Forged In Flame

"Time is an illusion, and so is death."

The calmness of nonexistence can't really be understated, or exaggerated. Free floating in an endless void of black and nothingness has its perks, notably the lack of coherent thoughts and feelings. Or maybe that was a con, I couldn't tell you myself.

I don't know how long I spent there, waiting, watching, dying and being torn limb from limb endlessly and painlessly in the darkness. The human brain tends to adjust after long periods of time spent in darkness, with a known phenomenon that compensates for the lack of vision where the brain will hallucinate things. Somewhat relevant to this, the human brain has also evolved to be able to recognize other human faces with advanced pattern recognition, even seeing faces in things like clouds and treebark.

Now those two things on their own are not worrysome, but combine the two and it becomes a problematic scenario to stay entrenched in total darkness for eons and seconds. My eyes never opened, but I saw. There wasn't sound, but I heard. I couldn't touch, but I felt. The things that passed through me and the things that I could hear around me as I drifted through an endless universe of blinding darkness.

I couldn't quite understand what was happening or where I was, and even if I did I doubt I could comprehend it. Something like a realm outside of life but not death, if that was what death was... maybe it was hell. I couldn't tell you how long I spent there, it could've been seconds or months, it was all a blur. Then I felt a sensation like falling, falling with no wind passing by you, only the indication that your balance has shifted and you aren't upright.

And my eyes opened.

I fully came to with a gasp, bolting upright and clutching a balled fist against my chest, against the plate carrier. My eyes burned, adjusting to the piercing light as the realization instantly clicked in my head. I looked at my hands and to my body, absent of all pain and marring scorches that were sure to be there. One of my hands refused to open, feeling it clutch something tightly as I did my best to release the death grip I had against it.

Eventually the locked up limb acquiesced and opened finger by finger, letting me see a torn and battered shred of a uniform collar with a mangled Gunnery Sergeant pin still stuck to it. I blanched, my other hand rushing to clutch my head as I stared wide eyed at the pin that brought it all back in full.

"..James.."

I tore my eyes away from the pin with a shivering breath, stuffing it into my pocket quickly as I focused on anything else. I don't know what I expected to see, but it definitely wasn't what I was dealt. Before, all that surrounded me was sparse green and luscious sand, mixed with the occasional destroyed home or vehicle. Now..?

Now there was a vibrant forest which seemed to dance with the sun. And that sun! It felt like God herself crawled against me for a night of fun, every band of light feeling like a cool drink of water. My hands moved to remove the strap holding my helmet against my head, then dropping the said piece of gear to my side. The short cropped hair on my head let me feel more of that golden ray all on me, and fuck was it good.

Basically prying myself to another topic of concern, I was in a forest. It doesn't make much sense to me either. I looked down again, this time focusing on surroundings more than myself, and noticed that a massive circle around me was seemingly charred black with fire, and I was directly in the center. If this was heaven, God had a sick sense of humour.

To my immediate left, I see my helmet sitting in the blackened grass and reach out to grab it, my eyes spotting my M27 a little further off in the burned patch. I reapplied my helmet to my scrabbly head and groaned as I rose to my knees, then to my feet shakily. I put one foot in front of the other, a sudden visage of being unable to move my legs entirely flashing through my head. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I pushed onward. One foot in front of the other.

I eventually managed to reach my rifle, picking it up by the grip and letting my other hand find it's way to the radio on the left side of my plate carrier, turning it back on as I fished around for my compass and map tools. Deciding it was probably best to find the edge of the forest and maybe settlement, North West was the chosen direction. I returned my items to their respective areas, and started walking. I stopped at the edge of the burned area and looked back toward the center, then I left.

My body didn't feel sore, didn't even ache. It was like one moment in sheer agony then the next in relative normalcy. The adrenaline of the situation was beginning to wear off as I move through some actually decently forested area. Undergrowth was plentiful here but nothing I couldn't step over or around as of yet. It felt a lot brighter in this forest than it should have been, the treetops were nearly full coverage but I could see as if they weren't there at all.

I was on full alert in this place, I felt somewhat uneasy to just be here, let alone the circumstances of what brought me here. I was fairly sure I was dead, and this was some kind of afterlife. If that was the truth it was pretty shitty, considering I still felt most of what I felt back on Earth. To be fair, descriptions of heaven were almost always vague and left up to individual interpretation, so this place being shitty made a nominal amount of sense.

The thought that I was dead was.. slightly discomforting, maybe? I didn't know how to feel, I was prepared for it on a lot of occasions, but the problem I took with this was just how sudden and... off it felt. Things like that don't happen, getting an odd feeling before a sudden shift is something that only happens in the movies. And... James.

Don't think about it. Just don't think about it.

Fuck. No point in trying to dodge this one. That was undeniably the uncontested champion for worst times in my entire life. And I've experienced some shitty fucking times. James was... fuck!

I was angry, and it showed in my demeanor. The forest was my natural habitat, the place I always felt most comfortable. But right now? I just wanted to burn it to the ground. I was.. furious, and I couldn't tell you any reason as to why. I never got angry like this, even with extreme emotional duress.

After a moment of bathing in my own emotions and anger I let my rifle drop to my chest, held by my sling as I held my head in my heads and fell to my knees. "WHY GODDAMNIT? WHY HIM? AND WHY THE FUCKING WEEK BEFORE I WAS OUT? DO YOU TAKE YOUR SICK PERVERTED PLEASURE ON WATCHING YOUR PAWNS BREAK ON YOUR FUCKING KNEE?!"

It hurt, more than anything it just hurt. I felt that boiling rage start to go away after the only mental episode I'd had in a long time started to come to a close. I let my arms fall to my sides and I just sat there for a few minutes. The forest got real quiet after that, and I couldn't blame a single one of those critters for staying quiet and out of my way. Or at least, that's the original thought I had.

After a few moments of sitting there I finally collected myself with a sigh, I realized why the forest had gone more than silent. And it probably wasn't because of my stupid screaming. I heard a quiet crunch of leaflitter to my far left, and turning my head to scan the area I could see what I thought were glowing green objects of some kind moving around behind the undergrowth. I looked a bit closer and I realized that they were eyes, staring right at me.

Now typically I associate anomalous glowing eyes with animals about to strike a target, and that's mostly only because of the trope in TV and movies, predators wouldn't have glowing eyes that would be fucking stupid. Nonetheless, I figured that I had overstayed my welcome and decided to move the fuck away from my current position and into something that might be better for a fight, cause if that shit turned out to be a predator I wanted to know what it was before I was jumped.

I got up and kept my front to those moving eyes, never letting it see my back as I held the rifle up at low ready. I was right about one thing, the critters in the forest were quiet because of me. What I also didn't realize is that they were also led right to me. Something something 'get down, shut up.'

I moved backwards at a decent pace before the eyes disappeared, my conviction returning to me as I scribbled out a rudimentary plan of attack. Grab the compass and check heading North, move North, get the fuck out of this shitty forest. I started moving again and picked up my pace to a decent jog, I hated going fast in full kit but I also didn't like being in enemy territory where they had the home turf advantage.

I had to keep my head on a swivel as I hurriedly moved across plants, branches, rotting leaf litter, typical forest floor flora. I was kicking up a lot of noise in my trail as I moved, but it was negligible at the moment. The most important thing was to maintain situational awareness, fall back on the training. C'mon Joe you got this.

Around that time I spotted a decent little grove of denser trees, more clustered together than what I'd been running through previously. I changed my heading right for it, hopefully getting some decent cover in the process from whatever the hell had spotted me earlier.

I did the one thing you shouldn't do when moving away from a threat, look behind yourself. Prowling fifty meters back were those damned eyes again, and there were more. Even my seemingly enhanced vision couldn't make out their shape in the undergrowth, they were too camouflaged with the surroundings. Native fauna, goddamnit.

Just as I noticed them, I'd made it into the edge of the grove of clustered trees, they even looked a little thicker than the ones before too. Must be an older part of the forest, that or intentionally planted for some reason. I made my way just behind the grove a few meters in, looking outwards at where I suspected the threats would come from, and come they did.

I spotted a good ten pairs of those eyes out prowling, and even through the nice bright environment, and it was time to go to work. I flicked the safety off the rifle and shouldered it up. C'mon you fucks, show me what you really are. I didn't have to wait long before a lone scout of sorts ventured away from a large bush and into where I could get a decent look, and fuck me it was something I'd never seen before.

It looked like a wooden dog, or more accurately a dog that was simply made of the forest itself. It wasn't terribly big, so I assume it had to be younger of sorts. He sniffed the air and then pointed his nose towards my position, and that was the last thing I let him do before putting two quick shots of 5.56 through his dome piece, accidentally blowing the entirety of his head apart in the process.

That seemed to spur a bit more of a volatile reaction in the other green eyes, hearing a rounding chorus of howls from their approximate position. Hearing wolf howls in the distance was always cool when I was out camping, but being this close to a pack when they yelled out was fucking terrifying, I readied myself for more and I saw multiple more of the bastards run out from their concealment.

Two from the left sprinted straight from where they'd heard my gunfire, and three more on the right were running trying to get behind me. I chose to quickly spin towards the left to deal with the immediate threat and dumped three rounds into the leading dog, blowing out most of its neck and spine in the process, switching to the other which had gotten to within ten meters before I stopped it literally dead in it's tracks with one perfect shot. Fuck I'm good.

I heel turned around to the right to get eyes on with the three that had tried to flank me, but I missed their position. I got a bit lower to the ground on one knee, scanning my environment while keeping a close count on how much ammo I'm expending here. To the right I heard a snarl and I nearly got jumped by one that had snuck right onto my position, managing to combat roll at the last possible second before it was on me. I had a bad grip on my rifle and missed the opportunity to bring it to bear, pulling out my M9 pistol and banging off four wild shots to the dog that was damn near on top of me.

Fortunately, like I said, I was good. I managed to pass rifle and pistol courses with expert shooter on both, so at least I had that going for me. The one that jumpscared me got put down with two nine mil rounds to the face and torso, getting it's innards blown across a tree trunk.. it kinda blended together though.

I groaned and returned the pistol to it's holster and got back to my feet, another howl ringing around the surrounding area like a metaphorical fog. I just brought my rifle to bear and started swinging my head around to locate the source of it, which at that point was indeterminable.

Finally, I spotted a set of eyes out of the corner of my vision, and they were rapidly approaching me. Boom, headshot. I flicked the rifle up and popped a round which missed it's target as the dog wheeled around and dodged my line of sight. Followed near behind him were two more, splitting off him and dividing my attention between them. Never a dull moment, I chose the group with two dogs and fired off three more shorts which whizzed around and hit the lead in the side, which made the damn thing let out a satisfying and ethereal howl of pain.

Fucken' things, I heard growls roll around my general vicinity and the last two made their presence known. The rushed me from both sides and I chose the nearest one to take the brunt of my rounds, putting four quick shots to bring it down before I got tackled with the force of a massive wooden dog against my back.

It brought me chest first to the dirt and I felt it try to bite down on the small of my back, getting abruptly stopped by the back plate I had before it whimpered at a probable chipped tooth. "Karma's a bitch ain't it fucker?!" I rolled around onto my ass, in the process knocking the stunned dog off and putting two more 5.56 rounds into it's own torso.

I scanned around and saw no more targets, didn't hear anything either. I took in a few calming breathes to keep the adrenaline down as best I could, not totally at ease yet. I sat there for a few more minutes at low ready before finally deciding it was fine to take a breather.

I laid my back against one of the thick trees and looked at the tree dog things that I'd put down. I was almost certainly dead, shit like that would not have evolved and lived anywhere on Earth. They didn't even bleed, just died. I licked my lips, this shit was the proof I was in high fantasy afterlife land.

With a shake of my head I collected my things and stood up, checking my mags and ammo. Only had seven mags for the rifle and five for the pistol, had to conserve this until I could find a place to get more, if there even was one. I looked around and started picking up my casings, might as well.

Fifteen 5.56 cases, and six 9mm. I must be getting sloppy if it took that many fucken' bullets to deal with some dogs. I pocketed the rounds and started to jog at a decent pace the same direction I was headed previously, hopefully getting well out of the audible range those shots were in. I didn't want to waste any more ammo today, especially on woodland critters that I didn't know shit about.

With that fun realization, I decided to move straight West to see about getting the H-E-Double-Fuck out of this godforsaken area. Maybe I'll revisit the forest again after I actually surmise my situation, but for the time being I needed intel and I needed it pretty damn bad. So onward I walked, hopefully to explanations.

Somewhere far away from a dark and decrepit forest, laid a shining city against a sprawling mountain, built right into that earthen marvel that pierced the heaven. This city, by all accounts, was a wonder the world over. From this marble palace atop a literal mountain of beauty, rested the ruler of the free world. Or at least that was the picture that they wished to project to the globe at large.

Really, the monarch that reigned over this land ruled with a subtle iron hoof. Her word was law, and her vision was fire. There were hushed rumors of a hellfire like fury raining down on poor unfortunate souls who truly crossed their lord regent, and were thusly never seen or heard from again. But those were just rumors.

Most evil deals are performed not in the light, nor even the dusk, but when it is black as night and shadowed in deep and dreamless darkness. It's a natural assumption for the uninitiated, at least. Not for the shining city against a mountain though, that's what was so ingenious about it. Who would think to search their benevolent ruler for potential misdeeds and atrocities while they preached supposed virtues of harmony and righteousness?

It was sheer brilliance really. No one was immune to propaganda, after all. And it had been a long reign of propaganda for a thousand years, making sure the forces of the Nightmare were hounded as traitors and bigots for the beliefs they held and the cause they fought for. The Lunar wars that were fought resulted in this outcome, and it had been a calculated outcome at that. It was wrought with risk, of course, but Celestia had triumphed over what little threat there was.

Now? It was barely any resistance at all. There was an occasional zealot to the enemy forces radicalized by her own Harmonious forces, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. It was near strategic in the way she crushed these individuals, making sure She held no power base when she returned. And it was inevitable that she would return, due to a split second error in her otherwise perfect plan.

Long had she lamented that error, long had it been the bane of her existence. So tiresome was the work to remove Her influence from her ponies, it was exhausting. But now.. no one even recalled a time when it was a diarchy. It truly was a stroke of brilliance.

Today would be a good day, and a good step towards further progress in the militarization of outer regions of the country, seeing as a border dispute had occurred recently enough to pose a troublesome thorn in the neck. The Amarezonians always were an annoying sect of equines and abominations, one which she couldn't excuse all out military action on the world stage as of yet.

So there she sat, her own personal office being the room of choice for various work and busywork while waiting for the various parties to enter for the assigned meeting time. Wouldn't be long now, glancing at the sun high in the sky shining down, she could think of no better metaphor.

It would be truly perfect to have that annoyance one and for all out of the way, and it will be so soon which she could finally scratch the itch that had been bugging her for a literal millennia. Just have to wait, always the waiting. She felt the long familiar spill of vitriolic fire of anger into her blood, but practiced ease allowed her to cool it off with the machinations she'd put into place. Soon.

A tap on the door fully brought her out of her own head, and the guard at the door alerted her to the arrival of the two ponies she had been expecting. "Your Majesty, Colonel Heart Fire and Sir Hard Bargain to see you."

She nodded and adopted the outwardly friendly and welcoming aura she projected, rising to greet the two stallions which would prove essential to putting further infrastructure into the North. "Welcome, ponies. I'm very glad to see you both here safe for this meeting. I trust the journey was not rough to you?"

They both seemed to bask in her presence, nodding affirmative before the Colonel spoke up. "Of course not, Princess. And thank you again for choosing us to be the ones in charge of your proposal."

Good answer.

"Think nothing of it Colonel Fire, you were both simply the best for the job." The larger white pony led them to the seats they'd take, finding her place back behind her own desk.

"Now, to business gentlecolts. I recognize the ongoing hostility with the Amarezonian region as a problem, and look to you both for the solution I have to this particular problem." She steered the conversation straight towards business, beginning to lay out the plans for a military fortification along the Appleloosan mountains and Macintosh hills. It was a strategic region, the basis of which was the natural border between Equestria and the divided nations to the South.

She carefully selected the Colonel and this business-colt for their influence in the region, Hard Bargain driving much of the railways through Southern Equestria and managing a profit while doing so. It was brilliant, and his assistance in gaining the necessary resources to where they'd need to go would prove crucial if this venture was to play out correctly. Colonel Fire though, he was the key.

His line hailed from Amarezonia, and became an experienced officer garrisoning and fighting various threats in forward bases deployed in the area. Yes, he would be the crucial lynch-pin of the operation when those bothersome thorns finally fell, and he might even make for a half decent puppet governor, too.

The discussion was long and arduous, but it went off perfectly. All parties present were promised great things, and magic was in the metaphorical air. Celestia waved them off, dismissing the meeting and turning to look out the great window behind her. She had a perfect overlook to the West, watching the setting sun over the slanted city of Canterlot

The times ahead would come together perfectly to suit her plan, she just knew it. On the eve of the one-thousandth year, the stars will not only aid in her sister's escape, but her demise as well.