Eagle One: Harrier in Equestria.by LiQuiDChaptersChapter 1.- ArrivalChapter 2.- ConflictChapter 3.- EncounterChapter 4.- DamageChapter 5.- AdaptationChapter 6.- WelcomeChapter 1.- Arrival ARRIVAL You finally arrive to Hawaii, after the ANM launched that cybernetic attack to the USA and invaded Hawaii islands the president ordered to send the Aircraft carrier USS Armstrong. The first place to launch an attack and establish a base was Hawaii Island itself, that one didn't have many tanks, planes or soldiers. Most of the ANM crew is established in Kauai island, you calculate that after a successful liberation of the three first islands you will have a rough time in the air, you have 2000 flight-hours recorded in your harrier, the most difficult plane in existence said by many experts due to its capability to stay suspended in mid-air, after intensive training, complex stunts, combat simulations, and rescue missions the officers in charge transferred you to a sophisticated unit. "The Eagle Squadron." After the attacks your unit immediately joined the USS Armstrong, your four teammates know how to do their job following their orders, even though you are more of the "think outside the box" guy, not only you got in trouble several times for disobeying orders, the ones in charge of your actions were pleased with your results so they couldn't be mad at you. They knew that you would make a difference in this conflict and quickly balance the war in their favor. You were assigned to Colonel Talbot’s command, an experienced and respected member of the USMC. He was waiting in the base established in Hilo, Hawaii; once the five of you arrived; you were heading to a reunion to receive your briefing. You leave the USS Armstrong and head to the base. Scramble Hilo Airbase, Hawaii 27th April. 14.00 “Eagle Three to Eagle Nest, we are inbound from the USS Armstrong to the forward base at Hilo.” “Pilots, this is Colonel Talbot. Welcome to Hawaii, people. Eagle One, take up an alert position on the runway; all other pilots take up standby positions and report for briefing.” You sigh, now you have to stay there, you don’t think the base would need protection, after all, the ANM wouldn’t launch an attack right now. It would be a suicide mission; there are many soldiers around here to bring any plane down, so you recline your seat and rest a little. “Sir, I’m reading four inbound bogeys, two miles out.” “Alert station! Get to cover people!” The Colonel says. SHIT! You start up the Harrier’s engine. The alarm sound as the MiG21s drop several bombs in the base. It was a surprise attack, and they got you with your guard down. You check your aircraft, thank goodness nothing happened to it, not even a scratch, and unfortunately the base had a few casualties. One of the reserve planes the Eagle Squad had was destroyed. Now this is a bad situation, without many support of the government, your squad was responsible for everything that happens in Hawaii; you had to take care of your harrier, because if it was destroyed, you couldn’t get in another one so easily, they cost millions of dollars, thanks to the Martial Law, the USS Armstrong had a rationed crew, mostly consisting in engineers and intelligence, but plenty of ammo and missiles. You need to take this seriously; the ANM looks dangerous by just attacking recklessly like this. MUSIC “Eagle One! Immediate launch! Bring those fighters down godamnit! You snap back into reality, and see two MiG21s in front of you turning right. You quickly take off. You switch to the AIM-9 Sidewinder Missiles, they are exclusive for air-to-air combat, but you need to get closer to them because they have a known short range. The HUD starts beeping; you have one of their planes at a point blank. And the legend LOCKED shows up, you release a missile and… “TARGET DESTROYED!” The Auto Navigation system says with a female voice, you chase the second plane and send him down with another missile, the other ones show up in your radar, you find them and destroy one of them. You spot several ANM trucks, but they seem to be heading to another place, you ignore the trucks and turn back to find the last fighter, he’s heading to the base again, you keep up with him and quickly put behind him, he’s moving too much and you can’t lock him with the Sidewinders; so you change to your Vultures rockets, unlike the Sidewinders, they can’t lock on an enemy, so you have to take your aim and fire where you think your enemy will be. You take your time and shoot at his left side. It’s a successful hit, you guessed his route and took him down, you return to the base as quickly as possible to see if someone else is injured. “HOVER MODE SELECTED” The AutoNav says. The famous capability of the harrier, you could land anywhere and quicker thanks to it. You place the harrier on the runway and jump off to check out the control mission, you find Colonel Talbot and ask him if he and his crew are alright. “We’re fine son, thanks; you managed to kill those bastards in a record time, they didn’t manage to come back and attack us again. I see why the USMC sent you over here even though you had an interesting brief, it said that you were reckless and disobedient, but one of the best pilots ever. No wonder why you managed to get to fly a harrier. Do not think this will be easy at all! We don’t know what the ANM can do afterwards, but we are sure as hell that we won’t underestimate them. Understood!?” “Yes sir!!!” You and the rest of the crew answer Colonel Talbot, the crew begins repairing the damages the ANM made to the base while you catch up with the rest of the team, they give you your briefing of the next mission, and you were selected to do it tomorrow. … … … … Underground Mine, Kauai 5th May, 11.45 Colonel Talbot was right, the ANM still had an ace up the sleeve, you think to yourself, your leg bleeding and your MP5 at your side. The Soviet nuclear warhead was going to explode any moment soon, you and your team managed to free the last Hawaiian Islands that were occupied by the ANM threat, the USA won the war against terror and the heads of the group were arrested or dead, but the isolated units resorted with the scorched-earth policy, they set up the warhead in the city of Lihue, so it could wipe the city off the face of the Earth and make the chain of islands uninhabitable for centuries. Captain Veronica DeLaro, a special-ops spy tracked down a heavily secured crate while she was captured in a train, you remember how you landed on the train and rescued her before it could reach a tunnel… Now you were the one who needed rescue, you searched for the warhead in the city just a few minutes ago, with the help of a jury-rigged radioactive probe, you found the bomb inside a truck; you activate the hover mode and landed next to it. You barely managed to get the bomb in your harrier so the crew in the aircraft carrier could defuse it, the clock was ticking, everybody was in risk, but the ANM soldiers didn’t care anymore, you had to respond to their fire with the MP5 you always have in case of emergency, you managed to kill five of the aggressors, but you received three bullets in your right leg. When you return to your plane, you receive a call from DeLaro that you couldn’t go back to the carrier because it was pretty far and you didn’t have too much time. She told you to get the warhead to an abandoned mine, the shaft was deep enough that if you placed the bomb in the bottom the rock would neutralize the explosion and shield the city, when you arrive you find enemy Sikorsky helicopters, your biggest mistake was to ignore them. “HOVER …DE SELE…D” The AutoNav managed to say; your harrier was pretty damaged, you quickly descend before the choppers can shoot you missiles, you carry the bomb, it is pretty heavy, your right leg protests in pain with the sudden effort your body was making, you place the bomb and return to your harrier, but the entrance was blocked with heavy rocks, it was the Sikorsky helicopters, they kept shooting at the entrance with missiles, they recognized your harrier, all the frustrated ANM plans by you and your harrier came to their mind, if you managed to eliminate their last plan, they managed to eliminate you. “NO… NO… NOOOOOOO!!!!” you scream. “GODAMNIT, FUCKING CHOPPERS, THEY TRAPPED ME IN HERE, I SHOULD’VE BLASTED THEM DOWN!” you had two minutes left of life. You called back to the headquarters with the radio and talked to the Colonel and DeLaro, the closest people you’ve worked with, telling that the people on the islands were safe now, but you wouldn’t see them again, you asked them if they could send your family a love message and an apology, you would never come back. “Don’t worry about it son, you saved civilians and our valorous crew, Captain Veronica and me. You are a true hero.” Colonel Talbot says to you. “We’ll miss you, cheer up, you are totally getting schools and libraries named after you.” You let a small chuckle come out your lips. DeLaro says that she will give your family the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart, so they can preserve your memory and the valorous act you made. “We’ll see each other in the afterlife, just wait for me champ.” DeLaro sends you a kiss through the radio. The bomb is ticking… 3… 2… 1… … … … … You open your eyes… You are in a field… An apple field….It’s over… You get up… HNNNG… your leg hurts… WHAT? You are supposed to be dead, you can’t feel pain if you are already dead, you examine your body, the bullet wounds are there, you are still bleeding… Damn, what happened? You see a giant shade behind you, you turn and see your harrier, how is it even possible? You also notice the MP5 you were carrying, and then you pick it up. You wonder what happened. Was that really a nuclear warhead? You’ve heard that the Soviets were into secret experiments more than the development of nuclear weapons. This definitely wasn’t a WMD. You suddenly hear voices and try to hide, but you can’t really move after your leg got injured. You fall down… Ouch. “Ah told ya’ sis… Ah saw a really big gray bird over here” “Applebloom, Ah’ don’t have time for this, Ah’ need those apples bucked by the end of the day and you sure are wastin mah' time… WOAH NELLY.” That accent… doesn't sound Hawaiian… what kind of name is Applebloom? “EEEEK SIS!!! What is that thing?!! They see you lying down next to the plane… are those… horses? TALKING HORSES?! “Ah’m not sure sugarcube, go get Twilight, she might know. Ah’ll handle this… HEY YOU…erhm… THING!!! YOU ARE IN PRIVATE PROPERTY!!! IF YOU DON'T GET OUTTA HERE AH’M GETTING YOU OUT WITH BUCKY MCGILLICUTTY AND KICKS MCGEE PRINTED IN YER FACE.” What kind of threat is that? You are very tired… to deal with this whole thing… “I won’t hurt you… erhm…horse… I just arrived here, I can’t move… my leg is injured and I’m losing a lot of blood, please help me out!” “HORSE?! Ah’m an earth pony, stranger! Mind ya’ manners!” “Sorry… Pony… I’m a human being, I’m sorry I appeared right in the middle of your field… I don't know where I am… I… My leg hurts… I was shot… That gray thing is my plane… ughh…” You faint, the last thing you manage to see is your plane, and you are getting carried by the orange pony. “Don’t worry stranger, Ah’ll take care of you for a while. Hang on a second.” To be continued… Chapter 2.- ConflictCONFLICT After bringing the ANM fighters down you receive the details of the next mission, it's only 8:00 am and you quickly get your gear, a pistol and your helmet, Colonel Talbot wanted to talk with you about the trucks you saw before. Apparently those trucks were heading to a former USA base now under control of the ANM. "Sir. I'm ready, when should I start?" "Right now son! Satellite intel's show an ANM convoy moving south through the hills, our captured base is near the town of Papa. This is a straight hit and run mission. Go in low and take them out before they can escape underground and resupply the base." Road Rage Hilo Airbase, Hawaii 28th April, 08.15 You get in your harrier, this mission is perfect to try the Maverick missiles, they are air-to-ground and they have quite a good range, they are guided by an infrared system so they can follow the objectives, even though ground forces don't have a chance with them, they are pretty slow and you need to calculate the necessary distance to make a good shot. MUSIC You lift off, and turn to the west, you measure the speed, 386 knots, and the height, 261 ft, the radar shows ground enemy units armed with rockets, they aren't important, but they can be annoying, you can't waste your missiles with them, so you decide to increase the velocity to avoid their lock on your harrier, you spot an ANM fighter coming directly at your harrier, you switch to the Vultures,short but lethal rockets, since the Colonel ordered not to arm your harrier with Sidewinders, they would be pretty useless for a mission which required to eliminate ground units. You aim and fire before he does, the AutoNav. confirms the kill with a "TARGET DESTROYED" sound. "That serves you right!" You mutter. You finally found the convoy, it's protected by jeeps with machine guns. You decide to blast them down before the trucks, so they can't do any damage to your harrier... "HOVER MODE SELECTED"... You have a lot of Vultures avaible, and you have to be quick, you release the rockets with a lot of accuracy, every time you push the button of your joystick, you release three rockets. You just needed twelve to get rid of the jeeps. The jeeps are shooting at you, you can only laugh at the fact that they can't hit you, even if you remain in the same spot, you just keep dodging their bullets and blasting them at the same time. "Piece of cake." The trucks were accelerating now, they were vulnerable to your Mavericks, you switch to the air-to-ground missiles and lock them, one by one. "TARGET DESTROYED" The AutoNav. said five times, you did it. Now the USMC could recover the base that was under the control of the ANM, plus, their army would become weaker without their supplies. Man, what a day! You could do this over and over again. Not a big challenge at all... ... ... Until... ... ... You wake up... Damn, your mind can't get rid of the missions you made a while ago, you can't sleep well since the first attack, you check out your leg, it's bandaged and clean, but... it seems you still have the bullets inside, well, it's better than having an infection or something like that. Your helmet is still attached to your head, your MP5 is missing, but your pistol is still in your belt. You check out the place where you are staying, it's a cozy little bedroom, the bed is very comfortable and you can only thank the kind soul who attended your wound and offered a room for you. Your mind goes back at the moment of the explosion. You are still alive and in one piece, your weapons, clothing, helmet and the harrier came with you. You only think that if the "warhead" exploded in the city, it would bring any civilian, allies or even enemy units to this place, but... the questions are... where are you and what did the bomb do to your body or mind? You could swear an orange talking horse carried you before you blacked out. You get up and your gaze meets the window, it was a sunny day, you could see your harrier in the middle of a little corn field, and a lot apple trees. You sit down again and try to remember what happened. The fact that a pony could talk, own an apple farm and wear a hat was just simply ridiculous, you chuckle at the brief image fabricated in your imagination, maybe it was a product of dehydration or a simple hallucination. That reminds you to drink some water, but you don't see a jar or a glass in the nightstands. You try to walk to the door, but the pain in your leg reminded you to stay where you are. "Are you okay sugarcube?, Ah' took care of yer' wound, it was pretty nasty, but mah' granny has a lot of medicine and bandages." You hear a voice that comes outside of the room, she must be a southern girl, she sounds nice... and pretty familiar, you just hope the "pony" thing was just your mind playing you tricks. (That's not funny brain... you think to yourself.) "I'm fine... er... gal, thanks, my leg hurts a little, but I'm doing great, actually, I'm kinda thirsty, would you be so kind to bring me water please?" "Sure thing sugarcube, you can call me AJ! Ah'll be right back!" She sure is nice, you hope the war is over, you can't continue in the battlefield if you are not in Kauai or any other island of Hawaii; so you can take her out to dinner, as a form of showing your gratitude, if you had any money of course, she might be pretty.....AJ..... You hear multiple footsteps coming to the room, you hear the voice of a little girl, and the voice of an old lady. "Twilight isn't home right now sis, Spike told me that she went to get some of her favorite tea from Zecora. But Ah' told him to say to her that you found something strange and that she must come quickly to our farm, Ah' hope he heard everything ah said to him, because he can't get his mind offa miss Rarity." "Dangit! Now he'll have to wait for a while, Ah' couldn't get those weird gray things with mah hooves. Ah' think that fancy magic is pretty useful, us earth ponies do all the heavy work after all!" Twilight? Zecora? Rarity? Hooves? Magic?... OH GOD, IT WASN'T A DREAM AFTER ALL. You somehow ended in a place with talking magical ponies! Calm down... Keep calm... Keep calm... They are trying to help you, they are sentient, and they have good feelings, AJ cured your wound and she let you stay in a room. They are pretty nice to give a human a room even if you landed in their corn field, probably when you get on the plane you will burn her crops thanks to the hover mode. "Ah don't want you to get near that thing silly filly!, what if he harms you? Or even worse, if he touches yer flank!, Ah' want his caboose out of our farm!" She must be her grandmother, pretty overprotective and rude, well, you can't judge her, probably your granny and even your mom would act the same if your sister attended an ANM soldier. Hell, even YOU wouldn't allow it. "He ain't dangerous Granny, and he ain't a pervert either, he was sleeping like a little foal when ah' took care of his wound, he must be pretty thirsty, stand back, I'll give him the water he asked!" The door slowly opens... she enters the room with a tray... in her mouth... ugh, it has a big jar of delicious water and a glass on its surface. "Howdy pardner! Here's your water... are you totally awake or in a good condition?" "Both, thanks AJ, but I say, I'm a little impressed. I was in the middle of a battle a few hours ago... and I don't even know where I am right now." "You are in Sweet Apple Acres sugarcube, owned by me, mah big brother, mah granny and mah lil' sis. We make the sweetest and tastiest apples in all Ponyville." "Ponyville? (What an original name) I suppose it's full of ponies like you AJ." "You are right pardner! But it has also Unicorns and Pegasi, we live in a nice little community where we take care of each other. You must be the first human thingy in Equestria, a green unicorn named Lyra talks a lot about humans, she made a lot of research on them, but she always said that you humans had two little eyes, a nose and hair... not a big and only black eye and a white hard head." "What? Ohhh, no AJ, it's a special helmet so I can breathe while I fly in my plane, excuse me." You remove your helmet, the cool breeze meets your face, it feels good...She keeps staring at your face, her cheeks become red for a moment and she manages to say. "She was right after all, but Ah' didn't knew that humans had such pretty faces... he he... Ah'... erhh.. gotta buck some apple trees, see ya' later". She leaves the room, leaving you with the little filly and the cranky old pony. You don't know what just happened, but it sure felt awkward, you pour some water in the glass and drink a little, you feel relieved, not only you were alive, someone was taking care of you, even if she didn't know who you were or what you used to do. "Hey mister!" The little filly said. "Where are ya from?" "I'm from the United States of America, from a world called Earth" "Ooooo, so in that world there are...hoomans...like you? "Humans, and yes, big and small, thin and fat, black, white, brown and many other live there, we have many animals too." "Wooow, do the black ones have magic? Or the fat ones? Do the small humans have wings? "No, we don't, none of us have those abilities" "So you are like us the earth ponies" That's awesome! but you just said that helmet helped you breathe while you fly" "Oh, I said that it helped me breathe while I fly inside that plane over there" You say while pointing at your harrier that is visible trough a window. "The gray bird? How can you fly in that? It looks pretty heavy!" "It's not a bird, it's a machine, and it doesn't matter if it's heavy, it was designed to fly even if it weighs a lot, it can carry a lot of heavy things, most of the machines in my world make our lives easier and they help us to do difficult tasks." You already liked the little filly, her curious face reminded of your sister, Granny Smith interferes in your conversation, telling Applebloom to leave so she could do her homework. "Awwww Granny, Ah still want to know about the mister's world!" "No you don't silly! What you hear is just feeble sticks, go on and finish it before the sunset" "Awwww okay, later mister!" You look at the old green mare, and she only says: "You must be hungry, Ah'll bake you an apple pie, and ah guess that you are staying here for a little longer... Ah better make sure you don't do anything to my little Applejack. Ah'll better start sewing a bundling bag..." She leaves the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts. (Okay, I am living now in Ponyville, with talking ponies, there's no war, I'm the only human being in this place, I don't know if I should thank the ANM for taking me out of combat or loathe them even more. I don't know if I'll be able to come back to Earth. Maybe one of her friends will be able to find a solution, that pony named "Twilight" that Applejack wanted so much to come. I hope that she doesn't sparkle like that crappy movie of vampires.) You chuckle and rest a little more. ... Yeah, that's better...zzzzzz.... ... ... ... STOP THAT SUPER HARRIER AT ANY COSTS!!! PULL UP... PULL UP... PULL UP... PULL UP... PULL UP ... PULL UP... ENEMY MISSILE INCOMING... DAMAGE TAKEN... RETURN TO BASE... FUEL LEAKING... HUD DAMAG... ... GAH!!! You violently wake up, and then you receive a frying pan to your head... OUCH!!! "You scared me ya ugly monkey!!! Here's your darn pie!" It was Granny Smith, she looks annoyed and she leaves mumbling... You've had the same nightmare for a week, and thanks to Granny Smith now you've a headache, you wish Applejack was here, at least she would have stopped her crazy grandmother from almost giving you a severe traumatic bran injury. Well, at least she gave you the apple pie, you have a taste of it, wow... it's pretty good, you love it! "Thanks Granny, you old hag!" To be continued... Chapter 3.- EncounterENCOUNTER Today It's a rainy day, even though you love rain, it makes you feel uncomfortable while you fly your military aircraft, even with all the missiles the ANM forces you to dodge, the weather is unpredictable and it's quite a mighty foe, you remember how many pilots died with an inconvenient storm or fogs, most of them had zero visibility and couldn't spot the SAM missiles that were sent to them from the enemy, today was a real bad day to patrol around the island. Man Down The skies over Hawaii 28th April, 09.00 "Mayday! Mayday! Eagle Nest from Eagle Four, I'm going down... I'm punching out!" You receive a radio transmission coming from Colonel Talbot. "Eagle One, this is Eagle Nest, we have a pilot down near Waikiki and we're tracking enemy aircraft moving in to pick him up. You are the only thing we have in that area, land at the crash site and get him out before enemy forces arrive." MUSIC "Darn, I need to speed up, the enemies can't be that far away from him." You accelerate and reach 457 knots, you open your laptop and the intel dept. sends you the crash location site, he is located northeast just two miles away. The data shown in your laptop transfers to the AutoNav. in your plane, your mission objective is pretty specific. "RESCUE PILOT" A little more speed... 640... 670... 700 knots... you finally find Eagle Four, he dropped a red-smoke grenade and painted a white cross next to his destroyed harrier so anyone could easily find him. "HOVER MODE SELECTED" You land next to him and quickly open the canopy, you are glad that your harrier has two seats. He quickly hops in. "Go go go go!" He says. You elevate a hundred feet and switch to jet mode. "Four what happened?!" You ask him. "A damned SAM took me down, I couldn't see shit and it was too late when I figured it out where the hell it was." He's a rude guy but a good element, and you can't blame him if he's annoyed, this was his first accident since he completed the academy training, he had more experience and a thousand more flight hours than you. "At least you are alive" You mutter. "God-fucking-dammit! I can't believe I was shot down. FUCK!" "Calm the hell down, you would be a goner if the ANM aircraft showed up to pick you up" You respond to him. "What aircraft?" "That one..." Three Apaches... No big deal, you switch to the Sidewinders and get closer to them, the legend locked shows up and you release a missile... a successful hit... the other helicopters try to turn around, but they know it's useless, they arrived late to the party, and now the hunters became the prey. "TARGET DESTROYED".... "TARGET DESTROYED" You rescued Four, now it was time to return to the base... "Wait wait, turn 30 degrees to your right!" "What for?" "See that Earth unit? That bastard was the one who shot me down." You don't want to argue with him and descend 60 feet, turn 30 degrees right and switch to Mavericks, the legend LOCKED shows up and you release the missile. "YEAH! How do YOU like that you son of a bitch!... Alright, let's get back to our base!" You sigh... You arrive to the base a couple of minutes later and land properly on the runway, Colonel Talbot receives you both near the runway. You hop off and he walks over to you. "Well done son, you rescued Four's sorry ass out there, AND you destroyed the aircraft coming towards him, you are doing great, your harrier doesn't even show any damage, that requires a lot of skill. I think you earned this..." "But YOU Four... you piece of SHIT!, do you know how much those planes cost? We are supposed to liberate Hawaii all by ourselves, but with sissies like you we'll never do it, dammit! I'll ask for another plane, meanwhile, you'll have to stick to helicopter missions from now on! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Four gives you a deadly glare, he's obviously blaming his screw up onto you, you can't help yourself from making an eye contact, reminding him that he was the failure, not you. He finally leaves. The Colonel sure has a unique way to scold his men, he had a reputation of making a lot of tension between his soldiers. Usually by stating his favorite element, in this case it would be you... crap. "Rest up a little, Eagle One, you deserve it after a shitty day. Dismissed!" .... .... .... ... You wake up, just in the middle of the night, damn, you just can't sleep after long hours of rest, you glare at the window and see a full moon, it's beautiful... and it's also closer to the earth than it was in your world, everything is totally different in this place, you look after your aircraft but you can't find it, you could swear it was in the middle of the corn field a few hours ago, but it's gone now... OH NO, you had many important things in the plane, like magazines of your two weapons, an ammo box, a combat knife, your laptop, your medals that Talbot and DeLaro gave you, and the most important one, a collection of photos of your family that were inside the ammo-box. You couldn't start a mission without looking at them and promising them that you would come back in one piece. You better find those things before you have to ask Applejack for answers, your mind has an anger stage when it pictures the image of Applejack or Granny Smith disposing of your things. It's impossible for her to move 12,500 pounds all by herself, maybe she brought many ponies over to get rid of it! That's it, you need to get off the bed. *THUD* "OUCH" you fall off the bed, you were inside a frigging' bundling bag! Dammit, that Granny Smith was serious about it, that old fart is out of control! The only thing you do is curse, then you hear a knock on the door. "May Ah' come in?" A deep voice mutters from the door. It must be her brother. "Ah' heard a loud noise comin' from here, are ya' OK?" "Yes. I'm fine, and sure, you can." He slowly enters the room, it's a big red coated stallion with a wood yoke on its neck. "Ah' guess ya tested our granny's traditional bag." He lets out a small chuckle, "Sorry about that, we don't get many visitors to stay here and you sure ain't a common one, let me help ya' get up." He bites the bag and lifts you back to bed. Damn, he lifted you from the ground using only his teeth. "Thanks for that, I guess you are Applejack's brother right?" "Eeeeyup, I'm Big Macintosh, Ah' was in the center of the town looking for some tools, when Ah' arrived your... thing... was in the middle of the corn field, Applejack told me everything about it, but she told me not to disturb you, you were asleep after all." "Yeah, about that... If the plane was there, where is it now?" "Oh that, well, we took care of it and stored it in our barn, It was pretty heavy, but mah' sis and Ah' put it there safely with all your stuff in it. Ah'm pretty tired, I'll give ya stuff tomorrow, Ah'll be going to sleep now..." "Well thanks Big Macintosh, rest well." ... ... ... Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville ?????, 07.15 The sound of a rooster crowing wakes you up, man, what a night, you are growing up tired of laying on the bed without nothing to do, you hear a knock on the door. "Sugarcube, are ya' awake? Mah' friend is here. She's going to check out yer' injury. May we come in?" "Sure AJ, but if she's going to do that, you might want to get me out of this bag, it's pretty uncomfortable!" You can hear AJ muttering things like "Dagnabbit Granny" that only makes you chuckle, she opens the door and the two ponies enter the room. "Okay, here he is Twilight, Ah' told ya Ah' couldn't get those weird gray thingies in his leg, I only gave him some bandages and cleaned the blood." She's actually a unicorn... A friggin' purple unicorn, you can't believe it. "...Wow... he's quite... different...don't worry Applejack, you did what you could, you are a good pony, but why didn't you take him to a hospital?" She replies. "Ah don't think the town is prepared for him, maybe everypony would be scared of him ran away, remember the way we treated Zecora?" "We?" Twilight raises an eyebrow. "Well, me and the others." AJ rolls her eyes. Twilight chuckles a bit, then looks at your face. "Well, she's right about that mister...human, ponies tend to act a bit nervous around...strangers, it seems that you are the only one of your kind, how did you got injured? Were you attacked by any creature of the Everfree forest?" You decide to play cool so she can feel relaxed around you, you didn't like to be referred by your species so you tell her and Applejack your name and your rank and start to describe your world, the conflict with the ANM, the situation in the USA and the Hawaiian islands, your aircraft, the weapon technology and finally how you ended there. Even though AJ looked a lot confused, Twilight listened carefully to every detail you gave her. "Okay then, so you saved thousands of beings like you before being teleported here, it seems you are quite special, aren't you? She lets out a small giggle "Maybe my brother would like you to be in the front lines, after all you are taller than anypony." "Ah' don't think he'd like to be in another war Twilight, not after all he went trough." "I know, the way he described the ANM techniques of torture made me cringe." "Yeah right, humans sound evil and it seems like they can't talk their differences, like us ponies!" You glare at Applejack and tell her that not every person in the world is evil, and of course, if the army never responded to the ANM attacks, they would've become a stronger threat to every country in the world." "Sorry sugarcube, Ah' would like to know more about your world, but that people... were very different from you, you are a nice guy, a kind soul." You smile, nobody told you that kind of things like you, especially when you were in the military, most anti-war people just insulted you and judged every action the army made, while the supporters didn't gave a fuck about the deaths of your friends or civilians, they only wanted the enemy to bleed... Finally Twilight gets a book out of her saddlebag...with levitation... "I'll start to heal you, I'll use a quick restoration spell, your muscles and tissues will be fine in no time... why are you looking at me like that?" "How are you doing that?! That's creepy as hell!" "It's not creepy, it's magic, all of us unicorns can perform it, it only requires a bit of research and a lot of practice. Judging by your reaction, it seems magic doesn't exist in your world right? Twilight says. (You don't say?) "Sorry, it's very... impressive, I've never seen that kind of tricks." "...Alright then, I can't picture what exactly are those... bullets, how did they got inside your leg? "I'll show you... AJ, get me out of this bag please." She loosens the rope of the bag and finally releases you. (Finally, that thing was getting on your nerves.) You notice a wood support beam in the middle of the room, perfect for a little demonstration, you take out your pistol and release the safety device. "You might want to cover your ears." They look at each other in confusion. *BANG! BANG! BANG!* "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH" both ponies let out a big scream. They slowly open their eyes and look at the support beam only to see three holes on its surface." "See Twilight?, that's what happened to me, an enemy unit shot me while I retrieved the warhead, I got three rounds in my leg, they are quite dangerous, if one of those made it to my head, neck or chest, I wouldn't be talking with both you now, and maybe the warhead would've teleported the enemies, civilians and my allies to this place ." "Oh my, NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. I almost had an attack!" Twilight furiously says. "He he he, I wish I had a camera, you should have seen the look on your faces." "Thank Celestia mah brother is in the orchard or he would have kicked yer' butt outta' here!" AJ huffs. Twilight then proceeds to search a spell on her book, she finds it two minutes later. "Here it is, first, I'll get those things out of your body, and then I'll restore your tissues, I hope this spell works in humans as well" Her horn glows in a light reddish aura, she finds the metallic objects stuck in your leg and gets them out using a teleportation spell." *Cling... Cling... Cling...* The objects reappear in the air and fall on the tray that was on the nightstand, finally those things were out of your body... "Ermm... Twilight, he's bleeding now!" "Don't worry Applejack, I'll fix that in a second." A bright light comes out of her horn, it has an spherical shape, it eventually arrives to your leg, the bleeding stops, and your skin starts to regenerate, you feel no more pain. "It worked!" You stand up and walk, you can't believe it. You kneel down and give Twilight a hug, she only blushes. "Thanks Twilight, you are incredible!" The door violently closes behind you and you notice Applejack was nowhere to be found. "Ummm... where's Applejack?" "I don't know" Twilight replies. "Maybe she is upset about something. You should go find her, I'll go home and write to my teacher about you and how you ended up here, she might be able to find a way to bring you back to your world." "Okay Twilight, that's pretty helpful, see you later." She leaves the room and closes the door with a burst of magic, now the question is... why did Applejack left just like that?... To be continued... Chapter 4.- DamageDAMAGE Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville. ?????, 13.05 It's a sunny day, you feel a bit strange that for once the sky is finally clear, you can't believe that days ago you faced a strong army, the sky you were used to soar had no more MiG-21s, F15s or ANMs model 40 and 50. Everything here is so quiet and peaceful... You are finally able to walk normally thanks to Twilight's restoring magic. "Damn, she would've been such an advantage to the Marines", you think to yourself, you get out of the bedroom and Big Macintosh greets you. "So y'er finally cured right? Twilight sure is a kind pony." "Yeah, she did an awesome job, magic sure makes an impression." "Ah' know, Ah' wish we had that fancy magic stuff, owning an Apple farm is a hard job, magic might make it a lot easier, we always get up early to start sorting buckets beneath the trees so we can buck the apples down." "That sounds pretty exhausting, but I guess it has it's rewards right?" "Eeeyup, mah' sis always participates in a rodeo every year hosted in our capital city, she always wins blue ribbons, and Ah' enter to hoof wrestle competitions in mah' favorite bar." "Haha, have you sent somebody to the hospital?" "Nope. Ah'm always careful with mah' strength... oh yeah, yer' winged thing is waiting in our barn, want to check it out?" "Sure!" You follow Big Macintosh, when you go downstairs you notice hanged photos of the Apple family, most of them containing the Apple siblings and her granny, while the others seem to be in a sepia tone, revealing other ponies you haven't seen, and notice a younger Granny Smith, probably those were her parents. Kinda makes you homesick, your grandma had a lot of antique photographs, quite valuable, black and white, her parents and even her grandparents when they were just kids. After a short walk, Big Macintosh opens the barn door and a big familiar object comes to your sight. Your Harrier. You let a sigh of relief escape from your mouth, and you decide to take a closer look... "Damn..." "Huh? What's wrong?!" Big Macintosh asks. "The Pegasus 11 engine has received several cannon bullets. Goddamn Sikorsky's cannons." "What? Your plane works with eleven pegasi? How did you stuff them inside?!" "Oh no no Big Mac, Pegasus 11 is the name of the engine, it's powered by the fuel and water vapors, not ponies". You chuckle, "I'll make sure that it's nothing serious." "How are ya' going to do that?" "I'll check the AutoNavigation system linked to my laptop, it should run a quick analysis of the plane." Big Macintosh looks confused, you only hope you didn't destroy his brain, since ponies lack the most advanced technology you start to worry, how were you going to adapt to this place? What would you do if the plane just broke down? Or how on earth would you return to your world? You decide to think in that stuff later, maybe Twilight can help. You open the canopy and hop in the aircraft, you finally find your things under the seat, the ammo box with your family photographs, the magazines for both of your weapons, your MP5 and your medals. Every one of them in their respective place, it seems you can trust these ponies at all, thanks to AJ, she immediately trusted you only with a first glare, and gave you first aids and a place to sleep, she's a good pony...and you didn't thank her as you did with Twilight... that's why she left the bedroom so upset. You feel like a dork, you'll have to apologize to her, she may be bucking all those trees in her orchard, you'll pay her a visit in a couple of hours. "So you say this thing can fly?" Big Macintosh asks. After doing a small check up with your laptop it seems the engine works just fine, and you have a 80% of fuel remaining, thank goodness the crew back on the experimental submarine carrier back in Kauai did slight changes on the armor and refueled the plane. "It seems so, It has been damaged before but it was instantly repaired by the crew in my world." "Alright then, Ah' can lend you some of my tools if you need them." He really wants to help, you wonder what are his intentions. Maybe he wants you out of his farm and his life. Or he is curious about the whole "heavy machine that can fly", you rather stick to the second thought, you don't want to look like an ungrateful paranoid. "Yeah, about this. Uhmmm, fella..." Here it goes... "Since Ah' was a colt Ah' wanted to know what flyin' would feel like, Ah' wanted to have wings like pegasi do, we earth ponies can't enjoy such things in life, you are no different than us, and if this machine can lift you in mid air, Ah' wanted to ask if Ah' could fly with yer' machine, so Ah' can fulfill that dream...please." You totally know how he feels, flying was your ultimate dream, you wanted to become a pilot since you were a kid, you wanted to be a pilot just like your father, he always told you how flying to many cities of the USA with cargo or people was so fun, when you were only eight years old, he let you enter in the cockpit of a commercial plane, the dashboard had a lot of buttons and he told you how being able to get off the boring old soil and soar the sky made him feel like a new person, a free person, you studied tons of books about commercial and military planes, the idea of flying your own plane was so thrilling, but the tension with other countries escalated quickly and it looked like the mainland was going to be attacked, you wouldn't let that happen, you enlisted in the air force and started the rough training, after a couple of years, you had experience with choppers, F15s and even A-10 "Tank Busters". But the plane that got your attention was the V/STOL Harrier, the one that could land anywhere, in a short time, without using a runway. After all the hours in the harrier, having a lot of good grades and the approval of your superiors, they sent you to the Eagle Squadron in short notice after the ANM attacked. "Fella...!" "Fella? Fella!" Big Macintosh snaps you back into reality. "Whoa! err... Sorry Mac, your proposal made me remind something." "So what do you think about it?" "Of course Mac, after all the hospitality your sisters and you gave to a foreigner I would never say no to any of you." "Thanks fella, yer' a good human!" He looks so excited, you sure feel good that you can make someone else's dream become possible. You decide to do a test to the engine, so both of you get inside the cockpit, he sits behind you and fastens his seatbelt, but he seems to be quite uncomfortable. "What's wrong Mac?" "Ah' don't think Ah' can sit like that green mare called Lyra, she sits in park benches just like you, that pony apparently has done a lot of research on humans, but don't worry about me, Ah'll find a way to sit properly." "Okay then, just sit there and do not touch anything, alright?" "Eeeeyup." You start the engine up....Yes, it works!...It needs more repairs though, the HUD shows the engine and the left wing in red and the status of the ship shows 65% of total damage, you don't worry since you have flied before with worst conditions and you always made it out alive. You switch to jet mode. The nozzles turn 90° back and the plane gains a little more acceleration, you just need to get out of the barn so you can switch back to hover mode. "HOVER MODE SELECTED" The AutoNav. says, just when you got the plane out of the barn, you could finally do what the harrier is known for... Thrusted Vectoring... "Whoa... We're in the middle of the air, but we aren't moving." He says. After you reach 200 ft in the air, you flick the switch again. "JET MODE SELECTED"... 250 knots is alright, you won't make the engine suffer if you accelerate to its top speed, it might be dangerous... "YEAAAAAAAAAH!!! AH' CAN'T BELIEVE IT! AH'M ACTUALLY FLYING! Maybe not as a pegasus, but this is pretty lifelike, thanks fella." "You're welcome Mac." "Ah' think mah' sis is working in our southern field, she'd like to see this." ... ... ... "That stupid boy, after all Ah' did for him." Applejack keeps herself busy bucking her apple trees, while she was accompanied by her sister Applebloom and her friends." "Don't be mad at him sis, he didn't know that magic was real, it didn't exist in his world!" The yellow filly replies. "So... how does that... human look like, and how did you find him Applebloom?" A white little unicorn asks her rose maned friend. "Ah' found him laying in our corn field Sweetie Belle, and he looks like... a very tall hairless monkey with hair on his head he has two hands and he's wearin' green clothes." She only shudders, and the orange pegasus filly only says: "So. He is a monster right?" "Of course not Scootaloo! He has been very kind with us. He has a unique look, but he doesn't look menacing." "How are you so sure about that? I thought you said at school that he had a gray machine capable of flying, maybe is an evil machine." "Nah, and if it were, he would use it only for good, I think he's a good person." "And he's also a jerk sister, don't talk to him too much, he comes from a violent world, maybe he doesn't pay you any attention at all..." Applejack interferes. "That's not true Applejack! He's just like an earth-pony, you don't have to be jealous of Twilight's magic!" "Ah'm not jealous of her magic! I'm just..." .... "Did ya' hear that...?!" ... "Yeah... I'm scared sis-" The four ponies look at the sky only to find the harrier flying over them. "Dear Celestia, what on Equestria is that thing?!" Scootaloo says. "OH! It's our human guest." Applebloom smiles with joy. "See? Ah' told you that machine could fly Scootaloo!" The two fillies only hide behind Applejack with a horror expression, they are clearly afraid of the harrier, the only thing Applejack can do is only stare. ... "HOVER MODE SELECTED" You decide it's time to descend, you're lucky you found Applejack and her sister among two other fillies in the middle of the orchard, you reduce altitude and prepare to land. When you do, you turn off the motor and open the canopy." "Howdy AJ, AB!" Big Macintosh waves a hoof to them and unbuckles his seatbelt. "Big Mac?! What are you doing on that thing?!" Applejack yells at him. "Our fine guest here did a favor for me, remember how Ah' told you that dream of mine?" "The flyin' one? Why shoot, Ah' can't believe you could fulfill it, but wasn't that machine damaged?" "Eeeyup, but our friend here can take on a challenge like this, Ah' guess that's why he is a big fancy pilot with a high rank in his world." She looks at you, and gives you an uneasy but thankful glare, she immediately says: "Ah' guess you owe him a nice stain full of our home made cider Big Macintosh, even if it's off-season." She chuckles. "Eeeeyup. Ah'll pick up some apples for our Granny Smith so she can smell them, I'll crush them and make the cider later." He leaves with a bucket full of apples in his mouth, leaving you with her siblings and the other two fillies. "Hey mister! Ah' can see your bird can fly after all, can I please try it too?" Applebloom begs. "No you won't sis! That thing isn't for little ponies!" "Awwww, but Ah'm a big pony!, anyway, look girls, he's mah friend, let me introduce you to him." Both of the fillies look terrified, you don't blame them though, you didn't knew they would've been here with Apple Bloom, but you better try to give them a nice smile and crouch so they don't feel intimidated by your height. "Hello girls. Don't worry, I won't hurt you, I was teleported by accident to this place a couple of days ago, if you want to ask something it's okay, I won't get mad." You say while you keep your confident smile. "It's okay girls, he's pretty friendly, he's friendly just like Zecora!" "I just hope he doesn't rhyme like her, it gets annoying after a while." the orange pegasus says. "Oookay then, I'm Sweetie Belle, and this pegasus here is Scootaloo, who are you?" The white little unicorn asks. You state your name and rank, and start telling them about your world, their horrified faces just wear off and they begin to feel comfortable around you. And they tell you about their society about finding their cutie marks. Apparently it's a picture that magically appears in their flanks after they find their talent, poor little fillies, they don't seem to have any success after hundreds of tries in many areas. While they talk to you Applejack hums a happy tune while she carries on her work. "Hey mister, why are your clothes green and your right leg has a huge red stain?" Sweetie Belle asks. "My sister Rarity is a fashionista and she says those colors don't mix up very well." "Uhm.. It's not supposed to look like that..." "I'll ask her to make you new clothes, that cammo outfit seems to be torn and dirty. Besides you might be careful the next time you eat a tomato. You can stop by her boutique so she can take your measurements, it's near the town hall." The white filly happily says. Tomato? What an innocent filly, it's preferable she thinks this way, maybe she would've fainted if she heard that it was blood. You notice that the orange filly is still keeping her attention on your harrier, she turns to see Applebloom and she proposes new ideas for their cutie marks. Ideas that involved your harrier, ideas that never succeed, and that apparently make them covered in tree sap. You become nervous and quickly state that they can't touch the harrier, because it was a war machine only to be operated by experienced pilots, only to hear a big "Awwwwwwww" that breaks your heart. After a couple hours Applebloom's friends go back to their respective houses, before that, Sweetie insisted that you should see her sister so she can make new clothes for you, and you answered that you could pay her a visit when ponies were used to see him or the authorities were consent of your presence, if Applejack told you the truth about Twilight being the "most faithful student" of the ruler in Equestria she might want to have a word with you so she can decide about you and your military aircraft's fate. Applebloom goes back to the house and you are alone in the orchard with Applejack... You owe her an apologize... "Applejack, about that... overreaction I had... I realized that I didn't give you proper credit for attending my injury and myself or even letting me stay in a room, I'm sorry; and if you want me out of your farm I'll just leave, I don't want to be a parasite and I can't take advantage of your hospita..." She shuts your mouth with a hoof, and she begins to speak... "Oh sugarcube, you ain't a parasite, Ah' actually like having you around in our farm, I am the one who should be apologizing instead, after seeing how you look after my siblings, you aren't a violent being, Ah' was the one who overreacted when Twilight cured you, it was a selfish attitude of me, and I'm really sorry, will you please forgiv..." You place a hand on her mouth and tell her that it was okay, there was no need to ask for forgiveness, and you tell her you like to stay in her home, and that you would help her in any chores if she had any for you. You stand up and pat her head with your hand, after a couple hours of chit chat you notice that the sun is hiding. "Shoot, the sun is already going down and the house is 2 miles away. Ah' guess we should go back to the house pardner... pardner? pardner!" "Get in Applejack" You were already inside the harrier, ready for the ride back to the barn that it would only take less than a couple of minutes. "Uhhh... is it safe?" She carefully climbs on a wing. "Of course it is, we'll arrive to your house faster." She shrugs and sits on the back seat, she fumbles to find the seatbelt, when you hear a clic, you close the canopy and turn on the engine, the AutoNav. activates and a loud "HOVER MODE SELECTED" is heard, Applejack can't believe this, maybe it's too much for her, she only lets out a "What in tarnation?!" "Don't worry AJ, It will be a smooth trip." "All right sugarcube, if you say so..." JET MODE SELECTED... To be continued... Chapter 5.- AdaptationADAPTATION Hilo Airbase, Hawaii. 28th May, 17.30 It seems that the news crew has arrived to Hawaii, great, there's even more people that need extra protection, they shouldn't be here at all, after they had interviewed Colonel Talbot and Mad Dog, the leader of the Eagle Squadron, they finally leave to a town called Naalehu with some ground forces, apparently it's safe, they don't seem to be worried at all, most of the crew present has already been into conflict situations, however, they still have no experience using guns, maybe they aren't taking the conflict with seriousness, after all the progress made by the Eagle Squad, the ANM forces are retreating from Hawaii. After a big meal consisting of... you didn't know what was in it, you always hated the army dishes, the meat wasn't well cooked enough and the vegetables always tasted like carton, although they gave you the necessary nutrients you needed to remain in the air the whole day. "Hey Eagle One, Colonel Talbot needs you immediately!" You head out to the Headquarters picking up a faster pace, apparently it's an emergency situation and the Colonel was requesting you to deploy in action, after you arrive to the intel room he says to take off immediately. He would debrief your mission once you were inside the plane, you search for a SMG and a pistol, after you equip them, you head out to the hangar only to find the technicians and other ground personal already placing your harrier on the runway. "Hop in sir!" You open the canopy of the harrier and sit down, turn on the engine, the laptop and the HUD. You check the weapon and navigation system to see if everything is in order. Ready... Liberation Hilo Airbase, Hawaii. 28th May, 18.00 "Our ground troops have reported ANM forces moving into the town of Naalehu. We can't let them establish another stronghold there, but we have reports that the town is partially populated. You have to make this a surgical strike - take out the enemy units but keep collateral damage to an absolute minimum." MUSIC Oh damn, this is a critical situation, the ANM is not only a bunch of dangerous soldiers, but they are also cowards, they went into the still populated city, you better hurry, who knows what will they do to the women and children. You take off quickly and turn Southwest, thanks to the AutoNav. Naalehu appeared in the HUD immediately, just a pair of miles away, you spot multiple enemy ground forces and MiG21s, they immediately launch their missiles towards you, they sure know how to give a warm welcome, fortunately, you were well aware now in how to dodge their missiles, increasing the speed and decreasing the altitude gave you the opportunity of making them waste their ammo. You don't mind fighting back with them, the most important task was destroying the tanks in the middle of the city, you decided to do a quick air-strike with the homing Air-to-Ground Maverick missiles. When you arrive you spot three Apache helicopters and two F-15 jets, already shooting at you with their rotatory cannons, unfortunately, they succeeded hitting your plane, they even got a clear shot in the canopy, dang, they could've been able to blast your brains if you didn't move, the AutoNav. confirms the hits muttering an infamous voice that says "DAMAGE TAKEN", reminding you to stay alert. You decide to start with the jeeps in the outskirts of the town, they were carrying soldiers and supplies, a LOCKED legend appears in the HUD and you release the first missile... It's a successful hit, you release the second, and the third, not missing a single shot, the explosions begin to turn into fuel catching fire and letting out a lot of dark smoke, you quickly turn around and switch to the Sidewinder missiles, taking advantage of the speed of the harrier you get near a helicopter and shoot it, not even waiting for the lock, a bright explosion covers your left, the enemy looks confused, they never expected a quick attack made by a single element of the U.S.A., you decide to continue the attack on the forces in the city center. You'll have to rely on the Mavericks and open spaces between the buildings. After a fifteen-minute struggle with tanks, and a clever use of Vultures and Mavericks you managed to free the town of ground enemies, you spot a single truck leaving Naalehu, the results were better than you've expected, you could destroy the enemy tanks without harming civilians or buildings, the last ones fighting were the F-15 jets and the Apaches, you can't believe you forgot about them, and also that they couldn't hit you, you must've moved pretty quickly to keep them searching for you, in a matter of no time, you bring the aircraft down, the last jet was trying to go back to its base, it was useless, it took too much hits, you release three rockets. Naalehu is safe now, you did what you were told, still, it doesn't make it any better knowing that you could leave a couple of unarmed ANM soldiers alive, you were not prepared to see them die under your cannon fire while they were raising their hands in a clear act of surrendering, begging for mercy, this was not like you... so... what made you do that? You land on a building and grab your SMG, you descend trough the stairs and open a door only to find the news crew along some civilians and four dead marines, the news gal bursts in tears when you tell them that the town is free from the opposing forces, giving you a big thankful hug, the civilians cheer while the rest of the news crew record the aftermath of the battle, apparently, they didn't look nervous at all, it seems that this was the first time the news girl was in a battle, she was so stressed, you ask where was the rest of the team. "They were...*snif* captured by the ANM... we were held as hostages in this building until you arrived. They were outnumbered and then captured, they were heading south in a large truck." She answers. You call back to the HQ to report the success of the mission, and the situation of your colleagues. "Damn it!" Talbot shouts. "I guess this is a job for the Special Ops team, well done Eagle One, return to the Eagle Nest for your next orders. Over!" ..... ..... Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville Two weeks after arrival, 06.00 "Come on sugar cube! Get up! Those apples ain't gonna pick themselves!" "Ughhh Applejack, do I really have to get up early?" You reply. "Besides, what's the point? I've been carrying buckets full of apples for two weeks straight, you have hundreds of apple trees, and we only picked a small part of your orchard!" "Why shoot, of course ya' have to get up early, don't cha' remember ya' said ya' wanted to help me, besides, yer' a military man remember? Your superior err...Tablon? would be very dissapointed! Quit actin' like a filly and get up or there won't be any breakfast fer' you!" "Talbot" you correct and roll over in the bed grumbling, she giggles and walks over to you, she places a hoof on your shoulder and whispers into your ear in the sweetest tone she has ever made. "Please get up sugar cube." "See, that wasn't so hard was it? I'll be happy to help you today... mom." You both share a laugh, then she scolds; "Let's get goin' ya lazy human!" . After a really tasty cereal bowl with apple slices that Granny Smith prepared for you, Applebloom asks if you go to her school to pick her and her friends up, at noon, you don't think that's a good idea, mainly because you don't know how other ponies will react in your presence, sure, everyone you have met already were good intentioned, (even Granny Smith, who already accepted you in her farm, finally realizing that you meant no harm.) "Awwww come on mister, pleeeeeease, mah' friends will be happy if you come ta' our school! Ah've told to all my classmates about you! They still don't believe me! Especially that mean Diamond Tiara, she says I'm a liar and she's mean to you, if you came to our school you would shut her trap!." "I don't know Applebloom, I don't..." "Please mister, Sweetie Belle asked me if ya' could come with us to her sister's boutique, her sister Rarity will be glad ta' make new clothes fer' ya'." "That's not a bad idea actually, but her sister hasn't met me yet, how can I ask for new clothes when I'm not a pony and I have no money?" "OH! That's no problem at all, she's a very generous and a classy mare, she just won't let you go in the town with yer' dirty ol' uniform..." "What about the other citizens, wouldn't they think I'm a dangerous being, wouldn't they treat me like a monster on the way there?" "The school is at the outskirts of Ponyville, nopony will see you if you take the right path, you can come with Applejack, she'll introduce you to all her friends, pleeeeeeeeaseeeee?..." "Ughhh fine, it's up to Applejack, I mean, if she's not that busy." Both of you turn your heads to Applejack, waiting for an answer. "Aw, shucks, alrighty then, but we'll hafta work twice as hard to recover that lost time and pick up more apples ya' hear? ...Crap, it's going to be a long day. ... ... "Hey sugar cube, take a shower! It's time to pick Applebloom up, and hurry up, we don't wan't to keep her waitin'!" "Phew, OK, I'm glad it's over, man, I guess it's a good idea to visit Sweetie's sister after all, I don't think my uniform will endure that much, it's covered in dirt, sweat and it still has the blood stain on it." "Tomato stain..." "Huh?" "Remember, keep it innocent for Sweetie Belle sugar cube." Applejack chuckles. "And yeah, mah' friend will make clothes only for you, but please, ask her to make it simple, she tends to... huh... prettify everything. She can be very superficial, but she's a nice mare." "I'll keep that in mind, I guess I'll ask for another cammo outfit, exactly like this one." After the shower you walk along Applejack to the school, you surely did not wanted to disappoint Applebloom and her friends, you don't spot other ponies, when you spot what its supposed to be a little schoolhouse you hear... "What in Equestria is that thing?!" "By the name of Celestia! What's that supposed to be?!" "THE HORROR, THE HORROR!" "ALERT PONYVILLE, A TALL CREATURE ENTERED TO OUR TOWN LOOKING FOR OUR SOULS" "IT HYPNOTIZED APPLEJACK, SHE TROTTING ALONG WITH THE ALIEN" You expected some ponies to be scared, but that's just a damn exaggeration, they quickly gallop away from you, Applejack remains silent, only rolling her eyes, finally she speaks... "Ignore them sugar cube, those ponies are scared by anything that moves. Working with flowers all the day under the heat of the sun make them go...you know..." "Batshit insane?" "Err... yeah, Ah' guess, but, was the cuss word really necessary?" "You said it yourself AJ, I'm a military man remember?" You chuckle. A couple minutes later both of you arrive to the schoolhouse, you are kinda nervous, you don't really know how the other fillies will react, the bell rings, calling the day for the crusaders and her friends, Applejack decides to enter the school to tell her sister you came after all, so she can tell the others about your presence. ... "Pfft so that mascot of yours came after all? Wow Applebloom, it must be nice to have a pet that obeys your brothers. My daddy has a lot of servants, but you don't have to pay to that stinking ape!" "Hey, cut it off Diamond Tiara! He's not a pet, nor an stinkin' ape! He's our friend! Leave him alone!" Applebloom responds, obviously angry. "Yeah! He's special AND a good person, unlike you... you... big meanie..." Sweetie Belle joins the discussion. "Pffft whatever Sweaty Butt! Why don't you and your loser friends go find your cutie-marks at human taming or something like that? Since you like him too much?" Diamond Tiara replies. "At least we have someone to play and spend our time with! Unlike you poor sad filly, always forgotten by her dad who likes his business more than you!" Scootaloo angrily shouts at Diamond Tiara. "Oooh it is on Scootaloser! Get ready because I'm..." "GIRLS! STOP IT!" "But Miss Cheerilee... She started!" The three fillies point at Diamond Tiara. "Tiara. Stop it, we'll meet Applejack's pe- I mean, friend! He's not from Equestria, So I'd like everypony to be nice to him, alright?" Cheerilee looks at her class. "Yes Miss Cheerilee!" The foals reply. "So Applejack, is this *ahem* human dangerous?" "Don't worry Miss Cheerilee, he's not dangerous at all, he's pretty friendly, but Ah' must warn ya', he is not very fond of being called a monster, or ape." "Oh, OK, let him in then!" "IT'S OK SUGARCUBE, YOU CAN COME IN NOW!" You open the door and enter the classroom, your skinny and tall figure surprises the teacher and the foals, an awkward silence is present until the Cutie Mark Crusaders run to you and introduce you to their classmates. "He's from another world!" Applebloom yells. "He was at his country's military and he saved thousands of lives!" Sweetie Belle adds. "And he rides a totally awesome machine that can fly and shoot large tubes that explode!" Scootaloo excitedly adds. Well, they've got the foals' attention, they instantly become interested in you. And begin to ask you things, you can only give out a sigh, relieved from the tension you calmly answer their questions, noticing only a look of disbelief from a pink filly with a light purple and white mane wearing a tiara, it seems that she is the brat who picks on Applebloom and her friends, a purple hoof touches your back, it was the teacher's, trying to introduce herself. "Hello, mister... uh..." You reply by stating your name and rank. "Oh, OK, I'm Miss Cheerilee, it's such a pleasure to meet the fillies' new friend." "The pleasure is mine Miss Cheerilee." You politely praise her teaching abilities from all the stories you've heard from the Crusaders, adding that you wanted to meet her personally. After all, she's pretty patient with the Crusaders and their antics. Thing that sometimes can get you on your nerves, she starts to feel more comfortable around you, she chuckles at the short anecdotes you can pull out from your time staying here. She finally says. "Well, that's it for our special guest, remember kids, be nice to him, I, for one, welcome him to Ponyville, please give him an applause." The foals cheer and clap their hooves on the floor, everypony was ready to leave, so you walk out the school house along Applejack and the Crusaders, you can't believe it, these ponies have good souls, they don't mind with the fact that an alien arrived to their world and... OUCH! You catch an small rock to head. It was thrown by the flower ponies from earlier, and they brought more ponies to give you a proper welcome. "There it is! The monster that hypnotized Applejack!" "Oh no! He also hypnotized the foals and Miss Cheerilee! BEGONE YOU MONSTER!" The crowd starts throwing rocks at you, you can't dodge them forever, you need help, Applejack quickly intervenes. "What in tarnation are ya'll doing?! He's not a monster! He can't perform magic either! He's a human being! He's not evil!" "SHE'S CLEARLY UNDER ITS' CONTROL, DON'T BE FOOLED!" That's it, you decide to reach your pistol inside the holster, a good bullet in the air will scare them away, you pull out the gun and... "STOP IT!!!" That voice... seems familiar... "Huh?" The crowd turns around... it's Twilight! "What in the name of Celestia are you doing?!" "We are trying to scare that monster away Twilight Sparkle, we don't know what that thing has done to Applejack, Cheerilee and her students! Go away, you are not helping at all!" "Daisy, stop this nonsense, he's not a monster, he's a human being, and YOU are the one who is not helping at all! You can't throw rocks at ponies, or other species, and make others to be afraid of them! What's wrong with you?" "But... but we don't know his intentions, he may be a criminal, or a carnivore!" "And throwing rocks at him will make all of you know him better?! No? That's what I thought, leave him alone, he's now a creature under Celestia's Protection, certified by this document!" She levitates a scroll and shows it to everypony." The ponies drop their rocks and leave mumbling, Applejack and you walk over to Twilight, thanking her for her intervention. "So your princess gave me a certification? Without even knowing about my appearance, or how I ended up here?" You ask Twilight intrigued. "Oh, no no, she knows about you, I've told everything about you in my letters, and this paper is actually a citatory, she and her sister, Princess Luna want to meet you, in our capital city Canterlot, they will decide if you are capable of being around us, they also need to check your harrier, and discuss its potential in Equestria, they will give you full documentation and rules, they want to meet you next week." "Oh... that's... great... I suppose, I hope they don't treat me like a menace!" "That's very unlikely, I've told them that you have been working with the Element of Honesty at her farm, so they trust you and your intentions. After all, you were a soldier, and you follow rules." "Well, yeah, I guess you are right Twilight, I'll be looking forward to it. So... Sweetie Belle, you said you were taking me to your sister's place right?" "Uhhh, Oh Yeah I did!" Sweetie replies, with an adorable voice crack, "Yes mister, she'll be happy to help you out, after all, you can't meet the princesses with those ugly clothes, let's get going!" ... ... To be continued... Chapter 6.- WelcomeWELCOME Carousel Boutique, Ponyville Two weeks after arrival, 15.00 "Here we are mister! My sister's boutique! She's the best fashionista in Equestria! She's already interested in making clothes just for you! But I have to warn you, she tends to... exaggerate a lot when she's inspired." "I'll keep that in mind, thanks Sweetie Belle, I hope she doesn't think that I am some sort of monster." "Don't worry about it. She knows how you look like because I showed her photos of you in an article featured in our school's paper that our classmate Featherweight published just yesterday." "Really? An article about me?... Featherweight... the colt who is the editor of your school's paper isn't it?... I don't recall posing for a photo, or even going outside the farm to be seen in public!" "Well, he was quickly interested in you when we told to our classmates about you when you arrived to Sweet Apple Acres, so he sent our staff photographer to take you some shots while we were writing the article." "Really? That's nice I guess... a bit creepy though." "Ah have yesterday's newspaper, do you want ta' see it mister?" Applebloom asks. "Of course Applebloom, I don't want to end up giving a bad image to the locals." "Ok, just wait a sec." Applebloom searches for the newspaper in her saddlebag. "I'll go get my sister, she'll be excited to meet you mister!" Sweetie Belle says and runs inside the overly feminine looking business. Man, such awesome fillies, definitely the Cutie Mark Crusaders were your best friends, they accepted you, an alien from other world, they didn't mind about your looks and played with you, you didn't felt alone or rejected, they even encouraged you to wander into town to meet their friends and teacher. Applejack, as your friend, nah, she is more than a friend, she's more like your family, she gave you a place to sleep, she took care of you, she gave you food and a job, hell, Rarity can't beat that level of generosity, even if she's supposed to resemble generosity of the Elements of Harmony. "Here it is mister!" Applebloom reaches the newspaper out of her saddlebag. "Thanks AB" You pet her mane. "Let's see" You read and speak loud enough so Twilight and Applejack can hear what's in the article. "...New species found...Human...Male...possibly the only one in Equestria... sentient and capable of speaking... former soldier... owns technology... only able to fly in his plane called Harrier... now working at Sweet Apple Acres...Hmmmm, nothing really important." "Well, that's a relief don't ya' think sugarcube?" Applejack says. "It's not gossip or slander." "Yeah, it's cool, it's not like these three fillies can do a big damage right?" "Uh... yeah, unlike that nosy Gabby Gums, spreading those lies about every citizen in Ponyville." Applejack and Twilight stare at Scootaloo and Applebloom with a smug smile. "Ah' wonder what happened to her." Scootaloo and Applebloom look embarassed, you decide to ignore that comment. "Alright then, just a couple of pages and... What the...?!" "Uh... is something wrong?" Twilight asks. "Ummmm, hey dude, I think you shouldn't look at those pages" Scootaloo suggests. "There's plenty of photos in here, in this one I'm picking apples, in this one I'm sleeping!" "OH! Asleep in the job! Ya' lazy human! So that's why I couldn't find you when I needed those buckets!" Applejack madly interrupts. "No AJ, look at this photo, I'm sleeping in my bedroom, at night!" "Oh, Ah' guess it's different now, let me have a look." You handle the newspaper to Applejack, she just stares at the pictures. "Heh, you look pretty manly in this one sugarcube, shooting yer' metallic weapon, I hope you had a good reason to do it." "Yeah he did." Twilight speaks up. "I asked him if he could teach me about his plane and weapons, boy, I didn't knew his species had so much remarkable scientific achievements, we spent 5 hours talking about that remember.?" "Yeah I remember Twilight, I also remember Applejack scolding me over not working that day, thanks for that." You roll your eyes back in annoyance. "I guess we depend a little too much in magic, when I sent a letter to my teacher, Princess Celestia, about yourself and your advanced technology she demanded a meeting for the next week." "Whoa Nelly!" Applejack loudly exclaims, then proceeds to shove the newspaper under her hat. "Is something wrong Applejack?" you ask. "Uhm, nope." "Ooookay?" You just shrug, when you suddenly hear a refined sounding voice behind you. *Ahem* Hello gentle... fellow. You turn around and face a white coated pony with a purple curled mane and azure eyes, by the way she looks you can tell that she has been looking forward to meet you, since her sister talked about you so much. "My name is Rarity, I'm Sweetie Belle's sister, it's a pleasure to meet the... human was it?" You nod. "Who looks after my friend Applejack and her family, it is so nice of you, please come in." "Alright sugarcube, be nice and come back to the farm soon after you are done, we'll be going back to the farm, Twilight, why don't ya' join us over for dinner?" "I'm sorry Applejack, but I promised Spike not to leave him alone cleaning the library, we'll leave that for another day. See you later." She turns to you and says "Remember, big guy, next week we'll go to Canterlot to see Princess Celestia and her sister. Take care." You wave at her as she walks away. You enter the building with Sweetie Belle and her little sister. "Hey Scoots, mah' granny made some pie today, wanna come over for dinner?" "Aww yeah, I love your granny's food Applejack, let's go!" "Uh sis? What are you going to do with our newspaper?" Applebloom asks. "Oh... that, I'll throw it away when we arrive home okay? Ah' don't want him to be upset with your classmates over some silly pictures. Let's git going!" Applejack begins to trot away. Scootaloo whispers to Applebloom "I bet your sister looked at the picture where his 'manly sugarcube' was taking a bath, did she?" Applebloom begins to chuckle and responds "Yeah, Ah' bet she'll be keeping that newspaper, she was so red in embarrassment as a tomato!" The fillies laugh. ... ... "So, you arrived here just after a battle, with a metallic object able to fly?" Rarity asks as she takes your measurements, you only nod. "Oh my, it must be very hard to be part of your military, especially if you fought with your own kind." "Yeah, it was quite a big challenge, but I'm sure we fought for good, those citizens were in a pretty bad situation." "I can figure, Sweetie here told me that those ruffians were almost close to blowing up a dam near a city. And then you showed up to stop them, that was very brave of you, protecting those innocent citizens. Over and over many different threats." "Well thanks Miss Rarity, I also need to express how grateful I am for your generosity, after receiving a not so warm welcome to Ponyville it really makes me happy." You reply. "Huh. A hero and a gentlecolt, you're quite welcome darling." She levitates large rolls of fabric with her magic. "So, what do you want me to do?" She asks. "Well, I... don't know how to ask this, but I need plenty of clothes, ideal for working at Sweet Apple Acres, uhmm... socks, boots or shoes and ...um... underwear." "Uh huh, of course darling, I guess this fabric will be alright for your work, it's quite special." She presents to you what it appears to be... just denim, well, you can finally say goodbye to your old uniform. "And this will make a nice shirt, and this... you'll look fabulous darling! I'll get to work on it immediately, you can come back in three days, I'll have a couple of surprises for you." "Thanks a lot Miss Rarity, I'll be back by that time, see you tomorrow Sweetie Belle." "Bye mister! Take care." ... As you leave the Boutique you realize that now you're on your own, in the middle of the ponies' town, you give the area a quick scan, and prepare yourself if somebody...er...pony tries something. You begin walking back home. You feel the strange sensation of being observed. You decide to shrug it off. When you hear a voice just behind you. "Erm... Hello?" You quickly turn around, only to face a green unicorn with yellow eyes and a lyre for cutie mark. "Are you... a human being?" She asks, this sure is a weird one. "Yes I am, how did you know that? "I...I can't believe it... after all those years of research, and all those legends, I knew humans were real!" She's starting to freak you out. "My name is Lyra Heartstrings, I'm a musician, I know a lot about humans, after all these years I finally found a real human, mind if I ask you a few questions?" "Sorry but I can't..." Her ears flatten and she looks away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, I'll just leave." You sigh. "Don't." She quickly turns around with an obvious excited and at the same time creepy face. You walk back at Sweet Apple Acres with her following you. She asks a lot of questions, mainly about anatomy and physiology, some questions about the place you came from, questions about the other gender, relationships, beliefs, etc. "Lyra?" "So humans have no more metallic bodies to protect yourselves?..." "Lyra..." "And your babies are also coat-less?... So that's why you wear fine clothes all the..." "Lyra!" "Oh sorry, am I bothering you?" "No no, it's fine, I'm just wondering how do you know so much about humans? It's like they've been here before me?" "Well, it's just that, the legend says that a group of humans like you used to live in Equestria thousands of years ago, but they were totally different than you, they were totally savage, they made sacrifices, spoke in a very weird language and they used to fight with each other, they didn't last enough." "Really? But... how did they... nevermind, I don't even know how I arrived here, I don't think that bomb was an actual threat." "Uh bomb? I guess I asked you a lot of questions already, why don't you tell me your story?" "...Sure, why not?" You give her a reassuring smile. An hour passes and your stomach growls in protest, cereal is good, but not enough to keep you satisfied, you suddenly spot a building that looks like it was taken from Hansel and Gretel. Lyra notices this. "Are you hungry? I can buy you some sweets, is the least thing I can do for you after all." "Uh, yeah thanks!" You both enter the store and you spot a pink pony attending the bar. She speaks up. "HELLO LYRA!, WELCOME! WHO'S YOUR FRIEND?" Sheesh, this one sure is loud, you suddenly think coming here was a bad idea. "Uh he's a human being, he's used to be a soldier, he's a friend of Applejack." "OOOOH APPLEJACK?! SHE'S ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS!" She dissapears from your field of vision, and suddenly reappears in front of you."HI I'M PINKIE PIE, IF YOU ARE A FRIEND OF APPLEJACK, YOU ARE A FRIEND OF MINE!" She extends you a hoof to shake your hand, as soon as you grasp her hoof, you receive a very strong shock that makes you fall to the floor. "Hi hi hi, don't worry, it's a mild shock! Wait, let me get my welcome wagon just for you!" "Wait what?" Suddenly a colorful big wagon is placed by the pink hurricane in front of you. She presses a button and music starts playing from it, waving some flags. "Welcome welcome welcome A fine welcome to you Welcome welcome welcome I say how do you do? Welcome welcome welcome I say hip hip hurray Welcome welcome welcome To Ponyville todaaaaay!" You only stare confused. "Wait for it!" *SPLOCH* You are now covered by... cake mix? "Ooopsie, I forgot to replace the cake mix with confetti, again! Don't worry, I'll get it off you!" Her tongue stretches out of her mouth and she gives you a very big lick, getting all the cake mix out of your body, and she... swallows it... ugh, you'll need another bath. "Pinkie..." Lyra interrupts. "Just give our friend some sweets, I told..." "Oh don't worry Lyra, I'll give him a big cake just for him, and don't worry, I invite!" She quickly handles you a delicious looking cake. "Wow, thanks Pinkie!" She may be somewhat annoying, but she has a good heart. You take a quick glance at the clock, you should be going now, if you don't want trouble with Applejack. "Oh look at the time, I need to return to Sweet Apple Acres, bye Lyra, bye Pinkie, we'll catch up other time!" They both say their goodbyes to you. Man, this place is totally different, it's a little girl's dream and you fit very well in it... wait what?! Damn, this is making you soft, but you don't mind at all. You've experienced a lot of trouble back in Earth, you deserve a vacation. ... ... ... "G'night AJ!" "G'night sugarcube, remember, Big Mac and I will harvest apples tomorrow, you can pick up the corn in the southern fields." "Roger captain!" "Huh?" "It means: Alright ma'am" "Ooohhh, hehehe, ok. Mah granny knows better about military than me! See you tomorrow!" You climb up the stairs and get inside your room, before you undress you check if there are no cameras in here, maybe those freaking colts won't leave you alone. Fucking newspaper, you close the curtains and get out of your uniform, you don't feel sleepy at all, you notice a book shelf... Maybe there's an interesting title in here... "Daring Do? Looks entertaining." "Hard work pays off?...Tell me about it..." You say as you look at your muscles, thanks to the Army and AJ you can show off your muscles, DeLaro would love them... You chuckle. "The art of the to do list... Nah..." "Daring Do it is..." You take out the cake Pinkie gave you and start eating it while you relax on your bed. ... "It's going to be a good week..." To be continued...
Chapter 1.- Arrival ARRIVAL You finally arrive to Hawaii, after the ANM launched that cybernetic attack to the USA and invaded Hawaii islands the president ordered to send the Aircraft carrier USS Armstrong. The first place to launch an attack and establish a base was Hawaii Island itself, that one didn't have many tanks, planes or soldiers. Most of the ANM crew is established in Kauai island, you calculate that after a successful liberation of the three first islands you will have a rough time in the air, you have 2000 flight-hours recorded in your harrier, the most difficult plane in existence said by many experts due to its capability to stay suspended in mid-air, after intensive training, complex stunts, combat simulations, and rescue missions the officers in charge transferred you to a sophisticated unit. "The Eagle Squadron." After the attacks your unit immediately joined the USS Armstrong, your four teammates know how to do their job following their orders, even though you are more of the "think outside the box" guy, not only you got in trouble several times for disobeying orders, the ones in charge of your actions were pleased with your results so they couldn't be mad at you. They knew that you would make a difference in this conflict and quickly balance the war in their favor. You were assigned to Colonel Talbot’s command, an experienced and respected member of the USMC. He was waiting in the base established in Hilo, Hawaii; once the five of you arrived; you were heading to a reunion to receive your briefing. You leave the USS Armstrong and head to the base. Scramble Hilo Airbase, Hawaii 27th April. 14.00 “Eagle Three to Eagle Nest, we are inbound from the USS Armstrong to the forward base at Hilo.” “Pilots, this is Colonel Talbot. Welcome to Hawaii, people. Eagle One, take up an alert position on the runway; all other pilots take up standby positions and report for briefing.” You sigh, now you have to stay there, you don’t think the base would need protection, after all, the ANM wouldn’t launch an attack right now. It would be a suicide mission; there are many soldiers around here to bring any plane down, so you recline your seat and rest a little. “Sir, I’m reading four inbound bogeys, two miles out.” “Alert station! Get to cover people!” The Colonel says. SHIT! You start up the Harrier’s engine. The alarm sound as the MiG21s drop several bombs in the base. It was a surprise attack, and they got you with your guard down. You check your aircraft, thank goodness nothing happened to it, not even a scratch, and unfortunately the base had a few casualties. One of the reserve planes the Eagle Squad had was destroyed. Now this is a bad situation, without many support of the government, your squad was responsible for everything that happens in Hawaii; you had to take care of your harrier, because if it was destroyed, you couldn’t get in another one so easily, they cost millions of dollars, thanks to the Martial Law, the USS Armstrong had a rationed crew, mostly consisting in engineers and intelligence, but plenty of ammo and missiles. You need to take this seriously; the ANM looks dangerous by just attacking recklessly like this. MUSIC “Eagle One! Immediate launch! Bring those fighters down godamnit! You snap back into reality, and see two MiG21s in front of you turning right. You quickly take off. You switch to the AIM-9 Sidewinder Missiles, they are exclusive for air-to-air combat, but you need to get closer to them because they have a known short range. The HUD starts beeping; you have one of their planes at a point blank. And the legend LOCKED shows up, you release a missile and… “TARGET DESTROYED!” The Auto Navigation system says with a female voice, you chase the second plane and send him down with another missile, the other ones show up in your radar, you find them and destroy one of them. You spot several ANM trucks, but they seem to be heading to another place, you ignore the trucks and turn back to find the last fighter, he’s heading to the base again, you keep up with him and quickly put behind him, he’s moving too much and you can’t lock him with the Sidewinders; so you change to your Vultures rockets, unlike the Sidewinders, they can’t lock on an enemy, so you have to take your aim and fire where you think your enemy will be. You take your time and shoot at his left side. It’s a successful hit, you guessed his route and took him down, you return to the base as quickly as possible to see if someone else is injured. “HOVER MODE SELECTED” The AutoNav says. The famous capability of the harrier, you could land anywhere and quicker thanks to it. You place the harrier on the runway and jump off to check out the control mission, you find Colonel Talbot and ask him if he and his crew are alright. “We’re fine son, thanks; you managed to kill those bastards in a record time, they didn’t manage to come back and attack us again. I see why the USMC sent you over here even though you had an interesting brief, it said that you were reckless and disobedient, but one of the best pilots ever. No wonder why you managed to get to fly a harrier. Do not think this will be easy at all! We don’t know what the ANM can do afterwards, but we are sure as hell that we won’t underestimate them. Understood!?” “Yes sir!!!” You and the rest of the crew answer Colonel Talbot, the crew begins repairing the damages the ANM made to the base while you catch up with the rest of the team, they give you your briefing of the next mission, and you were selected to do it tomorrow. … … … … Underground Mine, Kauai 5th May, 11.45 Colonel Talbot was right, the ANM still had an ace up the sleeve, you think to yourself, your leg bleeding and your MP5 at your side. The Soviet nuclear warhead was going to explode any moment soon, you and your team managed to free the last Hawaiian Islands that were occupied by the ANM threat, the USA won the war against terror and the heads of the group were arrested or dead, but the isolated units resorted with the scorched-earth policy, they set up the warhead in the city of Lihue, so it could wipe the city off the face of the Earth and make the chain of islands uninhabitable for centuries. Captain Veronica DeLaro, a special-ops spy tracked down a heavily secured crate while she was captured in a train, you remember how you landed on the train and rescued her before it could reach a tunnel… Now you were the one who needed rescue, you searched for the warhead in the city just a few minutes ago, with the help of a jury-rigged radioactive probe, you found the bomb inside a truck; you activate the hover mode and landed next to it. You barely managed to get the bomb in your harrier so the crew in the aircraft carrier could defuse it, the clock was ticking, everybody was in risk, but the ANM soldiers didn’t care anymore, you had to respond to their fire with the MP5 you always have in case of emergency, you managed to kill five of the aggressors, but you received three bullets in your right leg. When you return to your plane, you receive a call from DeLaro that you couldn’t go back to the carrier because it was pretty far and you didn’t have too much time. She told you to get the warhead to an abandoned mine, the shaft was deep enough that if you placed the bomb in the bottom the rock would neutralize the explosion and shield the city, when you arrive you find enemy Sikorsky helicopters, your biggest mistake was to ignore them. “HOVER …DE SELE…D” The AutoNav managed to say; your harrier was pretty damaged, you quickly descend before the choppers can shoot you missiles, you carry the bomb, it is pretty heavy, your right leg protests in pain with the sudden effort your body was making, you place the bomb and return to your harrier, but the entrance was blocked with heavy rocks, it was the Sikorsky helicopters, they kept shooting at the entrance with missiles, they recognized your harrier, all the frustrated ANM plans by you and your harrier came to their mind, if you managed to eliminate their last plan, they managed to eliminate you. “NO… NO… NOOOOOOO!!!!” you scream. “GODAMNIT, FUCKING CHOPPERS, THEY TRAPPED ME IN HERE, I SHOULD’VE BLASTED THEM DOWN!” you had two minutes left of life. You called back to the headquarters with the radio and talked to the Colonel and DeLaro, the closest people you’ve worked with, telling that the people on the islands were safe now, but you wouldn’t see them again, you asked them if they could send your family a love message and an apology, you would never come back. “Don’t worry about it son, you saved civilians and our valorous crew, Captain Veronica and me. You are a true hero.” Colonel Talbot says to you. “We’ll miss you, cheer up, you are totally getting schools and libraries named after you.” You let a small chuckle come out your lips. DeLaro says that she will give your family the Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart, so they can preserve your memory and the valorous act you made. “We’ll see each other in the afterlife, just wait for me champ.” DeLaro sends you a kiss through the radio. The bomb is ticking… 3… 2… 1… … … … … You open your eyes… You are in a field… An apple field….It’s over… You get up… HNNNG… your leg hurts… WHAT? You are supposed to be dead, you can’t feel pain if you are already dead, you examine your body, the bullet wounds are there, you are still bleeding… Damn, what happened? You see a giant shade behind you, you turn and see your harrier, how is it even possible? You also notice the MP5 you were carrying, and then you pick it up. You wonder what happened. Was that really a nuclear warhead? You’ve heard that the Soviets were into secret experiments more than the development of nuclear weapons. This definitely wasn’t a WMD. You suddenly hear voices and try to hide, but you can’t really move after your leg got injured. You fall down… Ouch. “Ah told ya’ sis… Ah saw a really big gray bird over here” “Applebloom, Ah’ don’t have time for this, Ah’ need those apples bucked by the end of the day and you sure are wastin mah' time… WOAH NELLY.” That accent… doesn't sound Hawaiian… what kind of name is Applebloom? “EEEEK SIS!!! What is that thing?!! They see you lying down next to the plane… are those… horses? TALKING HORSES?! “Ah’m not sure sugarcube, go get Twilight, she might know. Ah’ll handle this… HEY YOU…erhm… THING!!! YOU ARE IN PRIVATE PROPERTY!!! IF YOU DON'T GET OUTTA HERE AH’M GETTING YOU OUT WITH BUCKY MCGILLICUTTY AND KICKS MCGEE PRINTED IN YER FACE.” What kind of threat is that? You are very tired… to deal with this whole thing… “I won’t hurt you… erhm…horse… I just arrived here, I can’t move… my leg is injured and I’m losing a lot of blood, please help me out!” “HORSE?! Ah’m an earth pony, stranger! Mind ya’ manners!” “Sorry… Pony… I’m a human being, I’m sorry I appeared right in the middle of your field… I don't know where I am… I… My leg hurts… I was shot… That gray thing is my plane… ughh…” You faint, the last thing you manage to see is your plane, and you are getting carried by the orange pony. “Don’t worry stranger, Ah’ll take care of you for a while. Hang on a second.” To be continued…
Chapter 2.- ConflictCONFLICT After bringing the ANM fighters down you receive the details of the next mission, it's only 8:00 am and you quickly get your gear, a pistol and your helmet, Colonel Talbot wanted to talk with you about the trucks you saw before. Apparently those trucks were heading to a former USA base now under control of the ANM. "Sir. I'm ready, when should I start?" "Right now son! Satellite intel's show an ANM convoy moving south through the hills, our captured base is near the town of Papa. This is a straight hit and run mission. Go in low and take them out before they can escape underground and resupply the base." Road Rage Hilo Airbase, Hawaii 28th April, 08.15 You get in your harrier, this mission is perfect to try the Maverick missiles, they are air-to-ground and they have quite a good range, they are guided by an infrared system so they can follow the objectives, even though ground forces don't have a chance with them, they are pretty slow and you need to calculate the necessary distance to make a good shot. MUSIC You lift off, and turn to the west, you measure the speed, 386 knots, and the height, 261 ft, the radar shows ground enemy units armed with rockets, they aren't important, but they can be annoying, you can't waste your missiles with them, so you decide to increase the velocity to avoid their lock on your harrier, you spot an ANM fighter coming directly at your harrier, you switch to the Vultures,short but lethal rockets, since the Colonel ordered not to arm your harrier with Sidewinders, they would be pretty useless for a mission which required to eliminate ground units. You aim and fire before he does, the AutoNav. confirms the kill with a "TARGET DESTROYED" sound. "That serves you right!" You mutter. You finally found the convoy, it's protected by jeeps with machine guns. You decide to blast them down before the trucks, so they can't do any damage to your harrier... "HOVER MODE SELECTED"... You have a lot of Vultures avaible, and you have to be quick, you release the rockets with a lot of accuracy, every time you push the button of your joystick, you release three rockets. You just needed twelve to get rid of the jeeps. The jeeps are shooting at you, you can only laugh at the fact that they can't hit you, even if you remain in the same spot, you just keep dodging their bullets and blasting them at the same time. "Piece of cake." The trucks were accelerating now, they were vulnerable to your Mavericks, you switch to the air-to-ground missiles and lock them, one by one. "TARGET DESTROYED" The AutoNav. said five times, you did it. Now the USMC could recover the base that was under the control of the ANM, plus, their army would become weaker without their supplies. Man, what a day! You could do this over and over again. Not a big challenge at all... ... ... Until... ... ... You wake up... Damn, your mind can't get rid of the missions you made a while ago, you can't sleep well since the first attack, you check out your leg, it's bandaged and clean, but... it seems you still have the bullets inside, well, it's better than having an infection or something like that. Your helmet is still attached to your head, your MP5 is missing, but your pistol is still in your belt. You check out the place where you are staying, it's a cozy little bedroom, the bed is very comfortable and you can only thank the kind soul who attended your wound and offered a room for you. Your mind goes back at the moment of the explosion. You are still alive and in one piece, your weapons, clothing, helmet and the harrier came with you. You only think that if the "warhead" exploded in the city, it would bring any civilian, allies or even enemy units to this place, but... the questions are... where are you and what did the bomb do to your body or mind? You could swear an orange talking horse carried you before you blacked out. You get up and your gaze meets the window, it was a sunny day, you could see your harrier in the middle of a little corn field, and a lot apple trees. You sit down again and try to remember what happened. The fact that a pony could talk, own an apple farm and wear a hat was just simply ridiculous, you chuckle at the brief image fabricated in your imagination, maybe it was a product of dehydration or a simple hallucination. That reminds you to drink some water, but you don't see a jar or a glass in the nightstands. You try to walk to the door, but the pain in your leg reminded you to stay where you are. "Are you okay sugarcube?, Ah' took care of yer' wound, it was pretty nasty, but mah' granny has a lot of medicine and bandages." You hear a voice that comes outside of the room, she must be a southern girl, she sounds nice... and pretty familiar, you just hope the "pony" thing was just your mind playing you tricks. (That's not funny brain... you think to yourself.) "I'm fine... er... gal, thanks, my leg hurts a little, but I'm doing great, actually, I'm kinda thirsty, would you be so kind to bring me water please?" "Sure thing sugarcube, you can call me AJ! Ah'll be right back!" She sure is nice, you hope the war is over, you can't continue in the battlefield if you are not in Kauai or any other island of Hawaii; so you can take her out to dinner, as a form of showing your gratitude, if you had any money of course, she might be pretty.....AJ..... You hear multiple footsteps coming to the room, you hear the voice of a little girl, and the voice of an old lady. "Twilight isn't home right now sis, Spike told me that she went to get some of her favorite tea from Zecora. But Ah' told him to say to her that you found something strange and that she must come quickly to our farm, Ah' hope he heard everything ah said to him, because he can't get his mind offa miss Rarity." "Dangit! Now he'll have to wait for a while, Ah' couldn't get those weird gray things with mah hooves. Ah' think that fancy magic is pretty useful, us earth ponies do all the heavy work after all!" Twilight? Zecora? Rarity? Hooves? Magic?... OH GOD, IT WASN'T A DREAM AFTER ALL. You somehow ended in a place with talking magical ponies! Calm down... Keep calm... Keep calm... They are trying to help you, they are sentient, and they have good feelings, AJ cured your wound and she let you stay in a room. They are pretty nice to give a human a room even if you landed in their corn field, probably when you get on the plane you will burn her crops thanks to the hover mode. "Ah don't want you to get near that thing silly filly!, what if he harms you? Or even worse, if he touches yer flank!, Ah' want his caboose out of our farm!" She must be her grandmother, pretty overprotective and rude, well, you can't judge her, probably your granny and even your mom would act the same if your sister attended an ANM soldier. Hell, even YOU wouldn't allow it. "He ain't dangerous Granny, and he ain't a pervert either, he was sleeping like a little foal when ah' took care of his wound, he must be pretty thirsty, stand back, I'll give him the water he asked!" The door slowly opens... she enters the room with a tray... in her mouth... ugh, it has a big jar of delicious water and a glass on its surface. "Howdy pardner! Here's your water... are you totally awake or in a good condition?" "Both, thanks AJ, but I say, I'm a little impressed. I was in the middle of a battle a few hours ago... and I don't even know where I am right now." "You are in Sweet Apple Acres sugarcube, owned by me, mah big brother, mah granny and mah lil' sis. We make the sweetest and tastiest apples in all Ponyville." "Ponyville? (What an original name) I suppose it's full of ponies like you AJ." "You are right pardner! But it has also Unicorns and Pegasi, we live in a nice little community where we take care of each other. You must be the first human thingy in Equestria, a green unicorn named Lyra talks a lot about humans, she made a lot of research on them, but she always said that you humans had two little eyes, a nose and hair... not a big and only black eye and a white hard head." "What? Ohhh, no AJ, it's a special helmet so I can breathe while I fly in my plane, excuse me." You remove your helmet, the cool breeze meets your face, it feels good...She keeps staring at your face, her cheeks become red for a moment and she manages to say. "She was right after all, but Ah' didn't knew that humans had such pretty faces... he he... Ah'... erhh.. gotta buck some apple trees, see ya' later". She leaves the room, leaving you with the little filly and the cranky old pony. You don't know what just happened, but it sure felt awkward, you pour some water in the glass and drink a little, you feel relieved, not only you were alive, someone was taking care of you, even if she didn't know who you were or what you used to do. "Hey mister!" The little filly said. "Where are ya from?" "I'm from the United States of America, from a world called Earth" "Ooooo, so in that world there are...hoomans...like you? "Humans, and yes, big and small, thin and fat, black, white, brown and many other live there, we have many animals too." "Wooow, do the black ones have magic? Or the fat ones? Do the small humans have wings? "No, we don't, none of us have those abilities" "So you are like us the earth ponies" That's awesome! but you just said that helmet helped you breathe while you fly" "Oh, I said that it helped me breathe while I fly inside that plane over there" You say while pointing at your harrier that is visible trough a window. "The gray bird? How can you fly in that? It looks pretty heavy!" "It's not a bird, it's a machine, and it doesn't matter if it's heavy, it was designed to fly even if it weighs a lot, it can carry a lot of heavy things, most of the machines in my world make our lives easier and they help us to do difficult tasks." You already liked the little filly, her curious face reminded of your sister, Granny Smith interferes in your conversation, telling Applebloom to leave so she could do her homework. "Awwww Granny, Ah still want to know about the mister's world!" "No you don't silly! What you hear is just feeble sticks, go on and finish it before the sunset" "Awwww okay, later mister!" You look at the old green mare, and she only says: "You must be hungry, Ah'll bake you an apple pie, and ah guess that you are staying here for a little longer... Ah better make sure you don't do anything to my little Applejack. Ah'll better start sewing a bundling bag..." She leaves the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts. (Okay, I am living now in Ponyville, with talking ponies, there's no war, I'm the only human being in this place, I don't know if I should thank the ANM for taking me out of combat or loathe them even more. I don't know if I'll be able to come back to Earth. Maybe one of her friends will be able to find a solution, that pony named "Twilight" that Applejack wanted so much to come. I hope that she doesn't sparkle like that crappy movie of vampires.) You chuckle and rest a little more. ... Yeah, that's better...zzzzzz.... ... ... ... STOP THAT SUPER HARRIER AT ANY COSTS!!! PULL UP... PULL UP... PULL UP... PULL UP... PULL UP ... PULL UP... ENEMY MISSILE INCOMING... DAMAGE TAKEN... RETURN TO BASE... FUEL LEAKING... HUD DAMAG... ... GAH!!! You violently wake up, and then you receive a frying pan to your head... OUCH!!! "You scared me ya ugly monkey!!! Here's your darn pie!" It was Granny Smith, she looks annoyed and she leaves mumbling... You've had the same nightmare for a week, and thanks to Granny Smith now you've a headache, you wish Applejack was here, at least she would have stopped her crazy grandmother from almost giving you a severe traumatic bran injury. Well, at least she gave you the apple pie, you have a taste of it, wow... it's pretty good, you love it! "Thanks Granny, you old hag!" To be continued...
Chapter 3.- EncounterENCOUNTER Today It's a rainy day, even though you love rain, it makes you feel uncomfortable while you fly your military aircraft, even with all the missiles the ANM forces you to dodge, the weather is unpredictable and it's quite a mighty foe, you remember how many pilots died with an inconvenient storm or fogs, most of them had zero visibility and couldn't spot the SAM missiles that were sent to them from the enemy, today was a real bad day to patrol around the island. Man Down The skies over Hawaii 28th April, 09.00 "Mayday! Mayday! Eagle Nest from Eagle Four, I'm going down... I'm punching out!" You receive a radio transmission coming from Colonel Talbot. "Eagle One, this is Eagle Nest, we have a pilot down near Waikiki and we're tracking enemy aircraft moving in to pick him up. You are the only thing we have in that area, land at the crash site and get him out before enemy forces arrive." MUSIC "Darn, I need to speed up, the enemies can't be that far away from him." You accelerate and reach 457 knots, you open your laptop and the intel dept. sends you the crash location site, he is located northeast just two miles away. The data shown in your laptop transfers to the AutoNav. in your plane, your mission objective is pretty specific. "RESCUE PILOT" A little more speed... 640... 670... 700 knots... you finally find Eagle Four, he dropped a red-smoke grenade and painted a white cross next to his destroyed harrier so anyone could easily find him. "HOVER MODE SELECTED" You land next to him and quickly open the canopy, you are glad that your harrier has two seats. He quickly hops in. "Go go go go!" He says. You elevate a hundred feet and switch to jet mode. "Four what happened?!" You ask him. "A damned SAM took me down, I couldn't see shit and it was too late when I figured it out where the hell it was." He's a rude guy but a good element, and you can't blame him if he's annoyed, this was his first accident since he completed the academy training, he had more experience and a thousand more flight hours than you. "At least you are alive" You mutter. "God-fucking-dammit! I can't believe I was shot down. FUCK!" "Calm the hell down, you would be a goner if the ANM aircraft showed up to pick you up" You respond to him. "What aircraft?" "That one..." Three Apaches... No big deal, you switch to the Sidewinders and get closer to them, the legend locked shows up and you release a missile... a successful hit... the other helicopters try to turn around, but they know it's useless, they arrived late to the party, and now the hunters became the prey. "TARGET DESTROYED".... "TARGET DESTROYED" You rescued Four, now it was time to return to the base... "Wait wait, turn 30 degrees to your right!" "What for?" "See that Earth unit? That bastard was the one who shot me down." You don't want to argue with him and descend 60 feet, turn 30 degrees right and switch to Mavericks, the legend LOCKED shows up and you release the missile. "YEAH! How do YOU like that you son of a bitch!... Alright, let's get back to our base!" You sigh... You arrive to the base a couple of minutes later and land properly on the runway, Colonel Talbot receives you both near the runway. You hop off and he walks over to you. "Well done son, you rescued Four's sorry ass out there, AND you destroyed the aircraft coming towards him, you are doing great, your harrier doesn't even show any damage, that requires a lot of skill. I think you earned this..." "But YOU Four... you piece of SHIT!, do you know how much those planes cost? We are supposed to liberate Hawaii all by ourselves, but with sissies like you we'll never do it, dammit! I'll ask for another plane, meanwhile, you'll have to stick to helicopter missions from now on! GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Four gives you a deadly glare, he's obviously blaming his screw up onto you, you can't help yourself from making an eye contact, reminding him that he was the failure, not you. He finally leaves. The Colonel sure has a unique way to scold his men, he had a reputation of making a lot of tension between his soldiers. Usually by stating his favorite element, in this case it would be you... crap. "Rest up a little, Eagle One, you deserve it after a shitty day. Dismissed!" .... .... .... ... You wake up, just in the middle of the night, damn, you just can't sleep after long hours of rest, you glare at the window and see a full moon, it's beautiful... and it's also closer to the earth than it was in your world, everything is totally different in this place, you look after your aircraft but you can't find it, you could swear it was in the middle of the corn field a few hours ago, but it's gone now... OH NO, you had many important things in the plane, like magazines of your two weapons, an ammo box, a combat knife, your laptop, your medals that Talbot and DeLaro gave you, and the most important one, a collection of photos of your family that were inside the ammo-box. You couldn't start a mission without looking at them and promising them that you would come back in one piece. You better find those things before you have to ask Applejack for answers, your mind has an anger stage when it pictures the image of Applejack or Granny Smith disposing of your things. It's impossible for her to move 12,500 pounds all by herself, maybe she brought many ponies over to get rid of it! That's it, you need to get off the bed. *THUD* "OUCH" you fall off the bed, you were inside a frigging' bundling bag! Dammit, that Granny Smith was serious about it, that old fart is out of control! The only thing you do is curse, then you hear a knock on the door. "May Ah' come in?" A deep voice mutters from the door. It must be her brother. "Ah' heard a loud noise comin' from here, are ya' OK?" "Yes. I'm fine, and sure, you can." He slowly enters the room, it's a big red coated stallion with a wood yoke on its neck. "Ah' guess ya tested our granny's traditional bag." He lets out a small chuckle, "Sorry about that, we don't get many visitors to stay here and you sure ain't a common one, let me help ya' get up." He bites the bag and lifts you back to bed. Damn, he lifted you from the ground using only his teeth. "Thanks for that, I guess you are Applejack's brother right?" "Eeeeyup, I'm Big Macintosh, Ah' was in the center of the town looking for some tools, when Ah' arrived your... thing... was in the middle of the corn field, Applejack told me everything about it, but she told me not to disturb you, you were asleep after all." "Yeah, about that... If the plane was there, where is it now?" "Oh that, well, we took care of it and stored it in our barn, It was pretty heavy, but mah' sis and Ah' put it there safely with all your stuff in it. Ah'm pretty tired, I'll give ya stuff tomorrow, Ah'll be going to sleep now..." "Well thanks Big Macintosh, rest well." ... ... ... Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville ?????, 07.15 The sound of a rooster crowing wakes you up, man, what a night, you are growing up tired of laying on the bed without nothing to do, you hear a knock on the door. "Sugarcube, are ya' awake? Mah' friend is here. She's going to check out yer' injury. May we come in?" "Sure AJ, but if she's going to do that, you might want to get me out of this bag, it's pretty uncomfortable!" You can hear AJ muttering things like "Dagnabbit Granny" that only makes you chuckle, she opens the door and the two ponies enter the room. "Okay, here he is Twilight, Ah' told ya Ah' couldn't get those weird gray thingies in his leg, I only gave him some bandages and cleaned the blood." She's actually a unicorn... A friggin' purple unicorn, you can't believe it. "...Wow... he's quite... different...don't worry Applejack, you did what you could, you are a good pony, but why didn't you take him to a hospital?" She replies. "Ah don't think the town is prepared for him, maybe everypony would be scared of him ran away, remember the way we treated Zecora?" "We?" Twilight raises an eyebrow. "Well, me and the others." AJ rolls her eyes. Twilight chuckles a bit, then looks at your face. "Well, she's right about that mister...human, ponies tend to act a bit nervous around...strangers, it seems that you are the only one of your kind, how did you got injured? Were you attacked by any creature of the Everfree forest?" You decide to play cool so she can feel relaxed around you, you didn't like to be referred by your species so you tell her and Applejack your name and your rank and start to describe your world, the conflict with the ANM, the situation in the USA and the Hawaiian islands, your aircraft, the weapon technology and finally how you ended there. Even though AJ looked a lot confused, Twilight listened carefully to every detail you gave her. "Okay then, so you saved thousands of beings like you before being teleported here, it seems you are quite special, aren't you? She lets out a small giggle "Maybe my brother would like you to be in the front lines, after all you are taller than anypony." "Ah' don't think he'd like to be in another war Twilight, not after all he went trough." "I know, the way he described the ANM techniques of torture made me cringe." "Yeah right, humans sound evil and it seems like they can't talk their differences, like us ponies!" You glare at Applejack and tell her that not every person in the world is evil, and of course, if the army never responded to the ANM attacks, they would've become a stronger threat to every country in the world." "Sorry sugarcube, Ah' would like to know more about your world, but that people... were very different from you, you are a nice guy, a kind soul." You smile, nobody told you that kind of things like you, especially when you were in the military, most anti-war people just insulted you and judged every action the army made, while the supporters didn't gave a fuck about the deaths of your friends or civilians, they only wanted the enemy to bleed... Finally Twilight gets a book out of her saddlebag...with levitation... "I'll start to heal you, I'll use a quick restoration spell, your muscles and tissues will be fine in no time... why are you looking at me like that?" "How are you doing that?! That's creepy as hell!" "It's not creepy, it's magic, all of us unicorns can perform it, it only requires a bit of research and a lot of practice. Judging by your reaction, it seems magic doesn't exist in your world right? Twilight says. (You don't say?) "Sorry, it's very... impressive, I've never seen that kind of tricks." "...Alright then, I can't picture what exactly are those... bullets, how did they got inside your leg? "I'll show you... AJ, get me out of this bag please." She loosens the rope of the bag and finally releases you. (Finally, that thing was getting on your nerves.) You notice a wood support beam in the middle of the room, perfect for a little demonstration, you take out your pistol and release the safety device. "You might want to cover your ears." They look at each other in confusion. *BANG! BANG! BANG!* "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH" both ponies let out a big scream. They slowly open their eyes and look at the support beam only to see three holes on its surface." "See Twilight?, that's what happened to me, an enemy unit shot me while I retrieved the warhead, I got three rounds in my leg, they are quite dangerous, if one of those made it to my head, neck or chest, I wouldn't be talking with both you now, and maybe the warhead would've teleported the enemies, civilians and my allies to this place ." "Oh my, NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. I almost had an attack!" Twilight furiously says. "He he he, I wish I had a camera, you should have seen the look on your faces." "Thank Celestia mah brother is in the orchard or he would have kicked yer' butt outta' here!" AJ huffs. Twilight then proceeds to search a spell on her book, she finds it two minutes later. "Here it is, first, I'll get those things out of your body, and then I'll restore your tissues, I hope this spell works in humans as well" Her horn glows in a light reddish aura, she finds the metallic objects stuck in your leg and gets them out using a teleportation spell." *Cling... Cling... Cling...* The objects reappear in the air and fall on the tray that was on the nightstand, finally those things were out of your body... "Ermm... Twilight, he's bleeding now!" "Don't worry Applejack, I'll fix that in a second." A bright light comes out of her horn, it has an spherical shape, it eventually arrives to your leg, the bleeding stops, and your skin starts to regenerate, you feel no more pain. "It worked!" You stand up and walk, you can't believe it. You kneel down and give Twilight a hug, she only blushes. "Thanks Twilight, you are incredible!" The door violently closes behind you and you notice Applejack was nowhere to be found. "Ummm... where's Applejack?" "I don't know" Twilight replies. "Maybe she is upset about something. You should go find her, I'll go home and write to my teacher about you and how you ended up here, she might be able to find a way to bring you back to your world." "Okay Twilight, that's pretty helpful, see you later." She leaves the room and closes the door with a burst of magic, now the question is... why did Applejack left just like that?... To be continued...
Chapter 4.- DamageDAMAGE Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville. ?????, 13.05 It's a sunny day, you feel a bit strange that for once the sky is finally clear, you can't believe that days ago you faced a strong army, the sky you were used to soar had no more MiG-21s, F15s or ANMs model 40 and 50. Everything here is so quiet and peaceful... You are finally able to walk normally thanks to Twilight's restoring magic. "Damn, she would've been such an advantage to the Marines", you think to yourself, you get out of the bedroom and Big Macintosh greets you. "So y'er finally cured right? Twilight sure is a kind pony." "Yeah, she did an awesome job, magic sure makes an impression." "Ah' know, Ah' wish we had that fancy magic stuff, owning an Apple farm is a hard job, magic might make it a lot easier, we always get up early to start sorting buckets beneath the trees so we can buck the apples down." "That sounds pretty exhausting, but I guess it has it's rewards right?" "Eeeyup, mah' sis always participates in a rodeo every year hosted in our capital city, she always wins blue ribbons, and Ah' enter to hoof wrestle competitions in mah' favorite bar." "Haha, have you sent somebody to the hospital?" "Nope. Ah'm always careful with mah' strength... oh yeah, yer' winged thing is waiting in our barn, want to check it out?" "Sure!" You follow Big Macintosh, when you go downstairs you notice hanged photos of the Apple family, most of them containing the Apple siblings and her granny, while the others seem to be in a sepia tone, revealing other ponies you haven't seen, and notice a younger Granny Smith, probably those were her parents. Kinda makes you homesick, your grandma had a lot of antique photographs, quite valuable, black and white, her parents and even her grandparents when they were just kids. After a short walk, Big Macintosh opens the barn door and a big familiar object comes to your sight. Your Harrier. You let a sigh of relief escape from your mouth, and you decide to take a closer look... "Damn..." "Huh? What's wrong?!" Big Macintosh asks. "The Pegasus 11 engine has received several cannon bullets. Goddamn Sikorsky's cannons." "What? Your plane works with eleven pegasi? How did you stuff them inside?!" "Oh no no Big Mac, Pegasus 11 is the name of the engine, it's powered by the fuel and water vapors, not ponies". You chuckle, "I'll make sure that it's nothing serious." "How are ya' going to do that?" "I'll check the AutoNavigation system linked to my laptop, it should run a quick analysis of the plane." Big Macintosh looks confused, you only hope you didn't destroy his brain, since ponies lack the most advanced technology you start to worry, how were you going to adapt to this place? What would you do if the plane just broke down? Or how on earth would you return to your world? You decide to think in that stuff later, maybe Twilight can help. You open the canopy and hop in the aircraft, you finally find your things under the seat, the ammo box with your family photographs, the magazines for both of your weapons, your MP5 and your medals. Every one of them in their respective place, it seems you can trust these ponies at all, thanks to AJ, she immediately trusted you only with a first glare, and gave you first aids and a place to sleep, she's a good pony...and you didn't thank her as you did with Twilight... that's why she left the bedroom so upset. You feel like a dork, you'll have to apologize to her, she may be bucking all those trees in her orchard, you'll pay her a visit in a couple of hours. "So you say this thing can fly?" Big Macintosh asks. After doing a small check up with your laptop it seems the engine works just fine, and you have a 80% of fuel remaining, thank goodness the crew back on the experimental submarine carrier back in Kauai did slight changes on the armor and refueled the plane. "It seems so, It has been damaged before but it was instantly repaired by the crew in my world." "Alright then, Ah' can lend you some of my tools if you need them." He really wants to help, you wonder what are his intentions. Maybe he wants you out of his farm and his life. Or he is curious about the whole "heavy machine that can fly", you rather stick to the second thought, you don't want to look like an ungrateful paranoid. "Yeah, about this. Uhmmm, fella..." Here it goes... "Since Ah' was a colt Ah' wanted to know what flyin' would feel like, Ah' wanted to have wings like pegasi do, we earth ponies can't enjoy such things in life, you are no different than us, and if this machine can lift you in mid air, Ah' wanted to ask if Ah' could fly with yer' machine, so Ah' can fulfill that dream...please." You totally know how he feels, flying was your ultimate dream, you wanted to become a pilot since you were a kid, you wanted to be a pilot just like your father, he always told you how flying to many cities of the USA with cargo or people was so fun, when you were only eight years old, he let you enter in the cockpit of a commercial plane, the dashboard had a lot of buttons and he told you how being able to get off the boring old soil and soar the sky made him feel like a new person, a free person, you studied tons of books about commercial and military planes, the idea of flying your own plane was so thrilling, but the tension with other countries escalated quickly and it looked like the mainland was going to be attacked, you wouldn't let that happen, you enlisted in the air force and started the rough training, after a couple of years, you had experience with choppers, F15s and even A-10 "Tank Busters". But the plane that got your attention was the V/STOL Harrier, the one that could land anywhere, in a short time, without using a runway. After all the hours in the harrier, having a lot of good grades and the approval of your superiors, they sent you to the Eagle Squadron in short notice after the ANM attacked. "Fella...!" "Fella? Fella!" Big Macintosh snaps you back into reality. "Whoa! err... Sorry Mac, your proposal made me remind something." "So what do you think about it?" "Of course Mac, after all the hospitality your sisters and you gave to a foreigner I would never say no to any of you." "Thanks fella, yer' a good human!" He looks so excited, you sure feel good that you can make someone else's dream become possible. You decide to do a test to the engine, so both of you get inside the cockpit, he sits behind you and fastens his seatbelt, but he seems to be quite uncomfortable. "What's wrong Mac?" "Ah' don't think Ah' can sit like that green mare called Lyra, she sits in park benches just like you, that pony apparently has done a lot of research on humans, but don't worry about me, Ah'll find a way to sit properly." "Okay then, just sit there and do not touch anything, alright?" "Eeeeyup." You start the engine up....Yes, it works!...It needs more repairs though, the HUD shows the engine and the left wing in red and the status of the ship shows 65% of total damage, you don't worry since you have flied before with worst conditions and you always made it out alive. You switch to jet mode. The nozzles turn 90° back and the plane gains a little more acceleration, you just need to get out of the barn so you can switch back to hover mode. "HOVER MODE SELECTED" The AutoNav. says, just when you got the plane out of the barn, you could finally do what the harrier is known for... Thrusted Vectoring... "Whoa... We're in the middle of the air, but we aren't moving." He says. After you reach 200 ft in the air, you flick the switch again. "JET MODE SELECTED"... 250 knots is alright, you won't make the engine suffer if you accelerate to its top speed, it might be dangerous... "YEAAAAAAAAAH!!! AH' CAN'T BELIEVE IT! AH'M ACTUALLY FLYING! Maybe not as a pegasus, but this is pretty lifelike, thanks fella." "You're welcome Mac." "Ah' think mah' sis is working in our southern field, she'd like to see this." ... ... ... "That stupid boy, after all Ah' did for him." Applejack keeps herself busy bucking her apple trees, while she was accompanied by her sister Applebloom and her friends." "Don't be mad at him sis, he didn't know that magic was real, it didn't exist in his world!" The yellow filly replies. "So... how does that... human look like, and how did you find him Applebloom?" A white little unicorn asks her rose maned friend. "Ah' found him laying in our corn field Sweetie Belle, and he looks like... a very tall hairless monkey with hair on his head he has two hands and he's wearin' green clothes." She only shudders, and the orange pegasus filly only says: "So. He is a monster right?" "Of course not Scootaloo! He has been very kind with us. He has a unique look, but he doesn't look menacing." "How are you so sure about that? I thought you said at school that he had a gray machine capable of flying, maybe is an evil machine." "Nah, and if it were, he would use it only for good, I think he's a good person." "And he's also a jerk sister, don't talk to him too much, he comes from a violent world, maybe he doesn't pay you any attention at all..." Applejack interferes. "That's not true Applejack! He's just like an earth-pony, you don't have to be jealous of Twilight's magic!" "Ah'm not jealous of her magic! I'm just..." .... "Did ya' hear that...?!" ... "Yeah... I'm scared sis-" The four ponies look at the sky only to find the harrier flying over them. "Dear Celestia, what on Equestria is that thing?!" Scootaloo says. "OH! It's our human guest." Applebloom smiles with joy. "See? Ah' told you that machine could fly Scootaloo!" The two fillies only hide behind Applejack with a horror expression, they are clearly afraid of the harrier, the only thing Applejack can do is only stare. ... "HOVER MODE SELECTED" You decide it's time to descend, you're lucky you found Applejack and her sister among two other fillies in the middle of the orchard, you reduce altitude and prepare to land. When you do, you turn off the motor and open the canopy." "Howdy AJ, AB!" Big Macintosh waves a hoof to them and unbuckles his seatbelt. "Big Mac?! What are you doing on that thing?!" Applejack yells at him. "Our fine guest here did a favor for me, remember how Ah' told you that dream of mine?" "The flyin' one? Why shoot, Ah' can't believe you could fulfill it, but wasn't that machine damaged?" "Eeeyup, but our friend here can take on a challenge like this, Ah' guess that's why he is a big fancy pilot with a high rank in his world." She looks at you, and gives you an uneasy but thankful glare, she immediately says: "Ah' guess you owe him a nice stain full of our home made cider Big Macintosh, even if it's off-season." She chuckles. "Eeeeyup. Ah'll pick up some apples for our Granny Smith so she can smell them, I'll crush them and make the cider later." He leaves with a bucket full of apples in his mouth, leaving you with her siblings and the other two fillies. "Hey mister! Ah' can see your bird can fly after all, can I please try it too?" Applebloom begs. "No you won't sis! That thing isn't for little ponies!" "Awwww, but Ah'm a big pony!, anyway, look girls, he's mah friend, let me introduce you to him." Both of the fillies look terrified, you don't blame them though, you didn't knew they would've been here with Apple Bloom, but you better try to give them a nice smile and crouch so they don't feel intimidated by your height. "Hello girls. Don't worry, I won't hurt you, I was teleported by accident to this place a couple of days ago, if you want to ask something it's okay, I won't get mad." You say while you keep your confident smile. "It's okay girls, he's pretty friendly, he's friendly just like Zecora!" "I just hope he doesn't rhyme like her, it gets annoying after a while." the orange pegasus says. "Oookay then, I'm Sweetie Belle, and this pegasus here is Scootaloo, who are you?" The white little unicorn asks. You state your name and rank, and start telling them about your world, their horrified faces just wear off and they begin to feel comfortable around you. And they tell you about their society about finding their cutie marks. Apparently it's a picture that magically appears in their flanks after they find their talent, poor little fillies, they don't seem to have any success after hundreds of tries in many areas. While they talk to you Applejack hums a happy tune while she carries on her work. "Hey mister, why are your clothes green and your right leg has a huge red stain?" Sweetie Belle asks. "My sister Rarity is a fashionista and she says those colors don't mix up very well." "Uhm.. It's not supposed to look like that..." "I'll ask her to make you new clothes, that cammo outfit seems to be torn and dirty. Besides you might be careful the next time you eat a tomato. You can stop by her boutique so she can take your measurements, it's near the town hall." The white filly happily says. Tomato? What an innocent filly, it's preferable she thinks this way, maybe she would've fainted if she heard that it was blood. You notice that the orange filly is still keeping her attention on your harrier, she turns to see Applebloom and she proposes new ideas for their cutie marks. Ideas that involved your harrier, ideas that never succeed, and that apparently make them covered in tree sap. You become nervous and quickly state that they can't touch the harrier, because it was a war machine only to be operated by experienced pilots, only to hear a big "Awwwwwwww" that breaks your heart. After a couple hours Applebloom's friends go back to their respective houses, before that, Sweetie insisted that you should see her sister so she can make new clothes for you, and you answered that you could pay her a visit when ponies were used to see him or the authorities were consent of your presence, if Applejack told you the truth about Twilight being the "most faithful student" of the ruler in Equestria she might want to have a word with you so she can decide about you and your military aircraft's fate. Applebloom goes back to the house and you are alone in the orchard with Applejack... You owe her an apologize... "Applejack, about that... overreaction I had... I realized that I didn't give you proper credit for attending my injury and myself or even letting me stay in a room, I'm sorry; and if you want me out of your farm I'll just leave, I don't want to be a parasite and I can't take advantage of your hospita..." She shuts your mouth with a hoof, and she begins to speak... "Oh sugarcube, you ain't a parasite, Ah' actually like having you around in our farm, I am the one who should be apologizing instead, after seeing how you look after my siblings, you aren't a violent being, Ah' was the one who overreacted when Twilight cured you, it was a selfish attitude of me, and I'm really sorry, will you please forgiv..." You place a hand on her mouth and tell her that it was okay, there was no need to ask for forgiveness, and you tell her you like to stay in her home, and that you would help her in any chores if she had any for you. You stand up and pat her head with your hand, after a couple hours of chit chat you notice that the sun is hiding. "Shoot, the sun is already going down and the house is 2 miles away. Ah' guess we should go back to the house pardner... pardner? pardner!" "Get in Applejack" You were already inside the harrier, ready for the ride back to the barn that it would only take less than a couple of minutes. "Uhhh... is it safe?" She carefully climbs on a wing. "Of course it is, we'll arrive to your house faster." She shrugs and sits on the back seat, she fumbles to find the seatbelt, when you hear a clic, you close the canopy and turn on the engine, the AutoNav. activates and a loud "HOVER MODE SELECTED" is heard, Applejack can't believe this, maybe it's too much for her, she only lets out a "What in tarnation?!" "Don't worry AJ, It will be a smooth trip." "All right sugarcube, if you say so..." JET MODE SELECTED... To be continued...
Chapter 5.- AdaptationADAPTATION Hilo Airbase, Hawaii. 28th May, 17.30 It seems that the news crew has arrived to Hawaii, great, there's even more people that need extra protection, they shouldn't be here at all, after they had interviewed Colonel Talbot and Mad Dog, the leader of the Eagle Squadron, they finally leave to a town called Naalehu with some ground forces, apparently it's safe, they don't seem to be worried at all, most of the crew present has already been into conflict situations, however, they still have no experience using guns, maybe they aren't taking the conflict with seriousness, after all the progress made by the Eagle Squad, the ANM forces are retreating from Hawaii. After a big meal consisting of... you didn't know what was in it, you always hated the army dishes, the meat wasn't well cooked enough and the vegetables always tasted like carton, although they gave you the necessary nutrients you needed to remain in the air the whole day. "Hey Eagle One, Colonel Talbot needs you immediately!" You head out to the Headquarters picking up a faster pace, apparently it's an emergency situation and the Colonel was requesting you to deploy in action, after you arrive to the intel room he says to take off immediately. He would debrief your mission once you were inside the plane, you search for a SMG and a pistol, after you equip them, you head out to the hangar only to find the technicians and other ground personal already placing your harrier on the runway. "Hop in sir!" You open the canopy of the harrier and sit down, turn on the engine, the laptop and the HUD. You check the weapon and navigation system to see if everything is in order. Ready... Liberation Hilo Airbase, Hawaii. 28th May, 18.00 "Our ground troops have reported ANM forces moving into the town of Naalehu. We can't let them establish another stronghold there, but we have reports that the town is partially populated. You have to make this a surgical strike - take out the enemy units but keep collateral damage to an absolute minimum." MUSIC Oh damn, this is a critical situation, the ANM is not only a bunch of dangerous soldiers, but they are also cowards, they went into the still populated city, you better hurry, who knows what will they do to the women and children. You take off quickly and turn Southwest, thanks to the AutoNav. Naalehu appeared in the HUD immediately, just a pair of miles away, you spot multiple enemy ground forces and MiG21s, they immediately launch their missiles towards you, they sure know how to give a warm welcome, fortunately, you were well aware now in how to dodge their missiles, increasing the speed and decreasing the altitude gave you the opportunity of making them waste their ammo. You don't mind fighting back with them, the most important task was destroying the tanks in the middle of the city, you decided to do a quick air-strike with the homing Air-to-Ground Maverick missiles. When you arrive you spot three Apache helicopters and two F-15 jets, already shooting at you with their rotatory cannons, unfortunately, they succeeded hitting your plane, they even got a clear shot in the canopy, dang, they could've been able to blast your brains if you didn't move, the AutoNav. confirms the hits muttering an infamous voice that says "DAMAGE TAKEN", reminding you to stay alert. You decide to start with the jeeps in the outskirts of the town, they were carrying soldiers and supplies, a LOCKED legend appears in the HUD and you release the first missile... It's a successful hit, you release the second, and the third, not missing a single shot, the explosions begin to turn into fuel catching fire and letting out a lot of dark smoke, you quickly turn around and switch to the Sidewinder missiles, taking advantage of the speed of the harrier you get near a helicopter and shoot it, not even waiting for the lock, a bright explosion covers your left, the enemy looks confused, they never expected a quick attack made by a single element of the U.S.A., you decide to continue the attack on the forces in the city center. You'll have to rely on the Mavericks and open spaces between the buildings. After a fifteen-minute struggle with tanks, and a clever use of Vultures and Mavericks you managed to free the town of ground enemies, you spot a single truck leaving Naalehu, the results were better than you've expected, you could destroy the enemy tanks without harming civilians or buildings, the last ones fighting were the F-15 jets and the Apaches, you can't believe you forgot about them, and also that they couldn't hit you, you must've moved pretty quickly to keep them searching for you, in a matter of no time, you bring the aircraft down, the last jet was trying to go back to its base, it was useless, it took too much hits, you release three rockets. Naalehu is safe now, you did what you were told, still, it doesn't make it any better knowing that you could leave a couple of unarmed ANM soldiers alive, you were not prepared to see them die under your cannon fire while they were raising their hands in a clear act of surrendering, begging for mercy, this was not like you... so... what made you do that? You land on a building and grab your SMG, you descend trough the stairs and open a door only to find the news crew along some civilians and four dead marines, the news gal bursts in tears when you tell them that the town is free from the opposing forces, giving you a big thankful hug, the civilians cheer while the rest of the news crew record the aftermath of the battle, apparently, they didn't look nervous at all, it seems that this was the first time the news girl was in a battle, she was so stressed, you ask where was the rest of the team. "They were...*snif* captured by the ANM... we were held as hostages in this building until you arrived. They were outnumbered and then captured, they were heading south in a large truck." She answers. You call back to the HQ to report the success of the mission, and the situation of your colleagues. "Damn it!" Talbot shouts. "I guess this is a job for the Special Ops team, well done Eagle One, return to the Eagle Nest for your next orders. Over!" ..... ..... Sweet Apple Acres, Ponyville Two weeks after arrival, 06.00 "Come on sugar cube! Get up! Those apples ain't gonna pick themselves!" "Ughhh Applejack, do I really have to get up early?" You reply. "Besides, what's the point? I've been carrying buckets full of apples for two weeks straight, you have hundreds of apple trees, and we only picked a small part of your orchard!" "Why shoot, of course ya' have to get up early, don't cha' remember ya' said ya' wanted to help me, besides, yer' a military man remember? Your superior err...Tablon? would be very dissapointed! Quit actin' like a filly and get up or there won't be any breakfast fer' you!" "Talbot" you correct and roll over in the bed grumbling, she giggles and walks over to you, she places a hoof on your shoulder and whispers into your ear in the sweetest tone she has ever made. "Please get up sugar cube." "See, that wasn't so hard was it? I'll be happy to help you today... mom." You both share a laugh, then she scolds; "Let's get goin' ya lazy human!" . After a really tasty cereal bowl with apple slices that Granny Smith prepared for you, Applebloom asks if you go to her school to pick her and her friends up, at noon, you don't think that's a good idea, mainly because you don't know how other ponies will react in your presence, sure, everyone you have met already were good intentioned, (even Granny Smith, who already accepted you in her farm, finally realizing that you meant no harm.) "Awwww come on mister, pleeeeeease, mah' friends will be happy if you come ta' our school! Ah've told to all my classmates about you! They still don't believe me! Especially that mean Diamond Tiara, she says I'm a liar and she's mean to you, if you came to our school you would shut her trap!." "I don't know Applebloom, I don't..." "Please mister, Sweetie Belle asked me if ya' could come with us to her sister's boutique, her sister Rarity will be glad ta' make new clothes fer' ya'." "That's not a bad idea actually, but her sister hasn't met me yet, how can I ask for new clothes when I'm not a pony and I have no money?" "OH! That's no problem at all, she's a very generous and a classy mare, she just won't let you go in the town with yer' dirty ol' uniform..." "What about the other citizens, wouldn't they think I'm a dangerous being, wouldn't they treat me like a monster on the way there?" "The school is at the outskirts of Ponyville, nopony will see you if you take the right path, you can come with Applejack, she'll introduce you to all her friends, pleeeeeeeeaseeeee?..." "Ughhh fine, it's up to Applejack, I mean, if she's not that busy." Both of you turn your heads to Applejack, waiting for an answer. "Aw, shucks, alrighty then, but we'll hafta work twice as hard to recover that lost time and pick up more apples ya' hear? ...Crap, it's going to be a long day. ... ... "Hey sugar cube, take a shower! It's time to pick Applebloom up, and hurry up, we don't wan't to keep her waitin'!" "Phew, OK, I'm glad it's over, man, I guess it's a good idea to visit Sweetie's sister after all, I don't think my uniform will endure that much, it's covered in dirt, sweat and it still has the blood stain on it." "Tomato stain..." "Huh?" "Remember, keep it innocent for Sweetie Belle sugar cube." Applejack chuckles. "And yeah, mah' friend will make clothes only for you, but please, ask her to make it simple, she tends to... huh... prettify everything. She can be very superficial, but she's a nice mare." "I'll keep that in mind, I guess I'll ask for another cammo outfit, exactly like this one." After the shower you walk along Applejack to the school, you surely did not wanted to disappoint Applebloom and her friends, you don't spot other ponies, when you spot what its supposed to be a little schoolhouse you hear... "What in Equestria is that thing?!" "By the name of Celestia! What's that supposed to be?!" "THE HORROR, THE HORROR!" "ALERT PONYVILLE, A TALL CREATURE ENTERED TO OUR TOWN LOOKING FOR OUR SOULS" "IT HYPNOTIZED APPLEJACK, SHE TROTTING ALONG WITH THE ALIEN" You expected some ponies to be scared, but that's just a damn exaggeration, they quickly gallop away from you, Applejack remains silent, only rolling her eyes, finally she speaks... "Ignore them sugar cube, those ponies are scared by anything that moves. Working with flowers all the day under the heat of the sun make them go...you know..." "Batshit insane?" "Err... yeah, Ah' guess, but, was the cuss word really necessary?" "You said it yourself AJ, I'm a military man remember?" You chuckle. A couple minutes later both of you arrive to the schoolhouse, you are kinda nervous, you don't really know how the other fillies will react, the bell rings, calling the day for the crusaders and her friends, Applejack decides to enter the school to tell her sister you came after all, so she can tell the others about your presence. ... "Pfft so that mascot of yours came after all? Wow Applebloom, it must be nice to have a pet that obeys your brothers. My daddy has a lot of servants, but you don't have to pay to that stinking ape!" "Hey, cut it off Diamond Tiara! He's not a pet, nor an stinkin' ape! He's our friend! Leave him alone!" Applebloom responds, obviously angry. "Yeah! He's special AND a good person, unlike you... you... big meanie..." Sweetie Belle joins the discussion. "Pffft whatever Sweaty Butt! Why don't you and your loser friends go find your cutie-marks at human taming or something like that? Since you like him too much?" Diamond Tiara replies. "At least we have someone to play and spend our time with! Unlike you poor sad filly, always forgotten by her dad who likes his business more than you!" Scootaloo angrily shouts at Diamond Tiara. "Oooh it is on Scootaloser! Get ready because I'm..." "GIRLS! STOP IT!" "But Miss Cheerilee... She started!" The three fillies point at Diamond Tiara. "Tiara. Stop it, we'll meet Applejack's pe- I mean, friend! He's not from Equestria, So I'd like everypony to be nice to him, alright?" Cheerilee looks at her class. "Yes Miss Cheerilee!" The foals reply. "So Applejack, is this *ahem* human dangerous?" "Don't worry Miss Cheerilee, he's not dangerous at all, he's pretty friendly, but Ah' must warn ya', he is not very fond of being called a monster, or ape." "Oh, OK, let him in then!" "IT'S OK SUGARCUBE, YOU CAN COME IN NOW!" You open the door and enter the classroom, your skinny and tall figure surprises the teacher and the foals, an awkward silence is present until the Cutie Mark Crusaders run to you and introduce you to their classmates. "He's from another world!" Applebloom yells. "He was at his country's military and he saved thousands of lives!" Sweetie Belle adds. "And he rides a totally awesome machine that can fly and shoot large tubes that explode!" Scootaloo excitedly adds. Well, they've got the foals' attention, they instantly become interested in you. And begin to ask you things, you can only give out a sigh, relieved from the tension you calmly answer their questions, noticing only a look of disbelief from a pink filly with a light purple and white mane wearing a tiara, it seems that she is the brat who picks on Applebloom and her friends, a purple hoof touches your back, it was the teacher's, trying to introduce herself. "Hello, mister... uh..." You reply by stating your name and rank. "Oh, OK, I'm Miss Cheerilee, it's such a pleasure to meet the fillies' new friend." "The pleasure is mine Miss Cheerilee." You politely praise her teaching abilities from all the stories you've heard from the Crusaders, adding that you wanted to meet her personally. After all, she's pretty patient with the Crusaders and their antics. Thing that sometimes can get you on your nerves, she starts to feel more comfortable around you, she chuckles at the short anecdotes you can pull out from your time staying here. She finally says. "Well, that's it for our special guest, remember kids, be nice to him, I, for one, welcome him to Ponyville, please give him an applause." The foals cheer and clap their hooves on the floor, everypony was ready to leave, so you walk out the school house along Applejack and the Crusaders, you can't believe it, these ponies have good souls, they don't mind with the fact that an alien arrived to their world and... OUCH! You catch an small rock to head. It was thrown by the flower ponies from earlier, and they brought more ponies to give you a proper welcome. "There it is! The monster that hypnotized Applejack!" "Oh no! He also hypnotized the foals and Miss Cheerilee! BEGONE YOU MONSTER!" The crowd starts throwing rocks at you, you can't dodge them forever, you need help, Applejack quickly intervenes. "What in tarnation are ya'll doing?! He's not a monster! He can't perform magic either! He's a human being! He's not evil!" "SHE'S CLEARLY UNDER ITS' CONTROL, DON'T BE FOOLED!" That's it, you decide to reach your pistol inside the holster, a good bullet in the air will scare them away, you pull out the gun and... "STOP IT!!!" That voice... seems familiar... "Huh?" The crowd turns around... it's Twilight! "What in the name of Celestia are you doing?!" "We are trying to scare that monster away Twilight Sparkle, we don't know what that thing has done to Applejack, Cheerilee and her students! Go away, you are not helping at all!" "Daisy, stop this nonsense, he's not a monster, he's a human being, and YOU are the one who is not helping at all! You can't throw rocks at ponies, or other species, and make others to be afraid of them! What's wrong with you?" "But... but we don't know his intentions, he may be a criminal, or a carnivore!" "And throwing rocks at him will make all of you know him better?! No? That's what I thought, leave him alone, he's now a creature under Celestia's Protection, certified by this document!" She levitates a scroll and shows it to everypony." The ponies drop their rocks and leave mumbling, Applejack and you walk over to Twilight, thanking her for her intervention. "So your princess gave me a certification? Without even knowing about my appearance, or how I ended up here?" You ask Twilight intrigued. "Oh, no no, she knows about you, I've told everything about you in my letters, and this paper is actually a citatory, she and her sister, Princess Luna want to meet you, in our capital city Canterlot, they will decide if you are capable of being around us, they also need to check your harrier, and discuss its potential in Equestria, they will give you full documentation and rules, they want to meet you next week." "Oh... that's... great... I suppose, I hope they don't treat me like a menace!" "That's very unlikely, I've told them that you have been working with the Element of Honesty at her farm, so they trust you and your intentions. After all, you were a soldier, and you follow rules." "Well, yeah, I guess you are right Twilight, I'll be looking forward to it. So... Sweetie Belle, you said you were taking me to your sister's place right?" "Uhhh, Oh Yeah I did!" Sweetie replies, with an adorable voice crack, "Yes mister, she'll be happy to help you out, after all, you can't meet the princesses with those ugly clothes, let's get going!" ... ... To be continued...
Chapter 6.- WelcomeWELCOME Carousel Boutique, Ponyville Two weeks after arrival, 15.00 "Here we are mister! My sister's boutique! She's the best fashionista in Equestria! She's already interested in making clothes just for you! But I have to warn you, she tends to... exaggerate a lot when she's inspired." "I'll keep that in mind, thanks Sweetie Belle, I hope she doesn't think that I am some sort of monster." "Don't worry about it. She knows how you look like because I showed her photos of you in an article featured in our school's paper that our classmate Featherweight published just yesterday." "Really? An article about me?... Featherweight... the colt who is the editor of your school's paper isn't it?... I don't recall posing for a photo, or even going outside the farm to be seen in public!" "Well, he was quickly interested in you when we told to our classmates about you when you arrived to Sweet Apple Acres, so he sent our staff photographer to take you some shots while we were writing the article." "Really? That's nice I guess... a bit creepy though." "Ah have yesterday's newspaper, do you want ta' see it mister?" Applebloom asks. "Of course Applebloom, I don't want to end up giving a bad image to the locals." "Ok, just wait a sec." Applebloom searches for the newspaper in her saddlebag. "I'll go get my sister, she'll be excited to meet you mister!" Sweetie Belle says and runs inside the overly feminine looking business. Man, such awesome fillies, definitely the Cutie Mark Crusaders were your best friends, they accepted you, an alien from other world, they didn't mind about your looks and played with you, you didn't felt alone or rejected, they even encouraged you to wander into town to meet their friends and teacher. Applejack, as your friend, nah, she is more than a friend, she's more like your family, she gave you a place to sleep, she took care of you, she gave you food and a job, hell, Rarity can't beat that level of generosity, even if she's supposed to resemble generosity of the Elements of Harmony. "Here it is mister!" Applebloom reaches the newspaper out of her saddlebag. "Thanks AB" You pet her mane. "Let's see" You read and speak loud enough so Twilight and Applejack can hear what's in the article. "...New species found...Human...Male...possibly the only one in Equestria... sentient and capable of speaking... former soldier... owns technology... only able to fly in his plane called Harrier... now working at Sweet Apple Acres...Hmmmm, nothing really important." "Well, that's a relief don't ya' think sugarcube?" Applejack says. "It's not gossip or slander." "Yeah, it's cool, it's not like these three fillies can do a big damage right?" "Uh... yeah, unlike that nosy Gabby Gums, spreading those lies about every citizen in Ponyville." Applejack and Twilight stare at Scootaloo and Applebloom with a smug smile. "Ah' wonder what happened to her." Scootaloo and Applebloom look embarassed, you decide to ignore that comment. "Alright then, just a couple of pages and... What the...?!" "Uh... is something wrong?" Twilight asks. "Ummmm, hey dude, I think you shouldn't look at those pages" Scootaloo suggests. "There's plenty of photos in here, in this one I'm picking apples, in this one I'm sleeping!" "OH! Asleep in the job! Ya' lazy human! So that's why I couldn't find you when I needed those buckets!" Applejack madly interrupts. "No AJ, look at this photo, I'm sleeping in my bedroom, at night!" "Oh, Ah' guess it's different now, let me have a look." You handle the newspaper to Applejack, she just stares at the pictures. "Heh, you look pretty manly in this one sugarcube, shooting yer' metallic weapon, I hope you had a good reason to do it." "Yeah he did." Twilight speaks up. "I asked him if he could teach me about his plane and weapons, boy, I didn't knew his species had so much remarkable scientific achievements, we spent 5 hours talking about that remember.?" "Yeah I remember Twilight, I also remember Applejack scolding me over not working that day, thanks for that." You roll your eyes back in annoyance. "I guess we depend a little too much in magic, when I sent a letter to my teacher, Princess Celestia, about yourself and your advanced technology she demanded a meeting for the next week." "Whoa Nelly!" Applejack loudly exclaims, then proceeds to shove the newspaper under her hat. "Is something wrong Applejack?" you ask. "Uhm, nope." "Ooookay?" You just shrug, when you suddenly hear a refined sounding voice behind you. *Ahem* Hello gentle... fellow. You turn around and face a white coated pony with a purple curled mane and azure eyes, by the way she looks you can tell that she has been looking forward to meet you, since her sister talked about you so much. "My name is Rarity, I'm Sweetie Belle's sister, it's a pleasure to meet the... human was it?" You nod. "Who looks after my friend Applejack and her family, it is so nice of you, please come in." "Alright sugarcube, be nice and come back to the farm soon after you are done, we'll be going back to the farm, Twilight, why don't ya' join us over for dinner?" "I'm sorry Applejack, but I promised Spike not to leave him alone cleaning the library, we'll leave that for another day. See you later." She turns to you and says "Remember, big guy, next week we'll go to Canterlot to see Princess Celestia and her sister. Take care." You wave at her as she walks away. You enter the building with Sweetie Belle and her little sister. "Hey Scoots, mah' granny made some pie today, wanna come over for dinner?" "Aww yeah, I love your granny's food Applejack, let's go!" "Uh sis? What are you going to do with our newspaper?" Applebloom asks. "Oh... that, I'll throw it away when we arrive home okay? Ah' don't want him to be upset with your classmates over some silly pictures. Let's git going!" Applejack begins to trot away. Scootaloo whispers to Applebloom "I bet your sister looked at the picture where his 'manly sugarcube' was taking a bath, did she?" Applebloom begins to chuckle and responds "Yeah, Ah' bet she'll be keeping that newspaper, she was so red in embarrassment as a tomato!" The fillies laugh. ... ... "So, you arrived here just after a battle, with a metallic object able to fly?" Rarity asks as she takes your measurements, you only nod. "Oh my, it must be very hard to be part of your military, especially if you fought with your own kind." "Yeah, it was quite a big challenge, but I'm sure we fought for good, those citizens were in a pretty bad situation." "I can figure, Sweetie here told me that those ruffians were almost close to blowing up a dam near a city. And then you showed up to stop them, that was very brave of you, protecting those innocent citizens. Over and over many different threats." "Well thanks Miss Rarity, I also need to express how grateful I am for your generosity, after receiving a not so warm welcome to Ponyville it really makes me happy." You reply. "Huh. A hero and a gentlecolt, you're quite welcome darling." She levitates large rolls of fabric with her magic. "So, what do you want me to do?" She asks. "Well, I... don't know how to ask this, but I need plenty of clothes, ideal for working at Sweet Apple Acres, uhmm... socks, boots or shoes and ...um... underwear." "Uh huh, of course darling, I guess this fabric will be alright for your work, it's quite special." She presents to you what it appears to be... just denim, well, you can finally say goodbye to your old uniform. "And this will make a nice shirt, and this... you'll look fabulous darling! I'll get to work on it immediately, you can come back in three days, I'll have a couple of surprises for you." "Thanks a lot Miss Rarity, I'll be back by that time, see you tomorrow Sweetie Belle." "Bye mister! Take care." ... As you leave the Boutique you realize that now you're on your own, in the middle of the ponies' town, you give the area a quick scan, and prepare yourself if somebody...er...pony tries something. You begin walking back home. You feel the strange sensation of being observed. You decide to shrug it off. When you hear a voice just behind you. "Erm... Hello?" You quickly turn around, only to face a green unicorn with yellow eyes and a lyre for cutie mark. "Are you... a human being?" She asks, this sure is a weird one. "Yes I am, how did you know that? "I...I can't believe it... after all those years of research, and all those legends, I knew humans were real!" She's starting to freak you out. "My name is Lyra Heartstrings, I'm a musician, I know a lot about humans, after all these years I finally found a real human, mind if I ask you a few questions?" "Sorry but I can't..." Her ears flatten and she looks away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, I'll just leave." You sigh. "Don't." She quickly turns around with an obvious excited and at the same time creepy face. You walk back at Sweet Apple Acres with her following you. She asks a lot of questions, mainly about anatomy and physiology, some questions about the place you came from, questions about the other gender, relationships, beliefs, etc. "Lyra?" "So humans have no more metallic bodies to protect yourselves?..." "Lyra..." "And your babies are also coat-less?... So that's why you wear fine clothes all the..." "Lyra!" "Oh sorry, am I bothering you?" "No no, it's fine, I'm just wondering how do you know so much about humans? It's like they've been here before me?" "Well, it's just that, the legend says that a group of humans like you used to live in Equestria thousands of years ago, but they were totally different than you, they were totally savage, they made sacrifices, spoke in a very weird language and they used to fight with each other, they didn't last enough." "Really? But... how did they... nevermind, I don't even know how I arrived here, I don't think that bomb was an actual threat." "Uh bomb? I guess I asked you a lot of questions already, why don't you tell me your story?" "...Sure, why not?" You give her a reassuring smile. An hour passes and your stomach growls in protest, cereal is good, but not enough to keep you satisfied, you suddenly spot a building that looks like it was taken from Hansel and Gretel. Lyra notices this. "Are you hungry? I can buy you some sweets, is the least thing I can do for you after all." "Uh, yeah thanks!" You both enter the store and you spot a pink pony attending the bar. She speaks up. "HELLO LYRA!, WELCOME! WHO'S YOUR FRIEND?" Sheesh, this one sure is loud, you suddenly think coming here was a bad idea. "Uh he's a human being, he's used to be a soldier, he's a friend of Applejack." "OOOOH APPLEJACK?! SHE'S ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS!" She dissapears from your field of vision, and suddenly reappears in front of you."HI I'M PINKIE PIE, IF YOU ARE A FRIEND OF APPLEJACK, YOU ARE A FRIEND OF MINE!" She extends you a hoof to shake your hand, as soon as you grasp her hoof, you receive a very strong shock that makes you fall to the floor. "Hi hi hi, don't worry, it's a mild shock! Wait, let me get my welcome wagon just for you!" "Wait what?" Suddenly a colorful big wagon is placed by the pink hurricane in front of you. She presses a button and music starts playing from it, waving some flags. "Welcome welcome welcome A fine welcome to you Welcome welcome welcome I say how do you do? Welcome welcome welcome I say hip hip hurray Welcome welcome welcome To Ponyville todaaaaay!" You only stare confused. "Wait for it!" *SPLOCH* You are now covered by... cake mix? "Ooopsie, I forgot to replace the cake mix with confetti, again! Don't worry, I'll get it off you!" Her tongue stretches out of her mouth and she gives you a very big lick, getting all the cake mix out of your body, and she... swallows it... ugh, you'll need another bath. "Pinkie..." Lyra interrupts. "Just give our friend some sweets, I told..." "Oh don't worry Lyra, I'll give him a big cake just for him, and don't worry, I invite!" She quickly handles you a delicious looking cake. "Wow, thanks Pinkie!" She may be somewhat annoying, but she has a good heart. You take a quick glance at the clock, you should be going now, if you don't want trouble with Applejack. "Oh look at the time, I need to return to Sweet Apple Acres, bye Lyra, bye Pinkie, we'll catch up other time!" They both say their goodbyes to you. Man, this place is totally different, it's a little girl's dream and you fit very well in it... wait what?! Damn, this is making you soft, but you don't mind at all. You've experienced a lot of trouble back in Earth, you deserve a vacation. ... ... ... "G'night AJ!" "G'night sugarcube, remember, Big Mac and I will harvest apples tomorrow, you can pick up the corn in the southern fields." "Roger captain!" "Huh?" "It means: Alright ma'am" "Ooohhh, hehehe, ok. Mah granny knows better about military than me! See you tomorrow!" You climb up the stairs and get inside your room, before you undress you check if there are no cameras in here, maybe those freaking colts won't leave you alone. Fucking newspaper, you close the curtains and get out of your uniform, you don't feel sleepy at all, you notice a book shelf... Maybe there's an interesting title in here... "Daring Do? Looks entertaining." "Hard work pays off?...Tell me about it..." You say as you look at your muscles, thanks to the Army and AJ you can show off your muscles, DeLaro would love them... You chuckle. "The art of the to do list... Nah..." "Daring Do it is..." You take out the cake Pinkie gave you and start eating it while you relax on your bed. ... "It's going to be a good week..." To be continued...
