Fluttershy was alright (I had overheard conversations, they stated they heard loud noises coming from the direction of her house in the days past). I would hide in my room and wait for them to leave.

I have not met Harry yet. I inquired as to why, but Fluttershy had answered with stuff such as "He sometimes wanders far." or "His grazing range extends all the way to the mountains.". I had no idea what the hell she mean't, but frankly, I didn't give a damn as I had bigger concerns. Due to my injuries, I couldn't stray far from the cottage. So, as a personal favor, I asked Fluttershy if she could go look for my comrades. That was hours ago, and she should be back soon. She asked me what they would look like, but I gave a blank stare and she realized they would look like me. I told her of the small clearing that I woke up in and she was delighted to go, actually. Stating that she would be happy to help. I would think it to be weird, but then again, I seem to be an animal to her. And she is an animal pers-eh... pony.

Still not used to saying that.

Minuette has not come to visit yet. Of course, Fluttershy had told her I'd be out for a while. But that was when I was out. So, its likely I will not see her for a few more days. Whether that be good or bad, I had no idea. Guessin' that it would be bad, considering I wouldn't mind talking to someone who isn't stuttering all the time or keeping her voice low constantly.

My BDU is ruined. The Kevlar destroyed. My pack and weapons remained intact however, so that's a plus. Fluttershy attempted to repair my BDU but it wouldn't work. It was too shredded so now I'm stuck with my desert cammies and PT gear for the duration of my time in this cottage. Luckily, Fluttershy has a shower, and allowed me to use it whenever I pleased. She didn't know about human hygiene until I explained it to her, so that's a plus. On the bad side, I investigated it and found that it is about 3/4ths my height. Meaning my head and shoulders will stick out while I wash. And I wouldn't be able to simply bathe either, as her tub is too small for me to fit in.

Her bunny, Angel, doesn't like me. He kicks my foot often and tend to glare at me, though I have no idea why... Just a side note.

Sooo, yeah... That's all I gotta say on this matter. Just a heads-up on what's going on.

Crouse. Quit mentally narrating your own life. Not normal.

I sat there, in her living room, listening to some nice country music. There wasn't much to do in this cottage, no TV, no pool table. Nothing. Just books, but nothing I was interested in. Honestly, I had no idea how Fluttershy had not gone nuts of boredom in this place. I would've. But then again, she had probably lived here most of her life. A nice little cottage just outta range of danger, but alone in nature, wherein her livelihood exists. This is her life, not mine. No, mined involved shooting things, and hers involved taking care of animals.

Again, this all seems a bit boring. But then again, to me, this is sorta alien. If you ask me, this whole world seems too colorful and happy that there must be a downside besides timber wolves and mean bunnies.

Time had passed quickly as I went through my music. It was still morning, but she left at an hour after sunrise. So early morning is when she left. I had hope, but not much. She said she knew the area really well and if she found anything like me, then she would bring them back. The reason I didn't hold out too much hope is that... well... if there were any others, then wouldn't they have been in the same clearing as me? I mean, of all land in this world, why was I put there? A clearing, in the woods full of dangerous monsters, at dusk. Why?

Minutes later, the door opened, and I looked at it. A mare had walked in, with a yellow, butterfly decorated, beanie and a scarf. I easily recognized her when she turned to face me. She had a slight smile, as it were. Possibly due to my presence. We had become friends over the past few days, despite her nagging on my health. But I knew the smile indicated she had not found another.

"So?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Welp... I had expected as much." I said, taking my earbuds out and wrapping them around my MP3. She closed the door and approached me.

"I'm sorry, Ser-"

"Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong. I had expected that you would return empty-handed but its nice to know. At least, I think its good to know, anyways." I said. "So, thanks Fluttershy. You didn't have to do it, but thanks." I said, smiling at her.

On the inside, I was actually devastated. I knew that she would return with no one, but I still had some hope. All dashed now, though. Her return proved that I was indeed alone. Unlike her. She had other ponies, but I had no other humans.

Alone. A concept many fear. Including me.

I was of course, happy to have a friend such as Fluttershy. I had thanked her for saving my life, but she told me to thank Minuette. For it was her who brought Fluttershy before I perished. Of course, I would thank Minuette once she decided to come around. But for now I would have to remain content with thanking Fluttershy as she was the one who patched me up. She has a good supply of Morphine, too. She gives me a dose of it at least once everyday to numb any and all pain in the injured areas. Gotta tell ya, I barely feel the pain now. Just gotta becareful not to overdose.

"Well.. I- I'm sorry, nonetheless."

"I believe you. But you don't have to be sorry." I affirmed. She smiled, and I smiled back. Suddenly, my stomach growled and I felt a pang of hunger. I had not eaten much since I arrived. A chocolate bar and the rest of my rations. That's it. Trust me when I say those things aren't that filling. And some aren't appealing... looking at you hot sauce and crackers.

"Hey, Fluttershy. Any chance you could, I dunno, make breakfast? I'm pretty hungry." I asked. It felt weird asking. I was used to waking up and getting it from the mess, or if we were in the midst of battle, then I was used to opening a ration full of crackers or something. So fresh food that isn't cold by the time you get it or put in a bag or box or something would be refreshing. Fluttershy seemed to look at me with a confused look when I asked this.

"Uhhh.. OK, but... I don't know what your kind eats." She said. I chuckled.

"At this point in my life i'm not picky." I said.

<><><>

Carrots were tasty. A refresher from the rations, I guess. I was expecting more like eggs or something, but carrots are fine too. Because that's what she gave me. Angel wasn't all that excited to see me eating his carrots (according to Fluttershy, some were his) and would blow a raspberry at me whenever we were alone. But I would retaliate by snickering and giving him an evil smile. He hates me, hehehe.

She didn't have many carrots, but according to her, she could get more from town if she ran out so she let me enjoy myself. I should've stopped, but I couldn't. They were just so damn delicious! I tell you, I take carrots over rations any day..... That's not to say some rations aren't that good.

Fluttershy had left to finish tending her garden. The time it took to ready it for winter wasn't overly long. Four days at most. But I still never saw the point in it, they won't survive. Mark my words. At this point, she had no further use for my strength (still hurts when I lift things. So "strength" is strained.) as everything that needed movement has been moved. All she needs to do now is... something. I don't know.

With the last carrot finished, I tossed the empty bag over to the bunny. Smiling evilly. I then got up and walked over to the front door. I wasn't intent on sitting here, not doing anything. My MP3 is low on battery (shocker) and I see no outlets, nor do I have a charger. There is no TV, either. So, my options for fun isn't diverse. I'd rather just go outside and get some fresh air and attempt to help Fluttershy. But, I doubt there is anything I can do to help. No harm is trying, though.

I opened the door, to be met with the nice cool air that was the beginning of winter. I could still see small ammounts of snow falling, but not enough to be concerned with. It was a change from the warm heat of the cottage (insulation? No no no... something else.) And looked around. Same exterior. Small little bridge over a small little river. A tree overlooking the bridge. Flowers dotting the landscape, but most are dying off, say for the garden. It was there I saw Fluttershy, seemingly sprinkling something over it. What it was, I did not know. But did I care? No. Not in the slightest. I closed the door behind me and walked up to her, saying hi.

"Oh, hey Sergeant." She said, without looking at me. She seemed very focused on her work. I understand this, seeing as how winter seems to be fast approaching.

"Hey Fluttershy. Do you nee-"

"No, i'm good."

"Are you sure? Becau-"

"I'm sure, you've helped out enough. There is really nothing else you can do. Thank you for offering though!" She said, with a smile. I felt a little bummed a this, as I had nothing to do. But she was right, anything I could've done, I have done. She didn't turn me away because of my wounds, but simply because I had done everything that I could. Can't say I was happy to get that reply.

"Well, what do you suggest I do? I get bored easily and sitting around staring at the ceiling in your cottage is losing its appeal." Not that it had any in the first place. Fluttershy looked up at me, taking her focus off of her flowers. Seemingly in thought.

"Well." She started, hopefully with an answer. "I..maybe find a place and relax? Ill brew some tea later if you want." She said. Great. Sit down. Relax. Like I haven't been doing that.

I grumbled a response and turned back towards the cottage, but I stopped and looked back at her. Days ago, when I woke up, her garden was lacking. But now, it seems nearly complete. Its got dandelions and roses, violets and poppies. Sunflowers (they wont make it) and a few others that I can't name. Its surprising I even knew the names of the first few. Anyways, she did not look up at me and question why I remained, in fact I think she enjoyed the company. So, instead of going back to the cottage, I decided to sit down next to Fluttershy and watch her work. I sat down, my knees bent upwards and my arms wrapped around them. At first she looked at me, but must've known I just wanted to watch. She closed her eyes a smiled before returning to her work.

It was actually kinda interesting to see this. To see how a... I should say "horse", but horses are bigger and lack wings, but it was interesting seeing how a pony does a garden. I mean, sure i'm a Marine. Combat is my livelihood, and I don't know a lick about gardening, but it was interesting. Sure, you could watch a human tend a garden, but I wouldn't stick around to watch because it feels...normal? I guess. But watching a pony? That was alien. She had the trowel's grip in her mouth and dug with it. It was surprising to see the accuracy with it, and she didn't botch anything up. When a small hole was dug, or when a plant was dug up and put in another hole, she would add fertilizer from a small bag. Then she would mix it with other things, such as soil from a bag (artificial I assume.... Would- Is it possible to make artificial soil? See, its times like this that make me question my IQ.) or plant food.

Occasionally she would ask if something looked right, or if it needed more fertilizer. She would ask me if this plant should go here, or go there. And I would always reply with a "I don't know." Or "I guess.". Some time had passed since I sat down. It was starting to feel a little warmer as the sun came out, and if I had to guess, I would say its around noon. It was then a somewhat familiar voice broke my focus on the garden.

"Hey, look who's up!" That voice said. As if surprised. I turned to look, and saw that a Maya blue unicorn with a periwinkle mane was approaching. She was familiar. "Fluttershy said you wouldn't be walking for another week or so." She continued. Minuette. Now I remember. I smiled with recognition.

"Oh, hey Minuette. How are you?" Fluttershy asked, dropping the trowel in the soil she was tending. Whether she knew that she did this, or if it was on accident, I had no clue.

"I'm doing fine. Heading back to Canterlot in a couple days and decided to make one last check on our friend before I left." She said, before turning her head to look at me with a smile. "It seems it made a full recovery, though hasn't it?" She said.

"Oh my, yes. He woke up a few days ago and has been a good friend, helping me tend my garden and, of course, he also likes to be stubborn and hurt himself by doing it." She said, with a little angry-mom voice. Ugh.

"Yeah, but I didn't tear anything, Fluttershy." I replied, cocky.

"Yeah, well you got lucky. Next time, though, please take advice from a pony who knows medicine."

"Yeah, alright. I'll remember that next time I get mauled." I said with sarcasm being obvious in my voice. Fluttershy, judging on her expression, didn't appreciate it but decided to not argue. Which was good.

"Well... Fluttershy had said that you were the one who brought her to my aid. So, I guess thanks are in order. If it wasn't for you, then I would've bled out. I owe you." I said as I extended an arm towards Minuette. She looked at it in confusion but extended a hoof towards my hand. She seemed a little confused when I grasped it and shook, and I admit I may have gripped a little too hard, but such is the way of a handshake.... but in this case, I was shaking a hoof. So, maybe I could've eased up a bit. If it was too hard, she didn't say anything. When I retracted my hand, Minuette sat down next to me.

"Well, I couldn't just leave you there. I knew you stood no chance, ehahahaha." She laughed.

"Oh, gee. Thanks." I said in a monotone.

"Oh, i'm sorry. I-I didn't me-"

"Relax, i'm fucking with you." I said, chuckling afterwards. She seemed a bit relieved at that, my guess is that she wouldn't want to piss me off.

"So, how are you feeling? I mean, there is no way I could imagine anything walking off what you been through." She asked.

"If i'm being honest. I feel like shit. Fluttershy did her best, i'm sure. But my wounds burn, and my insides hurt if I do anything. If I lift something, my muscles begin to burn badly, like I was on fire, and the only thing making it bearable is the daily morphine dose." I replied as truthfully as possible. Pain is just weakness leaving the body, but that doesn't always make it endurable. Minuette scrunched her eyes, gritted her teeth and sucked in air before saying "Sorry to hear that. But at least your alive, right?".

We chatted for a while. Mostly about what had happened the past few days on my side. I told her of when I woke up, and of my almost shooting Fluttershy when I was gathering my gear the day I woke up. I told her how I haven't slept right since I woke up, and when she would ask why I would respond by gesturing at my surroundings. She still didn't seem to understand what I meant by that.

Then she talked for a while about how she was worrying for me, and would come to visit, only to see me bleeding out in the bathroom. She would then tell me how she lied to her friend about where she went and all that. It was a very uneventful discussion. Hell, at one point, Fluttershy left to go brew some tea, leaving me and Minuette alone outside. Though, through all of it, I felt a friend in her. I know, weird. Even though we weren't really friends. Or, at least that's how I saw it. Don't know how she saw it. For all I knew, she saw me as another beast.

I guess, in this world, Ponies are the norm, while I am a beast.....

Even more reason to keep my presence a secret.

Chapter 8: Minuette's Visit

Minuette's Visit

You ever had a sandwich made of dandelions? No? Good.

They sat around, drinking tea and eating on a nice little picnic blanket outside with a few sandwiches (I didn't partake of any as they were made of fucking dandelions, I also didn't partake of the the little tea party when they offered. Mostly because i'm not three. I'm also a guy.) and tea cups. My Ka-Bar knife was strapped to my thigh should I need to use it, be I highly doubted I would. I originally was going to use it to chop carrots, but soon realized I had none. I mostly just sat there and listened to Fluttershy and Minuette chat. They talked about current events and stuff, how the Grand Galloping Gala (whatever the hell that was) was coming up and how they were both invited. It seems that they were good friends, and had became friends long before I even showed up. They talked about this mutual friend named "Twilight Sparkle".

"You want me to talk to her?" Fluttershy's soft, calming voice had spoken. I swear, you could be down in the dumps with worst depression ever, and her voice would make you feel happy and calm again.

"No. Me and her have been distant friends since Junior High. I'm used to this behavior from her and I doubt she has forgotten me." Minuette had replied. She must have great patience, as distant friendships, in my experience anyways, never work out. "She never forgets."

This whole thing had continued for a while, long enough to where I was beginning to lose interest. At some point during their chatting I lost all focus and began to just let my mind wander. I was brought back probably minutes later by Minuettes voice. She was talking to me.

"So, Sergeant. Fluttershy had said you have been a great helper, despite your injuries. I have to ask, even though you have morphine in your system, is your kind always this resilient?" She asked. I turned and looked at her, with a smile.

"No." Was all I had to say. What I had spoken is true. While men and women of the human race do have a good tolerance of pain, it doesn't mean there are not a lotta drama queens or pussies. I had met my fair share of both. But Minuette did not push the matter on what she had asked, probably sensing that I really didn't have much to say. If I wanted to talk, then lets talk. But my answers and replies are my own.

They continued their conversation, occasionally mentioning me. I overhead Fluttershy talking about how Angel hated me with a passion and that she "...can't keep him around much longer, or a fight might break out. I can't have that.". At first, I assumed she was talking about Angel starting a fight with me, but her next choice of words slapped me in face for being wrong.

"Sergeant is a strong thing, indeed. And I worry for Angel's safety while he is around."

Of course, I naturally felt a little insulted, but I also understood what she meant. I was bigger and tougher than Angel by a wide margin. I almost stepped on him my second day here, and he takes every opportunity to try and trip me. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to punt the fucker as far as I could, but I didn't for the sake of my friendship with Fluttershy.

Were it not for that, Angel would be half a continent away, and still flying.

I mean it.

My mind began to wander again, tuning out the conversation halfway through.

"I just can't keep him aroun-"

My thoughts turned to Fluttershy and her wings. She had proven to me that should could indeed fly with them. Something I was amazed at. When she asked me if my kind could fly, I just simply told her "Kinda.". But for me? I was terrified of flying. I liked the water better. See, with flying, I get scared when i'm too far from the Earth. With swimming? At least I know i'm on the Earth. But, I digress. Fluttershy's wings proved useful to her in a wide variety of situations. Mostly, though, I've only seen it used in household tasks. She has been readying for Winter. She had preparing the bird houses in the top of her cottage -- Which is a tree, I might add. Should've noted that earlier, but I did not -- and the garden was finally completed today. In the next few days, she told me, she would go out and help prepare the animal burrows in and around the fields and clearings that surround the nearby town and her cottage.

Look at you! Friends with a Pegasus. And you have been here what? Five? Four days? If you told a story like this in your world, your buddies would call you crazy!

My thoughts then turned to Minuette. She was a nice Unicorn. Friendly and caring. I mean, I think she is caring seeing as how she didn't let me bleed out and came to check on me every few days while I was out. You kno-

"Oh hey, Harry! You're back, and guess who is awake!" I heard. I then smiled and turned my head to greet my final rescuer. But panic overtook my feelings of warmth and content.

It was a goddamn grizzly bear.

I yelled a warning to them and instinctively reached for my M9 but realized it was not on me. So, instead, I drew my Ka-Bar and took a defensive stance, all the while the two ponies just looked at me. Confused.

"That's a bear! Get away from that thing!" I yelled. But they just sat there, looking at me.

"Uhh." Minuette looked visibly confused. They both looked at me, then back at the bear, then, after a few seconds, Fluttershy smiled and looked back at me. Realizing my reasoning for getting hostile.

"Oh, no. Its OK! He's Harry." She said. But I did not drop my stance, but rather, I looked at her. "He is friendly! Also, he isn't a grizzly. Those things, unfortunately, can't be shown love." She affirmed. But nonetheless, it looked like a grizzly to me.

"That's Harry?!" I yelled, my stance not faltering.

"Well... yeah..." Fluttershy said, turning to pet the bear. "Your a good boy, aren't you, ehehehehe. Yes you are." She said in a puppy-dog voice before turning her head to me, giving me that calm smile she is so good at giving. "He really is friendly. Come on up and pet him." She offered. Harry made that noise a bear makes before sitting down next to Fluttershy and across from Minuette. Smiling....

Smiling.....

I, with the comfort of the knowledge that it isn't eating either of them right now, eased up. I didn't drop the knife, but rather tightened my grip and took a step forward. Cautiously, I closed the gap between me and the bear... Harry. Step by step, I approached him, keeping my grip on my knife. All the while he just watched me, smiling.

There was something off about that. A bear smiling. It just didn't fit. Whether its the image of them literally mauling someone to death, or the fact they are big animals that could kill you with the flick of their paws. A smile from an animal like that could ruin the whole facade. It didn't comfort me any more knowing that it wasn't killing these ponies in territorial dispute or something, and it didn't comfort me any more knowing that they expected me to be nice and warm to it.

But, would anyone really approach a bear and try to pat it on the head, or would they turn tail and run like hell? You guess, there is only one wrong answer.

I stood at level with the bear. While it was sitting down on its rear, and I stood up. We both were then at eye level. It continued its warm smile and looked at me, and I it. I looked over to Minuette.

"Go ahead, he is real sweet." She said, urging me to pet him. But I didn't feel so comfortable patting him on the head. For more than one reason. So...

I put my knife back in its little sheath on my leg, and started scratching its belly. Cautiously at first. It acted....unexpected. I really expected it growl with anger and try to tear my head off, hell my heart was beating so fast it was wonder why it didn't pop out of my chest. A miracle, I guess. It acted much like you would expect a fun-loving dog to react. It started making those sounds a dog would make should you scratch somewhere where it was itchy. Pleasurable sounds. Then came the back paw kicking at the air. Fluttershy chuckled.

I added my other arm and started scratching faster. It hasn't killed me yet, so I felt a little bit more secure. I was even starting to enjoy this, ehehe. Reminded me of a dog I used to own....

But anyways, a smile formed on my face. And the bear continued to enjoy the belly scratch I was giving it. About ten seconds later it did something that was unexpected (again). It actually picked me up and held me close in a hug. At first, I began to panic. Fearing that I had pissed it off as I had started to slow down due to my arms were getting tired, I began to struggle in response, trying to get to my Ka- Bar. But I calmed down when I finally realized what it was doing. It had its eyes closed. And its head resting against my chest. My feet weren't even touching the ground, that's one thing that continued to scare me.

"See? He likes you." Fluttershy said, smiling all the while.

It lifted its head and...

Oh god!

Its began licking my face. Showing me its slimy, drooly way of showing love. I closed my eyes in response and struggled. Hoping it wouldn't last long. I knew internally that it would My struggle was useless, as my strength didn't compare to that of a fully grown bear. I felt its slimy tongue making its mark on another part of my face. I felt a wave of hot breath smash my face before it licked my face again.

Both the ponies made an "awwww" sound.

Oh jeez.

Eventually, the bear let me go. The lick turned into a hug again and I then eventually regained full control of my body, releasing myself from his grasp. My face....euuuugh. His breath was nasty and...and... fuck! My face was wet, nasty-smelling, and sticky. I could smell his breath on my face... It was horrible.

I looked up at the bear with an expression of fear mixed with disgust, but it continued its smile. Unaware of my disgust. I looked at Fluttershy, who smiled.

"Eh... Good...Harry..." I muttered

<><><>

I sat in the bathroom, washing my face with a warm wet rag. Minuette and Fluttershy are downstairs, chatting. Catching up, more like. The bear wandered off and according to Fluttershy, this is usual with him. The belly scratch I gave him was my way of saying thanks for assisting in my rescue but I don't really think the end result was worth it. A nasty smelling and sticky face.

I stopped rubbing my face and started rinsing the rag once more under the faucet. Wringing it to be rid of the excess water. I applied it to my face and began rubbing once more, enjoy the warmth it provided. It was a nice change, considering this house had no air conditioning and it was a little chilly outside (according to Fluttershy, its gonna drop to freezing tonight. Apparently the first cold night of the winter). I at first wondered why air conditioning was alien to this house but soon realized Fluttershy had fur. She wouldn't require artificial warmth.

I dropped the rag into the sink, and looked into the mirror. It has been days since I last shaved and I noticed some hairs growing on my chin and above my lip. My hair has grown only slightly and wouldn't require a shave for a while. But my buzz cut would disappear soon. A problem I always had in MCROTC. My face still smelled, but it was less apparent, so now I at least won't stink around others. Unless Ponies sense of smell is heightened. Greater than humankind's.

I could see a slash mark healing on my cheek, showing where that giant timber wolf has slashed at my face days ago. It was healing fine as Fluttershy had applied some kind of salve on it. Stitching it as well but those broke yesterday. She didn't apply anymore as she had very little and I told I could make do. Her primitive salve worked wondered though. It stopped the bleeding on the cut and quickened the scabbing process.

When I asked her why she didn't apply the salve to all my wounds, she replied with the same reason why she didn't re-apply the stitches. She had very little of it. But, the morphine and gauze/bandages and antibiotics worked wonders as well, so when she asked if I would prefer the salve, I stated that it was fine and that I could make do. Besides, the antibiotics did what the salve could not. Fight infection. And i'm pretty sure that I had an infection somewhere.

I turned towards the door and started for it, but stopped and remember to grab my blouse before leaving. I my arms through the sleeves and buttoned it up. Making sure to make it look presentable, my ranks centered on the collar and my sleeves buttoned as well. I then went to the opened it, and walked out. Closing it behind me.

As I walked down the stairs, I could hear their hushed voices. What they were saying was beyond my hearing, but I could tell they were doing this so I couldn't overhear. I kept a light step and continued down the stairs, hoping to catch the end of their conversation. I stopped before I got to the bottom and kept out of sight. Sounded like they were wrapping up their conversation.

"...adopt him. I can't keep him here any longer and Angel is getting more.... whats the word? Errr, belligerent? Yeah, that. He is getting more belligerent towards Sergeant and her isn't taking the reception so well. I won't be able to stop him should he try to kill Angel. So, do you think-"

"I'm open to it. But, how do you suggest I get him to Canterlot? Let alone through town. Ponies wont exactly react all that well to a creature alien to them. I mean, you remember how they reacted when that Zebra whats-her-name showed up in town? There were murmurs of a witch hunt in town before Twilight settled things."

"Yes, I know. But... please. I know all the risks, but you took a big risk in bringing me to him when he was hurt. I can't keep him here, you know this."

"Yeah. You're right. Give me some time to think, maybe I can get my friend to help. We'll talk to him tomorrow about this, but for now, I'll go to Berry's house and discuss this with her."

"OK.... Uhhh, hey Sergeant, you alright up there?" I heard Fluttershy call out. It was still a soft voice, and I admit, I had a little trouble hearing it from where I was. After I remained silent for a few seconds, I heard Minuette speak up.

"Here, let me do it. Sergeant! Are you done yet?" Minuette called out with a much louder voice.

"Errr. Yeah! Yeah! Just, uhhh, just buttoning my...ranks... and...blouse. Err, give me a second!" Nice save, idiot. But I doubt they knew what "ranks" were. And that buttoning them weren't really wasn't the proper term. Doesn't matter. Still an idiot.

I took a second to digest what they had said. As I had only caught the end of it all. Were they really just talking about moving me out of here? What the hell! For fucks sake, I just got here and I still feel a lot of pain whenever I moved! I took a deep breath and tried calming myself. Honestly, I did feel a little insulted. As if I wasn't wanted here.

Being forced out to be alone. One of my greatest fears was being alone. I developed it back in Parris Island but I don't know how, and I would be always start to panic if I was alone on the field of battle. Hell, one time when the Taliban launched an attack on a FOB, I couldn't find my squad in the confusion and ended up holding my ground at the main gate. They weren't attacking the main gate, but I stood there anyways while I was trying to regain my mind from the great fear I was experiencing until Kelley found me. Why I feared being alone didn't exactly make too much sense to me, I also never really questioned it. Maybe I have a fear of dying and no one knowing? Or being captured by the enemy and turned into a POW? I don't know.

But then, I was alone in that clearing days ago, before I met Minuette. But I didn't feel too much fear if I remember rightly. Why was that? I fear being alone, but I didn't fear it back there... Wait...

I thought I was in a coma... right... Now it makes sense.

Was I going to be alone? NO...no no no. Minuette had said that she might take me in. But what she also speaks is truthful. How will she get me to her home unseen? I'm not exactly that covert when it comes to sneaking around, especially when the inhabitants are half my height. I can't exactly hide in plain sight either, if i'm being honest. I mean, how could I? Put a damn lampshade on my head and stand perfectly still? Allow some pony to carry me? Hell no.

I took another deep breath. And exhaled slowly, deciding to deal with this when it happens. I got bigger problems anyways. I took a step downstairs, into full view of the ponies below.

"There you are. Was wondering if you had died or something." Minuette said, chuckling. I lightly chuckled as well, but Fluttershy didn't. Flatly stating: "I'm sorry.. But..errr.... that's-that's not funny.". Minuette just gave her a blank stare before receiving a sheepish chuckle from the other party.

"Nah, just...just cleaning up. What-err-what were you two talking about?" I asked as I came down the steps.

"Nothing much. Just talking. My job is getting hectic lately, what with all the foals eating their candy from Nightmare Night and getting cavities.... oh but i'm sure you would rather not hear about that." Minuette said, smiling. Cavities? That's a dentists job. I sat down next to Fluttershy and pondered at the idea of a pony dentist... how the hell would that work? Then I pondered about Nightmare Night...

"What is Nightmare Night?" I asked.

"Oh... Nightmare Night..." Fluttershy muttered with a frown. But Minuette? She smiled.

"Nightmare Night? Its a wonderful festival, you see... It was a festival about...." The pony began a small story about the origins of Nightmare Night. About a princess who became corrupt and became a monster called Nightmare Moon. And how the festival was a way of appeasing her or something. She was fuzzy on those details there. She told her of how little foals collect candy from homes and that some would offer it to a statue of the evil entity on the outskirts of the Everfree, near this pony named "Zecora"s home.

Sounds a lot like my worlds "Halloween", but instead of a statue where you offer candy, Halloween was originally a little thing where superstitious folk would dress up to scare away an evil entity. I don't know the whole story though.

We ended up talking for a good while, probably.... I don't even know how long. It was dusk when the conversation started, but its dark now. We talked about many things. Or, really, Fluttershy and Minuette did and I just listened. What they talked about really isn't interesting, but what was interesting was when they kept referring to me as "Sergeant". Like "Oh, Sergeant helped me with this." or "Sergeant helped me with that.". I had noted that Fluttershy always referred to me as my rank, but never thought much on it until now. Sergeant...

Sergeant....

My rank in the United States Marine Corps. But not my name. Had they assumed Sergeant was my name? Or was it easier for them to remember?

"Hey guys." I piped up after a long time of silence. They both looked at me.

"Why do you keep calling me Sergeant?" I asked. Minuette frowned. "I'm sorry, its just that... well... Fluttershy has been calling me that for a while now and now your doing it... Do you not know my name?"

"Is that not your name?"

"No. Its my rank, not my name." I corrected. She pursed her lips for a second before replying. Fluttershy just looked at me with quizzical eyes.

"Rank? Well, what is your name?" She asked.

"My name is Daniel... Daniel Lemmings Crouse." Fluttershy frowned at this. Although I don't understand why. She began mouthing something, but I was never good at reading lips so I had no idea what it was, but I had an idea. Minuette just looked at me, before cracking a smile.

"Dan....yel. Danyel... ha. That's kinda funny to say... Daaaaaaaanyeeeeel. Danyel Lemon Crwowse. Hahahaha." Minuette laughed. "So that's your name, huh? Kinda funny, hehehe."

"I could say the same." I said replied, feeling a slight blush coming on. Whether it was anger or embarrassment bringing it on, I had no idea.

"Excuse me?" Minuette said. But I dodged the question fast.

"By the by, its not Danyel... Its Daniel. Daniel Lemmings Crouse. Not lemon, not Crwowse. Lemmings Crouse." I corrected. Minuette shared the blush this time. Smiling sheepishly and looking away.

"Oh, sorry... Ehehehe. It just... Its hard for me to pronounce. You think-you think I can just call you Sergeant?" She asked, stammering. But I nodded to give a yes. I've had names it was hard for me to pronounce too, like... well.. maybe I shouldn't say. I looked over at Fluttershy, whom was no longer mouthing the same thing over and over.

"Is it hard for you to pronounce too?" I asked. Knowing what she was mouthing.

"Errr.... Kinda." She also said with a sheepish smile.

I looked back at Minuette, who looked like she was about to say something, but the light that the window was no longer showing caught her attention, and she whistled in response to what she saw out there.

"Wow, I spent that long here? Well. Its getting late." Minuette noted, looking out the window she was sitting next to. "I think I better get going. Ill see you tomorrow Fluttershy, Sergeant. Sleep well."

"You too." I said.

And with that, she got up and went for the door, opening it, leaving, and closing it behind her. I, myself, stood and stretched and started for the upstairs. But stopped at Fluttershy's soft voice.

"You're not gonna eat dinner?"

<><><>

"Hey Kelly.... Kelley! Are you alright man?!" I yelled, tuning out the gunfire all around.

"Crouse... fuck... what happened?" Kelley said, spitting blood with every breath he took. It was nighttime, and a full scale battle was taking place at an American FOB. Australian Army forces radioed saying they were trying to relieve us, but so far, no one has shown up. At least, no one but more insurgents. Me and Kelley were defending a gate, where heavy Taliban resistance was met. A few other Marines were nearby, but not with us. Kelley was shot during our gunfight and he is in critical condition and bleeding out.

"Taliban! They are overrunning our position! Can you move?"

"Crouse... I-" He said, ending his sentence abruptly and gave a yelp, pointing behind me. I gripped my M9 harder in response and turned to meet an insurgent wielding a scimitar. He was running at me, hate and rage burning in his eyes. His mouth screaming an Afghan battlecry. I ended his charge with three rounds to the chest. He fell without resistance, blood spurting out of his newly formed wounds. I turned back to my fallen comrade, grabbing him by his arms.

"Kelley, hold on i'm getting you out of here!" I yelled, hoisting him over my shoulders. "Your not gonna die today!"

"Crouse! Crouse! Let me down! FUCK! Let me down, it hurts! It huuuurts!"

"No can do! I'm getting you to the corpsman! Fall back! Fall back!" I yelled, hoping any nearby soldiers would hear me. I turned my M9 on an approaching insurgent rounding a nearby tank and I ended his life with a single shot. He dropped to the ground, and I heard an unseen insurgent shout a warning before rounding the corner, firing at me as soon as he turned. I knelt and fired at him, but missed. He ducked back around the tank, and I fired again, backing away as I did. I continued to tune out the gunfire all around as all that mattered to me as of this moment was Kelley's life.

"Come on you fuckers!" I yelled, ignoring Kelley's screams of pain and fear. "Come on! Come on!" I yelled again, firing off two rounds at the tank to give the insurgent a reason to stay down. I felt a presence behind me and turned to greet it with a gun to its head.

"Woah! Chill! Chill Crouse, chill! Its me!" Cunningham yelled, raising his arms in an attempt to not get shot.

"Fuck! Announce yourself next time, I could've killed you!"

"Sorry sir! But, the insurgents are beating back the Australian relief force and the brass has issued a full retreat and evac choppers are on the way! Go! Ill cover you! Get Kelley our of here!" Cunningham yelled. I heard a scream and turned to see the insurgent running out of cover, charging towards me and Cunningham with a knife. Cunningham quickly took a knee and dropped him.

"Go! I'll be right behind you!" He yelled. And so I ran. Following a group of nearby soldiers who were on the run as well. Two of them were carrying wounded soldiers. I looked back to see Cunningham gun down another insurgent before turning and running to catch up with me. And I could hear the faint noise of helicopter rotors over the sound of gunfire, and the screams of the wounded...

I never noticed the strange dark equine figure standing on the Abrams tank, which was only five feet away from where I was defending.

Author's Note

Some brownies sound nice right about now.

Hey, btw. If your all wondering why these short chapters take so long to make. Well, I got other things going on in my life. As I do have a life.

Remember, I work on my own time. When you favorite any of my stories, you basically sign a contract saying "I will not whine or piss or moan when it comes to how long each chapter takes to be published."

Chapter 9: Exodus

Exodus

You ever have a bad dream that you can't wake from? A dream that seems so real, but its not? A dream where you watch your closest friend die in your arms, or a dream where your dying, but don't even know it?

I had a dream last night. A dream about an attack by Taliban on a American FOB. We were losing. Kelley was shot. I was shot. But Kelley was in worse shape than I. I didn't even notice my wound until the near end. I woke up and I was sweating, and Fluttershy was at the door with a shocked expression. The things she heard me say in my sleep, she said, was a bit worrying. She heard me throwing curses at a dream. She heard me crying because of a dream. She heard me screaming, and talking, and hyperventilating...

Because of a goddamn dream.

Its weird, as i'm not a man to cry often. Sure, I've cried recently during my time in this.... place. But, that.... well fear is a hell of a feeling, ain't it? But seriously! Ask Kelley! Cunningham! Or even Ray, but I don't recommend that, as he never spoke often. Two out of three of them would tell you that they had never seen me cry. Honestly.

"Its OK, Fluttershy. I got the dishes. Its the least I can do."

Fluttershy had said my screaming was loud. Very loud. She said that it was so loud that Zecora (y'know, the weird mysterious pony that the nearby town almost killed that Fluttershy and Minuette spoke of yesterday?) came to check on her in the middle of the night. Was I that loud? Damn.

"Oh, thank you."

Angel was at my bedside when I woke up. Giving me the funniest glare a rabbit could give a man. Guess I kept him up last night, eh? Ahahahaha....

You know, that just reminded me. In my dream, I felt like I was being watched. But, I don't know why. I mean, its weird. It was a dream, and I dream't of a battlefield. Of course I was being watched. By enemies. By allies. By the wounded. By God. By everybody. But, this feeling? It was different. I just... I don't know how to explain it.

The water swallowing my hands was a comfort. I grabbed the first plate and began scrubbing and wiping it. Rinsing it off with the faucet and placing it on a rack to dry. I then got the next plate, which was a bit dirtier. It had gotten severely cold last night. According to Fluttershy, that signals snow isn't far from falling. When I woke from my dream I was also shivering. She, however was not. Combined with a scarf and her natural fur, I doubt she was too cold. But I'm sure she felt it. To compensate for my lack of fur she had given me extra blankets. She also noted that my uniform, what she calls an external hide, was too thin fabric wise to keep me warm and said she would ask a friend to make me something. I scoffed at that. Would her friend make me an ugly sweater? Or will it cower in fear of the unknown creature that stands taller than it?

Damn, this plate wont come clean will it?

There were not that many dishes, me and Fluttershy don't produce a lot since its just the two of us. But the plate I got? It doesn't want to come clean. I gripped the sponge tighter and applied more force on the scrubbing, still no fruit born. A little more strength, and still nothing.

Eventually, I started scrubbing like a mad-man. Going all over the plate trying to get this little piece of leftover off. Still not clean yet. Dammit! Come clean alrea-

*SPLASH*

Oh shit.

"Uhhh. Well... fuck Shit.." I murmured. The plate, unfortunately, snapped in half as a response to my irritated reply to use force to scrub the plate clean. I see now that it was not a good idea in the first place. I looked around cautiously for Fluttershy, but thankfully she was not in sight. I gave a little sigh of relief and quickly scoured the kitchen for the garbage can. When I did find it, I immiediatly reached into the soapy water and pulled out the other broken half and made for the garbage can.

"Hey, uhhh, Sergeant?" I heard from atop the stairs, accompanied by the sounds of hooves descending wood. My internal warmth fueled by anxiety, I quickly opened the lid and tossed the broken plate inside, closing it in time before Fluttershy was down the stairs.

"What did you throw away?"

"A napkin." I hastily answered, and my haste caused her to look at me for a second with eyes that say "Ummmm. OK.". But it seemed that she believed me.

I panicked because the stairs lead right into the kitchen and she would've saw that I had broken a plate. I would rather not earn the ire of....anything right now. Especially something that had fed, shelter, and nurtured me to health. Even though Fluttershy was.... whats the proper word? Cowardly? Reticent.

Reticent.

Even though she was reticent, I know from personal experience that those types of people, or ponies in this case, were timid on the outside but fierce on the inside. Push them to their limit and they will disfigure your face or rupture your balls with a single punch.

Look at Kelley. A timid Marine. Ever seen that before? Neither have I. But I saw him gut an insurgent once and not blink twice. He was fierce when his limit was pushed.

"Right... o-OK then, well... I just wanted to know what this did." She asked, holding up my M9 in her hooves. "I remember that you told me days ago it had a function back where you came from. But I never-" I immediately grabbed it out of her hooves and attempted to holster it, as it dangerous to the untrained. But I realized that my holster wasn't on me, so instead, I just held it. "-said... anything."

"Its a weapon. Don't touch it." I said. "Its very dangerous to untrained han- err-- hooves." I said, checking the safety.

"A weapon?!" She said, backing away. Her eyes widening. "Oh dear... please... Just put it down." She said, backing away with fear in her voice.

"Hey, you brought it to me." I said. "Well.. In any case, the plates are clean. Thank you for the apple... and the carrots." I said. Fluttershy just smiled before returning upstairs. I smiled and looked back to my pistol, wondering why the carrots tasted so good. Mayhaps that the cold air made it more refreshing? Like a bottle of water in the a morning during winter? Or was it the rations that I acquired a taste for?

The rest of the morning was just me and Fluttershy chatting as I assisted her with her chores. Apparently, Thursdays were work days for her. Dishes, should any accumulate during the week. Dusting. And bathing any animals that needed it. I opted out of the last one there, as I didn't even want to get near her bear. And Angel hates my guts. The rest of her animals do not trust me, and vice versa.

Since I've been, I sorta just accepted all of this already. I mean, its weird. Why would these... ponies... have reason to lie to me? But during my time here, I pulled my gun three times on the door. Constantly talk in my sleep (according to Fluttershy). And otherwise just act the way I do back home. I joke around when I can, I take it easy and relax when I can, and I normally just try to strike up a conversation with my caretaker. Of course, she is more interested in me at times. Moreso than I am of her. She asks me of where I came from. What I am. What a Marine"is. And more. She is very curious. As if prying for information....

I shoved the thoughts of what her "true" intentions were to the darkest, deepest reaches of my mind. She is a pony. A pegasus. No more, no less.

No less? Its like your in a fucking childs story! The fuck you mean "No more, no less"?!

Well.. it might not make a lot of sense, and somewhere inside me I still don't believe it, but I'm here. I have to push on. One thing training taught me was to keep my head down, follow orders, help my allies, and keep moving. But since there are no orders being barked at me, no bullets are flying, and I'm alone, I might as well just keep going.

When I was done helping her dust, a good hour had passed by. Her knick-knacks clean and what not. And I sat on her couch, a tea cup in my lap. The last thing in entire world I had ever wanted in my lap. But, tea does sound nice. And, boy, does she brew something good. Despite the taste I acquired for the rations, not all of them were to my liking. There was one with chili and mac and cheese.... euuugh.

Then there was one with crackers and hot sauce. No. Just no.

My MP3 had died days ago, and I had looked around for an outlet, but found nothing. Of course, her house is a tree. I doubted electrical wiring would well here. At night its dark in house, save for candles but they don't last long. A lantern in the front yard, but snow covered it up and every morning I would go out and unearth it. This morning it was just too cold to do it, so I decided to wait until Noon, when the sun would be at its peak and the warmth would cascade upon the earth.

"Tea is almost ready."

Fluttershy has been a most gracious host. Keeping me fed, warm, hydrated, and otherwise informed on my surroundings. While she is reluctant to tell me of the town, and the leaders of this nation she calls "Equestria", she has told me of its name, its inhabitants, and the flow of magic. Something that interested me greatly.

Magic...

My thoughts were interrupted as a warmth found its way on my lap, a warmth radiating from tea that Fluttershy was pouring into my cup. I had realized I was just staring into space for a good minute and I felt slightly embarrassed at this, I spoke a thank you before taking a sip. But a sharp knock on the door caused me to end the mid-sip and reach for my gun. But I realized that it wouldn't be a grand idea and instead quickly got up, setting aside the tea cup and slightly spilling some in my haste. Fluttershy looked at me and mouthed a few words, but I knew she was telling me to hide. She walked towards the door and I quickly scampered upstairs, careful to not make a sound. As soon as I was out of sight of the front door, I heard it open, and I stopped. Pressing myself against the well and drawing my sidearm, I listened intently. I don't know why I drew it, no Taliban would ambush me. But I guess it was instinct.

"Oh, hi Minuette. Berry Punch."

"Hey, how you doin'?" A voice sounded, her accent much more.... Bronx.

A New York accent, what?

"I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking. Uhh, before I let you in Minuette did inform you on..." The calm and softer voice started, but she paused, getting softer so it would be harder for me to hear. I will admit, I had to strain to hear it. "You know."

"Ah, yeah. Don't worry. She filled me in last night. Thought I gots to say, I didn't believe her at first. But then again, when has she ever lied, right?" The other said. It wasn't Minuette, I know that much. Minuette was much... well... She didn't sound like a street tough, lets say that. Her friend though? I have questions. Major questions. "Can we come in, I didn't exactly prepares for the cold."

"Oh, yeah! Oh sorry, hehehe. Come right in." She said, a second later, I heard her say: "Don't be scared when he comes down." in a hushed tone. "Sergeant... Its alright, its Minuette!" She called to me. Though, calling wouldn't be appropriate. No, a soft beckon would be better. But nonetheless, I responded. I responded by holstering my pistol and staying put. There was another one down there. Not just Minuette and Fluttershy, who knew of my existence.

But another pony.

Now this worried me. Would this pony believe me to be a monster the second she saw me? Would she attack? Or... something? I had no clue.

"Sergeant, its alright. Just come down." She affirmed.

I lingered upstairs for a few seconds, hesitant to come down. She knew I was here, though. No denying that. They all knew. So, I slowly came down. Poking my head past the wall, I spied the pony. A plum coated mare with a raspberry mane. This one, unlike her friends, was a normal one. Fluttershy had told me of these... Earth Ponies. Ones without aerial powers or magical powers. She also told me what they lack in aerodynamics and magic, they make up for in great strength. She had saw my uneasy look, and gave an expression of care. Like one would give a friend who underwent a life changing event.

"Its OK, fella. Come out." She spoke. Her New York accent thick.

She only saw my head, and it was a wonder how she didn't guess my height. Maybe she had braced herself already? Or maybe she just simply didn't care. I soon moved into full view. And I saw her eyes widen slightly. I looked at her as I went down the stairs, and she returned my gaze. I felt awkward.

"Hey there." She said.

"Hey."

She looked at Minuette, who only looked a little more nervous than her friend. She cast a glance back at me when I arrived at the bottom of the stairs, but quickly returned it to her friend. She spoke softly.

"Ya didn't tell me he was a...tall thing."

"I told you he wasn't a pony!"

"Yeah, well, you really didn't specify anything either." She mumbled back, but she quickly cleared her throat and looked back at me, a small smile on her face. She stumbled her words at first, but was able to find what she wanted in her vocals. "Uhh, hey there... I'm Berryshine. Ya must be that Sergeant Minuette was telling me 'bout... Well, nice to meet ya." She said, approaching me. Albeit slowly. True to her name, there was a picture of grapes and a strawberry on her ass.

Whats with the locals having pictures on their asses? At first, I'd chalk it up to them being tattoos, but they ALL have them.

I smiled and knelt down, which she recoiled from. I mentally rolled my eyes when she said "Sergeant". I've told them my name possibly a hundred times, but they continue to call me Sergeant. They said the word Daniel Crouse doesn't roll off the tongue easy.

"Hi, I am Sergeant. Pleasure to meet you errr, Berryshine." I said. Her smile grew.

"You know, I gots to say. I didn't expect you to be soooo.....tall." She replied, eliciting a chuckle from me. Fluttershy closed the door, looking around before shutting it. I noticed a large cart outside, but it didn't concern me. What did concern me was the fact that Minuette had brought a friend to see me. So, I looked to her for answers.

"So, Minuette... got somethin' to say?" I asked, not wanting to hurt Berryshine's feelings. Minuette, however, had a small embarrassed blush. Kinda looked cute on a little pastel horse. Then again, they all looked cute. She sighed.

"Fluttershy...." She said, looking over to her with an annoyed look.

"Oh, ehem..." Fluttershy stumbled, obviously remembering something she had forgotten. I looked to her, an expectant eye. And she looked visibly nervous. Over the week I have been here, I've come to expect this from her. A shy pony such as her hates the spotlight, and I can understand that. But sometimes, you have to do things in the spotlight.

Hell, I wouldn't be a Marine if I didn't do things in the spotlight.

Fluttershy met my eyes. Obviously dreading what she has to say. Though why I couldn't say.

"Sergeant... I-errr... I think its time for you to... uhh, eheh, uhh..." She started somewhat audible, but getting softer and gentler as she spoke. To the point where audibility was small. The last word she uttered was barely made a sound, and I looked at her confused. Do what?

"Speak up." I asked, looking down at her. Her nervousness was apparent to me, and I was getting more curious by the second. Especially because they trust another pony with my secret presence.

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"What?!" I asked, my brow raising and my voice a little louder than it should have. Fluttershy backed away understandably. And Minuette and Berryshine? They looked a little nervous. Berryshine more than Minuette. I wasn't pissed. I was annoyed and slightly hurt, but wasn't pissed.

It was making sense why she was nervous now. She wanted me out.

...

Maybe there's a better way to word that.

Her reasons for wanting me gone were well founded and I could tell she had thought about this for a while. One being that she cannot take the risk anymore. My nightmares started not too long ago and already she is losing sleep to my sleep talk. Angel fuckin' hates me. And she says I "scare" him. But that's bull. He is just an aggressive animal. Other reasons weren't too significant to mention. Before I could even ask, Minuette told me she offered to take me in and Fluttershy had accepted. Days ago, of course. But that all mean't we would have to get through town. A town full of ponies. Ponies who have never seen my like before (according to Fluttershy). Ponies who nearly killed a foreigner just on the suspicion of witchcraft.

Fluttershy was still nervous. A bit frightened, too. But that's natural. The slightest bump in the night will frighten her. Tsk tsk. The other two ponies were just a bit frightened, nervous as it were. But when my stature relaxed, they relaxed as well. Fluttershy too, but not as much as she could've. But then again, she is a coward.

"Sorry... didn't... didn't mean to get so loud." I said, calmly. "Force of habit, I guess."

They all looked at me for a second there.

"Force'a'habit?" Berryshine asked. Confused. I've told Minuette and Fluttershy of my militaristic origins, but I doubt they believe me. And I highly doubt Minuette let Berryshine in on my claim.

Well, yeah. Force of habit. I mean, I lived a good while in a war zone. The only way to be heard or get your point across is to yell. Have a loud voice. Sort of a neccesity.... Ray never did have a loud voice. Of course, he spoke rarely so it was often a weird moment if he did speak.

I think its worth noting that his voice had a deep bass to it, despite his reticence.

"Yeah..." I looked back at Fluttershy, and at the same time moving to her couch to sit down. "So..."

"So..." Minuette echoed.

"So, how do you propose I even get through town? I mean, Berryshine was warned of my presence before she saw me. She had time to...prepare I guess. But what of the others. If they see me, panic could ensue and I could be trampled." I spoke.

Minuette and Berryshine looked at each other, the latter smirking.

"Well, we went ahead and thought of that."

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A cart. They put me... in a cart.

A cart.

A cart packed with Minuettes belongings. Some blankets, packs and whatnot. I was on the bottom, blankets lying on top of me as so I wouldn't be "too uncomfortable" according to Berryshine. What a load, though. I'm laying here, underneath all of these blankets. Pushed against the wooden bottom of the cart. A tarp draped over the whole thing, letting in little light. The cart is being pulled by Berryshine (my knowledge, of course, coming from the fact I asked earlier). According to what everybody is saying, Earth Ponies are the strongest of the three. I was wearing my uniform, stitched together well by Fluttershy's friend. Apparently she left the house in the middle of the night two nights ago and brought my t-shirt and my other pair of trousers to said friend, who had it done before sunrise. My SCP and other blouse, however, were destroyed beyond repair. They were trash.

It was unfortunate.

Suffice to say, it was uncomfortable.

I had my bandanna wrapped over my face, so no rocks or dust could kick up into my mouth or nose. I had said my goodbyes to Fluttershy and exchanged hugs. I told I would come visit, but I knew that I wouldn't. Or at least, not for a while. Not until I become an equal with the SEALs in the terms of stealth. Minuette and Berryshine would often chat on the way to the train. As if nothing was going on. As if they were not smuggling an alien into town. They said their destination is the Train station. And from there? Canterlot. The capitol.

My rifle was next to me, loaded with one of my few magazines. My M9 in my holster, on safety. And my Ka-Bar in my boot. In case trouble reared its ugly head, I would be ready. But I doubt anything would happen. Doesn't hurt to be prepared. My pack with my only possessions was in the cart too, or rather, on the side of it. Hooked into the wood alongside other tools and bags.

I passed the time by DJing music in my head. Listening to Minuette and Berryshine chat. Mostly gossip.

"Ya knows, I heard Derpy had spent the night with Doctor Whooves, if ya understand me." Berryshines distinct accent sounded.

"Nah, no way! He's too classy. Too... blue-blooded. He wouldn't commit to a one night stand."

"Who says it was a one night stand?" Berryshine retorted.

They both giggled.

Oh god, its like High School ceramics all over again!

Time passed, and they gossiped some more. I eventually stopped DJing, as it was becoming terrifying to my psych. It was cool every now and again, but keep doing it and you'll think your insane... As time passed, the two mares gossip continued and I began to feel drowsy. Possibly from the movement and the lack of activity. But more voices nearby signaled where we were.

Ponyville...

More female voices. Very little male, from what I hear. The two in front changed their topic from gossip to just plain chatting. All the noise, though, kept me awake... Its been hard for me, lately, to sleep. Not a lot of noise. But I've already began to adjust to it, and now its a little harder for me to sleep through noise. The cart turned. And I felt the change in direction as my rifle bumped into me.

More time passed as we went through the town. Passing by multiple ponies. At one point, I saw, through a crack in the wagons wood, a purple unicorn. A mare by the looks of it, talking to a Pegasus with Rainbow hair.. err, mane. A Rainbow mane. They cast a glance in my direction, but quickly returned to the conversation they were sharing. No way they saw me, just probably wanted to see who was pulling the wagon. Another pony bounced by, a pink one with mane the color of bubblegum. She was humming a tune that sounded vaguely familiar. The two at front payed no mind to the ponies around. 'Cept when one pony spoke up.

"Hey, Berryshine! We on for drinks and pool tonight at the tavern?" She asked.

"Sure, just don't try to kiss me, like ya did last time."

"Oooh, right." She said, drawing out the "oooh" like someone just got caught doing something bad. "I'm still surprised you were sober enough to remember that. Besides, I was drunk."

"Mmmmhm."

"Oh, hey Minuette. You look good!"

"Thanks, Lyra!"

.....

I'm not even gonna mentally comment on that. The whole thought of these things making out is just....odd, for lack of a better word.

After a while, the whole wagon stopped. Berryshine spoke up, loud enough to make sure I heard.

"OK, here we are. The train station. Lets get your stuff ready." She spoke, probably loud enough to catch other ponies attention. But I doubt they paid mind. Why would they? I did take that as my cue that I should ready up and hugged my rifle close. I checked to make sure my pistol and knife was still there, and I was ready to go. I heard the tarp being pulled back, and I saw the light of day once more. Sure, strains of light broke through the fabric, but it didn't compare to the sunny and cloudless day. The air was cool. But the wagon made it hot. Soon, my thoughts wandered. I knew it wasn't time to get out yet, and so I stayed put.

I wonder what Canterlot looks like. Well, I don't even know what Ponyville looks like.

Author's Note

Alright, explanation time! Ill be honest, I felt extremely nervous to publish this chapter and I also feel that my writing skill has deteriorated slightly. But, regardless, I'm sorry for the long ass wait, and I know most of you probably aren't too happy. But, it isn't my fault. Not totally at any rate.

I've had a rough beginning to 2017. Romantic rejection (twice in three months), failure of the YPFT (which means i'm not eligible for promotion in my unit until the next one which is next year), grades sorta faltering. Low morale due to Fo:E - A Policemare in New Oatleans poor ratings, and other daily trivalties to life that I constantly go through day to day.

I've also started weight lifting, which takes my time as well. My current rep max is 300, btw. Can't tell if that's good or not.

Anyways, i'm sorry. I'm back, but i'm sorry. Enjoy the story.

Chapter 10: Capital

Capital

I once remember watching a Robin Hood show from BBC. The hip young Robin once hid in a wagon as his friends drove it. They were able to successfully infiltrate Nottingham Castle, but the Sheriff soon caught wind and after a bit, a nice pitched battle took place in courtyard. Guards vs the Merrymen. Great music accompanied it... Forgot what episode it was. Come to think of it, I never did finish the series, as I was soon shipped to Afghanistan when I got to season two.

I heard it was cancelled. Damn it all.

Anyways, this whole situation I was in kinda reminded me of it. I mean, I was hiding in a wagon. Getting ready to "infiltrate" a train. Dragged by friends. But they weren't people, rather horses. The thing is, the only danger is getting caught. No battle with guards in black chainmail and iron. No music. No Little John. Just me outrunning the pitchforks and torches because I'm a little reluctant to shoot the little pastel ponies. Maybe Minuette and Berryshine will be hanged?

No, no. This place is too colorful for all that. I mean, sure, I got mauled a few days ago. But the contrast was that my blood wasn't cartoonish, but rather realistic. I don't know. Death seems out of place for this setting. Maybe i'm wrong though, maybe its all the same here? I mean... it seems the sexual joys of life are still a thing here.

Eh, maybe.

When I saw the daylight, I was surprised by the position of the sun. It showed it was noon, which mean't I had spent at least three hours in the wagon. It was weird though, I didn't feel like I spent that long in it. Maybe listening to them gab on and on and my mental DJing had passed the time? Or did I fall asleep and wake up and not even realize it? I don't know. But then again, I don't care. I heard Minuette speaking to me.

"Alright Sergeant, we're here. Just sit tight, we have to load up. When I say, dash into the car, understand?" She said. I didn't say anything. But she paid no mind, I knew she knew that I had understood.

I'm no stranger to following orders. And in combat, sometimes all you gotta do to show you understand is look at them. But usually, its always better to say "Yessir!" or "Yes Ma'am!" than give silence. I heard Berrsyhine approach.

"Youse ponies better hurry up. Train leaves in ten minutes. Come on, lets ya things loaded up." She said, grabbing one of the blankets on top of me. They were neatly folded, so picking them up was easy for them. For Minuette however? The remaining blankets on me we enveloped in her unique golden glow. And she looked inside to me and mouthed the words "Get ready.". And so I did.

I grabbed my rifle and quickly put it on safety. I checked its magazine, fully. And last I checked, the other three were in my pack. My pistol was still on its safety, and my knife still in its sheath. Around me, Minuettes belongings being either enveloped in golden light or being picked up in Berryshines mouth. They weren't kidding when they said Earth Ponies are strong as fuck, as I saw her pick up Minuettes pack. Which seemed to be filled with personal hygiene items and among other things.

After a few seconds of Berryshines leaving with that pack, I looked around the wagon and realized soon how empty it was. Before they started unloading, and after as well. Was there really not that many things in here?

Well, I guess she was just visiting. Why would she bring the whole broom closet?

Minuette appeared next to me, nearly making me jump. She spoke quietly as to not gain attention.

"Go, now!" She whispered before moving away. And just as fast as she moved away, I was out of the wagon. I was on one knee, and had my vision down my sights. My training had kicked in, and I was clearing my surroundings. Around me, there were ponies, and even a creature that resembled a mythical griffon. It was looking around, but never landed in my direction. In fact, none of the ponies on the station noticed me. All of them caught up in there own business to notice something out of the ordinary. I mean, thats not to say that if I lingered around they wouldn't notice, its just that they haven't yet.

The station floor was made of wood, and the building of white planks. I could see inside it, it was like one of those old train stations in those wild west movies. Where the whole town is just one road with buildings on both sides. Train station at one end, saloon at the other. That being said, the stations doors were wide open. I saw ponies moving inside, but couldn't make out any genders or specific colors.

On the station itself, however. There were mostly female ponies there, few male looking ones. All of them different colors. Green. Blue. Purple. Orange, etcetera etcetera. The griffon, I noticed, was soon talking to that rainbow pony. But I paid no mind to it. Pegasi flew overhead, and I began to realized how exposed I was in the open. I then turned to grab my pack which was still on the wagon. It jingled slightly as its contents reacted to the sudden movement. As soon as I had it in my hands, I turn and sprinted as fast as I could to the train. Boarding it and quickly disappearing behind the wall. I took a quick deep breath and looked back. No one had saw me.

I studied the interior briefly. It looked exactly how a storage car of a train looked. Crates. Briefcases. Bags. Coolers. All that sorta stuff. There was even a sofa with a tag that read "To: His Grace, Prince Blueblood".

A Prince, eh?

There was a door leading to the frontal cars of the train, probably passenger and diner areas. Then there was a door leading to the back parts. Caboose and what not. I felt, however, it was only worthwhile to watch the passenger door. I looked back at Minuette, who was hugging Berryshine.

"Don't know what kind of damn mess you gettin' into, but whatever happens just stay say friend." Berryshine said. Minuettes arms wrapped around her neck.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry about me." Minuette replied, exiting the hug.

"Right then, come back and visit. My door is always open to ya, Minuette." She replied, before looking up to me. "And Sergeant. Don't know what the hell you are or what this is. But I trust Minuette, and so I trust you. Stay safe." She said.

"Hey, Berryshine!" I called to her.

"What?"

"Where are you from?" I asked, getting this question off my chest. Her accent was sooooo familiar!

"Uhh, New Hock City. Hooflyn district. Why?" She asked.

"Heh. No reason..." I said, chuckling slightly. Both Minuette and Berryshine looked at me quizzically. They didn't know why I was chuckling, but I did. That's all that mattered. "See you around, Berryshine." I said.

And with that, she turned, hooked up back with the wagon, and walked away back towards the town. I looked up at it, and I gotta say. First glance it looks pretty nice. Well kept houses, nice tiled rooftops. Good weather. Although I wish for rain, but in winter rain is next to nonexistent. Minuette smiled.

"Well, i'm heading to my seat... If I can, ill bring you something to eat. Anything in particular?" She asked.

Anything?.... what do I want? Hmmm...

"Carrots."

"Carrots?"

"Carrots."

"Well, OK. Carrots then... Have a fun ride." She stated. She moved to go to the steps leading to the passenger sections, but she stopped. "Oh, and stay out of sight. Ill try to help you if something happens, but please stay hidden. I'm not sure how others will react to you so just..."

"Hi Minuette! Hi Mister Alien!" A jumping pink pony said gleefully, hopping past us without stopping to even look. My eyes went wide, and I stared at where she was before exiting my vision. She hopped along towards the Griffon and rainbow pony.

"Right..." Minuette said, not even sure how to proceed with that.

<><><>

Ill be honest, I was scared there. When that pony jumped by, greeting me and Minuette and she went by, it was frightening. I thought I was caught, and that any minute an angry mob would descend on the train. But nothing. She just stopped and began chatting with her friends at the station. Oblivious to my existence. Minuette said Berryshine told her the first time she visited about her. Pinkie Pie, her name was. She said she was known to be, while odd, an extremely pleasurable-to-know pony. She didn't tell me much though, as she had to get going before any pony noticed she was talking to an alien hitching a ride on a train. She told me she would see me in Canterlot, and that she would bring me carrots if she could get some.

Ya know, she really is nice. Offering to take me in, hide me, feed me...

Damn, kinda sounds like i'm her pet.

And so, I was sitting there in the storage. It was dimly lit in there, and I was sitting on the sofa. I don't care who its for. It could've been for my drill instructor, I don't care. For now, its mine.

Maybe I could convince Minuette to help me steal it? nah, that would probably only end with us getting it wedged in the doorway of her house while guards shoot at us with arrows. That is if she would help steal it in the first place. She wouldn't though. Seems too nice to do that.

The lighting was dim, no windows. No bulbs. Just daylight breaking through the metal. As I stated, I was on the sofa, my rifle in my lap. I wasn't resting against it, instead I was tense. My left gripping the sights while my right gripped the barrel. I was sorta slouching, but not too bad to where I felt relaxed. I was looking down, studying my weapon.

I had been on this train for about an hour now. Don't know how far we have gotten yet, nor do I know how much longer I will be staying in this tin can. No pony has come through either door yet, and that's sorta good. Except i'm hungry. Minuette hasn't been by yet. So no food.

Well, I might have some rations. Why haven't I thought of it before? Rations! I propped the carbine up against the sofa and stood up. Pausing briefly to stretch and pop the bones.

"Aghhhhh." I groaned as my spine popped. Nice. I looked back at my pack, which I set on a cooler which sat next to the sliding door. I quickly stepped over and unzipped it, and the first thing to greet me was my PT shorts.

Wonder when Ill wear you.

I dug a little further into my bag, digging over a magazine for my carbine, and eventually found a ration. My final one. Not that ill be too mournful for it, as this one was: Lo and behold! Crackers with hot sauce.

"Ugh."

I began to rip at the ration, but stopped and looked at the sliding door. Some greater light would be nice. So, I set down the ration and put my hands on the handle. With one strong, swift motion, I slid the door back. Revealing the countryside zooming by. And the afternoon sky overhead was sorta nice. I looked back, the train car now lit up. My stomach grumbled, and I reached for my ration and sat down on the edge, my legs hanging off. Another swift motion and the ration was open. The smell of hot sauce is obvious. Not that I don't like it, though. I used to chug hot sauce when I was younger....be a painful night on the toilet Ill tell you that.

The ration had a pocket for the sauce, and the crackers were there in the main compartment. Along with a salt packet. But I ignored it and undid my bandanna, taking a cracker and dipping it, taking a good bite and looking out at the distance. I stopped for a minute and just took it in.

The scenery was amazing, especially when aligned with an orange afternoon. I hadn't noticed it earlier, but we were higher in elevation. I looked down and just realized how dangerous it was for me to be sitting like this. But who gave a fuck? It was just a small mountain. If I fell, all I would sustain at best was a broken arm and some scratches. No death. I'd just fall, slide, and land.

I could see Ponyville from where I was. Looks big. I saw the buildings, and the streets. Couldn't see no ponies though. But it made sense, considering how far away I was. The grassland looked amazing. A lot better than the sands and dunes of Afghanistan. The sunlight made it look even better than it did this morning. I was awed. I spent so long in the desert I sorta forgot what it was like to be elevated and look down upon the grasslands of home in the afternoon. Sure, this wasn't home. But, for a split second. I felt like I was.

I also spotted a nice lake nearby the town and it conjured nostalgia of my high school days. I would go to the nearby lake with my buddies during the heat of Summer. Swim around, roughhouse in the water, hit on the pretty girls. I remember once a childhood friend of mine, as a joke, snuck up on this one chick. Couldn't have been more than nineteen years. And, without a second thought, he grabbed the straps of her bikini and yanked the thing off of her. Everyone was shocked, even I. Of course, we all started laughing our asses as she beat the shit outta him, bare chested. And no one, not even I, dared to help him. We all knew he had it coming, whether it was a joke or not. He was lucky he wasn't arrested. Hell, for some odd reason after the whole incident, they became fast friends... Good times. My eyes remained fixed on the blue water, the sunlight reflecting nicely off of it. And a tree nearby just kinda made it look better in my eyes.

Just like home...

Then, I spotted the forest. The Everfree...

The forest of pure evil. The one that almost killed me. Well, I guess to be fair, it wasn't the forest itself. But rather, its inhabitants. The Timber Wolves...

Sounds like a cool gang name. The Timber Wolves...

I felt a shudder run through me as I looked at it, and a cold chill ran down my spine at the thought of it. I had to force myself to look away. To look back to calm greenlands of Equestria. I never had been afraid of the woods. Granted, Washington is sorta rural, and my family (until I was eight) lived in a cabin. I never was afraid, but this? This was supernatural. It wasn't right. Time passed as I sat there. Don't know how long it was, but, the train made several turns as it went up the mountain face. It got dark a few times as it entered caves. Dark enough to where I couldn't see a damned thing, but the train came out the other side almost as quickly as it entered. I still wasn't finished with the crackers, I was trying to make them last. At least until we got to the city.

You know? We never did discuss how we were to smuggle myself through the city... I mean...

Gah!

All of the sudden, there was a change in slope and elevation, and the sudden jolt I got made me drop the remaining crackers and sauce as I grabbed the edge and held myself down to avoid falling off.

"Shit!"

It hit the dirt, and soon disappeared as dust enveloped it. My only food source, gone. After a few minutes, the elevation changed back to normal, and in my annoyed state I looked over to see what the hell just happened. And there it was.

Canterlot.. The Capital.

We were heading straight for its station.

*Choo choo!*

<><><>

I quickly slammed the door shut, as to avoid suspicion when the attendants look at it. And I quickly went for my rifle. It was still on its safety, which was good. I took it and held it close before sitting back down on the sofa, checking its magazine in case I need it... But would I need it? Everything has gone smooth so far. And thats usually good, right?

I felt the movement begin to slow, and my heart rate began to increase. Nervousness, anxiety as it were, set it. I may have just jinxed myself and that wouldn't be good. But, seeing as how angry ponies aren't storming the car yet I might be in the clear. For now, at any rate. As the train began to stop, I began to check all my supplies.

My knife was still in its sheath, and pistol loaded, safety on, and was still in the holster. No chance of an accidental shooting with how it is now. My carbine, as I had already checked it, was alright. Still no sign of my helmet, but seeing as how I didn't have it in my pack, I probably left it at Fluttershy's. Thats too bad, my helmet was sorta important to me... Speaking of my pack...

I looked over to the pack, and it was still open, but during the elevated section of the whole ride the thing fell onto the floor. And as luck would have it, I forgot to freaking close it. Grudgingly, I set my carbine back down and got up to pick up the few items that fell out of it. My PT Gear, my canteen, and a few magazines. I grabbed the green backpack and bent down, grabbing the canteen.

*Thump*

The train finally came to a complete stop. And I fell over as a result. I growled, and got back to my feet. The canteen and backpack still in my hands. Then in the backpack is went. I knelt down and grabbed my shorts and tossed them into the pack. Then the shirt. Then my magazines. I checked each one and luckily no bullets had fallen out. I really didn't feel like searching for them.

*Ching*

I instantly whipped around to meet the noise, drawing the pistol and met its source. The sliding door.... it was opening!

Oh shit!

I quickly holstered the weapon and grabbed my pack, throwing it over my shoulders and began looking around frantically for a place to hide. But there wasn't many places. The whole storage room was full of crates, probably imports, and they were all bolted shut. Sure, I could pull apart the wood but that would take a good minute. Time I don't have. There were briefcases and bags and other types of passenger luggage as well, but I doubt I could fit in any of them.

Crates... sofa...cooler..

Cooler...

The cooler!

Of course, that! It looks big enough for me to hide in and didn't look passenger oriented. Without a second thought, I dashed over to it and flung the lid open. There was only a few things in it. Lantern oil canisters and rope but none of it prevented me from being able to get inside. I dropped my pack in and followed it. Getting down on my knees and laying face down on the backpack, I used one arm to grab the lid and shut it. It didn't lock, so when I decided to get out, all I had to do was push it. Or I could burst out and scare the living shit outta someone...

No, no better not do that.

I just noticed my breathing was a little heavy, and with a little deep breathing it became calm once more. Didn't do anything for my heart rate, however. But if they couldn't hear my, then that's all that mattered. After a few seconds, I heard the door slide open. A voice came up.

"Let me get back to work now, Ill catch you at Joes!" The voice spoke. I could tell instantly it was a mare. "Yep. Yep. Uhuh. Yeah, love you too mom. Alright, alright. Bye." A second passed by. "Ugh, always calling during work." I heard.

I heard hooves clanging onto metal, and soon. It was just silent. Some humming from the mare, but that's it. I would've gotten out, had the voice been familiar. But its not Minuette's, and all that remained was to stay hidden.

Lub-dub... Lub-dub....Lub-dub...

I heard the mare walking on the metal. The flat bottoms of her legs clinking on the hard medal. I heard her sifting through the luggage, the briefcases. All of it. I heard her picking some of it up and leaving, only to come back minutes later. She probably a station worker whose job is to carrying whats in the back off for the passengers...

"What...are you?" I heard her murmur, next thing that sounded off was a loud thump. "Oh damn."

"Hey! High Climber! We just checked our lanterns and Oils running low. Wont make it through the night. Grab some more will ya?" I heard from a much more male voice.

"Right, sure thing."

My eyes shifted to the canisters at my feet.

Oh shit.

Without a second to think, the lid opened. And my eyes met those of the station worker. High Climber. She was a pale white mare with orange eyes. Her mane was a pale blue, but I can't really say the style as I don't know what the hell to call it. Seemed normal though, for a mare. Not abnormal in any way. She gasped and looked at me, her eyes looking into mine. Before I could say anything, she backed away, her eyes widening in fear. Then, a scream. I stood up and watched as she bolted out of the train yelling "Monster!". Her cap flying off as she ran.

To her, I was a monster. Hiding in a cooler, wearing tough looking skin. To me? I was just an unlucky devil dog.

"Aw shit!" I breathed. She saw me! Fuck! My thoughts instantly skewered into what would happen as a consequence. But just as quickly the thought came, they left. My mind could only now conjure one thought.

So much for stealth....

I looked at a nearby crate. One I could easily hide behind, and I had an idea.

Well... maybe it can still be salvaged.

Quickly dragging the pack out of the cooler and throwing my arms through the straps, I ducked behind the nearby crate, unholstering my pistol, but holstered it when a thought occurred. And this was against shooting these things.

No... No. You won't need this. Not yet, anyways.

They looked too cute to shoot. Hell, when I first met Fluttershy. My pistol aimed at her skull, my finger trembling at the thought of killing her. I'm glad I didn't let my training take full control.

Keeping my breathing small, I pressed up against the crate. Looking around for an alternate escape route should I need it. And I heard more hoofsteps clanging onto metal. But this time? No flat feet against metal. Metal against metal. It was a distinctive sound. I heard it plenty of times at Parris Island. A took a slow deep breath, and exhaled just the same.

"Its in there! Check the cooler!" I heard, from the same mare that ran scared. Then an affirmative grunt came from the nearby pony. This one sounding male. But it sounded gruff. Soldier like. Like this one has been through the training to make a soldier...

And seconds later that pony slowly came into view, and my eyes widened in its attire... It was covered in golden armor, and its helmet like a Spartan helmet. But no red plumes, blue. It was wielding a spear, and had its eyes focused on my previous hiding spot. My heart skipped a beat, and I just now realized I was holding my breath. But I didn't exhale. It would make too much noise, and it seems he hasn't noticed me yet. So I kept it held in. And he came into full view. His armor extended from his neck to his rear, and covered his chest and hooves. A single chevron decorated the armored flank. A private? Or a PFC?

A drop of sweat flowed freely down my forehead and down the ridge of my nose. It was soon absorbed by my bandanna. I was getting extremely nervous, he would check the cooler, turn around and see me. And if I run out, every single pony out there would see me. I can't win!

....

I guess I have no choice... I know what I have to do. I hesitated for a moment as he stood there, surveying the outside of the cooler. More sweat flowed, and I remembered that I could exhale through the nose. Slowly, the carbon left me, and I felt the heat of anxiety growing rapidly, to the point where it couldn't be beared. I grunted a battle cry and rushed the pony. Surprising him with a quick shoulder tackle. He cried out in surprise, his deep voice betraying fear. His helmet fell off and clanged against the metal floor. His surprise was evident, as when we both recovered, he looked up at me. His mouth wide open, and his eyes showing fear. He gulped as he looked at me. I only now realized I was on top of him. I lifted my head and looked at him, with a worried glare. As soon as I exhaled, he yelped and reached for his spear which lay a few feet away. But I allowed training to take over and quickly ended the struggle by grabbing the collar on his armor and giving a swift headbutt. He slumped unconscious, and I wiped some of the blood that squirted from his nose off my forehead. Smelled like copper.

"Fuck...." I whispered as I realized just what I had done. "Fuck fuck fuck....FUCK!"

I turned when I heard a voice.

"Everything alright in there, Iron Gut?" I heard, another familiar accent. Rhode Island from the sound of it.

Fuck!

I swiftly ran to grab my carbine, which lay on its side. Evidently High Climber had touched it. Once I had it, I switched the safety off and quickly ran outside. Knocking down a guard who was entering after his friend. I heard gasps as I stopped to look for Minuette. My eyes scanned around, but all I saw was ponies. Groups of them, all gathered around the train. Wanting to witness what was going on inside. I saw High Climber, backing away into the crowd. But I saw no Minuette.

"What is that thing?!"

"A monster!"

"Guards! Guards!"

This is what happens when you don't think, Crouse! This is what happens when you don't think!

"Minuette.... Minuette... where the hell are you Minuette?" I murmured breathlessly, scanning the wide eyed crowds for her. But I didn't see her. If I did, I didn't notice. They all sorta looked the same. I felt scared.

"Back away and let the Guard handle this!" I heard from behind, I turned and met more golden armored ponies. One with red plumes instead of blue was leading a few blue plumed grunts, their spears leveled in my direction. Their spread out and began to surround me, but I wasn't determined to let them. I took aim and leveled my sights on the officer, but quickly had second thoughts.

No, Crouse! No! Your not killing these ponies!

I lowered the rifle.

"Sergeant!" I heard, but I didn't turn to meet whoever yelled that. I had bigger problems. I looked beyond the officer and noted a street behind them, and an idea sprang.

Better than surrender, I guess.

"Your not taking me alive!" I yelled, before darting towards the officer. Intending to run past him. But leveled his spear and was ready to skewer me, but I refused to let that happen. I quickly grabbed the tip of his spear and yanked it aside before bringing my foot to the officers chin. I kicked him hard, and knocked him over on his side. Screaming in pain. I doubt I killed him, but I may have broken his jaw. But I didn't care. More important matters. I darted over the officers helmet, which had flown off at the force my foot met his chin with, and quickly stepped off wood and into gravel, or whatever it was. I looked right, then left. And decided to run left, which had another street on it that I soon turned onto.

On that street, I saw more ponies. And I saw glowing signs on the buildings. One read "Donut Joe's" I looked up and I saw a castle looking building, far off and away from the train station. I heard shouts behind and decided not to linger. I grabbed good hold of my carbine and held it close before darting through the street. Passing gasping ponies and angry guardsponies. A few minutes later, after moving through a couple streets and avoiding the guards attempts at stopping me. I found myself in an alleyway, three streets away from the station. I heard alarm bells all around, and angry shouts as guards ran through the streets, looking for me. I was hiding behind a dumpster. Trash cans all around, I chuckled slightly.

"Man, if only Mamma could see me now. She'd probably send me to an asylum." I murmured.

But I soon looked up, and saw something falling through the sky. It wasn't a blur. Nor was it a carriage. It was a ball of fire, and it was heading straight for the ground.

Far away from the city.....

Gaiden: An Aircraft Astray

An Aircraft Astray

Hatch was always a calm individual. Not very talkative, but a very calm one. During Basic, when he ran into the Drill Sergeant on accident, he kept a calm face and didn't freak out. Mentally or physically. He sat there and let the Drill Sergeant blast him, and when it was all over? He wen't right back to what he was doing and forgot the whole thing. He never really panicked much. An admirable trait.

But right here? Not even calmest demeanor would prevail. His aircraft was shot. His aircraft was on fire. He was going down. And the ground was fast approaching. His breathing was fast and erratic, and all the while he was pulling the throttle back, trying to crash land, instead of crash. But it wasn't working, neither the throttle or eject button. Of course, in his panicked mind, he started smashing the button once more. Trying to bail out. After all, no one wants to die in a plane crash, or in his case, a jet crash. Surviving it is sometimes even worse.

*CLICK* *CLICK* *CLICK*

His hand continued to hit the button, and nothing would respond. The only thing that occupied the noise barrier was the sound of his jet falling towards the hard, hard ground.

"Come on! Come on! Eject already!" He yelled. "Dammit all!"

Moments passed as he tried both to perform a crash landing, and eject. But no results came from the work he put into it. Every second the ground, and his death, came closer. But he would not allow this, not if he had a say so. And at this moment, he still does have this say so.

*CLICK* *CLICK*

He continued to hit the button, but no cigar.

*CLICK*

And in an instant, his seat was launched upwards, the cockpits glass flew up. And out he went, away from the aircraft and into the sky. But only for a short distance, as his seat began to fall once again back to the Earth. His parachute deployed, and he was yanked back a couple more feet in the air, before beginning to slowly float back down. He muttered a thank you.

"Thank you, God." He muttered, exhaling with relief. He sat there, watching his aircraft, which he realized was now a ball of fire, sail towards the Earth. Nothing stopping. Nothing.

And then it hit the ground hard, turning from a ball of fire and oxygen into a ball of metal shards, glass, electrics, fire, and death. It absorbed everything in its path. Not only did it explode, but the skeleton of it was sliding through grass and trees. Cutting its way through everything. Not even a big oak was enough to stop it, as the force it had was too powerful. It began to slow, and slow, and slow. Until it came to a stop. Dead trees, fire, metal, and a dirt ravine marking where it had hit, and where it had gone.

In an instant, it was over.

Hatch took a second to compose himself as the seat drifted downwards, slowly meeting with the ground. He inhaled deep and slow, and exhaled all the same.

In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.

His fear was not over, however. As he drifted, he began to notice what he had not earlier, the change in scenery. the arid rocks and sand of the Afghan desert change into grass, dirt and trees. An odd sight to see in the Middle East.

His seat hit the ground, a little too hard. And Hatch felt the force that rippled through his body, causing him to inhale heavily a second after landing. But it was all OK. He was alive. The parachute, luckily, landed behind him. And the only thing stopping him from getting up was the straps on his seat. But a quick unbuckle and he was free. He reached up and flipped open his oxygen mask, which the flight helmet had provided earlier. He took a nice inhale, smiling. But that smile quickly turned into a frown as he looked around. Unholstering his pistol, all he saw was trees. Grass. The remnants of his jet. Grunting in annoyance, he stepped towards the wreck. That step turned into a walk, and that in to a run.

As he ran towards the jet, his flight suit not hindering him in any way, he noticed the sun in the sky was setting. Darkness would soon be upon him. He stopped as he arrived at a broken off wing from the jet that lay halfway between his seat and said jet.

"Aw fuck!" He yelled in anger.

He moved to kick the wing, but something behind him caught his attention. He heard something moving in the grass behind him. Slowly, as if cautious. As if knowing that what ahead of itself could be dangerous. Hatch, despite his inferior combat training compared to his infantry brothers, was ready. He made a one hundred eighty azimuth and took aim at whatever was behind him.

He wasn't ready, however, for what it was. Ahead of him, frozen in fear, was a unicorn. It was half his height, and had a sorta greenish blue color scheme. It was staring up at him, unsure of what to do next. Hatch, on the other hand, lowered his pistol. Albeit uneasy of the fact its a unicorn. He kept his own distance from the thing. He watched it for a bit, studying it. And it him. Minutes passed as he looked it up and down, noting its golden/yellow eyes. He found the thing, while frightened and fragile looking, could be capable of taking his kneecaps out. Or able to cause other physical harm.

He began to ponder exactly where he was as the existence of a unicorn is an odd thing. In fact, its unbelievable. North Korea, The Netherlands, and Scotland were a few countries that made up this thoughts. Of course, he was in awe as well. This was an incredible moment, if he told others then they would not believe him. Probably even with photographic evidence. Hatch cursed his luck, since he doesn't have a camera.

"What..." It spoke. "What are you?" It said, its tone showing that it doesn't expect an answer. It also betrayed a female voice.

Hatch looked at for a second. Then chuckled.

"Did you.. did you just talk?" He replied. Then it shared his look of both fascination and wary. She squeaked in reply. "No way. You didn't speak." He added.

It just stared.

"Right." He said, turning back towards the jet. "Run along, horsey. Run along." He stared at the flaming skeleton of what remained of his baby.

"You can talk?" It asked. "No...freaking...way!" It said, as excited.

"Yeah, feelings mutual. Bugger off." He murmured. But he doubts she heard it. He sorta wished she had, though as she began to annoy him with the same question she had once asked.

"What are you?!" She asked once again, excitement filling her voice. She could not contain it, as it was a near impossibility. "Please, tellmetellmetellme!"

"Alright! Calm down!" He replied, raising his voice as he turned around. But regretted it soon after and swiftly corrected it. Trying to maintain his natural calm demeanor. "Sorry, eheh... My name Captain Grant Hatch, United States Marine Corps. Happy?" He gave in.

"Oh!" She sounded. "Well, my names Lyra! Lyra Heartstrings!" She said, quickly taking his hand and giving a good shake. But Hatch retracted it as fast as it happened. "But, please! Captain Grant Hatch United States Marine Corps, tell me wh-"

"No no no.. Its just.... Just call me Hatch."

"Hatch. Please, tell me what you are." She asked, a huge grin on her face.

Hatch deadpanned at her.

"What are you?" He riposted. Her face went from excited to confused. She obviously thought the knowledge was common, but Hatch still didn't look impressed.

"What... I'm.. I'm a pony.." She said. "You don't know this?"

"No." Hatch countered immediately, feeling stupefied at the word. He had only ever heard the word once. A long time ago. When he was a child. "Pony?"

"Pony, yeah!" She said, smiling. But her smile faded when she looked over to the destroyed aircraft. Flames marked where it had originally crashed. "Whats.... that?" She asked, pointing with one of her forehooves. Hatch turned and looked at what had sparked her query. It pained him to even think about how to answer. How could anyone explain that in just a few words? But he had questions. Many questions.

'This... pony... may be able to answer them.' He thought.

His eyes fixed on the flaming carcass, and some anger surged through his mind.

And all that occupied the sound barrier were birds chirping, and flames crackling. No gunfire. No aircraft overhead.

Just calmness.

~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~

Author's Note

Look at that shit, bruh! Written in a day. IT FEELS GOOD!

I still haven't forgotten, Thunder. Consider this a late birthday gift.

Chapter 11: P.o.W.

P.o.W.

It had fallen quite aways. It sorta remind me of arty fire back home. Just watching the smoke trail. For the few seconds it was in the air, and in view, I was reminded of home. Behind the front lines at base, or sometimes in the hellfire. It sorta was a sweet memory, but a memory soon turned sour at remembrance that I came here because of war. The UFO had fallen behind a building, and out of view. No way it had hit anything yet, though. As i'm pretty sure there would be a noise. An explosion or something. But would I hear it? It looks to be miles away.

Probably not.

What was it, though? A meteor?

Whatever it was, it didn't matter. I got more pressing matters on my mind. The alarms continue to toll, and I could hear the guards shouts all across the city. I rested my chin on my hand in thought.

Goddamn, word travels fast in this city.

"Check that alleyway!" I heard not far from where I was.

Efficient. Ill give them that.

I had to think quickly, I had no doubt it was my alleyway they were about to check. They were probably combing every alley and store. Street and dumpster. On one hand, this would be extremely annoying and hinder my plan to hide and wait for this to blow over. On the other, its understandable. This is their capital. Their "Crown" reigns from here. If a.... lets say a monster, was to invade then i'm pretty sure its guard would be fast responding. On the same hand, I doubt I could talk my way out of this. I did kick one in the fast and knock another out. Fucking training....

"Get inside! Martial Law!" I heard once more. Same voice as before. Goddammit. Martial law already? That was fast. Very fast, I haven't even been in the city for thirty minutes... Well, again. They probably have plan set in place should a monster attack.

That will make things that much harder....

Gotta keep moving. Don't stay put. Trust your training, Crouse. Minuette will find you. Just keep calm and clear. Clear and move.

With that thought, I jumped to my feet with my carbine and looked right, then looked left. My eyes down the sights. Nothing. It was clear. I turned and ran once sure and made for the street. Already was it empty, a few golden armored ponies moving off of it. But nonetheless empty. I looked up and down it, scanning for a route to take. A route to keep me off the roads. The streets. I quickly spotted a side street and did a once over to ensure the way was clear. Once assured, I made a run for it. Keeping low and going fast.

As soon as I was clear, I pressed up against the side of the building and scanned the street. Clear. I took a deep breath and exhaled. Realizing I was sweating, I took my hand a wiped off the sweat. Which I found out was immense. I must've been really anxious. I didn't even notice until I took a breather.

The bells continued their toll. My anxiety did not wane. That may have been a good thing however, as it kept me on my toes. I knew I was in danger, and if I felt relaxed I would not be aware of my surroundings or my predicament. I shook my head, trying to summon calm thoughts. Its what I always tried to do in combat. It usually helped combat stress when your out in the field for weeks at time, constantly having RPGs thrown at you, grenades and bullets too. Looking up the street, I checked for tangos. Nothing. Not yet. That's probably for the best, though. I don't want to shoot these things.

I mean, if they have a battle trained Timber Wolf, ill have no problem shooting that. But these cute things? Well, i'm regretting even breaking their jaws.

Maybe I was too hasty in doing that? Perhaps reason would've prevailed like it did with Fluttershy? Damn training.

One foot in front of the other, I proceeded slowly down the small street. My rifle pointed outwards to the opposite end. My vision lined with the sights. When I came to a corner in the buildings, I quickly changed my direction that of what the corner was hiding. When I determined it was clear, I focused back on the street. Occasionally checking my flank, but it was quiet. Figuratively, of course. I could still hear guards all around. As I reached the end of the street, I paused and took a deep breath. Get myself ready to move once more across the streets of this city.

I gave a heavy exhale, and quickly darted into the street, clearing left, and clearing ri-

I froze in my haste to move. Standing in the street across from me was a white coated guard. Staring back at me. Taupe eyes frozen in surprise. My rifle was centered on her, and I was staring at her through said sights. A swords hilt was in her mouth, and her helmet was golden with red plumes. A white stripe decorating the front of it, ending at the bridge of her nose.

What does that mean?

Her eyes went from a befuddled look to a glare. And she stepped forward, slicing the air with her sword in an attempt of intimidation. From right to left it went, and left the blade stayed. Of course, I wasn't afraid. I've killed sword bearers before. To be exact, scimitar-wielding terrorists charging my position when their ammo was depleted and surrender was apparently not an option. Her hilt, from what little I saw of it, had a ruby in its pommel. And the blade looked shiny, as if recently refined, and looked to be a short sword judgin' from its size.

I just now noticed upon further inspection that the sword had an engraving:

"My Honor. My Loyalty. My Life."

Hmph. Sorta reminded me of the SS service dagger, but seemed like something a British Officer would wield. But then again, I don't know if they even have swords still approved for use in battle. I know the Marine Corps has one. The Mameluke sword. I've held on those babies before, and boy was it an amazing looking sword. Wouldn't mind mounting one at home. I also wouldn't mind owning the SS dagger either. A little keepsake of history, you could say. It always did look cool.

What did the engraving on the dagger say? "Mein ehre... Heit? No, heist... something something"? Bah, it doesn't matter.

I was reluctant to shoot the pony, regardless of the danger she posed. As long as my training didn't come into full control, then she'll be somewhat alright. She growled and charged at me, quickly closing the gap between us. Reacting quickly, I aimed to the sky and fired a warning in hopes the noise would scare her. But it didn't, it had no effect at all. With a little panic, I threw down my carbine and backed away quickly as she swung at me. She swung again, and I retreated from its blade. Jumping back another foot. She swung once more, and I immediately retaliated. I kicked at the blade hard, knocking it out of her mouth. I then quickly brought my fist up and swung back at her. I struck her across the muzzle, my fist hitting the side of her helmet. I didn't show the pain that coursed my knuckles and brought the back of my fist once again across the mares muzzle. I was careful not to swing hard enough to break anything, but hard enough to prove a point. The second blow must've hurt though, as she stumbled back before falling over.

The sword, I noticed, slid down over by my rifle. Looked like an interesting thing to keep. But I had more pressing matters than a fucking sword, I quickly grabbed my knife and knelt by the mare. Pointing it at her eye. I could've put it to her throat, but I'd rather her see the death I offered with her own two eyes. I wanted her to be scared. It would convey a message. As I didn't intend to kill her, I wanted her to know not to follow me. Or else. She looked into my eyes, defiance and bravery replaced with fear. Replaced with a flash of her life. But she wasn't going to die. Not unless she forced me to defend myself again.

"Don't get up." I ordered simply. Standing up, I quickly sheathed my knife and grabbed my carbine. I glanced at the sword, but decided it wasn't worth effort. I kicked it further away from me and turned to dash away. I paused to look back at the pony, whom was still lying on the ground. Staring at me. She obviously understood me as she made no move to get up. That fit me just fine, though. I turned and hurried off.

The bells continued their toll, and it was getting annoying.

I kept my time on the streets short and always stayed low to catch a breather. The guard I had threatened earlier had not come back for round two, so I assumed she got the message loud and clear. I didn't want to kill anypony, but I would if it meant preserving my own life. If the first attempt to stop them didn't work, then killing was the last resort. The bells were never ending, and I could hear the warnings all around. I was getting extremely lucky that I only faced one, but my luck would soon run out. I knew that much. But when I could not tell. Minuette still had not found me, and i'm starting to get worried shes not even looking. If she isn't i'm not surprised. Why be out in Martial Law? She could be arrested.

Entering another street, I looked around. I left the mare behind, five streets ago. I wasn't worried of her revenge. But of her comrades I was. But, as long as I kept to empty roads, streets, and alleyways I figured i'd be f-

"There it is!"

"Surround the bastard!"

"Don't let it get away!"

Fuck!

I didn't even turn to look at the source. I knew that, from what I had heard, a whole squad must be behind me. My cautious walk turned into a full out sprint. I gained some ground quickly, but before I could round a corner, a few figures landed in front of me. At first, I was confused. But I soon remembered Fluttershy. Then pegasi all together. I backed up as they unsheathed their weapons. They had shields that resembled Roman scutums (albeit Golden colored with a sun in the middle), and quickly formed a shield wall, advancing towards me. I backed away and turned to look at my pursuers. I counted five.. No, six! Six ponies. All armed with spears. A red plumed stallion in front. An officer. He was armed with a sword, but not like the mare. No, instead he was armed with a broadsword. I looked around quickly for an alley to retreat down. But nothing. No alternate route. I looked back at the shield wall. They were closing in fast. I got my carbine ready in case they try to kill me, but when the footponies got close. They only made a spear wall. None made an attempt to advance further. Which was a good thing on my end, but a good thing short lived with the realization I wasn't going anywhere.

Well fuck... no way outta this. One way I get impaled. Another I get bashed and stabbed. If I did manage to escape, blood loss would finish me off... My mind raced quickly with solutions, but I had none. Self preservation is right now my number one top priority. I could just shoot my way out of this easily. Bullet beats spear, but I couldn't outrun a Pegasus. Nor could I outrun a fireball or a bolt of electricity. Or a orb of cold air. The rifle remained trained on the officer, who was behind the pike wall. He had a glare of defiance beaming right at me, and I could feel it burn through my very soul.

Military Code of Conduct, Article Two states that: "I will never surrender of my own free will.", but that can be interpreted in a few ways. In my case, I could interpret that to "Only surrender if escape is an impossibility..". In this instance, it wouldn't be of my own accord. They have surrounded me, fighting my way out is not worth the bloodshed or effort, as I wouldn't get far. Then I couldn't surrender as they would kill me immediately If I don't do something fast, they will kill me. That's not preferable either.

I glanced around, I saw doors that lead into buildings. Windows that I could easily jump through. Ponies were watching through 'em, some looked lower class. Stubbles, ragged hats and other things that showed they did the manual labor around here. And some ponies looked to be more rich than others. Tuxedos and monocles. They all were watching with interest. Waiting to see what would happen to this "monster.".

I looked at the scutum bearing pegasi, and they had closed in quick. Blocking my escape. I had no where to go, and only one card to play if I was to escape execution...

I threw my carbine over my shoulder, making sure to secure its strap. Then?

"I surrender!" I yelled, putting my hands in the air. "Spare me!"

The ponies backed away at my sudden movement, but looked confused. I saw one open his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it. Unable to articulate a single word. Understandable, but a bit worrying. A few looked to the officer for guidance. He looked confused as well.

"Did you-"

"Yes, I said that I surrender. Now, I want to talk to your boss. Take me to 'em. I got some questions!"

No reply.

"You deaf? Take me to the highest member of your fucking chain of command!" I demanded once more. "If you have any integrity, you will oblige."

"We don't have to oblige the demands of a monster who has harmed our ponies. Even if it can talk, there are no exceptions. You're a monster, and you will die for your transgressions. Guards, take it o-"

"Wait, wait, hold that thought. You see this, right here?" I gestured to my pistol. "Its a weapon my kind uses. It sprays death in any direction I choose. Now, unless you wanna see how many of you I can kill before you manage to incapacitate me, I suggest you do what I ask."

He looked down at my pistol for a moment, studying what little he saw. But he huffed with security and looked back at me. A smug grin grossing his cheeks.

"You're making that up."

I looked over to see a discarded bottle. It was full of water and seemed to have been abandoned when Martial Law was initiated. I smiled, and looked at the officer. Keeping my eyes locked with his, I unholstered the pistol and took aim. And in a second, the silence was broken by a loud crack. The guards quickly backed away as the bottle exploded almost immediately. I heard the shocked screams of the civilians standing in the nearby buildings. Watching. I kept my eyes locked with the officer, giving him an expression that said "Well?". The guards were murmuring amongst themselves.

The officer quickly took charge, recovering from instant surprise.

"Get some hoofcuffs on it."

<><><>

The hoofcuffs were ineffective. They slid off my hands fast and easy. The guards thought I was doing it on purpose, but they were just being dicks. They knew it wasn't going to fit on my arms. So instead, they just put two spears to my back and escorted me. Seconds to arriving at the castle gates, the bells quit their tolling. But I saw no civilian life. Which might, or might not be, a good thing. But I didn't care, I had other shit to worry for. As we moved towards the castle, more and more guards began to flank me. Pegasi soared overhead, armed with crossbows. They watched me, ready to kill should I do anything they don't like.

As we approached the gates, I was in awe. The size of the wall was immense, and the building it guarded even more immense. I saw windows made of stained glass, these windows depicting images that of which I could not detail. They were just so... beautiful. No word could describe their beauty. I saw a giant telescope peeking out the side of the castle, an observatory. Nice. The castle had its own tower on the far left. Looked like a barracks, but doesn't look like it was made for the guards in golden armor... No, no its got a banner depicting the Moon on it.

When we got to the gates, the leading officer turned to face me, with a glare. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. As if thinking his next choice of words, but it seemed he couldn't find anything right. Judging from his annoyed grunt. But in reality, he had.

"Make any sudden movements, and you'll be dead before you even move." He threatened. But of course, I felt a like a little smartass. The only thing keeping me from making any remark of that was my life was essentially at his mercy. I wouldn't have enough time to draw before they change the spear tips from grey to red.

"Open the gates! We got it!" He yelled, and barely a second passed before the door began opening. I was amazed, still. The architecture of it all. Amazing. One side of the gate had a sun on it, bright golden like the armor of those around me.

And the other was decorated with the moon. Dark, like the night. But the moon shined through that darkness, and was a white mistress among it. I just now noticed that the sky was a dark orange, and said darkness would be soon setting in. Timely, the day had lasted for far too long.

As the gate opened, I began to get glimpses of its courtyard. Flowers decorated it, along with stone pathways that led to the left and right. And ultimately up to the castle gates. I stared at the sheer size of it. I saw it from afar, but being much closer to it? It towered over the walls!

That would be bad for them were a siege to occur.

The occupants of the courtyard were few, as most of the guard were probably out in the city. Looking for me. But since the bells ended their toll, I imagined they would be back shortly. But, there were some. A few guards in golden armor were waiting behind the gates. Glaring at me with swords at the ready. Near the castle gate, there three guards. But unlike the golden armor most were wearing, they were dark purple armor. The helmets were not unlike, however. Still Spartan-like Were these special forces?

As we approached, one pointed at me and muttered something inaudible, and the one with its back to me turned and looked in my direction. I gasped and stopped in my tracks as I got a better look at her. It was definitely a mare. But was it a pony?

The mare had blueish-purple coat with piss-yellow eyes. Eyes like a snakes eye. Instead of the pupils like all the other ponies, hers was just black slits surrounded by the yellow. Her mane, pushed through the helmet unlike every other guard, was a deep blue. But what truly caught my attention was her wings. Fur-less wings, like a bats wing. It looked like leather, and when looked at me she barred her teeth and looked at me with contempt.

Fangs.. This bitch had fangs!

I felt a jab in my back, and knew I was standing still, fear making its way into my mind. But I mustered my courage and continued behind the officer. Keeping my eyes on the bat-mare as I moved, I kept my cool and pretended everything was fine. The officer, however, noticed my discomfort.

"Hah, wait until she says something to ya." He murmured.

As we approached, she stopped the officer. Chuckling slightly as we approached.

"What's this now?" She said, her voice betraying a raspy Scottish accent. "You fuckin' tellin' me this motherfuckin' cockwobble is why we're up early?" She spoke, eyeing me up and down. I took a slow, deep inhale. Trying not to betray any emotion. She gave a quick huff, and the officer sighed.

"Good evening to you too, Stella. Yep, this is it. This is the ape that's been causing trouble."

"Really? This is the twat what almost broke Captain Shiny's jaw?" She asked. This? This is the monster?" She said, looking up at me. "You don't look so tough to me, what, you think that because stand on two legs and hump animals you get to walk through whenever you want and kick bitches in the face? Well, you got another thing coming, ya gobshite." She rambled, injecting venom into every word.

"What?" I asked, not truly understanding what she was saying.

"Ah, and it talks too! What a fucking surprise." She said. "Why is this goddessdamn thing still breathing?" She asked, looking at the officer.

"Things more dangerous than you realize, Stella. We couldn't explain it, not without you fucking stopping us to say something stupid."

"Aye, shut yer hole, you goddessdamn Solar piss bucket!"

"Right. Well, The short story is we are taking it to the princesses. It, apparently, has questions."

"Ugh, just spear the damn thing already. Its ugly enough as it is. I mean, look! It has no mouth!" She replied. "How the hell does it speak? Out of its arse?!"

"I-I have a mouth!" I stumbled, quickly pulling my face wrap down. "See?"

"Ahh, so ya hide it, huh? Will ya shut the fuck up now?"

"Listen, hurry up and get on your patrol, Stella. Martial Law is over and so is this conversation."

"What the hell are you?!" I asked, suddenly. Ill be honest, this bitch was pissing me off. Reminded me too much of my drill sergeant back at Basic. But she quickly shut her mouth and looked at me, anger replaced by surprise. The officer looked at me, whispering "Oh shit, now you pissed her off." before backing away, some of the soldiers trailing me mocked him. Except one, who kept a spear in my back so I wouldn't go nowhere.

I looked down at her, her eyes glancing back up at me. She probably was thinking about why this monster was talking back, or maybe she feared for her life? I wasn't cuffed, after all...

Her expression once again conveyed anger. But worse than before.

"What the fuck am I?" She asked, fiercely. She began a low chuckle and looked back at the two Lunar guards by the door. "Really? Really. What the fuck am I, mate?" She said, looking at them before turning back to me. "Really?" She said, gaining ground on me till she was barely a few inches away.

"WHAT AM I?!?!" She roared with exponential annoyance and anger. "What the fuck are you, bitch?! You fucking, cocksucking prickarse! Mate, you better be lucky you got a platoon of pansy Solars behind you or i'd pull yer disrespectful tongue through yer fucking throat!"

"I'd like to see you try!" I retorted.

"Yeah, you'd like that, huh?!" She said, circling me. "You'd like a batmare to hoof yer throat, huh?"

What?! What the hell does that mean?!

I looked at her for a second just, trying to take in what she said. And interpret its meaning... but all I could think of was sexual shit and it doesn't sound pleasant.

"What the fucks wrong with you?" I asked as I stepped back. Ignoring the jab of that spear. "You perverted bitch! Seriously, what the fuck?!" The spear on my back encouraged me to advance, it was uncomfortable. But I had a few choice words for this one and it seems like the others weren't going to stop me.

"Listen, bitch! You ain't shit! You better watch who you fucking insult because I can kick your damn teeth in and no one would stop me!" I yelled. "Or I could just shoot you and watch you squirm until you bleed out!"

She stopped and looked up at me, her glare still prevailing over any expression. But her frown turned upside down, into a small smirk. And that smirk into a big smile. Her glare turned wide eyed look. She began to chuckle, however I began to feel confused.

"Haha, you-heh-you know what?" She started, backing away. "You're alright. At least someponies, or in yer case somethings, got the guts to talk back." She said, smiling up at me. But she quickly whipped her view to the officer. Muttering "Pansy.".

"Lieutenant, if yer taking this twat somewhere, then get it there. Now that this whole fucking fiasco is over I can probably squeeze in a few minutes of rest..." She said, turning back to her comrades. "The fuck you two doing? Get back to the barracks."

She turned to leave with her comrades, but she stopped and looked back at me, scanning me up and down. Smirking, she turned and left. Possibly satisfied with what she saw, although I had no idea if it was true. Possibly she just thought I was brave for talking back. I was confused.

"What the hell just happened?" I asked to no one in particular.

I myself looked around to see that these "Solar" guards had backed away a good ways. The only guards to not have done anything A voice caused me to jump and look at its source, the Lieutenant found his way back by my side. But he didn't look angry at me, instead, he just smiled and chuckled.

"Your resilient, ill give you that."

"Who the hell was that?!" I asked.

"Hehehe, your worst nightmare. She's an obnoxious Lunar Guard with a bark worse than her bite..." He said.

"Yeah, obnoxious is the right word to use, huh?" I sarcastically remarked. "She's a fuckin' bitch!"

"Don't take it personally. I hear she's a cool mare to know, fun to drink with. I wouldn't know though as she really dislikes us Solars. She just doesn't like getting up early, especially for an emergency like this. That being said, let that be a lesson to you: Always talk back to Stella. Or you'll have nightmares forever." He said, turning back towards the gate. "Shut that thing already!" He ordered.

"If that's the case, why don't you guys talk back?"

"Didn't you hear me? She hates us Solars. Talking back only makes it worse."

If I ever see that mare again, it will be too soon.

I heard a noise, and both me and the officer looked towards its source. The door to the throne room was opening. And out poked the head of another guard.

"What the hell is going on out here?" He asked. Freezing when he spotted me.

"Just Stella antagonizing everypony and generally being Stella. That....monster requests an audience with Her Majesty." The Lieutenant reported.

"Right, err... right. Well, this thing will have to wait Her Majesty is in a meeting with her generals."

"Well you tell her, Corporal, that this important!"

"Yessir."

<><><>

The throne room was beautiful. Moon and Sun Banners on each side, each depicting their respective insignia and colors. Half the guards that escorted me had broken off and only volunteers stayed to watch me. The Lieutenant was still here, standing at my side. His calmness subsided and his original demeanor of authority and no bullshit has returned. He hasn't said a word to me since the soldier left to fetch the Princess. And so I sat there on the steps that led the thrones, two guards flanking me. Sharing the room with us was the mare I had nearly killed earlier. She had her sword back in its sheath, and she didn't take her eyes off of me. She didn't look angry, though. But I still felt uncomfortable. I think its also worthy noting that when she walked in, the soldiers and the Lieutenant saluted to her.

I can see the bruises where I had hit her earlier. Those won't go away for awhile. Not with how hard I had hit. Speaking of assaults, I'm glad to know I didn't break that one officers jaw. I had kicked harder than I intended to.

Time passed as we sat there, waiting. The best guess I can give for why she was meeting with her high ranks is because of me. I mean, its what I would do. Discuss how to contain and capture or kill it. But now that its all over, now that i'm "captured", they should probably have adjourned it. But I guess not. I began to feel a little drowsy from it all. I had a lot of activity done today, and exhaustion was a terrible mistress.

I looked up at the thrones themselves, and marveled in their own allure. Everything in this castle seemed beautiful. Walls look very well maintained, glass looks tempered, door looked treated, and they even had cool looking paintings here and there. Nothing but the best for the rulers, I guess.

"Your Majesty." I heard, I quickly turned my eyes back to the officer. He had done what looks like a bow. And the....

By God... Your Majesty is goddamn right!

"Lieutenant Rockslide, good evening."

Standing there, towering over her guards by a few feet, was a mare. A... its not a unicorn or a Pegasus. But, this mare, she was... Majestic. Her mane flowed with a magnificent aura of colors in a non-existent breeze. She employed a cautious smile when she gazed at me, and her eyes an awe-inspiring purple that spake "Benevolence". Her coat was a shiny royal white, and her hooves looked like golden sabatons. But, made for horses. I then remembered that all these things have tattoos called "Cutie Marks". My eyes drifted to the visible side of herass, and there it was. The sun itself. While it wasn't glowing like the real thing, it was just as beautiful.

She looked at me, and knew what I was looking at. She caught my gaze and I looked away, blushing slightly.

Was I really staring at a horses ass? Control yourself, Crouse. You aren't an inbred redneck.

"Good evening. I'm sorry to have your meeting interrupted."

"Its not a problem, Rockslide. I'm always glad to make time for my friends...." She said, glancing back at me. "Is this our intruder?" She asked calmly.

"Yes, Your Highness. This is the monster. It called for a parley, and demonstrated its danger to multiple ponies easily. We brought it to you for your judgement."

"It can speak?" She asked.

"Yes, Your Highness. We were surprised as well." He retorted. She exhaled slowly and calmly glanced again in my direction. As if deciding on what to do. As a few moments passed, silence prevailed in the room. But her thoughtful glance turned into a benevolent smile, and her eyes narrowed on me. She took a few steps towards me, but the officer tried to stop her. She ignored him, however and continued towards me. Her eyes fixated.

She stopped when she was close enough to look down on me. But she remained silent, as if waiting for me to say something. But I didn't. I only looked up at her, awed by everything about her. Even sitting near her I felt an aura of happiness radiating from her presence, and the worries of today and anger caused by a certain guard sorta washed away...

"How many of my ponies have you hurt?" She finally asked after a few minutes.

"A recorded number of three, ma'am. He knocked out Private Iron Gut. Nearly broke Captain Shiny's Jaw, and gave Major Sprinkled Summer over there some nasty bruises when she tried to stop him." He said, gesturing to the mare I had beaten down earlier. She just gave a sheepish smile. The Princess, however, sighed and looked back at me.

"Well... That certainly isn't any way to come seek an audience." She said. She then paused, cautiously asking seconds later. "Do you have a name?"

"Just call me Sergeant." I replied.

"Sergeant?" She asked.

"Yes." I confirmed.

"Well, pleasure to meet you, Sergeant. I'm Princess Celestia, I'm sure you know who I am."

"Yes, I had heard about you and your sister." I said with a smile. "Benevolent rulers, from what I have heard."

"We try..."

Seconds passed as we just stare at each other. Neither she nor me had anything to say... I mean, I had questions. But I felt I had no position to be asking anything. There were guards all over the room, archers up high ready to turn me into a porcupine, and the princess even looked ready to fight. I simply was too scared to ask anything. I cleared my throat and looked back around. Studying the glamour that was the throne room.

"You got a beauty of a home." I complimented, scratching the back of my head in a mousy state. She smiled.

"Thank you."

"Your Highness, what are we going to do with him?" Rockslide asked. He looked over at me and frowned, then turned to whisper in her ear. What he said, I had no clue. But I had a feeling it wasn't good. At least not for me. The princess expression changed from caution to surprise. Then from surprise to a thoughtful look.

"No... no. He was scared, we will not punish him in that sense." She muttered back. She paused for a moment, then continued. "But, we will punish him for the assaults."

Uh oh. That didn't sound good.

<><><>

"Tango in the open!"

"I got him!"

A quick crackle of shots and the tango was on the ground, bleeding. His life forfeit.

"Nice shot, Crouse! Move up, move up!"

The sky was dark, and gunfire and muzzle flashes illuminated that dark. Helicopters flew overhead, firing at targets marked by red flares. Tank were rolling through the main streets. But they were taking heavy losses. American Marines and British SAS forces were converging on the town, its name I forgot, but its of important strategic value to the coalition. I didn't ask questions, I just followed orders. Local Afghani police disguised as terrorists infiltrated the town earlier today and evacuated who they could. But many civilians were still inside their homes. Listening to the crescendo of death and war around them. Hoping that no one comes in and shoots them.

Some were tired of living under an iron fist and had taken up arms to fight the insurrectionists alongside us, sort of a partisan movement, I guess. One was with us right now, his name was Alamir jel-Kamadi Bashara. Didn't speak a lick of English. Yeah. But he was an old Afghan soldier, he knew how to fight. I gotta say, I was glad to have him with us. We tried to tell him to go home, but he refused. I, on the other hand, shook his hand and welcomed him to the squad.

The 11th Marines were assaulting the southern and western parts of town while the SAS was airdropping into key sections of the town to eliminate Anti-Armor placements to allow tanks to roll through. An additional regiment of Marines and British infantry was on standby to assault the Eastern parts of town should we take too many casualties. But that seems like an impossibility. We caught the Taliban with their dicks in their hands. They were confused and scattered. Unorganized.

And that's just how we like it.

In the squad were Alamir, Cunningham, Kelley, Ray, me, and our temporary squad leader Staff Sergeant Jacob Miller. He was a good leader, and i'm glad he knew what he was doing. He was leading us through the town, up roads and through alleys. Our squads objective was to reach the town hall, hold it, and wait for reinforcements.

Around us, abandoned cars and buildings was the scenery. You could hear gunfire throughout the town, and yelling. Explosions occasionally. Due to the risk of high civilian casualties, airstrikes and artillery aren't on standby for assistance. Which sucks, but is understandable.

"Hey, what about this alleyway?" Cunningham asked, causing us all to turn around. Alamir only turned when he saw us turn. Miller seemed to like the idea of going down the alley as he looked to me and told me I was point man. A job I didn't enjoy, as it mean't I was the first to get shot.

Alamir was right behind me, Ray behind him, and so on. As we progressed down the alley, I looked back at Miller.

"Does this alley even lead to the town hall?" I asked

"Its just a few streets over, alley looks like it'll allow us to skip a few." He stated before calling to Alamir. He spoke in the language they spoke largely around here, Dari, I think it was. All I understood was the word Alamir. He replied with a short sentence. An agreement, or him saying fuck no?

As we arrived to the end of the alley and into a narrow backstreet, I heard a voice speak a warning at me. It sounded British. I quickly turned to meet the source, and saw a dozen of SAS infantry running over to us. Leaving their own alley.

"Ah, some Yanks. Its about time, we were wondering when-"

And what followed interrupted all thought and conversation. A bright flash ignited underneath the feet of a few of the SAS, and I was blown back. I quickly staggered back up and picked up my rifle. But I couldn't hear anything. Let alone see anything. The flash kicked up a bunch of dust and sand, and even blew a hole in a nearby building. I saw headlights pulling up, but didn't run towards them. Too confused. I looked over and saw a figure run by me, only to fall dead on the ground. Shot to death.

Throughout the confusion, I felt the tracers fly by. Surprisingly, I was unscathed. But the sand that kicked up and all the ringing didn't help any. Out of nowhere, I saw a figure dash towards me. I thought it was a SAS Medic, but I was wrong.

"Allah Akbar!" He yelled. I couldn't get a clear look at him, but I saw a shimmer of light, and knew what he was wielding:

A sword.

He swung at me, but I jumped backwards, falling on my ass but avoiding his swing. It was a short term solution, however. I saw him recover, ready to try again. In my stunned state, I regret that I forgot I had a rifle.

But, as the terrorist raised his sword for a downward thrust, I felt warm trickles of blood run down my forehead. And he fell backwards, landing dead on the ground. And I felt arms grab my shoulders. It solicited a surprised yelp from me, and whoever grabbed me began to drag me through the sand. I tried to struggle, but it was fruitless.

The ringing slowly evaporated, and around me I heard the voices of my comrades. British and American.

"Reloading, cover me!"

"Corpsman!"

"Captain, orders ser?!"

I felt myself coughing, normally I would have my face wrap up during combat. But not this time, too easy to be mistaken in the dark.

I heard a voice directly behind me, a local voice. Local language. At first, I tried to turn and take him out. Grabbing one of his arms and trying to shoot him, but he kept telling at me. It wasn't until I heard him yell, what vaguely sounded like at any rate, Crouse. I then realized it was Alamir, dragging me to safety. I turned my head to get a better look at him, and I actually saw him. He had dragged me out of the dust/sand cloud and behind an allied hummer, he laid me up against the side of it, and began patting me down, checking for wounds.

He must've been satisfied, however, with his finds as he stopped seconds later.

"Crouse! Crouse!" He yelled, pointing at me while looking to a nearby Marine. His accent very thick. The Marine looked at me and then threw me his rifle.

At first, I thought I had mine, but it turns out I dropped it in the struggle.

Alamir patted me on the shoulder, and ran back into the fray. His AK-47 locked and loaded. Perhaps he was going to rescue more Marines or SAS? Or perhaps he wanted to fight in middle of it all? But I didn't try to stop him.

With my mind somewhat calm, I could better hear the chaos around me. And it dawned on me what happened.

Some poor bastard stepped on an IED.

Bullets, tracers, and grenades flee back and forth. Orders were being barked, and taunts were being slung. I looked to the Marine who lent me his rifle, he had his sidearm out. Firing at the enemy. I looked to my left. A Marines corpse in the road, and a Corpsman working on a wounded SAS, who in turn was returning fire.

I peeked over the hummer, and these I saw everything. Marines and SAS hiding behind anything and everything. Cars, alleys, buildings, dumpsters. Some were in lying in the open, bleeding, fighting, or dead. I was one of the lucky ones.

I instantly turned when I heard my name. Alamir was there, a wounded Marine over his shoulder. I knew what he wanted.

"Corpsman!" I yelled, waving over at the Corpsman. He noticed, and quickly ran over. Alamir set him down next to me, and ran back into the fray. To possibly save another one.

I grabbed my rifle and moved to return fire, but something stopped me. Something caught my gaze. I froze with an expressionless stare. I knew not of what to make of it, nor what to think. But it was there.

A horse...no, a Pegasus? Unicorn? But I stared at it, and it me. It was horse-like creature. A very dark blue coat and a mane as dark as midnight. It flowed with nonexistent wind. It sported wings, a horn, and cute looking eyes that blended well with darkness. It was just staring at me, frowning in what looked like pity. It knew that I had spotted it, but it made no attempt to run. I looked to the corpsman.

"You see this shit?!" I asked. He turned to see what I was pointing at, but looked at me like I was crazy.

"The fuck you pointing at, dumbass?!" He asked. "Let me work, this man's gonna die if I can't stop the bleeding!"

I looked back at the creature, and it was gone. I saw the hoofmarks where it had been, but it was gone. I looked around for it, but I saw nothing. It just vanished. Poof. Gone.

What the hell....

"Crouse! Crouse!" My radio chirped. "Get up here! We gotta push forward!"

I look to the corpsman.

"You gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, ill be fine! Get going!"

I looked back at where I saw the creature, but I still saw nothing. I huffed and returned my attention to the gunfight ahead of me. I heard a Scottish voice to my left. It was the wounded SAS.

"Aye, you! We'll go together!" He said, oblivious to the shrapnel that shredded his shoulder. I looked at him, all skeptical. I felt a little concern, but these SAS guys are some bad motherfuckers.

"You sure? Your shoulder looks like shit." I asked. He stood up and tried to fire off a burst at the enemy, but a bullet forces him back down.

"I'll be fine, you wank!" He said. "I've gone through worse."

"Uhh, right!" I said, keeping my stare on his shoulder. Ill take his word for it. "How we gonna do this?" I asked, a tracers ricocheting off the Humvee's side. Grazing my helmet.

"I'll cover you, then you cover me, got it?"

"Got it!"

"Don't be slow, Yankee!" He yelled. I looked back, trying to keep myself as small a target as possible. The cloud was long gone, and I could see the insurgents. They had the buildings, the road, the alleys. Everything. It was theirs. Unfortunately, we were pinned. I saw the blood and guts of those unfortunate enough to be near the IED explosion..

And then there's the bodies of the saps cut down by the bullets...

"Come on, you yobbo!" He yelled. "Move up, I got you!"

"Crouse, where the hell are you? Are you alright?" I heard on my radio.

"I'm fine! Ill be there in second!"

Hopefully...

Counting the seconds to three... I vaulted over the hood of the hummer. Landing on my feet and running at full speed. Tracers flying by, so close I felt the heat radiating off of them. And the SAS guy was covering me, his rifle cracking in bursts, bullets flying at our enemy.

Silently, I cursed my luck. But didn't-

<><><>

"Wake up, dammit!"

I shot up, almost hitting the ceiling. My breathing was heavy, loud. A little wet, and sweat was streaming down my cheeks. Soaking my clothes. My hair was dripping.

"You, uh, need some water?" My jailor asked. "Looks like you're about to have heat stroke."

I felt my cheeks and moved to massage the bridge of my nose. It itched with each droplet that rolled down.

"Yes, water please."

"What was all that about shredded shoulders?" She asked.

"Nothin'. Just sleeptalk." I murmured loud enough for her to hear. I looked towards the guard. But, the darkness of the dungeon concealed most of her image. She had a dim lantern at her hooves, however, so I could see the lower half of her legs. White fur with gold sabatons.

"You've been sleeptalkin' throughout your slumber." She said. "Sorts frightening, some of the things you said." She added. I could hear her rustling with something. Something plastic. As she did, I surveyed my cell. It was small, not lanky though. My only source of light was a dim candle that was on its last legs, and there was a drip somewhere in the cell. Couldn't find out where, though.

It also stank like wet dog in here. But I doubt anyone ever washed their dog here. Weird.

My bed was just an old plank tethered to the wall with a rusty chain. There were no windows, and only stone and an iron bar door. This place makes American cells look like heaven.

Well... I guess i'm not getting raped though.

"Here." She said, reaching into the cell. A bottle of water in her hoof. I, with how thirsty I was, gladly took it. I undid the cap and and took a hearty swig, it was warm. But nonetheless helped. I had a headache, but didn't really know why. It wasn't dehydration, I knew that much.

I muttered a thank you to her. But she didn't leave as I expected her to. She just stood there, watching. Observing. For what purpose, I didn't know. But I was getting curious rather quickly. I looked down at her as a drip of water rolled down my chin. The sweat is still prevalent, and I went to smell myself. It wasn't too bad yet, but I either would need a shower or a beheading to keep it from getting too bad. And she just looked up at me, obviously having something to say.

"Do you... need something?" I asked after a moment or two.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" I asked. "I've done nothing but harm today. Don't know why I would I deserve a-"

"You spared me... Remember?" She asked. But I drew a blank. For a few seconds, I sat there, thinking. But I could only draw blanks. She lifted the lantern, and it shone on her face. A dim light shining on a white coat. And then I saw them: Her taupe eyes. I could never forget a face. And with these ponies, the eyes dominate the face. Her name, even though she never told me, was uttered by the Lieutenant earlier. Sprinkled Summer. Major Sprinkled Summer.

"Major?" Is all I said, it was all I had to say. Back home, its how I greeted some people. Just calling them by their ranks. But she seemed glad of my recognition.

"Ah, so you do remember me?" She replied.

"Yeah, I can't forget a face. I'm surprised you even want to see me." I said. "I mean, I could've killed you."

"But you didn't." She countered immediately.

"Yeah, I didn't." I mimicked. She was right, I could've killed her. I had the opportunity. I chose not to. I ignored my instincts and my training and walked away. But I was right to do so.

She looked away, not really sure what to do or say. The moment was awkward for both of us, and I had no idea why she even wanted to say anything to me. Thank you or no, it didn't make any sense to me. I looked down to her, and she looked nervous. I would be too were I talking to a... monster? Is that how they see me?

"Whats wrong?" She asked

"What? What do you mean, nothing's wrong. I'm just a misplaced Marine sitting here in a prison cell, awaiting a sentencing from a displeased monarch that will probably end in a death sentence." I said, with a little more spite than I oughtta have. "Nothings wrong." I added. Her expression turned from one of pity to annoyance, possibly from the spite, and back again to pity.

"Well.... if it makes you feel any better. We don't have a death sentence. It's been outlawed since the end of the War of The Three Races." She reassured. I looked back at her, the word "War" echoing in my mind. It seemed odd that a war would be here, in this colorful land.

Odd indeed.

This War of The Three Races was something that peaked some interest. A war between races? A World War possibly? That's something to read up on. But not now, no books around. In the darkness of the cell, the dripping got heavier. As if it was raining outside and it was seeping in.

We sat in silence for several moments. I really didn't have much to say, and for good reason. My time here has gone from terrible to good to bad then right back to terrible. I had few good things to say. About anything.

"So, you said you're a Marine? Like those dudes who guard ships?" The Major asked, breaking the silence.

"Why are you here? You already said your thanks."

"I'm just trying to be friendly. The princess assigned me to guard you and-"

"Yeah, well let me break my time here down for you: I've been stranded, mauled, taken in and nursed back to health before being subsequently kicked out on my ass, chased through town by guards, insulted by some bitch Lunar, and now I'm in a rank cell awaiting judgement because I'm just trying to survive."

She just looked at me. Confused.

"Whatever you're attempting, you're failing. The only thing you're managing to do is irritate me." I deadpanned, retreating to my bed. The lonely wooden plank. The Major didn't seem insulted, but rather she seemed like she pitied me.

"Oh, I-I... I can see why your unhappy. I'll just... go. I'll be back with your dinner here soon." She said, grabbing the lantern handle with her mouth. Then she turned and walked away, her sabatons clanging in the stone floor with each step she took. I just listened, waiting. Her steps echoed heavily and overshadowed the dripping.

And soon, the echo faded. She was gone and the drip returned...

Plop....Plop

<><><>

"We need air support, now!"

Zzzzcccchtt

"There is no escape! Bastards got the road locked down, we move we die! We need air support!"

"Roger......Mark targets and we'll tear 'em apart."

With that, Miller grabbed a flare off his belt and began to pull at the cap. He looked to me.

"Crouse, as soon as the heli tears 'em up, you advance! Got it?" He ordered.

"Yessir!" I replied, and he smirked.

All of the sudden, the flare went off bright as could be. A blinding red flare, blowing red everywhere. I looked away as fast as I could, closing my eyes and tried to recover from the colors. I still heard all the shooting and the shouting. Some nearby screamed when they saw the flare, thinking that in the confusion a grenade went off, and some poor sap was caught on top of it.

I looked back at Miller, and he himself had recovered from the flash and had stood up, counted to three, and emerged. He tossed the flare as far as he could, and backed up behind the buildings wall once more. Just in time, too. Bullets began to damage the air where he had been. And he exhaled hard, grabbing my shoulder in the process.

"Lucky dumbass." I muttered. Overhead, I could hear the rotors of a helicopter. I mean, you could hear them throughout the city. Providing fire support for various squads in the town. But this one was closing in fast, you could hear it. SAS had their own helos in the air, but there weren't providing fire support, instead they were providing only medevacs and reinforcements. It got closer, and closer. To the point it was visible. This thing was a Black Hawk. And as its name stated, its a black helicopter. Hard to see at night, but then again, it has lights. It was close. Very close. It was a majestic thing, and a majestic sight.

"Preparing to fire, keep away from the target zone."

I stared at the beast, I could see the pilot in the cockpit, and he saw us but he didn't wave or anything. But it was majestic. I never rode in a Black Hawk before, but I wanted to. All I ever ride is Ospreys and while their fun too, I'd rather ride a Black Hawk. I could see his door gunners, and they looked ready to fight.

It began to turn to its side, and then you could see where the bullets were striking. But, lucky, the crew would be alright. It didn't look like the bullets were penetrating anything.

It was then one of their door mounted machine guns let loose the hell each one was capable of unleashing. A cascade of bullets rained down on the bastards ahead. And our own guys slowed to an altogether ceasefire to watch. It was an awesome spectacle.

As the bullets rained down, the return fire began to slow down. Until you could barely tell they were firing back. The sweep of the machine gun continues for almost a full minute, but when the return fire no longer occurred, the gunner stopped firing. The helicopter hovered in place for a minute, checking for anything they missed. Then, after another moment, they broke away.

"This is Champion Three-Two-O'Niner. Seems clear now, good luck."

"Yeah, thanks." Miller replied. He exhaled again and we both looked back. Down the road. Soldiers were still hiding behind vehicles and in alleys, unsure if it was truly safe. I saw the mangled corpses of those unlucky enough to have been caught in the IEDs blast. And I saw the bodies, wounded and dead of those cut down by gunfire. I tried not to focus on the dead much, though. Bad for morale. I saw some of the men cautiously leave their hiding spots, and many ran for the wounded, some for the dead.

Miller nudged me, and I remembered his order. So, without delay and comforted with the fact our guys ain't getting shot at, I stepped out from behind the wall and counted the seconds for when I get shot by the one guy that miraculously survived, like in the movies.

But I was lucky, there was no such guy. Just bodies, bodies and smoke. Blood, too.

"Crouse!" I heard. The voice had an accent, local from the sound of it. But I was still in my combat state, I turned towards the source. Rifle at the ready, but it wasn't a terrorist. It was Alamir, and he had a wounded Marine slung over his shoulder. The poor guy was moaning, bleeding slowly from his leg. But he didn't seemed alarmed and actually looked as if he trusted the Muslim (something to be said, since most the guys I run with don't). The beared Muslim smiled and came closer, handing me his AK-47.

Something told me he is done fighting.

Something caught my eye, though. A figure in the dark, watching me. Its eye continued to convey pity, but also intrigue. Interest. As if it wanted to know more. I kept my eyes on it, but didn't convey my knowledge of its presence. Its figure was dark, and concealed by the night. No one else noticed it, nobody but me.

"Thanks for helping us out, Alamir."

<><><>

I occupied most of my time sleeping. Occasionally probing the door or the stone. Looking for a way out. They weren't asking for any information, so I didn't have to give the standard dialogue, but I still had to find a way to escape if I could. But it was flawless, nothing could get through but hand and keys. It had been a few days since the start of my imprisonment, and it doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

Other times I spent eating, thinking, and talking with my guard. She had a lot to say and otherwise informed me on stuff Fluttershy either could not or did not. What piqued my curiosity the most was the "War of The Three Races". She told me too she was very interested in the topic when she was young and even took an Equine History class in High School just to learn about it. From what she told me, it was apparently a conflict that lasted from the beginning of time to the founding of Equestria (which was a long time, according to the Major). It was the first, and last, conflict that involved ponies. It involved the three races: Earth Ponies, Unicorns, and Pegasi. Now, they couldn't get along for shit. Each one required something from the other.

Earth Ponies were adept at farming goods. The Pegasi were a warrior faction, adept at the ways of war and could even control the weather itself. The Unicorns were, wouldn't ya guess it? Adept at magical things. Controlling spirits and whatnot, but were very snobby. Now, as it was stated, each one required something from the other. The Earth Ponies, to grow their food, needed good weather. Sunshine and some rain. Otherwise they could not grow a harvest. Earth Ponies were also set upon the wild forces of Nature. Making farming dangerous work. So, they required protection and good weather service from the Pegasi. But the Pegasi refused this unless they were given a portion of the harvest. So, they had a mutually beneficial deal. Then for the unicorns..

Earth Ponies and Pegasi both required this magical crap from the Unicorns, but the unicorns refused service. Not unless they were given a portion of the harvest, and protection and good weather from the Pegasi. So, they had their deals too. But, according to the Major, history is fuzzy on who broke the deal first. But one race broke the deal, and this began a conflict that lasted almost a thousand years. It was so bad that a long, bad winter set in. And the harsh feelings brought on the haunting of evil spirits known as Windigos. Now, at first, I thought of the North American cannibal. But apparently Wendigo has a different meaning here. Spirits of pure hatred and evil that feed off of harshness. These Windigos brought on a winter than lasted most of the conflict, and it got so bad that the three races set out to colonize a new landmass. But three races met in one location that each wanted, but neither was willing to concede. The Windigos followed. The factions hid in a cave but their differences did not settle. The leaders froze due to their intense hatred, and their stewards huddled together. And as days dragged on, the stewards settled their own differences and became friends. But this friendship was harmful to Windigos. It burnt them.

Once the Windigos were driven away, the ice melted and the leaders thawed. They saw everything, and decided that if their stewards could do it, they could too. They set out and united the colonies each one planted. And they dubbed their new unity and their new home: Equestria.

Some odd years later, the unicorn steward "Clover the Clever" conceived a child from an unknown lover. This child was the future princess Celestia. And not long after her birth, the sister "Luna" was born too. Unfortunately, Clover died in child birth on the second one due to insufficient medical science at the time. Ugh.

No one quiet knew why Clover bore two "Alicorns", but no one rightly questioned it either. These alicorns, once they came into age, brought Equestria into a never-ending age of prosperity and peace.

...

I'd be crazy back home if I said any of this. That or they would say I gots a good imagination. Though, this kind of history intrigued me. And I really wanted to know other things, but Sprinkled only really ever studied that topic. I wasn't interested in the rest she offered.

Major Sprinkled Summer was courteous mare. Bringing me food, water, talking to me and letting me know when it was a new day. She wasn't at all insulted by my behavior at first. She knew where I was coming from. Understood why I was hostile. She still had the bruises from when I had assaulted her, but they didn't bug her. Not one bit. She forgave me, and I felt a little bit better.

She asked me where I came from, but I knew not what to tell her. I mean, how could I tell anybody that I'm from another goddamn dimension or plane of existence or whatthefuck ever. It was easier to say I didn't know anymore. I answered her questions as best I could, though. She asked me if I was a soldier. I said yes. She asked me what kind, I told her bullet-sponge.

She asked me what a bullet was, too.

She asked me if I think i'm going home anytime soon. I told her I don't know. She asked me questions and I responded best I could. Personal information or confidential questions however were avoided. I just simply tried to change the subject. The dripping stopped two days ago, and its been relatively quiet down here. Had a lot of time with my thoughts. Thought about going home. Thought about the dreams I have been having lately. Thought of my friends. Thought of everything. And I've finally come to a conclusion.

Its might be too late to go home. But I do have one last hope. This Celestia, she's a... goddess. All powerful, right? Maybe she can zap me home?

One could hope.

As I sat there, my head buried in my knees, back against the wall, I heard the echo of hoofsteps, metal clanging on stone. Then it started growing closer, and became loud as if Jack the Ripper was stalking you. Then, it stopped. I heard a metal jingle. Then there was a metal creaking. Metal sliding on stone. I lifted my head to look at who was entering. Two guards, both male. They, unlike the others, were wearing full golden plate but retained the Achilles helmet. These soldiers in particular had an odd plume color. It was a bright orange. I surmised they were either special forces or household guards. I would've guessed Royal, but even the guards in the castle wear the same as the town.

"Stand up." One ordered as he entered.

"Right." I complied getting to my feet quickly. The other stayed at the door, watching. Not in contempt, not in anger. He just stood there, observing. Judging. The other approached, cuffs jingling on his side. "You know those things won't work on me, right? My hands are too small." I told him. He stopped and his eyes went wide. He looked down at my hands and scrutinized them. He looked back up seconds later, a bit unhappy.

"So they are." He admitted. "Just come with us. Her Grace is ready for you."

"I've been waiting for about five fucking days. I haven't taken a shower in a long time!" I said.

"This better be worth it."

<><><>

As they escorted me, we passed guards and servants. The guards did not look any different from the regulars, but didn't wear plate, unlike their brothers escorting me. The guards, when I passed by, readied their weapons. Servants backed away or immediately left my presence. I could understand that fully, were I in their shoes I would leave too. It wasn't my place to do or say anything, after all.

I had thought they were escorting me to the gallows, or to the throne room. But we passed by the main gates, and through the throne room. When I questioned where we were going, they simply told me: "Somewhere.". But they didn't relay this with hostility. On the contrary, they smiled when they said it. As if they knew something I did not. I noticed they did not even show stress. Nor did they have their weapons at the ready. They were absolutely calm about this. But I wasn't.

As we passed by windows, I stopped to look outside. It was bright morning, and I could see the city. It was slightly foggy, but I could still see plentiful.

The guards stopped and looked at me.

I could Night guards leaving the walls, including one that looked vaguely like Stella...

If I ever encounter her again...i'll slit my throat.

Day guards were taking the now vacant spots, and the gardens below had insects buzzing around them. Butterflies and bees. Then the city itself past the walls, I saw ponies walking the streets. Morning go-ers from the looks of it. Some were flying in the sky, but most were just walking. But what caught my attention was the view. I saw the a lot. The sun reflecting off a nearby pond in the garden gave a shine that landed on the windows. It made it all the more beautiful. Birds were chirping, some landing on the only open window. Cardinals, from the looks of it. They looked at me, and I swear I saw a smile on one of them.

There was also a breeze. Winter will be here in the coming week, mark my words.

"Nice, isn't it?" One of the guards asked. Coming to my side. "The capitol of Equestria. Canterlot is home to all sorta of ponies, griffons, zebras, and maybe even a yak or two. Or Diamond Dogs."

"Diamond Dogs?" I asked.

"Its hard to explain, ill just say their like any underground thing. Weird an untrustworthy, but a loyal friend should you manage to befriend one. Come on, the Princess is waiting."

Within minutes, after navigating through hallways and a few rooms, we arrived at a set of doors. They told me she was inside. Waiting. My legs were shaking, and I felt sweat rolling down my neck. I was nervous, and I couldn't hide it. I gulped and reached for the handle, but hesitated. What if this was a courtroom? Or a torture chamber?

What if its a room full of Stellas?! Oh god, the thought is unbearable.

With a little courage, I pulled hard on the handle and opened the door. What I saw was different, however. Household Guards lined the walls, at what looked like the pony-version of Attention. There was a feast table in the center of the room, at one end a Princess named Celestia, at the other a vacant seat. The table had various food items on it. Mostly vegetables and fruits. No meat whatsoever. Although there was a cauldron of soup in the middle, but possibly a veggie soup. There was also cake.

The Princess looked at me, with a smile that could calm anybody. Even a terrorist. She looked me up an down for a second and opened her mouth to speak.

"Please, sit. We have much to discuss..."

Author's Note

Special thanks to Flammenwerfer for allowing a Stella cameo in this chapter! Thank you, Flammenwerfer! I tried my best to write her in character. It was originally not mean't to be as long as it was, but it happened. Sorry if I botched anything with it, first time writing a cameo. Hell, for all I know, I fucked the whole thing up. :rainbowlaugh:

Angry Stella = Sexy Stella heheh.

Oh, by the way, if you noticed any weird word placements or typos in the Dream sequences in this chapter then let me know. I used an app on my phone to work on my story for a while during the production of this chapter. Auto-Correct was a bitch on the app.

Chapter 12: God Save The Princess - Part 1

God Save The Princess

When the door closed, I felt a little confused. The two that escorted me left me with few words and little direction. But in the room, there was a monarch, guards, and a servant or two. Watching me. Observing. Deciding.

I looked at the table, and almost instantly I realized something was up. The Major said the death penalty was outlawed, and this certainly is no court room which means a trial isn't going to occur. At least not now. The monarch looked visibly confused with my caution.

"Take a seat, please." She asked, her voice regal and calm.

I did as she asked and pulled out the chair closest to me. It was big. Enough to fit another Celestia. It was also comfy. Like a velvet pillow under my ass. I still felt tense though. Unsure of what to do next. The food looked enticing, but I saw a disturbing lack of steak or beef. And I doubt it was free.

"Go on, eat. " She bid. "Time in the dungeon must've starved you."

"Starved?" I asked, pausing to grab a nearby carrot. "Starved. Right. You don't know the definition of starved, madam."

"Errr.."

I saw the visible confusion on her face, her eyes looking between me and a servant. I leaned forward.

"I meant no disrespect of course, Princess. It's been a trying two weeks and I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little moody." I added, taking a nice bite of my carrot. The coolness soothed an otherwise bitchy mood. It tasted well too. It was satisfying just hearing the crunch.

Mmmm, nice and chill.

"Oh, uh.. Right, I'm sure it has. Well, lets not make haste with our discussions. We have much to talk about, but we also have plenty of time. Enjoy your food, i'm sure its better than what my guards have been feeding you."

"Discussions? Unless your wanting to send me back where I came from I doubt we have much to talk about."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, Princess. I broke it down for the Major I'll break it down for you." I said, leaning back in my seat. "Before you offer a single damn thing let me tell you. My time here has been absolute hell for me. I've been mauled, nursed back to health and subsequently kicked out. I've been branded a monster and hunted by horses, I've been bitched at and thrown in a dungeon to await trial for just trying to survive."

The Monarch only watched and listened attentively. She had pity, I knew it. I saw it in her eyes. But how much pity I could not say. She could feel immensely bad for me, or she could care less. To her, I was alien. Different. What good would it do to help me if it potentially damages her economy or her public image? If she had anything good to announce to me, then I'd eat my knife.

"If you have anything to say. Anything at all! You better make it fast." I finished, grabbing a nearby roll. "For my patience is strained to the very last inch of my psych."

She only looked at me for a moment before letting loose a sigh.

"I'm sorry to hear all that. I truly, truly am... But we have an entire meal in front of us and I'd rather it not go to waste. Enjoy. We'll talk here soon." She said with a calming smile to end it. But she mentioned something quietly (although I still heard it) at the end that forced me to calm myself over the next hour. "Plus, it would do for you not to be hostile. I am your judge and I am your jury."

For the next hour, I ate. Voraciously, I might add. I didn't even try to act gentlemanly. I cared not for whose presence I was in, nor did I care of about the looks I got from the servants or guards. They were disgusted, but if I have had one nickel for each shit I gave, I would have no nickels. This food was better than what the Major gave me, and it was fresh. The rolls were soft, and the vegetables and fruits were fresh, juicy, and washed. They tasted AWESOME.

The Princess only watched. She didn't look disgusted, no. Not at all. She looked intrigued. She was witnessing an alien creature and its eating habits. What it-I-What I preferred. She seem impressed. I ate everything there was to eat. The soup, the apples, the rolls. The celery, the oranges... And especially the carrots... Goddamn the carrots taste better than they do back Home. Why is that?

I think its worth noting that there was a disturbing lack of meats on the table. No beef. No pork. No chicken. Nothing.

It was the Princess who broke the silence. A question that even I wanted an answer to.

"Why are you here?" She asked. But I only looked at her, did I have an answer? No. I could be a smartass, and tell her how I got here. But I'd rather not.

"I'd rather ask you my question first. Its sorta a big one." I countered.

"You are in no position to be asking questions! Listen, and answer." A nearby guard ordered, but I only looked at him. Unimpressed. He doesn't realize I've met Drill Instructors with a bark much worse. I tried and tried for days to contain my anger, my temper. While I let a little out on the princess earlier, this lit the fuse.

"Chill the fuck out, you glue stick wannabe!" I yelled as I turned and pointed at him. "If I wanted your damn opinion I'd have asked you. Now shut your chili hole!"

He backed away. Furrowing his brow at my exclamation. However, tough don't sell that way and I ignored it.

The Princess looked unamused and even a little insulted. But how the hell does she think I feel? Seriously. Her smile had faded. Her eyes staring me down. But I wasn't impressed either.

"Keep your soldiers under control, madam. This ain't a great time to piss me off."

"OK. Then, why don't we keep the aggression minimal? Now..." She said. "Did you enjoy the food? Certainly better than what they were feeding you, I imagine."

"Why, yes actually. It was a nice change. Five days of watery porridge is all you can take before you get sick of it." I replied. But I quickly turned my head, not wanting to accidentally insult anyone. "It wouldn't kill you to put some damn meat on the table..." I muttered.

"What?" She asked, noticing my reticent comment.

"Hmm?"

I looked over and saw the morning sky through the windows. I could see Pegasi patrols fluttering back and forth over the skies of this grand city. Bright light shining through the clouds and gleamed off their golden armor. It was a nice spectacle.

"Well.... what's your question?" She asked, cocking her head and raising a brow. I had her attention.

"Well, Princess. I'm sure you've realized this at this point, but in the case you haven't I'll keep it short and simple." I said, glancing at the near empty table. I had eaten nearly everything, and yet my appetite is not satiated. "I don't belong here. I'm sure you understand this, no?"

"Uhh.. well..."

"So, I was wondering if you could just send me back. I've spent too much time here and half my shit either is destroyed or I can't find it."

Like my helmet.

The Princess looked thoughtful for a second, but quickly turned sour. She opened her mouth to speak but paused. As if to contemplate her next choice of words. She found them.

"Well... I don't know what I can do. I mean, I don't even know what you are." She said.

And that right there dashed what little hope I had left. Not like I expected anything different, though. I slunk a little in my seat, brow furrowed.

"Yeah, I expected as much..... so what happens now?" I asked

<><><>

House arrest.

That's what happened next. House-fucking-arrest. Granted, we talked for a while, but when I asked what is she going to do with me she said she had already decided.

House arrest.

Before I was escorted out by her household guards, we talked. Mostly, she asked questions that were relevant to the situation. What I was, who I was, where I came from, etc etc. I answered as best I could. I told her my true name but she preferred Sergeant. It rolled off the tongue easier. I told her of a desert of a country called Afghanistan. Told her of the dangerous trivialities you go through day in day out. Told her the average life expectancy of rookies fresh from Boot camp. Then she had asked me something I was happy to answer. She had asked me what I was militarily. She had asked if my rank was indeed a Sergeant, and my experience as both a soldier and a leader. I remember smiling as I answered.

I told her the truth. I was a Marine. A stubborn bullet-sponge. She asked if my job was to guard naval shipyards and ships like her Marines. But no, I told her my duty was combat on land. I told her that as a Marine my leadership and soldiering was A-OK. I told her I had fought in many battles and almost died each time.

Such great memories.

After I had answered her I asked her what now. But she simply sighed and told her guards to take my new room. Instead of a small cell they actually took me to a room. A room with windows, a rich looking bed with blankets that looked to be made of velvet, and even a goddamn bathroom.

And since that I had spent the last five days without warm water, I had decided to go investigate it first.

I flipped the light switch, and the lights came on. And I immediately glanced around. The first thing I noticed of the room was the tile. It was a shiny white, not a smidgen of dirt or dust. I was actually impressed, its been a long time since I saw a bathroom clean a whistle. I actually thought it was impossible. I saw the shower, and my mood went a little south. At first glance it was neck height for me, and that sorta sucked. I mean, the feelings of having a hot shower but at the same time having a cool breeze brush against you... it just wasn't cool.... Maybe if I knelt or sat it wouldn't be bad. I saw toilet and a sink as well, there was a mirror above the sink, and I saw-

My god, I looked dirty!

I'm fine with being dirty. I mean, after all, I fought in a desert. Dirty was a normal thing amongst the troops. But... ugh. If I knew how dirty I was I would've attempted to find that drip in the cell before... breakfast? Was it breakfast? Or brunch?

Whatever the case, I needed a shower. Bad. I began undressing, As I undressed, slipping off my desert cammies and undoing my boots, I caught the full whiff of how dirty I was. The uniform stank. Like very bad.

Almost as bad as a corpse.

It should be understandable though, but it isn't all the same. Sure, I was in a cell that was rank like a wet dog, and sure I had to do my business in the corner for five days. And sure, my uniform hadn't been cleaned since I've been here. But this was inexcusable. I didn't feel like hurling though; I've been around corpses. But this?

Goddamnit.

Slipping my boxers down my legs, I stepped over to the shower and pulled back the curtain. Surveying both the contents and the design. Typical design, but the contents... Only shampoo and conditioner. No soap bars. But I guess it's fine shampoo works both ways. I looked at the shampoo bottle. Purple in color, but had a label with green leaves on it. The label read Genuine Serenity. Shampoo for mares. .

I pursed my lips and read it again.

....

Well, does it really matter?

I set the bottle down and stepped in the shower, closing the curtain behind me. My head just above the bar.

I cursed mentally and ignored it. Opting to take a knee before switching on the faucet. I felt a shiver as I reached for it, the cold air stinging my flesh. In Afghanistan that would be amazing, but here? No.

I braced for the cold water and quickly turned the faucet. And as expected, the shower head ejaculated with a storm of cold water. Goosebumps developed quickly but soon disappeared as the water warmed.

I sighed in comfort, my body warming and oblivious to the cold air fighting to get me. But the warmth of the water was too great.

Now for the shampoo.....

<><><>

The shower was the best one I had all year. I wasn't under fire, the water wasn't cold because some jackass used it all prior, and the pressure was amazing. The shampoo...

Well, for starters, it smelled like lilacs and had sparkles in it. I couldn't even begin to explain how badly I would get roasted in my company for using it. I tried looking for an alternative even getting out and checking the bedroom. Boy, was that a mistake. Cold sir sucks even worse after a shower.

Although to my chagrin I had to use it. But actually it helped. Alot. My scalp had began to peel during my incarceration. Time unshowered and the filth kinda are a bad combination. But the shampoo immiedietly cured it. I could even feel the skin repair itself. What an odd feeling. Like... I can't describe it.

When I was done with my shower I stayed inside a while longer and enjoyed the heat. But, eventually I had figured enough was enough, turned it off and stepped out. As I drew back the curtain, the cold air greeted me like bullets on skin. I ignored it however and stepped out, looking for the towel. But to my misfortune there wasn't one. Which was odd, considering I noticed one on the door on the way in...

"You lookin' for a towel?" I heard from the bedroom. I recognized the voice to be the Majors voice. I could hear the mischief in her voice. "Come an get it, Sergeant!" She said.

I remained still.

"I know you hear me, come an get it!"

I hesitated but remembered days in basic. I was comfortable being naked around my fellow man. But a pony? And female at that. Well, Marine showers weren't communal. Males had theirs, females had theirs. I would love for communal showers though. I know some Marines, male and female alike, who share my sentiment. To my point, I wasn't used to be naked around the opposite sex. But, not only did I not have that big of a problem with it (we're soldiers. We got more things to worry about than others staring at your tits or your dick), but it seems I have no choice in this as the cold is biting my skin like little bugs with razor sharp teeth. The water running down my limbs isn't helping either. I stepped into the bedroom, water trailing behind me. I looked around, and saw the towel on the bed. My uniform was there too. Moved from where I had left it.

And there was Sprinkled Summer. On my bed, her helmet laying next to her. She was sitting there, a smirk across her face and eyes on me. I saw the devilry in her pupils. Her large fucking pupils. I also saw some bruises, and I felt a little ping of guilt at the sight.

"Did you take my towel.... and my uniform?" I asked, cocking my head and looking her dead in the eyes. She cackled. Knowing what she had done.

"You're damn right I did. I bet the cold hurts." She said.

I haven't been in the cold for years, fuck yeah it hurts. Especially in this form.

"Sneaky sneaky." I quietly remarked, but something about her widening smile told me that she heard me. These ponies ears must be really good. Better than mine at any rate.

"More than you know." She said, rolling her eyes. I moved for the towel, but caught her looking at my manhood. She snickered.

"You see something you like?" I chuckled as I pulled the towel over my head. She laughed some more.

"Bah, don't flatter yourself." She dismissed. I was the one there to roll my eyes then, rubbing my hair (what little I had) with the towel. A nice hot shower like that one was just what I needed although I never thought I would miss hot showers. But here I am. The smile on the Major faltered slightly, as if going back into soldier mode. But I doubted she actually was back in it. "I was actually sent here to guard you until further notice... and to, eh, get your measurements." She said.

My measurements?

"My measurements? Why?" I asked. I began rubbing down my legs. The water began to form a puddle where I was standing, and it was extremely uncomfortable. Cold. She pulled out a roll of measuring tape from under her Achilles helmet.

"Well, see i'm not at liberty to tell you." She said as she got up off the bed. "I'm sure you've had to say that before." She said.

"Not really." I replied, dropping the towel. "So... now?" I asked.

"Yeah, just hold still." She said, standing up on her hind legs and bringing the tape around my neck. Her fur was warm to the touch, but her metal sabatons were cold as Ice Hell. "Heh, sorry i'm getting a little too close." She said, before murmuring something incoherent. Probably numbers.

"So, you enjoy your shower?" She asked calmly. I smiled and replied calmly, closing my eyes as she brought the tape around. Occasionally, her fur would graze my skin and it felt nice. Warm. Soft. I would guess that shampoo really helps them in particular.

"Yeah, water pressure was fine. Warm water felt nice, especially in this cold. Speaking of which, could you hurry? In case you hadn't noticed I do not have fur. I am freezing." I replied. "And I'm not sure if I feel comfortable with you pawing my body."

She then cocked her head and brought the tape around my chest. Mumbling once more, she gestured for me to raise my arm. In doing so, she brought the tape across it. She mumbled again before letting me lower it. She brought the tape around my waist, and then looked up at me. Removing it just as quickly. It was a relief, the sabatons were so cold it hurt, burned more like. She looked up at me, a bit of embarrassment crossing her sheepish smile.

"This... might be a little cold. So sorry if I graze."

"What?"

Without a second to let me protest, she brought it to my hips, the sabatons grazing my crotch. I exhaled quickly in surprise, seeing my own breath; a mist that dissipated quickly within seconds. But as she moved, the metal was replaced with the warmth of her fur. These ponies were half my height, when it came down to it I shouldn't have expected anything different. But I can't help but feel like she knew what she grazed. I felt a warmness emanate from my cheeks but ignored it, as she did as well. She seemed more calm with it though. She then went around, the tape going with her. It was being wrapped around the full of my hips, and I felt it on my backside. With another mumble, she was done. And was quick in in retracting both her hooves, and the tape. She walked back in sights.

"Heh, as I said i'm sorry. I, uh, didn't like it any more than you did." She said, sheepishly turning her head slightly. Facing the windows "Now let me just finish up here and you can... do you whatever it is you do. Ill be back to give you a full tour of this room and whatever else it is I have to do."

I exhaled, and she went to my side. Extending the tape from my hips all the way to my feet. After a few seconds of mumbling, she gave a satisfactory "hmph" and let the tape retract into its sheath. She looked up at me, smiling.

"So, what are these for again?" I asked, moving for my uniform.

"Again, i'm not at liberty to say... But you'll find out soon." She said, grabbing her helmet. "For now, cover yourself if you must. You look cold." She chuckled. She put her helmet back on, and she turned away. But she stopped for a second, as if in thought, and looked back at me.

"Hey, by the way you asked me some questions earlier, in the dungeon. Know that I got some questions for you too, by the by. Remember that. You owe me." She smiled before leaving the room, the door closing behind her.

She has questions for me now, eh?

<><><>

She didn't give me a tour of the room. No, no in fact she never did come back. At least not for a few hours. I was left to own instruments and found my way around myself. I knew where the bathroom was. And I mostly just relaxed on the bed (it was cushioned velvet! It felt like a goddamn cloud!). When I got back into my uniform I felt the pang of stink and dirt once more. Sweat. Blood. Nasty.

A guard came and brought me my things. Didn't say anything though. She left as soon as she came. I wanted to put on my PT gear, but shorts and a t-shirt were hardly the right things to wear in the winter. I didn't have my damnable sweats, so... That was out of the question. My rifle was unloaded, some bullets missing. I decided I would eventually check everything. Make sure I had everything I came here with. My MP3 (as luck would have it) was fully charged. And it was on when I found it. The headphones were plugged in, and the song was on Brown Eyed Girl. It was paused...

Somebody was enjoying my shit.

When I put it back into my pack, I discovered a note instead next to my canteen. It was signed by a guard named "Kingscrest.", but it didn't say anything in particular. Just something about passing inspection with no discrepancies. I don't exactly like the fact they went through it, but other than some bullets, nothing seemed missing. But as long as I don't have suspicion carrying its aroma around me then I guess its fine.

Eventually, the Major did return. But she was a little more strict. She was in soldier mode. She ordered me to follow her and not to lollygag. So I did. She commented, saying that it seems a shower would not help with the stink that I have. Though it was just the uniform. No amount of explaining would change her mind.

Damnable stubborn mare.

As we moved in silence through the castle, the servants stared in shock, surprise, fear, you name it. The guards remained indignant, but I could see that many were intimidated. Some hid it well, some did not. I was already beginning to feel a normal air about this however. Seeing a creature that stands taller than you and stronger than you can inspire feelings of dread and fear. But still, it was unwelcome. I chose to ignore it however. When I began to see soldiers clad in golden plate I began to suspect I was approaching royalty. Only one entity in this castle had these soldiers around, so it made sense. My suspicions were confirmed when I arrived at a set of doors, flanked on both sides by plated guards. It had the symbol of the sun on it. The Major left me there, only ordering my to go inside. She smiled however, as she walked away. I knew the smile well. My fellow Marines always had that smile on my birthday.

The smile said: I know something you don't know.

The guards flanking the door shared the smile too. But their smile faded when they realized I was paying attention. They opened the doors, and I walked in. They closed them behind me and I was greeted with the sight of two alicorns.

Both as beautiful as the other.

They both looked at me, the new one smiling. The new alicorn was dark. Dark as night, but her smile was warm. Like a ray of lantern light. As with every other pony, she had a tattoo on her ass. It depicted the moon. It was safe to say that she was a so-called princess. A princess of the moon, perhaps? She had a single guard. Covered in dark metal plate. She was a lunar, I could tell simply from the fangs. But this soldier stared daggers at me. As if I had caused great harm to her in the past.

Maybe its just a facade meant to intimidate?

The moon princesses mane, like Celestia, was flowing with nonexistent wind. It was awe-inspiring sight. And as I was with Celestia, being in the presence of this princess was calming. I looked to Celestia, who did not have a smile. But she seemed happy to see me, her eyes betraying nothing but expectation and glee.

Maybe glee wasn't the best word...

"Ahh, here he is. Lulu." She said, affectionately. "This is Sergeant. The...visitor. Sergeant, this is my sister. Princess Luna. She is the monarch of the moon." She added. I looked to Luna... Lulu... And smiled. Bowing my head with my reply.

"Ahh, nice to meet to you, Princess Luna." I said. "I was unaware of a diarchy."

"I wouldn't have expected you to know... But, me and Lulu have plenty of things we must attend to, as you can understand. We would've put this off until tonight, when we have more free time, but the situation has changed." Celestia said, looking towards one of her guards.

"I do expect for you to realize however that you are not getting off scot-free for the crimes you have committed recently." She said.

"One count of disturbing the peace. Two counts of assaulting an officer of the law with deadly force. One count of vandalism. One count of attempted murder of an officer of the law...." The nearby lunar guard read off, though I stopped her at the last count.

"Attempted murder? What the...." I said, but stopped as I looked towards the princesses. "What... what do you mean?"

"You broke Captain Shiny's jaw. That not only triggered a shock to spread through his system, but also caused him to pass out before the paramedics arrived. You also triggered his epilepsy. He had been taking medication to suppress it but the sheer force of your attack caused a delayed seizure. He is in the hospital as we speak and has since woken up, but he is not expected to recover for a few weeks to a month at best." She said, her eyes full of distaste. She turned to the princesses. "On a side note, he did have one of his subordinates turn in his resignation when he learned we did not execute this...." She looked at me. "Thing."

I only looked at her, my expression unchanging. I had words I wanted to voice, but had no idea of how to go about it. The whole situation seemed... tense. No words should be said, I decided. I looked to the princesses.

"Anything else?"

"Yes, one count of harassing an officer of the law... although it was Stella... so she probably deserved it." The lunar guard finished.

Wow...i'm in deep shit...

"We wouldst not execute thee, regardless. Sergeant... Exile is more appropriate for what thou hath committed but 'Tia, on the other hoof, admires thy prowess. Thy capability. Thou hast taken on the Town Guard and not only evaded capture for a good time, but also bested them in combat." Luna spoke up. Speaking in old English dialect, this surprised me but I nonetheless understood her perfectly. Celestia, or 'Tia, looked a bit unhappy with her choice of words.

"I think "admire" is too generous of a word, Lulu... But she is right. And not only did show skill in both combat and stealth, but you also have shown you can take charge. When the guard ordered you to answer my question first, you snapped. Took charge of the situation and, at its core, ordered him to be silent. Although your method I do not agree with, you have leadership. You also have chivalry. Everyone in the city has heard of how you spared Major Sprinkled Summer. The gossip spread fast and public opinion is mixed of you." Celestia said. "But despite that, many are clamoring for your exile, however, including the nobles and my distant nephew. But I think of it a waste to exile one with such.... potential. Which brings me to my point... While my subjects aren't too happy with you, they will follow whatever decision I make regarding your fate. So, you have two options in front of you. I will let you choose." She said as she stood up, walking towards me.

Two decisions? Sounds... good? But why they cared about my skill, my "potential", is beyond me. I listened intently.

"You can accept exile. It sounds unpleasant, I know. You will be sent to Griffonstone with nothing but what you own. You will fend for yourself, and will henceforth be a distant memory that many will be glad to be rid of... or..." She offered, standing over me. Where I was, she stood tall and looked down upon me.

Exile did not sound like something I should, or would, choose. While I am not happy with what I have done lately, I also do not think its entirely my fault. Its sorta everyone elses fault for being hasty with their actions and not waiting to see what happened....

Well, I guess I did assault that one soldier unprovoked... maybe it sorta is my fault. I mean, the ponies might riot if I don't leave.

I put my hands together in a pyramid shape, listening for the second suggestion. The first didn't sound great, but if it prevented me from inciting riots then I might have to choose that. She smiled, as if knowing what rattled in my mind.

"Or you can serve me."

Author's Note

This chapter had to be cut short due to the fact I haven't published in weeks. Hence the part 1 in the title. Now, I know. These chapters take forever to be pushed out and I need to stop with that. But hopefully this will leave you all waiting patiently with the next one. Ill get it done as soon as possible.

(Ill also be honest, I was losing creativity steadily in this chapter. It'll be back next chapter.)

Chapter 12: God Save The Princess - Part 2

God Save The Princess

"Serve?"

The word was a word that felt weird within my mind. It had many different meanings, and Ill admit it, my mind isn't completely clean. I knew what she meant but my brain told me otherwise. But I pushed these thoughts away. Into the darkest reaches of my mind. A problem like this could be solved with thought, but neither option sounded good at the core no matter how much thought was put into it.

"Yes... Pledge your service." She said, smiling. "The populace wants you gone, and a... well.. a now resigned captain wants your head. Serve me, and you'll have my protection. From both my ponies, and the ex-captains wrath." She added. The guards in the room shuffled as I stood up and the princess backed away. Either as a reflex, or something else. I looked out the window and noticed clouds rolling in, but pegasi were still going to and fro in the sky. I also noticed a balloon in the distance.

So these ponies had hot air balloons? How advanced are they, I wonder?

"He wants my head? I thought this was a peaceful nation?" I asked.

"Just because we love our peace doesn't mean we don't have our own internal conflicts." One Solar elite responded. But then the Lunar elite opened her mouth.

"Yeah, fights happen often in the slums of Canterlot and other poor regions of Equestria. There are bar fights, heh, i've been in one myself." She chuckled, sheepishly looking to her princess. Whom looked disapproving. "And, uh, border conflicts do occur.. But we have successfully maintained our peace, as does the other grand nations of this world." She finished. The Lunar princess still had a disapproving look at her mention of being in a bar fight. I would understand, the D.I.s didn't like it when any of our Marines got into any type of fight while on liberty.

I approached the Solar princess, and the guards once more shuffled defensively. I backed away, not wanting to garner their ire.

"So... what makes either decision a good one, princess? I mean, I understand that with choice B I get your protection and what not. No explanation or... anything required. But, as you just stated, the peop-sorry-ponies want me gone. Not to mention the rumblings I could be causing in your own guard. What makes you think anyone would support your decision to keep me around? And I fear I don't need to say anything about choice A..." I said. I was right too. They knew it. The guards knew it. We all knew it. While they would, according to her, go with whatever she decides... would they support it? I, if she kept me around, would unintentionally cause unrest. Within both the guard and the population. And, while I have no clue why she actually wants me around, I can safely say that she would be rid of me regardless of either choice. The unrest my presence would cause would eventually....

Well. Point being I'd be better off choosing A. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out.

"I see the look in your eyes, Sergeant. You have reservations. I understand. Its... well actually its a fairly easy decision. I know what I would choose. But please, does exile really sound pleasant? I advise you to consider the alternative."

She did have a point, however. Exile didn't sound like a time in a unisex spa room. I mean, I have as much wilderness survival training as the next Marine (seriously, we're all trained the same). But it wont be like that Gomer Pyle episode where Pyle and Carter were doing wilderness training or whatever. I would be alone, unfamiliar territory, unequipped and no food. The locals would be more likely to kill me than the animals...

The hunter would become the hunted....

"Time to choose..." The princess said. Two of her guards lifted their weapons and flanked me, both sides. She was right. I couldn't sit here all day, pondering lifes greatest mysteries. Whatever I choose, I have to choose now. Whatever I choose will determine what the guards do to me. Whatever I choose, i'm fucked...

One way, or the other.

<><><>

The room was pleasant and I really enjoyed the bed. It was so comfortable that I could snooze on it. Which I planned on. But, the guards are constantly checking on me and I would rather not be caught off guard. I found out the room had its own balcony, but its locked. Can't get to it, nor find the key. Probably to ensure I wont attempt an escape. The Major came by, Sprinkled Summer. And we talked for a bit. She knew of my decision and was glad to know what I had chosen. She told me that my decision ensured that when she had touched me earlier it wasn't in vain. We shared a laugh over it.

In case it isn't clear, I had pledged allegiance to the Princesses. Although it was with heavy reservation and chagrin.

My reasoning are my own, but I had thought about it. The pros outweighed the cons, and while I didn't exactly want to serve two monarchs who are horses and who have tattoos on their asses, I also didn't want to be dropped alone in the wilderness. To be hunted and killed by Timber Wolves.

God forbid it be the one I blinded.

But, choosing to serve had a whole lot of pros. I get to eat. Sleep. Shower. All in the relative safety of the walls of this... Canterlot, they called it. The cold weather was gradually get colder, and the blankets began to look very welcoming. My uniform wasn't thick enough to protect against heavy winter elements. I don't understand why these ponies don't have the need to wear something warm, I could see my fucking breath.

I also didn't want to abandon my friendship with the Major or Minuette. Speaking of which, where the hell is she?

In my time here I have not once thought about her, nor seen hide or tail of her. Had she forgotten about me? Or does she not have time deal with me now?

Meh...

She probably just doesn't have clout to come in here. Or the authority.. or whatever. Ill be fine. Once i'm cleared to go outside Ill look for her. Let her know my situation and thank her for getting me here. It was the least I could do.

I had been pacing around my room for a while now. Just trying to keep myself busy. Physically and mentally. There was nothing to do in here. There was a TV, but the Major told me that it stopped working weeks ago and that they haven't gotten around to fixing it. I'm no mechanic. I might be able to fix your car, definitely your gun, maybe your pool filter. But not a TV.

There is a bookshelf. I've already looked over it though. Nothing I am interested in. No Saxon Tales, no war books, no nothing. Just things like "A Griffons Story" or "The Lost Empire". Granted the latter did sound interesting but one flip through it and I lost it all. It was some boring documentary. Not a story. But there was one that does garner interest. A book called "The Trouble in The North". I didn't flip through but I read the back. Some story about a tyrant taking control of a country to the north and a rebellion attempts to take it bacl. A book I might have to come read. It seems like an actual story.

As I paced, another guard came in. It was the Major. As she stepped in, the door remained open. She was smiling, as if proud. Though she noticed I had some shivers and her smile grew. She wasn't wearing her helmet, and I could see her mane once more. Ginger, to be specific. These ponies manes never ceased to surprise me. The different types, colors, styles... Some look eighties, some look modern. Its crazy. They looked pretty damn beautiful, too. I've seen some hairstyles back home, but the ponies beat them.

She looked to me and watched for a few seconds as I paced. But finally spoke up.

"Keh, something wrong?" She exhaled. I paused and looked at her, but continued soon after. Did she really ask me this? She trotted over to the bed and took a seat, watching me. It interested her, I guess. But I wouldn't understand it. Or maybe it was sorta funny to her.

"Wheres your helmet?" I asked.

"Where's your uniform?" She retorted. I looked down, I was wearing my uniform. A bit torn, dirty, and foul. But nonetheless I was wearing it. I stopped again and looked to her. Perhaps she meant a uniform provided for my new role? I guess that would make sense, considering she took my measurements earlier today. But they have not provided me one yet.

"Exactly." She smiled. Reading my look. "But, if you must know. I found a big dent in my helmet from when you.. uh.. hit me. I'm getting it replaced."

A pang of guilt hit me.

"Oh, i'm...i'm sorry." I said.

"Ah don't worry about it." She asked, brushing it off. She seemed OK with it, but if it was me I wouldn't be over it as easily. She is right, but I should've just surrendered in the beginning. Perhaps then I wouldn't have had to renounced my allegiance. But at the time, they seemed as if they would gut me if I did, so.. maybe I wouldn't be alive right now if that is the case.

"So, you're getting it replaced? How hard is it to knock out a dent?" I asked, crossing my arms and narrowing my brow. I was genuinely curious. I know I hit hard, but any dent can be knocked out. "I mean, it is gold after all. Pretty malleable." She scoffed.

"Gold? You-you think this is gold? Ha!" She chuckled. "You ever try to knock a dent out of solarite? Trust me when I say that its much easier and cheaper to get a replacement." She tapped her barding.

Solarite?

"Oh... uh... right. Right. Of course." I said, pretending as if I knew what I was talking about. But I never heard of solarite. And if it was so tough how did I knock a dent into it so easily?

Maybe i'm just stronger than I think...

"So... are you sure you're alright? You still seem a bit flustered." She asked, frowning. It really did piss me off when she asked this, but I hid it.

"Yes.... yes i'm alright. Its been a trying few weeks." I said, looking down. It really has been, but in reality I was far from alright. I had just renounced allegiance to my country and gave it to a new one. A new country led by a duo of goddamn horses! And for what? Self-preservation? Friendship? Was I even clear headed when I made the damn choice? I looked to the bed, velvet. It looked mighty comfy and inviting. "I-maybe I just need to close my eyes for a bit."

"Ah, well. I came to see if you want a tour of the castle but if you need rest don't mind me. Ill be going then." She said, jumping off the bed. "Have a good night." She said, leaving the room with door shutting behind her. She was a friendly mare and God knows I welcomed it. Everyone else around here wasn't as warm towards me, and with how cold it was it felt terrible it greatly unwelcome.

I looked out the window. Still daylight. Probably not even noon yet. But my eyelids were indeed heavy. Sleeping on a slab of wood for a few days and eating little can do that to you.

Stripping down, I approached the bed and sat. It was soft, comfy, warm. Big pillows. Large blankets. A bed for a king... But no kings ruled here, only princesses. I'm sure they don't even understand what that word means, but whatever. If you ask me, I think queen or duchess would work better. Or baroness. That would work too. But princess? Well, I guess its not my place anyways. This world is fucking weird.

Folding the trousers out of force of habit, I then grabbed the shirt. Folding it as well. It felt raggedy. And as close I was to it, I caught a full whiff of its stink. Grabbing what was left, I reached under the bed to hide them from any would be snoops. My arm grazed something. This was my room, and curiosity was achieved. I grabbed it and dragged it forward. It was heavy, but I heard it jingle. There were things inside. Money? New clothes? Or just cosmetics?

Dragging it into full view, I gasped. It was a cooler! I quickly opened it, wondering what was inside. Thinking it to be just some water. But what I saw was close enough. A mini-bar! Bottles that looked like alcohol. Snacks, such as chips an.... well... other things I did not recognize. Pony things, probably. There was a lack of frozen shrimp and jerky. But there was a box of chocolates as well. And while that looked yummy, I wanted meat.

Meat.

Regardless, I looked over the cooler and grabbed the first bottle I saw. It was unlabeled, but from what I saw, it looked to be whiskey. Whether it was fancy (if there ever was such a thing) or bootleg was to be seen. Licking my lips, I unscrewed the top with a convenient bottle-opener that was in the fridge. Cold though the air was, the cold whiskey would warm me right up. Maybe even take some of the load off of what i'm going through.

"This is gonna suck tomorrow." I murmured.

And how right I was.

Author's Note

2000 words, huh? Well. Not really my goal for this chapter but if it works, then it works.