You Are Never Out Of The Fight

July 22, 2021
Time: Unknown
Location: Unknown

“God, what the fuck just happened to me?”

I said as I opened my eyes, only to be met with immediate pain throughout my body, this caused me to clench my teeth as I sat upright.

As I looked around I noticed that I was in a dense forest, then I stopped and I remembered what had just transpired. The last thing that I could really remember was the op that I was on with my team and how it went south fast.

I remembered how we were fighting on that mountain and how our enemy continued to push us further and further down into the ravine. It didn’t matter how many of them we killed, they still kept on coming at us with everything that they had. Our enemy had anything ranging from small arms, to RPG’s. All me and my brothers had were our rifles and our experience...And even that didn’t seem to be enough.

I thought that I was prepared for anything, considering that I went through BUD/s and a handful of other ops as well. Nothing ever could have prepared me, or my brothers for what was waiting for us on that mountain.

As I shook myself from these thoughts, I noticed that it wasn’t midday anymore and that the sun was setting; I wasn't getting shot at either. As I continued to survey the area around me, I did so in a cautious manner; aiming down the sights of my M4A1.

“I should try comms, maybe I can reach HQ that way.”

I said to myself as I wheezed and clicked on my radio and spoke into it.

“Spartan Base this is Spartan 0-1, radio check?”

I waited for a response, but received none in return.

“Spartan Base this is Spartan 0-1, radio check?”

I said again, hoping to get a response in return. After waiting a few seconds for a response, I sighed and turned off my radio.

“Looks like you’re alone for now Isaac.”

I said to myself as I slowly stood up and hobbled my way through the thick forest. As I was walking, I noticed that there were very large tracks on the forest floor making me kneel down to inspect them.

“Hmmm...Looks like these are recent, but no animal I know of could have made these types of tracks.”

As I pondered on this thought I heard a twig snapping to the right of me, which caused me to turn and raise my gun in response. As I waited for what felt like hours, a large beast came charging out of the dense forest.

This caused me to fire three rounds from my M4A1 into the creature's head, making it fall to the floor lifeless. Upon closer inspection of the creature, it looked like it was a lion, but it had a scorpion tail.

“Jesus fucking christ, the LT would’ve loved to see this son of a bitch.”

I said to myself. This caused me to replay the last memory I had of the Lieutenant in my head.

“Listen Isaac”

Woodson said to me as he pulled out a SAT phone and coughed up some blood,

“I’m gonna go up on that ridge over there and call for extraction.”

He said with labored breathing.

“No.”

I said, while attempting to wipe the blood from my left eye and shaking my head.

“Fuck that Woodson, fuck that.”

Woodson then handed me his remaining magazines and said,

“I want you to cover me while I make the climb, Isaac. Jacob can’t do it, since he’s covering the left.”

As Woodson said this I shook my head,

“I’ll cover you as best I can Woodson.”

With that being said Woodson broke out of cover.

As Woodson was pushing right toward the ridge, I took cover behind a rock and began picking my targets that would prove to be an obstacle for Woodson. As I aimed down my sights and pulled the trigger numerous times, I watched as my opponents began to fall one by one.

The magazine in my rifle was then spent as I heard the unmistakable ‘click’ that accompanied the problem that had shown itself to me. Silently cursing myself, I ejected the spent magazine and fed a fresh one into my rifle knowing that every second I wasn’t covering Woodson, he was in even more danger.

As I watched my closest friend stumble up onto the ridge, I saw him lay on his back and dial HQ on the SAT phone, he held it up to his ear and began speaking as bullets peppered all around him. Even as I watched on, knowing that I couldn’t help him I knew that he was doing the right thing for me and Jacob.

“Where’s the LT?”

I heard Jacob say from behind me,

“He’s calling for extraction, up on that ridge over there.”

I said to him as I continued to watch Woodson talk on the phone. Woodson then dropped the phone as he was hit in the leg by a bullet and attempted to stand up, using his rifle as a crutch. This attempt that he made was in vain as I watched two bullets pierce his back, with that he paused, dropped his rifle and collapsed onto the ground.

As this thought left my mind, I shook my head slightly and continued to look down at the strange creature that I had just killed. I then heard something drop on the ground in front of me. I raised my rifle up, only to be met with,

“A cream colored pegasus?”

I said in slight shock as I continued to have my rifle trained on the pegasus. As I continued to look her over, I noticed that she had the body of a human being. The only noticeable things that stood out was the fact that she had wings, a head that was horse shaped and fur encompassing her entire body.

As I silently scanned her physical form, I noticed what had fallen on the ground. It was her picnic basket, along with all of the apples that were inside of it. She was trembling uncontrollably and crying as well at the sight before her.

“Identify yourself, or I will fire upon you!”

I said shakily, with my rifle pointed at her.

She continued to shake and managed to choke out,

“M-m-my name i-i-is F-Fluttershy.”

I looked to my left and to my right before looking at her again and continuing the conversation,

“Where did you come from?”

“P-P-Ponyville

She said in a timid voice.

“A-Are you okay? You look so awful!”

She said in a worried tone of voice, I then replied with.

“I’ll be fine, I just need to get back to HQ.”

I said while grunting slightly.

The poor girl was probably scared shitless from what she had just seen, but I couldn’t blame her for that entirely, considering that I probably looked like a walking corpse right now. Hell If I didn’t have my boonie on, she would probably be absolutely terrified of me.

“Remember Isaac, the rules of engagement state that I’m unable to harm her unless she is hostile in any way.”

I then leveled my rifle and spoke to her again.

“Do you think that you can take me to this town of yours, so that I can get into contact with my HQ?”

She slowly nodded and began walking off into the forest, after I helped her pick her belongings up. As we were walking side by side in the forest, Fluttershy turned her head towards me and asked,

“W-What’s your name, mister?”

I glanced to my left and said,

“Chief Petty Officer, Isaac Bowen of the United States Navy.”

Fluttershy then looked at me in a confused manner and replied with,

“I’ve never heard of the ‘United States’ before. Is that where you’re from?”

I looked over at her and chuckled,

“You’re joking right?”

Fluttershy only shied away at the comment I made, I decided that it would be best not to talk to her that much considering her shyness and that it hurt to exhale, let alone breathe. As we both walked in silence I slowly saw that the treeline was coming into view as well as a few lights that were scattered off in the distance as well.

“Is that Ponyville?”

I asked Fluttershy, to which she replied with a simple nod of her head.

“Okay, let’s go then.”

I said as we made it out of the forest and towards our impending destination. As we approached the town in question, we were both met with a group of peo-horses? I don’t fucking know at this point.

They all looked worried and all went over to make sure that Fluttershy was okay. As I tried to stay on my feet, different injuries that my body had sustained during my fight were weighing down upon me, this caused me to collapse on the ground.

After my collapse a purple colored unicorn ran over to me and shook me slightly,

“Oh my Celestia! We need to get him to the Ponyville Hospital immediately!”

She said and the last thing that went through my head before falling into darkness was Woodson’s voice saying to me,

“No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets, or how far you fall. You are never out of the fight.”