Double Trouble

In all his life, dating back to his days of youth and military occupation, Walter had slept in several places. Barracks, trenches, watch towers, piles of hay, puddles of mud, and even huddled up in a fox hole spooning with his fellow Imperial Guardsmen. Despite that, Walter was no stranger to your average affordable mattress, but never in his life, had Walter been blessed enough to lay his head down on a bed that could only be described as the bosom of a cloud. Last night had been like a rollercoaster; ranging from deeply disturbing, to boring as all hell, to intensely exciting. Despite how quickly it had all come and gone, he had gained a few things out of it; a group of new potential friends. One in particular who Princess Celestia herself personally warned Walter about.

Staff Sergeant Jack Kessle, six foot two inches and two-hundred forty pounds of mean packed up into the shape of one spooky ass marine. The only person that Walter can compare Jack to was his five foot three inch one-hundred twenty pound lunatic older sister. Although there were things that made Jack his own unique type of crazy, Walter was confident that Jack and his sister were made from the same clay, just different molds.

Walter woke up early in the morning, despite his best intentions to sleep in. He woke up around five in the morning, and found no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t go back to sleep. So, instead of doing something productive, he simply laid there relaxing for a few hours before he heard a gentle knock on his door. Prying his crusty eyes open, Walter’s blurred gaze is met with the red painted ceiling of the suite, thinking back on last night when Twilight arranged for them to stay the night at the castle, he made a mental note to thank her once he saw her again.

Throwing his feet over the edge of the bed while picking the crust of slumber from his eyes, Walter rose from the bed begrudgingly, sluggishly lumbering over to the door to his room, dressed only in his suit pants from last night. Opening the door, Walter was met by a maid who raised a pair of clean clothes up to him. Walter gave a friendly smile to the maid, grasping the clothes and thanking her politely before closing the door in order to get dressed.

Once in a fresh pair of clothes, a simple t-shirt and denim jeans, Walter folded up last night’s suit rather neatly and set it on the bed for the maids to wash as he gathered up his belongings, mostly his phone, wallet, and pocket knife, before stepping out of his room. His stomach demanded sacrifices, and that’s what he was going to find: breakfast.

“Oh” Walter groaned, realizing quickly that he is unfamiliar with the castle’s layout, and so he decided to go where he knew he could find a friendly face to share breakfast with, that was, if he was even awake at this time. It was still pretty early in the morning, after all. Walter wandered his way to the hall leading to the ballroom, and from there he remembered how to get to Jack’s room. He followed the memory of Ada and her gifted buttocks all the way to the all too familiar sign: Trespassers will be molested and shot. “Alrighty” Walter mumbled, raising his heavy fist to give a few firm knocks on Jack’s door, listening closely for a response.

When no response came from within, Walter found the door to be unlocked. With curiosity winning out over his confusion, he slowly and carefully cracked the door open to peer inside. The big bed inside was empty; it’s covers strewn about haphazardly. The room smelled of stale smoke, though it held hints of alcohol, and womanly scents. Jack must have woken up already, and made his way to the dining hall. Walter was going to have to find his own way it seemed.

“God damn it” Walter cursed in a casual tone, he isn’t looking forward to wandering around the castle aimlessly. Walter eventually just said ‘fuck it’ and decided to wander about anyways, it wouldn’t be hard to bump into a guard, and from there he could find his way to the dining hall. With it being this early in the morning, the elements were definitely asleep still and wouldn’t be waking up until later in the afternoon.

As he predicted, Walter just so happen to run into a royal guard, who obliged Walter in guiding him to the dining hall where the mare was heading herself. Once there, Walter held the door open for the mare out of courtesy, who in response gave him a smile and a wink before heading in to get her morning grub. Walter yawned as he entered after her, glancing around the room, taking the sight of several off duty guards strewn about the vast room at their respective tables. As Walter grabbed a tray and made his way to the line for food, he occasionally looks over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of Jack.

Sure enough, he caught sight of the marine as he sat next to the Lunar Diarch and shoveled waffles into his gaping, hungover maw. Princess Luna looked deeply disturbed as she watched him eat like an animal starved. At Walter’s entrance, Luna looked up toward him, and cracked a pained smile as she lifted her head in greeting. “Good Morning, Mr. Barnes.” She spoke lightly in greeting, before motioning to one of the seats nearby. At her speaking, Jack raised his head, and glanced over at Walter. Seeming to remember who he was, Jack raised a hand in greeting, before working on finishing his breakfast.

“Good morning, Luna. Good morning Jack” Walter spoke with a smile. Once he acquired a large stack of pancakes and waffles, he decorated them with peanut butter, almonds, and maple syrup. He soon marched over, and took a seat across from the Princess and the Staff Sergeant. “I’m sorry for not providing a more proper greeting, I feel like a corpse right now” Walter explained as he began to dig into his food with a lot more grace in comparison to Jack’s starved method of consumption. Although Walter had drank his fair share of booze last night, it was most likely not as bad as Jack did, after all he did clear the beverage table of wine last night before they went to the club. “You look like hammered shit, marine” Walter commented with a small grin as he cut up a few pieces of waffles and pancakes to shovel into his mouth.

“Then I look how my soul feels.” Jack muttered in response to Walter. The marine really did look like shit, though he somehow seemed very pleased with himself. It was a strange combo to be certain, though Walter could imagine why. Jack’s neck and jawline were covered in little bruises that looked awfully close to hickeys, and just under the neckline of his shirt were the tail ends of scratches clearly earned from a woman’s nails.

“Really Jack, do you even realize how much wine you drank last night?” Luna asked him as she picked at her own breakfast.

“Uhhhh… six bowls?”

“Four thousand, five hundred bits worth of wine. By yourself. Who drinks wine from a bowl anyways?”

“Eheheh…” Jack grinned a bit and shrugged. “What? I didn’t want to keep wandering back to the table, so I figured I’d get a bigger glass. It’s not my fault you only had those teeny little ‘Baby’s first booze’ glasses. I had to improvise.”

“With a fucking bowl…” Luna muttered, though it was clear she was fighting back a smirk of her own as she shook her head.

“Last time I checked my friend, you are not Andre the Giant” Walter remarked to Jack, swallowing a bite of his breakfast as Jack and Luna bickered. “Glad that you drank most of the liquor before I had the chance to, I’d hate to embarrass the girls by stripping down at the Gala” Walter remarked with a snort. “Just imagine the look on all those snobby faces once they see a six foot six, four hundred pound man strip to his birthday suit while singing Macklemore”

“Eheheh…” Jack chuckled and grinned at the thought, before shaking his head. “Fuckin’ Macklemore? That’s some Golden Oldies right there.”

After a moment, Luna looked to Jack with concern on her features. “Jack, did Flitter… say, anything to you last night? Anything at all?”

“No? Not…” Jack squinted his bleary eyes as he thought, though it only lasted a second before they shot wide in panic, and he jumped out of his chair. The chair spun away as Jack bolted for the door, and it clattered to the ground as the dining hall door swung closed behind him.

Breathing a sigh, Luna picked up the fallen chair and shook her head. “I had worried… I apologize, Mr. Barnes. The Staff Sergeant is always like this.”

“That’s… Quite alright” Walter replied, his smirk and light lifted features died down after Luna had mentioned Flitter. He let out a sigh, pushing his breakfast away before standing up on his feet and stretching. “I better go after him… I’m the one that saw her last” Walter said, cracking his joints a bit before he gave a firm salute to Luna. “Thank you for letting me join you in breakfast, your company was delightful” Walter said with a small smile before he then quickly jogged out of the cafeteria, following after the sounds of Jack sprinting through the halls, aiming his destination at Flitter’s former suite.

When he reached the hall leading to Flitter’s suite, he found Jack already exiting, looking bitterly sour and heavily displeased. He was holding the device in his hand, while rubbing at his features roughly.

“Jack…” Walter spoke up as he approached, letting out a sigh. “I was gonna tell you about it over breakfast before Luna brought it up” Walter confessed as he scratched the back of his head. “I’m afraid that was the only goodbye she would allow, I wasn’t able to convince her to do otherwise… It wasn’t really in my place to anyways” Walter says as he gives Jack a silent stare, looking as if he was about as unhappy about this as Jack seemed to be.

Walter paused involuntarily as Jack shot a molten hot look of anger toward him, though it quickly cooled as Jack looked away. Letting out a heavy, pained sigh, Jack stuck the device in his pocket and muttered a black curse. “It’s… fine. My fault regardless.” Setting his hands on his belt line, he shook his head hard. “I need to get in my morning PT. I’ll see you around, kid.”

“...Yes sir” Walter replied quietly, nodding shortly. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be in Canterlot, but if you’re ever in the neighborhood, you can find me in Ponyville, I usually hang around Sugar Cube Corner after work” Walter said before turning on his heel and began his own walk of silence.

This isn’t exactly how he planned his morning to be. Jack didn’t take the news too lightly, and the fact that Walter knew something about it could only mean disdain will be aimed his direction. Walter decided that he needed some fresh air, and so he made his way out of the castle and to what appeared to be a large field utilized for military training. The field had recently been converted to a training ground, and init stood possibly the most intense assault course Walter had ever laid eyes upon. Just looking at it made the one he’d gone through in boot camp seem like a pleasant memory. As he walked, he spotted Jack on a nearby track, running laps. Several others were nearby, including Captain Hard Tac. The Captain gave Walter a single wave as he and the others prepared for morning PT.

“Captain Hard Tac, good morning” Walter greeted as he walked up to elder officer, offering him and the others a salute before glancing over at Jack in silence. “You guys getting ready for morning PT, eh? Mind if I join?” Walter inquired as he offered a smile.

“Course not, son. Feel free. It’s only a light session, most of us are still hung over.” The captain chuckled lightly, before rubbing at his tired eyes. “Myself included…” As the captain pointed Walter to the stretching area, Ada strolled out wearing her PT gear. The woman was in shockingly good shape it seemed, and had the SAS’s insignia tattooed across her bicep. He hadn’t noticed it the night before, while he had been busy staring at her rear end.

“Mornin’ Wally.” The woman greeted as she began stretching. “Jack already at it? Huh.”

“Mornin’ Ada, yeah, he had a rough morning, I figure PT will help clear his head” Walter replied, blushing at the memory of her fine behind still fresh in his mind. Shaking his head, Walter decided to warm up as well, and since it was rather warm out today, Walter pulled off his shirt and folded it neatly onto a nearby bench. He’s gonna need it to wipe sweat off his face later on.

Walter isn’t exactly as portly as Petyr was, despite the two sharing the same body size spectrum. Although Walter isn’t exactly ripped like a bodybuilder, his physique is more closely comparable to that of a professional strong man. His arms, neck, upper/lower back, and legs are all built like parts to a powerful machine, built for constant abuse. He stepped up to the stretching area and began to do similar stretches that Ada is doing, his muscles flexing as he stretches.

“Fuck, it’s been awhile since I did PT” Walter sighed as he stretched, his joints popping along the way. PT with JSOG proved to be rather light, though considering the haggard appearance of most of the soldiers there, it was easy to guess why. As he worked out, Walter began to hear things spoken between the soldiers. It seemed that a force of Griffon soldiers were going to join them the next day, making up the other half of the force. Currently, JSOG consisted of the cream of the crop from Equestrian forces; Royal Guard, Royal Equestrian Army, and several from the far more secretive units such as the Coming Dawn. Apparently the griffons were considering sending in some of their best Imperial Guardsmen, and some of their Kasrkin stormtroopers. Truly, scary people, even to Walter.

As the team trained, he couldn’t help but notice that Jack was doing his best to maintain a stern, yet sunny exterior, though it often cracked, revealing the dark mood below. Walter decided to increase his jog into a mild sprint, catching up next to Jack where he gave a small friendly smile. He didn’t say anything, he just kept up the pace so that him and Jack were jogging at the same speed side by side. “So, I heard Griffons will start making their way into JSOG?” Walter spoke up after what felt like a half hour of silence, deciding to break the ice once Jack was used to Walter’s presence.

“They add the J to our SOG.” The man grunted lightly as he ran. He was wearing a black vest, oddly enough, that clinked and clacked as Jack ran.

Walter nodded quietly as he ran up alongside Jack, grunting every now and then as well. Noticing the black vest, Walter cracked a small grin, shaking his head before giving out an audible chuckle. “Did you train her?” Walter asked after another pause of silence.

“Yes. Saved her life, and she saved mine. Good kid.” He grunted and spat into the dirt of the track. Sweat was running down Jack’s face and back, only causing the weighted vest to get heavier as it was soaked. Jack’s stride remained the same as he continued on, even after the others had stopped. It never seemed to falter, even as his face turned red from exertion, and he began to glare at the track, as if it was the thing causing him pain.

Noticing Jack’s frustrated expression, Walter dug his phone out of his pocket and turned the volume up high on its speakers. He searched through a few things on his phone while he kept up with Jack’s pace, before playing a song he felt was fitting for the current activity: Eye of the Tiger, hoping Jack would find it in good humor and lighten up a bit.

As the song played over his phone, Walter gave Jack a friendly smile, “Come on, let’s do a few more laps, that is, if you’re up for it?” Walter asked as his smile faded into a grin. Despite his size, Walter had a rather impressive level of stamina, and since he had only been jogging up until then he must have a whole lot more of it than Jack, currently. Despite the encouragement, Jack’s spirits didn’t seem to raise any higher. He simply nodded, and plodded around the track several more times, as if punishing himself for the night prior.

He only stopped when one of his legs let out a mechanical whine, which had him immediately slow to a walk, and head for the sidelines. “Can someone get me a flathead screwdriver?”

“Here” Walter spoke up, pulling out his pocket knife, which was more of like an all-in-one device that boy scouts are given during camping trips. It contained a flathead screwdriver, and so once he was close enough he tossed the pocket knife over to Jack, panting heavily since he had been trying to keep up with Jack the entire way. While Jack fiddled with his legs, Walter would wipe his face clean of sweat using his shirt that he discarded earlier. As he dried his face, Walter began to wonder if all his attempts to try and make people feel better is really just him meddling with things he has no business in, the more he thought about this the more embarrassed and stupid he felt.

“Gah…Fuckin’ hell” Walter groaned, his voice muffled by his shirt.

Rolling up his pant legs, Walter was surprised to find that the older man’s legs were mechanical, all the way up to the halfway point on his thighs. The legs were intricate, but clearly military grade with how sturdy they seemed. Jack spent the time retuning the knee of one, after having popped the armoured knee cap off.

“...Jack?” Walter murmured quietly, glancing over at the marine in mild confusion. “...Your legs, you have robot legs?” Walter tilted his head, observing Jack’s mechanical legs in amazement. “If ponies managed to create robotic limbs of that caliber, my dad would probably be pissed that he didn’t come along with me” Walter remarked with a small chuckle.

“It’s a gift from the marine corp, for getting my ass blown off and spending six months in a gulag.” Jack answered lightly, as if joking. “Ponies can’t do spacetech yet.”

“Oh” Walter blinked, scratching his head. “Well, my dad was already scary enough with just one arm anyways” Walter remarked with a chuckle as he scratched the back of his head. “That’s odd though, I guess the Elements receive experimental tech then” the large man mumbled to himself, recalling the television and game consoles the girls have back home as he sat down to catch his breath.

Shrugging again, Jack swigged water and shook his head. “If that’s what the princess wants to do. Not my place to question where the expensive shit goes.” Letting out a huff, Jack looked to Hard Tac. “Are we all set to go for the new guys?”

“Yeah Jack, course is ready, and the spare rooms are all squared away. We got kit and weapons getting churned out tonight, fresh as daisies.” Tac leaned back as he spoke.

“Right. It’s mostly domestic stuff anyways, I guess the girls are testing the entertainment systems for the researchers” Walter said as he stared blankly at the ground, a distant look in his eyes. How he managed to make an ass of himself in front of a new friend once again in such a short period of time amazed him, a new personal record.

Rubbing his forehead, Walter stared at the ground in deep thought, trying to figure something out, something, anything that could make Jack’s mood lighten up just by a little bit. Walter was aware that Jack felt guilt of last night’s events, and for Flitter leaving out of the blue. It made Walter feel even more shitty that he couldn’t convince Flitter to stay just long enough to say goodbye with Jack face to face, even though he is fully aware that it was not in his power to try and tell Flitter nor Jack what to do, even if his intentions were good. As his silent stressful mulling rumbling around inside his mind, Walter reached back and began to scratch at the back of his head in an odd fashion, as if he were tracing something along the back of his head beneath his hair.

“Old scar?” Jack questioned quietly as he looked at Walter, surprising the much larger man. Walter hadn’t noticed the marine’s attention returning.

“Eh?” Walter jumped slightly, startled after being snapped out of his mild trance. He looked up at Jack, smiling sheepishly before rubbing the back of his head awkwardly now. “O-Oh, yeah… When I was in the Imperial Guard, I was shot in the head by an unknown gunman. They had to perform surgery and… It rattled things around a bit, so they had to do a lot of repair work… I still feel it sometimes, deep inside there… I subconsciously dig at my scar like I’m trying to pull the bullet out” Walter explained. “Sorry, I rambled off again… It’s a bad habit” the large man says apologetically, offering Jack a sheepish smile.

To his surprise, Jack smiled softly, and gestured to his forehead, and the fat, ugly Y shaped scar that dominated his brow. “Shot in the head with my own gun. Been there before.”

“O-Oh” Walter responds softly, his awkward grin fading to a weak smile. “H-Heh, it’s weird though right? Your brain feels rattled, and when you wake up from the surgery you just feel… Almost like a completely different person with somebody else’s memories” Walter says as he pulls his hand away from his head, staring at it. “Hey Jack, got any plans after you train your new recruits?” Walter asked, standing up, staring down at the marine.

“Probably drink myself into a coma, get deployed somewhere bright and colourful with a hangover. Kill some indignant locals.” Jack muttered lightly, as if it were a joke. “No real clue bud.” He began rooting around his pockets, before pulling out a crumpled pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “In reality it’ll just be training exercise after training exercise, followed by a three day op to take down some asshole, then back to training. Long periods of boredom, with short moments of murder, death, adrenaline, and pants shitting terror. Oorah marine.” Jack grumbled as he lit his smoke and took a long draw, before having it stolen from him by Ada.

“Oorah” Walter repeated firmly, giving a light chuckle. “Sounds like an afternoon in some shithole outpost in the Forsaken Forest” Walter says as he pats Jack on the back before resting his large hand on the marine’s shoulder. “What if I pulled a few strings and had us sent on a, quote unquote, ‘mission’, to Manehatten beach?” Walter inquired, giving a smirk. “We could set up an ‘outpost’ and I could provide some pretty damn delicious rations from an open grill. I am a damn fine self-taught chef after all when it comes to the grill” Walter says with a friendly grin. “We can bring the entire squad, and it would be good training just in case we get stranded on an island, we could practice swimming our asses back to civilization”

A long silence passed over the group as all eyes fell on Walter, while Jack looked over his shoulder at everyone else, before looking back. “Well, shit. If you can, sure. I won’t complain.”

“Yes you will.” Ada assured him, before grinning at Walter and giving him a nod of approval.

“I doubt Sunbutt will let us all go though, no fuckin’ way.” Jack murmured as he stole his smoke back from Ada. “Something’s crawled up her ass lately, hell if I know what it is though…”

“Sunbutt? Do you mean… Oh, snrk” Walter held back a chuckle at Celestia’s nickname, before clearing his throat and donned a serious stoic facade. “You underestimate my abilities, you’re talking to a man who lives with six young oddball mares, all with… Unique personalities. I have to use my skill in negotiation and conversation in order to simply coexist in the same household without some sort of chaotic or lewd scenario unfolding” Walter says as he rubs his face. “And don’t even get me started on talking down a drunken Applejack and Rainbow Dash, those two are spooky… But Fluttershy… Oooooh boy, don’t even get me started on how scary she can get” Walter says as he shakes his head. “Digression aside, just leave it to me. I will convince Celestia to let us go on a ‘mission’ to Manehatten beach, so all of you pack up your swimsuits. Wouldn’t it be a good thing to show the new recruits what they will be fighting for? A little taste of heaven before you drag them ass first into the fiery pits of hell?”

“You’re a dingus. And a fuckin’ nerd.” Jack muttered lightly as he snubbed his finished cigarette. “But alright. I suppose we can find the time to wander some beach. Considering the looks me an’ Tac are getting, I’m pretty sure there’d be a mutiny if we didn’t.” Jack smirked as some of the others smiled.

“Very well mine valorous friends, provide me with all of thy best wishes so that I may convince the glorious sunbutt to falter such tiring restrictions of serious manner, if 't be true only for a small while. Off I wend now, for glory! Semper fidelis!” Walter declares, suddenly shifting into an Old English accent. He then turned heel and marched off into the castle, painfully navigating his way through the halls before eventually finding what he figured to be the entrance to the throne room, judging by how fancy the ornate twin doors are. With a grunt, Walter pushes the doors open, walking in while glancing around rather meekly. “Hello?” Walter called out, announcing his presence.

The guards stood at attention as Walter entered, and as he spoke, he noticed that court was in session. Celestia and Luna were present on their thrones, though it seemed Luna had fallen asleep, and Celestia was forcing a motherly smile at the pegasus who was currently regaling her with the demand for more governmental gold. Upon Walter’s entry, Celestia’s smile became more genuine as she motioned him forward. “A moment if you would, Mayor Opal. Yes Walter? What is it?”

“Greetings Celestia, I am thankful to be in your presence. Forgive my intrusion, for I have come to implore you a request from my associates of JSOG and I. As of recently, I have noticed stress and tension among my comrades, and I was hoping to inquire you to pay mind to my request,” Walter began, speaking in a clear and rather professional tone, which was completely different to his usual laid back and gruff speech mannerism. “I do not wish to ask a lot from you, I simply desire that all members of JSOG are allowed to commute to Manehatten in order to relieve stress at the coast. And while we are there, I was thinking perhaps as compensation for your generosity my comrades and I could solve any issues while we are there” Walter finished, bowing his head respectfully to her the whole time.

“You see sister?” Luna piped up, apparently not asleep at all. “That is how they used to speak to us in our court, now it’s all whining and complaining and demanding what they do not deserve.” The lunar princess shot a withering glare at the pegasus mayor, who seemed to actually shrink.

Sighing at her sister’s words, Celestia fixed Walter with a light smile that was laced with worry. “So, I assume you’ve been spending more time with the Operations Group. Your request is a… Difficult one, I’m afraid. JSOG is a special unit meant to deal with major threats, we simply can’t have them all run off to such a distant city for simple R&R, regardless if they more than deserve it.”

“I understand your concern, Princess. If that is the case, perhaps we could compromise? I have not been in Canterlot for all that long, so I do not know what all exists here in the capitol, but would it be okay if we visited a water park instead? They would be able to relax and have fun without having to travel too far” Walter proposed, “Perhaps a large private pool? Somewhere I can cook on an open grill at least”

“Sister, perhaps it will mean they will no longer shred the south lawn with munitions and gunfire.” Luna offered, clearly siding with Walter in the conversation.

With a soft sigh, Celestia smiled again. “There is a small lake just north of Canterlot, it should be close enough to walk there. If you can keep them in line Walter, then I suppose I have no issues with JSOG leaving the capital for some rest and relaxation.”

“My greatest thanks, you’ve made the members of JSOG very happy, I assure you.” Walter said as he approached Celestia and Luna, gently taking Celestia’s hoof in his large gentle grasp before kissing the top part of her hoof. He then scooted over and did the same to Luna, offering them both a polite smile. “As for you, Mayor Opal was it? Do you have any idea as to the stress our princesses endure for you to live a life of luxury? Do you realize what’s going on in the land I once called home? I’ve lost practically everything, and out of the kindness of their hearts Celestia and Luna have blessed me with a new life, a second chance. Do not take your wealth for granted, you never know when it’ll all disappear and you’ll be left with nothing” Walter said in a stern voice, his hardened expression fixated on the mayor before turning his gaze to the princesses, smiling warmly at them with a wave before he left the throne room. It was the best example of a ‘drop the mic’ moment.

Walter retraced his steps back to the JSOG gang, approaching them with a big goofy victorious smile. “We won’t be going to Manehatten, it’s too far away, however Celestia has granted us all permission to go to a rather beautiful lake outside of Canterlot” Walter declared with his hands on his hips. “Now, I plan on cooking you all a delicious barbeque meal, so how about we go shopping for our outing after the recruits get here?” Walter says as his grin grows even bigger, happy that he managed to do something good for Jack and his gang, hoping it would lift their spirits.

The pack of soldiers all seemed to look toward Walter, before Jack spat a curse, and Tac started laughing.

“Pay up, asshole!”

Grumbling, Jack rooted through his pockets, before tossing five gold coins at the captain. “Bastard…” Turning his attention to Walter, Jack stared for a moment, before pushing a smile. “I guess I was wrong.”

“I have a way of speaking with people of high authority, at least some times I do, when I really want something” Walter replied to Jack, giving him a big smile before clearing his throat. “Now then, does anybody know of a good grocery store? I must have decent ingredients if I am to prepare a delicious barbeque for us as we party!” Walter says as he places his hands on his hips.

With a long, deep sigh, Jack lifted a hand, and rubbed his eyes roughly. “We need to do something about that stick up your ass… you talk like Luna.”

“What the Staff Sergeant means-” Hard Tac interrupted, smiling. “Is that we’re thankful for your work, if you want I can lead you down to some place where we can get food.”

“Oh” Walter blinked, giving a short nod. He is only behaving as his father had taught him to while in the presence of royalty, after all, sweet talking royals was a part of daily life in the Griffon Kingdom, at least it was for his dad. “Lead the way Captain!” Walter says with a smile as he scratches the back of his head absentmindedly.

“You meant now?” Tac rubbed the back of his neck, before offering a light smile. “Alright. Just lemme drop off my kit. Jack, try not to burn down the place, alright?”

“You took away my matches, how am I supposed to do shit?” Jack shot back immediately as he continued with the group toward the door.

Shaking her head, Ada gave the captain a light salute. “I’ll keep an eye on the bugger.”

Despite wanting to add a few snarky remarks, Walter decided to keep his witty comments to himself as he followed the group, figuring they were going to go somewhere they could wait for Hard Tac to return, most likely Jack’s room if Walter were to guess. “Jack, what kind of trouble have you gotten into to earn so much distrust?” Walter inquired after a few minutes of walking.

“You don’t have the clearance to know.” The marine shot back lightly, though his tone made it impossible to tell if he was being serious.

“I’ll take your word for it” Walter replied with a half hearted chuckle, shaking his head. “So, before we get to the lake, what kind of music would you like? I have a whole bunch of music on my phone” Walter says as he pulls out what looks like a cousin of the iPhone, handing it to Jack after pulling up his itunes library.

Whatever Walter was expecting, he wasn’t expecting Jack’s eyes to go wide, and Ada to recoil. Jack was, as usual, first to speak. “Is that a fat Ipod!? Jesus christ, that’s a collector’s item!”

Ada shook her head as she pondered over the thing. “It’s so big! It’s got to have a ton of memory.”

“Oh uh, well it’s actually a phone” Walter says, a bit surprised by Jack’s reaction. “I have thousands of songs on it; rock, metal, classic rock, punk rock, and plenty of other genres” Walter says as he leans over Jack’s shoulder, showing him how to browse through all the songs and different genres. “My father got it for me when I came home after being discharged” Walter added on. “I talked with Twilight about making more of these, I guess she hasn’t managed to get a hold of anybody to work on it though”

“EhehhHah, oh, oh man…” jack laughed and shook his head, before fishing around in his pocket, and producing a phone of his own, this one rather small, sleek, and black. “Come on man, I was born in two thousand and one, I know how to use a phone.” Jack passed his phone to Walter, before he began fiddling with the buttons on Walter’s phone. “Wait, this thing’s not touch screen… uhhhh…”

“Wait, wait wait wait!” Ada yelled, drawing Jack’s attention. “You were born in oh-one!? You’re three years younger than me! You basically a baby!”

Snorting, Jack rolled his eyes at the woman. “I’m thirty five Ada, time’s all fucky here, remember? Enjoy being in your mid-twenties.”

“...Nineteen ninety-seven” Walter spoke up, clearing his throat as he gave Jack and Ada a few odd stares. “So does that technically make me older than both of you?” Walter inquired, tilting his head.

“No! No it does not!” Jack yelled. “The year doesn’t count when you get thrown around by the fuckface god of chaos! You’re still a kid!” The grizzled marine shot glares as the ponies laughed and chuckled at his pain.

“Oh, right” Walter nodded with a small chuckle. “Even if I was older than you, it’d only be by like four years or so” Walter remarked as he began to try and figure out how Jack’s phone operated.

Shaking his head slowly, Captain Tac waved the other soldiers on. “Damn humans and their technology. I’m still sending letters.”

“That’s because you’re old and your internet sucks.” Jack retorted without a second thought.

Hard Tac closed his eyes and let out a loud groan. “I don’t even know what that is but it makes me mad at you for saying it.”

“So far, only a small handful of certain individuals own computer technologies, most of the advanced tech here in Equestria, as far as I know, are under the possession of Celestia and her scientists” Walter remarked, “I think with time that ponies can make some pretty interesting technology, especially with magic becoming a factor in its development” Walter says with a shrug.

“I’m just happy Jackboy here has somewhere I can charge me phone.” Ada nudged the marine with her elbow while smiling. “Came prepared for everything!”

“Well, do you guys know where we can pick up a nice set of speakers and some cables? I’d like to be able to hook my phone up to a sound system so we have music to party to” Walter says as he casts a smile towards the group.

Jack simply rolled his neck and gestured idly off in a different direction. “Labs. They go all kinds of crap down there.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to send civilians to the lab, Jack.” Hard Tac stated out loud.

“Call the guard, I don’t give a fuck.”

“I’ll just… Go and grab some stuff real quick. I’ll just say that Twilight sent me or something” Walter said as he was about to go jog off to find the labs when he paused and turned to Jack. “...Where are the labs again? I’ve never been to them before... “ Walter explained with a sheepish smile.

With a sigh, Jack nodded, and tossed a towel over his shoulder. “Aight… follow me, you big hairy bastard.”

“Okay… Short, scary bastard” Walter replied, slipping up as he tried to retort to Jack’s comment to Walter’s large and hairy disposition. “Once we have the speakers and the right cords we should be ready to go grab the barbeque supplies! This lake party is gonna be a blast! I just hope Pinkie Pie doesn’t catch wind of it…” Walter says quietly with a shutter.

Pausing for a long moment, Jack cast a concerned look to Walter. “Isn’t that… that creepy all pink pony who lives down in Ponyville? I think I owe her money…”

“...If she shows up, you run, I will throw myself onto her and give you enough time to escape. Just make sure that they sing stories of my valor in the mead halls of honor” Walter replied, shivering once again at the very thought of getting on Pinkie Pie’s bad side.

“I don’t run from anything, not even van sized spiders.” Jack stated firmly as he led Walter further down the castle corridors. “She can’t be that bad, anyways.”

“When I first met Pinkie Pie, she tackled me at mach speed, so hard that my shoes flew off” Walter replied. “Anything that powerful is scary when pissed off”

“You never met my fiance.” Jack muttered quietly as they approached the labs. “Let me give you a piece of advice kid, never fall in love with a merc you meet in a new york bar brawl.” His features twisted slightly in pain, only to return to their usual flatness moments.

“Heh, I don’t think I’ll be finding love anytime soon. Not ready for it yet” Walter replied, his voice a bit somber with past experience. “So, what exactly all is in this lab?”

“Love doesn’t give a shit about being ready.” Jack shot back idly as he gestured toward the doors. “All the fun little things the EQ’s are cooking up. I’ll be honest, I hardly pay attention to any of it, it’s not that interesting to me.”

“Oh yeah, speaking of technology. I wanna know who the fuck made a giant ass tentacle vibrator, I’m gonna give that fucker a piece of my mind!” Walter says, shivering at the thought of a past experience.

“Do I even- No, no I don’t want to fuckin’ know.” Jack shook his head, and pushed through the doors, ignoring the guards standing by. The lab was a large affair, and fairly open air. Several glass walled offices were up against the far side, with several work benches placed around with an amalgam of parts and projects laying about. “Say hello to the place that’ll drag this backwater kicking and screaming into the modern era.” Jack muttered as he struck up a cigarette.

“Jack you know you can’t smoke in here!” A small batpony yelled at him from across the way. “Or bring in random people!”

“Hi ‘Rora.” Jack responded as he puffed on his cigarette.

Walter smiled sheepishly as he waved at the indignant thestral, clearing his throat before speaking up. “Hello miss, I don’t want to bother you too much, but do you perhaps have any cords that would attach a large set of speakers to this device?” Walter asks as he holds up his phone. “Jack said this would be the best place to find them…”

Rolling her eyes, the thestral crossed her forelegs over her workbench and fixed Jack with a half hearted glare. “He told you that? Did he also tell you that his armour has everything he would need?”

“I’m not dragging my coffin out for a beach outing, Aurora!” Jack exclaimed loudly.

“I don’t see what’s so bad about that.” Aurora shot back lightly. “You’ve dragged it out for less.”

Rolling his eyes, Jack flicked his cigarette butt at her. “Maybe you should try being locked up in it for days on end, maybe you wouldn’t jizz yourself over it all the time.”

“Quaint.”

Walter licked his dry lips nervously, the animosity between the two making him feel a bit uncomfortable. “Miss, I wouldn’t mind making it up to you somehow. I’m a good handyman and I can do quite the honest amount of work! All you have to do is teach me and I’ll do it to the best of my ability. I really want to help the members of JSOG relax and have some fun, considering all the stress they are under. A beach outing with some good music can lift all sorts of kindred spirits, yes?” Walter inquires in his elegant and clear voice that he used to speak with Celestia and Luna, being as polite as possible.

Sighing lightly, Aurora shot a mild smirk at the pair. “I’m just teasing Jack.” Hopping down, the short thestral ambled over, and punched Jack in the thigh. “Somebody has to keep the big guy in line after all.”

“How selfless of you.” Jack muttered as he rolled his eyes.

“Hush. I’m talking to the polite human.” Aurora looked up at Walter, before pumping her wings and coming up to be level with his face. Crossing her forelegs as she hovered before him, Aurora perked a brow. “Do I get to come with you to the beach?”

“Oh! That would be splendid, the more the merrier! I’m gonna cook a barbeque for everybody, I’m gonna prepare both meat and vegan products, and with the music it should be very fun! You just have to bring your best swimsuit” Walter says with a friendly smile.

“Nah, just go naked ‘Rora, you furry pony creatures always do.” Jack leaned up against a workbench, and idly played with his lighter as he waited.

Sticking her bright orange tongue out at him, Aurora stick up her nose. “Maybe I will get my best swimsuit, what would you say then? Hmm?”

“You’re gonna turn on every last one of my operatives, don’t be shocked if you spend most of the day beating them off with a stick. Or, you know, beating them off. Whatever fixes your fancy.”

The mare’s face became bright red as her eyes went down. “That’s awful…”

“Jack don’t be mean” Walter says, glancing over at the marine with a small shake of his head. “I’m gonna be wearing a swimsuit as well, or just my boxers really since I left my swimwear back home in Ponyville”

Seemingly unphased by the chastising, Jack simply shrugged. “You do you, Spaceman. ‘Rora, you sure you don’t have any speakers?”

Sighing lightly as she fixed her appearance, Aurora nodded in return. “Yes, we have some PA system speakers laying around we can use.”

“That would be perfect! Speakers, some cords, and we should be set!” Walter says with a smile, “Where are they? I don’t mind carrying them”

“Just over here.” Leading him to the supplies, Walter was finding to his surprise that everything was coming together very nicely indeed. With a little luck, the coming time at the beach would go well! At least, he hoped it would. Jack, however, wasn’t so sure.