Chapters The Guardian From Afar 3: Return to Earth
Separation...
Loneliness...
Anguish...
Homesickness...
These are among the many words that echoed through my mind as I lied on the bed in my cell. The feelings were colder than the Midas touch. More lonely than the deepest regions of space.
I glanced at the floor in my cell. Various drawings of those I cared about were scattered across the cracked white tiles. Drawings of Scootaloo, Applejack, and her family members I grew close to. Accompanying them were dozens of empty black markers. These drawings were mine. Making these drawings were the only way to comfort myself from the pain that plagued me. I used the tiny amounts of ink to mark my time in my cell. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months. All the while, nothing would change. Black tally marks lined the wall next to my bed. No matter how much the guards would yell at me, I still marked my time. For some strange reason, they kept supplying me with paper and markers. I never complained, though. It was the only way to keep my sanity. I started growing a beard and mustache since they never let me shave.
Wake up, eat, sleep, repeat. That was how it was. All alone in that dark cell. No friends, hardly any interaction with another living thing, and silence following me like a tax collector. It felt WORSE than when my father and brother died.
How did I end up like this? I guess I should explain how before I get too further into this...
I whistled as I waited for Scootaloo and Apple Bloom to exit their school. Applejack assigned me with picking them both up. She had to take care of some business back at her farm, and me being a loyal boyfriend...I agreed.
Oh yeah, I should tell you about that. After the Spoiled Rich incident, Applejack and I started dating for a week, until we became an official couple. Some ponies in town were happy, and accepted it...and others got irritated. I chose to ignore those who disagreed, I really could've cared less what they thought. As for the Apple family, they were happy for us as well. It wasn't long before they started looking at me as if I was an official member of their family. It was great.
Anyways, Scootaloo ran out of school excitedly and jumped into my arms with the help of her wings.
"Daddy!" Scootaloo said excitedly as she hugged me with all her strength.
"Scoots! Did you have a nice day at school?" I asked.
"Yeah!"
"Great." I looked around, "Uh...where's Apple Bloom?"
"Oh...she's going to take a while to come out. Something's been bothering her."
"What has?"
Right when I finished asking her that, Apple Bloom stumbled out of the door. She really did look like a mess. Her pink bow was positioned a little off to the right, her mane was quite frazzled, and her eyelids hung low over her eyes.
"Oh." I said.
I approached Apple Bloom and kneeled to speak to her.
"You okay, Apple Bloom? You look dead today." I said.
"I'm...fine, Will. Just a little..." she yawns, "Tired, is all."
I set Scootaloo down on the ground, "Want me to carry you home?"
"Nah...I'm good..."
She then fell into the dirt, fast asleep. I picked her up, and walked along the trail to take her home. When we finally arrived, I let myself in and set Apple Bloom on the couch. This was certainly unlike her. I was about to leave when I heard a familiar voice call for me from behind.
"Will!" A deep voice said.
"Mac! Good to see you, bro." I replied.
"Apple Bloom tired?"
"Yeah. Had to carry her here."
"Hm...she's been actin' strange lately."
"Really? How so?"
"For the past few weeks, she's been sayin' that every night a monster with red eyes would walk around the farm...and stare into her window. She's up all night about this."
"Have...you investigated this?"
"Why should I? All foals were afraid of monsters in the dark. I was."
"Did you ever see it?"
"Of course not."
"If Apple Bloom says she actually sees this thing, you maaaaaay want to be concerned."
"As much as I'd love to help my little sister with her active imagination, I do have important work to do. Important work means a LOT of sleep at night."
"Well...what if I decided to investigate this?"
"Knock y'self out."
I saw Granny Smith rocking quietly in her chair, and decided to bring up my interest in this alleged "monster."
"I was wondering," I started, "If Scoots could sleep over tonight. I want to spend the night making sure there are no monsters or ghosts here, and I don't want to leave her home alone."
"You'd do that? That's really nice of ya. Of course she can." She responded.
"Great! Thanks."
I went outside the house to find Scootaloo chatting with Applejack as she pulled a cart full of apples. I approached them and got their attention.
"Hey Scoots! Howdy, AJ." I said, kneeling and kissing Applejack's cheek.
"Howdy, Will." Applejack replied, blushing.
"So Scoots, how would you like to spend the night with Apple Bloom tonight?"
"Wow, really?"
"Sure. I have to do some...work...and It will take all night."
"Awesome! I'm gonna wake Apple Bloom up and tell her the news!"
Scootaloo ran off and into the farmhouse, leaving Applejack and I alone.
"You're so sweet," AJ said.
"Hm?" I asked.
"I know why you're doing this. You wanna help mah little sister with her monster trouble, doncha?"
"How did you know?"
"I expect that comin' from you."
She gets up on her hind legs and kisses me, which I return. She then gets back on her four legs.
"Well, I've got lots to do. I'll see ya tonight." AJ said, giving me a wink.
"See ya, AJ." I replied.
I reentered the house to see Scootaloo talking to a still-sleeping Apple Bloom. I told her to come home so she could pack. We got home, and we began packing our items.
While I was packing some of the essentials, I knew that there was one thing I was going to HAVE to take: my rifle. The Spoiled Rich incident had made me become a very paranoid person, so I knew that spending the night at Sweet Apple Acres without it would be a stupid idea. I wasn't willing to take any risks, whatever Apple Bloom was seeing. I took legitimate ammunition and put it into my backpack.
After we packed up, we stayed at home and ate dinner. After dinner, it was 8:00 PM. We took our items and went outside. Scootaloo practically bounced all the way to Sweet Apple Acres, while I was just concerned about the situation. We arrived at about 8:17 PM, and I knocked on the door. Applejack answered, and smiled upon seeing us.
"Howdy! You both came a little earlier than expected," she said as she let us in, "We just finished eatin' supper, but there's still some left. Ya hungry?"
"No thanks, we're good." I replied.
"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom yelled in excitement from the top of the stairs, "Come on up!"
"Coming!" Scootaloo said before running up the stairs with her items in tow.
"Heh, cute." I said.
I turned to Applejack.
"Where's everyone else?" I asked.
"Asleep. I just stayed up so I can greet you two." she replied.
"Ah, okay. Now, I'm going to ask you a weird question."
Applejack's ears perked up and she looked lustfully at me. "Yeeeeees..?" she asked.
I leaned in, and she turned her head. I gently, quietly whispered the following to her:
"How do I get on the roof?" I asked.
I positioned myself on the rooftop of the farmhouse. Peering through the scope of my rifle, I scanned the surrounding area for potential threats. Even the smallest movement in the corner of my eye would make me turn to look. I was prepared to shoot anything that looked menacing. I even had my suppressor removed...so if I fire at something, the whole family would be alerted of the incoming danger. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes turned to hours. I must've been up there for two hours, just watching over the dark fields.
I jumped when I felt something poke me. I yelped and turned around...to see Applejack behind me.
"How...how did you climb the ladder up here?" I asked, scratching my head.
"Hush now, everypony's asleep." she replied, looking into my eyes.
"So..?"
Applejack leans in and kissed me passionately. I couldn't help but kiss back. I finally released and backed up.
"No...AJ, I can't. I got a job to do." I said.
"Lighten up, Sugarcube," she said, "It's not like anypony'll stop us."
We then continued kissing for a while. Suddenly, I heard a branch snap below me. Then I heard the sound of Scootaloo and Apple Bloom screaming. I pulled away from the kiss and peered over the roof. I saw a dark figure standing outside their window, using another ladder to see.
"HEY!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.
The figure looked up at me, and I got a good look at it. It was wearing a black skintight rubber suit, and a black gas mask to go with it. The scary part? The big, round eyes were glowing red. The other scary part? It looked like a human was in that suit. Upon seeing me, it jumped off the ladder and bolted off.
I wasn't going to let it get away. I shot at it, the thundering noise of the bullet ripped through the sky. However, I missed. I strapped the rifle to my back and jumped off the roof. I landed without a scratch.
"WHAT IN THE HAY ARE YOU DOING?!" Applejack asked.
"I'm going after that thing!" I replied before bolting for the creature.
I ran as fast as my legs could take me. The creature was meters away, but I couldn't lose it. Sweat poured down my face like Niagara Falls, my feet hurt, and my legs felt as weak as toothpicks. I was running off of adrenaline at this point. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped to catch my breath. When my breathing returned to normal, I noticed something: it was quiet. Too quiet. Darkness surrounded me, and I could only hear my breathing. Suddenly, I heard a "pfft" noise and felt a pain in my neck. I touched it, and I felt metal and something fuzzy at the end. It was a tranquilizer dart.
That was the last thing I remembered before I passed out.
Author's Note
Yep, this one's gonna be a story that will be updated over time! Stay tuned for more!
The Guardian From Afar 3: Return to Earth
Welcome To Bunker 34, Will.
What happened next was rather hazy for me, but here's what I recall: I was being carried by my underarms through a bright hallway. By both of my sides, I saw men wearing some kind of combat gear facing foreword. I couldn't see many features due to their yellow visors, but I could barely make out a pair of eyes from behind. I couldn't move, and all noises echoed in my head.
"Put him in cell 12," a voice said.
I was then dragged to a door, and the men who were carrying me threw me inside. The metal door closed and locked, and everything fell silent. When I could finally see and think clearly, I took in my surroundings. I was in a white room with cracked tiles, a bed, table, and a steel toilet with sink. It looked like a jail cell! Minus the bars. I tried pounding on the steel door, to no avail. I had a freak-out for a while, trying to comprehend my situation. At some point, I just calmed down and sat in the middle of the floor. I felt like I ran out of energy, so all I could do was sit.
About two hours after this, I heard the slot on the door open. A packet of five hundred sheets of paper and some permanent markers got chucked through, and it closed. I don't know why, but I opened them without hesitation. I then started doodling. I didn't draw anything in particular, just patterns that interested me. I then started drawing other things. I drew a few pictures of Scootaloo's cutie mark, then a few other cutie marks I've seen. For the next few days, I would draw pictures of things from Equestria. Places, animals, and ponies were drawn and scattered all over the floor.
Over the next few months, the same things happened every day. When I woke up in the morning, I would exercise or draw a little until my meals arrived. The only food they gave me was this weird pink paste. It had no flavor, smell, or stability. It was like eating toothpaste. However, it must've been PACKED with protein...because combined with my exercise sessions, I ended up getting some rather large muscles. After meals, I would either exercise or sleep. I never knew when it was night or day, but they still sent food in occasionally. However, I still marked down the days I've been in the cell. What I would do was I would stay up for as long as I could, and then go to sleep. When I woke up, I'd put down a tally mark next to my bed.
Good, now we're all caught up. Finally, there was the day that I learned about where I was. Like I mentioned earlier, I was just staring at the floor...not thinking of anything, when the door suddenly opened. I whipped my head up to see. I saw three men, one of them was wearing a significantly less amount of combat gear than the men next to him. They stared back at me, and I waited for them to say something.
"Jesus! Is this the place you guys have been holding him?! I'm no expert, but this is unacceptable! Take him into the interrogation room. It's about time this poor fellow gets some human interaction." The man with less gear said.
Without another word, the two armed men walked in and grabbed me from under my arms. I didn't struggle, and let them guide me through the hall. The hall was brightly lit, and there were people walking around. Some were wearing lab coats, and others were heavily armed and armored. Various doors lined the walls in the hall, but they were unlabeled. We stopped at a room and they opened the door. The guards released me and told me to walk inside. I did, and I sat down in a chair. The man with less gear walked in and sat in the chair across me.
"Hello, Will." he said, "I'm James White. Your personal guard. It's good to see you."
"You...know who I am..?" I asked.
"Yes. For a long time, you and your family have lived above us."
"Above you? Huh?"
James leaned back in his chair, "For the longest time, this organization stayed in secret in this bunker...twenty feet directly below your house. Command...bribed some government officials to make your mortgage bills go sky-high...and-"
"Wait...it was YOU who made me lose my forest?"
James looked anxious, "W-well....it's was this organization's fault...I-"
I got up from my chair and grabbed him by the shirt collar, "I should kick your ass right here!"
James was shaking, "I tried telling them it was a bad idea! Honest! I was telling them you were under enough grief! But they didn't listen!"
I looked at him. He looked at me with fear in his eyes. I released his shirt, and sat back down. "I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me."
"It's alright. I'm sure that being in that world had affected your life?"
I looked at him, "You have NO idea."
"I would like to. Could you tell me what you've seen?"
"Jesus, where do I begin?"
For the next hour, I told James EVERYTHING I went through in Equestria. Protecting Scootaloo, killing Spoiled Rich, seeing the man in the gas mask, and everything in-between. By the time I finished, James was looking at me with a shocked expression.
"A world inhabited by ponies, magic, and magical creatures! DAMN!" James finally said.
"Yep. That's the whole story for you." I said.
"You...got yourself a daughter...and a chick?"
"Well, both ponies...but that matters not. I still love them both dearly."
"That was a...very touching story. However...I will say something."
"Hm?"
"You SHOT at one of your black-ops agents!"
"Hey, he was peeking into my marefriend's sister's room. I had a right to. Not to mention, he did that multiple times...so uh...creepy..."
"Huh...that's not like them. Those units are supposed to take photos of anything interesting to bring back."
"Doesn't make a difference. Still creepy."
"Well. I think we're done talking about your experience. Want to see the rest of the bunker?"
I laughed a little, "It's much better than being in that cell."
"Come on, I'll take you to the lunchroom. I'll get you something to eat."
"No pink paste, right?"
"Of course not. How does a cheeseburger sound?"
"Epic."
"Let's go."
We get up from our chairs and exit the room. After walking down the halls, we find the cafeteria. It's a rather nice-looking lunchroom. There were many benches and tables with scientists and guards alike eating their meals. On the far side of the room, there was a clear glass window where chefs could be seen preparing various types of food. My stomach growled when the pleasant aroma entered my nostrils.
"It's...very nice." I said.
"Indeed. Command spent a lot of money improving this old bunker. There's an interesting tale behind this place, you know." James replied.
"Really?"
"Yeah, but I'll tell you at the table. Go have a seat at an empty table, I'll get the food."
"Cool."
James left to go get the food, and I went to an empty table. I sat down, and thought about the events that have been happening. Let's see...I've been taken away from my daughter and marefriend, I was held prisoner inside a cell for ten months, and now I'm inside a bunker that existed under my house IN MY FOREST for as long as I've lived. Could this get any weirder? I thought.
After five minutes, James came back with a cheeseburger and a small bowl of pasta in his hands. He set the burger in front of me and the pasta in front of himself. I thanked him and tore into it like a wolf. To start, it was AMAZING to eat something that wasn't pink and pasty. Also, it was a LONG time since I ate beef. Back in Ponyville, there was a cow that lived there. I forgot her name, but I thought I should mention that. Anyways, as I was eating...I heard some commotion going on a few tables away.
"Bruh, you don't say that." One voice said.
"Buddy, I say what I want. This is AMERICA. I have a right of free speech." A deeper voice said.
I looked to see two guys standing up at the tables. One was muscular, and another was skinny...but taller than the muscular one. The muscular one went around the table to get up close to the skinny one, and they continued to argue.
"Oh no," James said, "Luke is at it again."
"Luke?" I asked, "Who's Luke?"
"The muscular guy. Luke's an odd guy. He signed up to be a combat unit, and worked hard to deserve his rank. However, he has some serious anger issues. He has to take some kind of medicine to calm his nerves. Looks like his meds are wearing off, because he looks like he's about to release his stress on Finn."
"What did Finn do?"
"Luke and Finn hate each other. Finn hates Luke because Luke says whatever he thinks about people, good or bad. Luke hates Finn because he's annoying."
"So..?"
"You'll like this. Watch."
Luke and Finn began yelling at each other, and things were getting tense. Suddenly, Finn punched Luke right in his face! Luke touched his lip, which was busted. He looked right at Finn, and said five words.
"You done fucked-up now." Luke said.
Luke pounced on Finn, tackling him to the floor. Luke released a large amount of punches to Finn's face and chest. Finn was thrashing to try and block Luke's assault, but it was no use. After three minutes of nonstop beating, Luke got up, dusted himself off, and approached OUR TABLE. I shivered a little as he sat down across from me and right next to James. Luke looked at me, and waited for me to say something. Before I could choke out a response, he spoke.
"Welcome to Bunker 34! I'm Luke, member of elite security." Luke said in a friendly tone, as if he didn't just pulp Finn's face.
"Uh...hi. I'm William." I said.
"William, eh? That's a nice name. I take it you're new here, huh? You're also likely wondering what's the plan for this organization, right?"
"Woah woah, slow down. First, tell me what this place is."
"This is Bunker 34. While we're not exactly sure what this place was for, we do know that it held some interesting things. To start, there were crates FULL of old weapons dating back all the way from WW2."
"Like?"
"Like this one," Luke said as he pulled a Thompson SMG out from behind him and set it on the table.
"Woah!"
"Yeah. Lots of cool guns from the Axis and Allied sides, but you're probably not interested in hearing me talk about that."
"Maybe we can talk about guns later."
"Right. Anyways, the second interesting thing we found was the portal machine. At first, we didn't know what it was. We had scientists reverse-engineer the machine and we eventually had it working. However, we didn't know what would happen when its activated. Now, the room with the portal device had puddles in it due to being underground. Why do I mention this? Well, the device creates portals that behave similarly to electricity: Requires a conductor to travel and expand. The only conductor to this portal was water...so when we turned the device on, one of our scientists almost fell in. Luckily, we pulled him back up and turned off the device. We re-tested the machine about a year-and-a-half ago, and it transformed all water within a one-hundred foot radius to temporarily become portals."
I suddenly came to realization, "So THAT'S how I ended up in Equestria."
"Equestria? That's the name of the colorful horsey world?"
"You know?"
"The black-ops units bring back pictures and footage all the time. Ever since we've found a way to control the portal, we've been sending them on missions every day."
"Can I...see some?"
"I got some pictures right here. Take a look."
Luke placed some photos on the table, and I took a look. I saw some familiar places. Sugarcube corner, Twilight's castle, Carousel Boutique, and...then I saw Sweet Apple Acres. In the picture, I could see an unhappy Applejack and a crying Scootaloo. My sadness returned, and I saw my own tears falling onto the photo.
"Scootaloo...my little Scootaloo..." I said, choking on my own sobs.
"Woah, what's going on?" Luke asked.
James explained the story to Luke while I tried to contain my tears.
In Equestria, the sky was gray. It was about to rain, and the last bell rang at Ponyville Elementary. All the foals yelled and cheered as they ran off with their loving family members. As they ran off, one foal walked sadly out the door behind them. Scootaloo looked up, hoping to see her daddy standing there...but just like it was for the past ten months, he was not. Applejack was waiting to pick her up, a few raindrops falling on her hat. Scootaloo slowly approached her, and they walked to Scootaloo's house. Applejack had been living with Scootaloo in her home for a while now, just to make sure she's okay.
Scootaloo made it up to her room and sat on her bed. She looked up at the sky through the window, and stared at the clouds.
"Hi, Dad," Scootaloo said, "I heard that whatever happened to you, you're safe now. I heard that you can now see your parents and brother again. Ponies in town have told me that you're up there...reeeeaaaaalllly high in the sky. I've been practicing my flying, and I can hover for a full minute now. Maybe...if I keep practicing...I can go up there and see you."
Scootaloo felt a sick feeling in her stomach, "I remember how you used to hug me after school. I wish you could do it again. Applejack has been taking care of me. She misses you just as much as I do."
Scootaloo's lip quivered, "I carry a picture of us wherever I go. It's of you and me at the park...I can move myself on the swings...but I miss you pushing me."
Scootaloo's eyes began to water, "I know you don't like it when I'm sad...I try not to cry, Daddy...but it hurts too much." A single tear drips down her face. "Is...what they say true? Are...y-you not c-coming back?"
Scootaloo climbed under the covers and lights the candle next to her bed, "I always sleep with the light on in my room, just in case you come home so you can kiss me goodnight...I love you so much, Dad. There's nopony I'd rather have as my Daddy than you."
Scootaloo closes her eyes and falls asleep...holding William's sniper scope close to her body as she lets sleep overtake her.
Author's Note
Ugh...almost cried writing that last part...sorry it took such a dark turn.
The Guardian From Afar 3: Return to Earth
Dreams. Dreams are a lot like life, in a way. They are unpredictable...good or bad. While I would sleep in the bunker, I would have dreams every night. They could be wonderful dreams, like of Scootaloo and I when we finally met. Or...they could be brutal, horrifying nightmares. A gas mask with red glowing eyes followed me in my bad dreams.
I woke up in my cell that night, or...I thought it was night. The lights were noticeably dim. I didn't know why I woke up, but I just felt uneasy. I sat up in my bed, and noticed that the door was open. In the doorway, I saw two familiar figures. I squinted my eyes to see, and I couldn't hold back a smile. Scootaloo, and Applejack were standing there. However, they had blank looks on their faces.
"Scoots! AJ!" I said as I sprang up from the bed.
The second my feet hit the floor, the door slammed shut.
"What?! NO!" I yelled as I pounded on the door.
"Daddy?" I heard Scootaloo's voice ask.
"Scoots? Where are you?"
"Look down."
I looked down at the floor, to see a creepy sight. All my drawings of Scootaloo were now staring at me. I bent over to pick up a crude drawing of my daughter, and brought it up.
"Why did you leave me?" the drawing asked.
"I didn't leave you, I was taken." I said.
"You left me. Do you even love me anymore?"
"Of course I do! You're the most important thing in my life!"
"You ran away from me. You left me. You didn't even say goodbye."
The eyes on the drawing turned black, and started dripping. The black eyes were crying dark tears. The mouth on the drawing turned into a black gaping hole, which also dripped black inky substance.
"You left me. You left me. You left me." The drawing kept repeating that same sentence over and over again.
I dropped the drawing on the floor, and saw that all the other drawings were doing the same thing. All the eyes and mouths turned into black, gaping, dripping spots. The inky substance pooled up on the floor, and I pulled my feet up to avoid getting wet. The black ink suddenly stopped at about five inches, and everything went quiet for a peaceful five seconds. Suddenly, I saw two shapes rising from beneath the ink. It was Applejack and Scootaloo. I stared at them, taking notice that they seemed untouched by the ink. They had their eyes closed, their heads facing down.
"A-AJ? Scoots?" I stuttered.
They lifted their heads up, and opened their eyes extremely wide. I watched in horror as their pupils turned red, and began growing. Their pupils then covered their irises, and then the white in their eyes. Their eyes became extremely glassy, and round. They opened their mouths and I noticed the filter of a gas mask coming out. They slammed their heads into the ink, and looked up at me.
I screamed when I noticed that when they pulled their heads up, they were wearing big black gas masks. Both with pairs of glowing red eyes.
"WILLIAM! WAKE UP!" I heard a voice say.
I felt like I was being shook, and my eyes finally opened for real. I saw Luke shaking me violently.
"I'm up, I'm up!" I yelled.
"Good." James said.
"What the fuck is your problem?! Is someone on fire?!"
"No."
"I wish." Luke said, sighing.
"Then...what's up?" I asked.
"We gotta do something about your situation." James said.
"I can't take it anymore! You scream at night sometimes...and tonight, you sounded like someone was shoving a fork right up your-" Luke was interrupted by James.
"Okay, okay...we get it. Listen, Will. We wanna help you."
"How?" I asked.
"We're gonna help you get back to Equestria."
"Wait, really?! How?"
Luke let out a mischievous laugh, "With a little help from yours truly." he said while pointing at himself.
"Are you sure you want to? Aren't you gonna get in trouble for this?"
"Hell yeah! That's why I wanna do this! I've been looking for a good challenge for a long time, and betraying the bunker sounds epic."
"And...you're doing this for me?"
"Yeah." James said.
"Not really," Luke said, shrugging, "I'd love to get my ass off of this piece-of-shit-rock we call Earth. A world of ponies sounds a lot better than a world full of people...because I can't STAND people in general."
I felt genuinely touched. I couldn't hold back a smile.
"You know what? You guys are alright."
"Aw shucks," James said.
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't get all gay about it." Luke said, rolling his eyes.
"Wait, do you even have a plan?" I asked.
"Of course I do. However, I need you both to listen closely."
James and I listened to Luke as he went over his plan.
"First," Luke said, "Did you notice that the water here only works during the day? That's because we drain and remove all water here at night so we can send out our black-ops units through the portal. Tomorrow night, there will be no units on missions, so the water will be on in the bunker. There's a certain room I want the portal to open in: The storage room. There are wooden crates with vital supplies inside: Old guns. Remember the WW2 guns I told you about? That's where they are. There are also conveyer belts that end at the wall. They're never used, but they will make transporting the crates SUPER easy. In the ceiling of the storage room, are the main water pipes. I'm going to be in the control room, so I can interact with the entire bunker that way. I'll override the pipes, and make them burst right above the wall. Once the water has leaked all over the wall, I'll turn on the portal device. Because the wall will be nice and saturated, it will make an excellent portal conductor. While I work my magic in the control room, I want you guys to load as many weapon crates as you can onto the conveyer belts. That way, when I turn them on...they'll go into the portal."
"Why do you want us to put weapons through the portal?" I asked.
"If I'm going to a whole other world, the LAST things I wanna get separated from are guns. Old or not."
"Okay. Seems fair. Anything else we should know?"
"Hm...I'll collect you guys tomorrow night for the plan to take effect. And...that's about it...wait! No, that's not all. Once I activate the portal device, we will have ten minutes before it explodes."
"What?! Why?"
"The device is unstable. It is required by protocol that it only gets opened for five minutes at a time, and it needs an hour-in-between cool down time. Ten minutes is the longest before it overheats and explodes."
"So...the plan is to also destroy the portal device?"
"It'll hopefully explode right after we land in Equestria. That way, these bunker bozos won't follow us."
"Wow...that's...a pretty good plan." James said.
"How did you come up with this?" I asked.
Luke shrugged, "I thought of it while I was smacking the crap outta Fin."
"So...it's a deal?" James asked.
"Yeah!" I said.
We all shook on it, and they left my cell. I lied back in my bed, a huge smile plastered on my face.
"I'll see you soon, my little Scootaloo." I said, "Daddy's coming home tomorrow."
With that said, I fell asleep in my bed...a warm feeling surrounding me.
Author's Note
William is getting closer and closer to being back with his loved ones!
The Guardian From Afar 3: Return to Earth
"Will..." Some static followed, "Will..."
I was sleeping, or at least TRYING to. It was the night of the escape, but I was still trying to snooze.
"WILLIAM! GET YOUR LAZY ASS UP!" A staticy voice yelled.
I jumped up from my bed. I noticed that my cell was pitch-black, except for a flashlight that was lit. The light of the flashlight was pointed at a two-way radio device, and it was on. I picked up the radio and spoke into it.
"Hello? Who's there?" I asked.
"Hey Will. You ready?" the voice asked.
"Is that you, Luke?"
"No."
"Then...who is it?"
"DEEZ NUTS!" The voice from behind burst with laughter.
"Very funny, Luke," I said, "I know it's you."
"Okay, you got me," Luke said, his voice still combined with static.
"What's with the flashlight? And why is it pitch-black in here?"
"Yeeeeaaaah...um...so...we have a change of plans."
I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, "What..."
"So...the bunker is on lockdown because they figured out someone is gonna mess with the portal..."
"What difference does that make?"
"They turned off the lights and turned on the bunker's security features. I'm in the control room right now."
"Where's James?"
"He's in the storage room. I'm watching him on the cameras. I'm in charge of the cameras right now, so don't be alarmed. I will guide you to the storage room, and help you avoid traps along the way."
"Traps? What do you-"
"I'm opening your cell door now. Grab that flashlight, and proceed down the hall. I will communicate with you with this radio."
Suddenly, my cell door opened by itself. I picked up the flashlight and walked out. The hallway was pretty dark, my only light source was the flashlight in my hand. It was pretty quiet at first. I began walking down the hall while Luke guided me.
"Okay, we're approaching the first trap. Listen, this place really likes turrets. There are two types: stationary and SUGV. SUGV stands for 'Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle.' It is a small robot that patrols the halls with a little machine gun on it. If it detects unauthorized personnel, it will shoot them on sight. You're approaching a stationary turret right now. It has an eye that looks for a device that we call 'tesla packs.' These backpacks are only for emergencies and have an electrical current running through them. If you pass a turret while wearing this, it'll assume you're authorized and won't shoot. I left you a tesla pack in the room to the right. Go grab it." Luke said.
I went to an office to the right and saw a backpack with two metal devises sticking out of the sides. I flipped a switch, and the devices had electricity running through them. I put it on and proceeded through the hall. I approached an area where the hall intersects with another and saw a laser beam going down the other hall.
"Stay calm, Will," Luke said, "Nice and easy. It's just a Gatling gun that could shred you to pieces in less than a second. As long as your tesla pack is on, you'll be fine."
"Gee...thanks for the help, asshole." I said into the radio.
I walked in front of the laser, and shined my light at the turret. It was horrifying to look at. Imagine a minigun with a red eye in the middle. Coming out of the eye was a red beam of light. It must've noticed my tesla pack, because it didn't even move. I continued to do down the hall, occasionally passing a trap while Luke guided and sometimes taunted me. Finally, I reached the storage room. I saw James sitting on a crate, drinking a can of soda.
"James." I said, not needing to shout.
"Will. Glad to see you made it past the traps." He responded.
"Yeah," I said, pulling off my tesla pack.
"You guys there?" Luke asked via the radio.
"Yeah. Now what?"
"Okay. I'm gonna start overriding the water pressure. Stay away from the wall, this will get messy. It'll also cause quite a racket. Will, if you truly want to see your daughter again...get ready for a fight." Luke said.
"Copy that."
James and I stopped chatting and popped open one of the wooden crates. Sure enough, there were a bunch of old WW2 guns inside. I wanted to find something that looked relatively modern. I pulled out this gun that looked like an AK-47, but different.
"An STG44," James said, "Good find. Ammo should still be in the mag."
I chambered a bullet, and set it to "AUTO." I then took a seat on a nearby crate.
"What's the matter?" James asked as he pulled out an M1 Garand.
"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked.
"You look a bit glum."
"I guess...I guess I just miss my loved ones, is all."
James approached me and put a hand on my shoulder, "Look on the bright side: You're gonna see them really soon. Hopefully, this will only take about thirty minutes."
"Thanks, James."
"Heh, you know...I remember the face you made when you first met me. You looked like you wanted to KILL me!"
"That's because I did...but I don't anymore. I know you're not like them."
"That means a lot, man. You know...it means a lot to Luke, too."
"Really? I didn't know he had any emotions. Aside from, 'you pissed me off, time to die' kinds of feelings."
"Take it easy on the guy. He may seem like a jerk, but he's had a very troubling past."
"How so?"
"He was bullied a lot in school, and his girlfriend committed suicide. That enough for you?"
"Damn...is that why he's...well, a jerk?"
"When his girlfriend died, he just kind of lost the will to go on. He didn't care about what others thought about him. The commander of this bunker found him, and trained him for years. Luke was so good at his job, he signed up to be an elite. Luke may seem to be the funny, jerky kind of guy...but that's just how he covers up his hurt."
"Damn...I didn't know that. Well...hopefully, he'll find and have a better life in Equestria. I found a purpose to live there...no doubt he will."
I heard a loud creaking noise coming from above us. I looked at the wall, and saw water dripping down where we wanted the portal to form...however, it wasn't enough. The radio buzzed, and I heard Luke talking again.
"Guys? Uhh...we have a problem...again..." Luke said.
"Of course there is," I said to the radio, "Because the world's always gonna try and stop me from being with my loved ones."
"I know, right?" Luke said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone, "Because travelling to another world is supposed to be sooo easy."
"Yeah yeah. What's the issue?"
"Guys...they're not going to burst. However, there's a LOT of pressure building up in the pipes. If you find something to blow them up, we can get the water flowing...and we can get this portal started!"
"And...how do you suppose we do that?"
"Check the crates! Look for something that explodes! A grenade, a land mine, a rocket launcher, something!"
I groaned. James and I began looking through the wooden crates for an explosive device. We looked for a while, and then I found an odd device. It looked like a yellow tube with a cone on one end. I flicked up the sights and examined it.
"Hey James!" I said, "What is this?"
"Hm...that's a German Panzerfaust. Rocket launcher." He replied.
"Faust..."
"What?"
"Something about that word only makes me more homesick."
"Well, let's not waste any more time! Blow that ceiling to pieces!"
I pointed the device at the ceiling just above the wall that we wanted the portal to be on. I flipped up the sights, aimed, and pressed down on the switch. The launch itself made a loud bang, but when the rocket hit the ceiling, it sounded like a BOMB exploded. Instantly, the water began pouring all over the place.
"YEE HAW!" I yelled in excitement as the water poured like Niagara Falls.
"Luke," James said into the radio, "The water's pouring."
"I know," Luke said, "I heard the explosion! I'm turning on the portal device. Start putting the crates on the conveyer belts, and be quick! That explosion could be heard throughout the entire bunker!"
James and I started loading the heavy wooden crates onto the conveyer belts. Suddenly, the water on the wall turned into a fiery orange. The conveyer belts suddenly started moving...an the crates we placed onto them were now going into the portal, and fast.
"Portal device on! Ten-minute countdown starting now! I'm coming to help...until then, you've got multiple hostile units heading for your location! Give them hell!" Luke said via the radio.
Sure enough, we heard footsteps coming in from the hallway to the right. James and I hid behind some boxes, and the men came in. We counted seven armed men, but they didn't notice us. I peeked from cover and looked at James. I signaled that we go on three. I counted down with my fingers, and when I hit zero...we jumped up and fired at the men. They didn't see it coming, and were caught off-guard. We took them down pretty easily.
"That's what you get for kidnapping me!" I yelled.
James continued to load stuff onto the conveyer belt while I looked for ammo. I then noticed that there were inactivated turrets in the room, and I got an idea. I saw a control panel on the wall that had the words "TURRET CONTROLS" above it. I looked over the switches, and looked over the part that controlled what the turrets fired at. I flipped the switch to "TESLA PACKS," and the turrets came on. Right when that happened, two more guards ran in. However, they were taken down almost instantly by the turrets.
"Good thinking," James said, "Now the turrets will target the people WITH the tesla packs instead of those without!"
This was good, because it made the task of putting the crates through the portal MUCH easier. After six minutes, we heard one of the air vents being banged on. James and I pointed our guns up at it, and saw Luke jump out and land on the ground.
"Did ya miss me?" Luke asked.
"Yeah yeah, EVERYBODY can't get enough of you." James said.
"Damn straight. Now, how's the crates?"
"Almost done," I said, "Just a few more."
"Good, because we only got two minutes left. Let's be quick."
We tossed in the last five crates for the next minute, until we were finally done. Luke already jumped into the portal, and James was about to. I suddenly realized something.
"WHERE'S MY RIFLE?!" I asked.
"Will, we only have a minute left until the portal explodes!" James said.
"That rifle is important to me! Tell me where it is!"
"Ugh! It's in Finn's office! The first room to the right! Go!"
I bolted down the hall and ran straight into Finn's office. I set my STG44 down and grabbed my rifle. I then noticed that the scope was missing, but I didn't have time to worry about that. Suddenly, I felt someone grab me. I turned to see Finn, and he punched me in the face...knocking me to the ground.
"You destroy our work, and kill personnel...how barbaric are you, pony boy?" he asked.
I was not having it. I grabbed Finn's leg and viciously bit his ankle. Not hard enough to draw blood...but enough for it to hurt. He screamed, and fell to the floor. I strapped my rifle to my back and grabbed my STG44. I ran as fast as my legs could take me down the hall, and jumped straight into the portal. This time, I was prepared. I fell through the portal, and it was like flying through a tunnel. After a few seconds, I flew through an opening...and landed in a forest.
The crates were scattered everywhere. I looked around for Luke and James.
"William!" Luke said, running to me.
"What?!" I asked.
"The portal's gonna explode any second!"
Sure enough, the portal became a deep shade of red. It began buzzing and making all these other noises.
"HIT THE DIRT!" Luke yelled as he pulled me down behind some rocks.
Right after that happened, I heard a loud explosion. Like, deafeningly loud. It was so loud, many of the leaves on the trees flew off.
Scootaloo was at Sweet Apple Acres, helping Apple Bloom with her chores. Apple Bloom was trying her best to cheer her friend up, but she just couldn't do it.
"Everypony is saying he's...gone," Scootaloo said, "It's been ten months, and he's never returned."
"Don't listen to a single thing they're sayin'. You're daddy's tough. I'll bet he's makin' his way here right now." Apple Bloom said.
Right when she finished saying that, they heard a loud explosion. Suddenly, it was like an extremely powerful gust of wind was hitting the farm. It was so strong, it broke the windows. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom flew into the wall. The ripe apples on the trees outside flew off and either hit the barn, or fell on the ground. The bails of hay outside also flew off and hit the wall. Suddenly, it went quiet. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom got off the ground, and looked at each other.
"What was that?" they asked in unison.
They got up and went downstairs, to see Applejack trying to fix the mess.
"Applejack! What was that?!" Apple Bloom asked.
"I don't know...it...seemed like it came from the Everfree Forest..." AJ responded.
Scootaloo froze up fro a second, before bolting out the door. Applejack and her sister quickly chased after her.
"Scootaloo! Where are you going?!" Apple Bloom yelled.
"WOO HOO! Oh yeah! I wanna do that again!" Luke yelled as he jumped up and down.
"Wow...what a ride! That was intense!" James yelled.
"Yeah," I said, "The first time I went through the portal, I fainted."
"Ha! Wuss!" Luke yelled.
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up."
"Well, Will," James said, "You know Equestria better than any of us. Where are we right now?"
I looked around. It was a creepy forest, but there was a clearing not too far away. It suddenly hit me like a brick.
"Guys, we're in the Everfree! This is where I first arrived!" I yelled.
"Epic. Now, how are we gonna carry all these guns and ammo?" Luke asked.
"Forget that! We can do it later! For now, I have a daughter and a marefriend to be reunited with!"
"Fine. In that case...let's make like a nose, and 'blow' out of here."
With that said, we made our way down the path. Once we went through the clearing, the fresh Equestrian air hit me again. It felt AMAZING. That combined with the beauty of Equestria was enough to make a man cry. Why do I say that? We looked at Luke and saw a tear going down his face.
"Luke, are you crying?" James asked.
"Huh? No. Not me. Get outta here, tear." Luke said as he wiped his face and slapped himself a little.
We continued to walk through the large field, and I saw Ponyville. Almost home, Scoots. I thought to myself. Daddy is almost home.
Author's Note
William had finally made it back to Equestria, and blew up the portal device in the process! Oh well, no skin off his nose.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! More will be coming soon!
The Guardian From Afar 3: Return to Earth
"Scootaloo! Slow down!" Applejack panted, trying to catch up to the Pegasus filly.
Scootaloo acted like she didn't even hear her. She was using her legs and wings to accelerate to where the explosion came from. However, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw three towering figures walking through the field outside the Everfree. One of them was short, wore a small amount of combat gear, and was carrying a long wooden device in it's hands. The next was taller, muscular, wore the most combat gear, but carried no device. The third was wearing an orange jumpsuit, carried a device made of wood and metal, and was muscular as well. However, the most striking thing about it was the object strapped to it's back. It looked like the thing that belonged to...
"Dad!" Scootaloo shouted to the three humans.
I gasped and looked over the grassy field. I saw a small figure making its way to me, and everyone stopped. Following behind her, were two more familiar shapes. I squinted, and saw who they were: Apple Bloom, Applejack, and Scootaloo. Luke, James and I were staring at them while they did the dame...until Scoots broke the silence.
"DADDY!" Scootaloo yelled as she ran and jumped up at me.
"SCOOTS!" I caught her, and hugged her tight.
"WILL!" I heard Apple Bloom and AJ yell.
Before I could respond, I was jumped on by both...and being stuck in a massive hug in the grass. My god...the feeling of being reunited with my loved ones felt amazing. It was like a slice of heaven. Of course, I hugged them back.
"Earlier, I wasn't crying," Luke said, choking on his words, "But this time I really AM crying!" Luke then burst into tears.
"It's alright, Luke," James said, attempting to give Luke a bro hug.
"James?"
"Yes?"
"Get your hands off me."
Once the group hug was over, I kneeled and looked directly at Applejack. She got up on her hind legs so we could meet face-to-face. I stroked her mane, and she blushed. Just looking into her big green eyes made me realize something. I'm home. I thought.
"What're ya waitin' for, Sugarcube? Kiss me already!" Applejack said, eagerly.
No arguing there. I leaned in and kissed her passionately. Placing a hand on her cheek, we continued for another blissful moment until we were interrupted.
"Before you two go any further, can I get some help moving the guns?" Luke asked.
"Weren't you just crying a second ago?" James asked.
"Yeah, so? There are some almost pristine WW2 era guns in that spooky-ass forest, and I don't want to leave them there."
"Dude, we don't even have a place to store them."
"I might be able to help with that," I said, letting Applejack back down on the ground, "You guys are new here and you two helped me come back home, my REAL home. The least I could do is give you guys a place to stay. So how about I take you guys to my place and we store the weapons there temporarily. Just until we find you guys a place to stay. "
They smiled.
"You know what, Will?" Luke said, "At first glance, I saw you as...well...a little bit of a bitch."
"Luke, there are children present." I said.
"Whatever. My point is, you're pretty cool. I would say that I could relate to you, but I can't. Because A: I don't. And B: That would be too cliché, and this story's almost over."
"Huh?" We all asked.
"Never mind."
"Aaaaaaanyways...Apple Bloom, can you take Scoots and yourself into town to tell everyone that I'm NOT dead?" I asked.
"Absolutely!" Apple Bloom said, pulling Scootaloo with her.
"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" Scootaloo said, "See ya later, Daddy!"
Once the two fillies left, Applejack felt my arm.
"Wow...you know...I remember telling you one day that you should work out more, but I didn't think you'd actually do it." Applejack said.
"I know, you like?"
"Like? Ah LOVE it! You're so strong, and handsome now." she laughed a little, "Heck, I'd bet that you could buck the trees now!"
"Oh, well...I was thinking of 'bucking' something else instead," I said, waggling my eyebrows at her.
"Oh god, PLEASE not here! We're still here!" James said.
"I don't wanna see whatever the fuck is going to happen here. No pun intended." Luke said while walking away towards Ponyville.
"They got a bar there." I mentioned to him.
"Yeah? In that case, I think I'm going to like it here."
When those two left, it was just Applejack and I.
"Barn?" I asked.
"Nopony's home there today." AJ responded.
"Good. Let's go!"
Yeah...I'm not getting descriptive about what happened next. I'll leave that to your imagination.
Author's Note
Yeah...there's not gonna be an epilogue chapter. Wait, wait! Before you throw tomatoes at me, let me just say that I'm currently working on the fourth story...and It should be out within two days! (should.) Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story! As always, enjoy the rest of your day!
