Assist, Protect, Defend... Equestria?by Dat MercChaptersPrologue"I Don't Think I'm In Kansas Anymore..."Q & ASensitive ItemsSearch and RescueFormal WelcomeProloguePrologue “We are the Regiment that “Of the Troops” was born, We are the Regiment that “For the Troops” was formed. Military Police Corps, In peace and war is there, To Assist, Protect, Defend our own, No matter when or where.” - The Military Police Corps Regimental March -- Helmand Province, Afghanistan 1406 Hours “Warfighter TOC, this is Warfighter 2-3! Do you read me!?” “WARFIGHTER TOC!! THIS IS WARFIGHTER 2-3!!!” No response was made as the soldier manning the radio threw the mic down in frustration. Bullets were flying from almost every direction, and the leading Humvee was down and out after getting hit by an IED moments earlier. The convoy section was ambushed by Taliban fighters shortly after that explosion. How could they let their guard down easily like that? “We need to use that old house for cover!! We gotta move as the gunners provide suppressive fire!!” Private Wyatt yelled out as he pointed to an old-looking stone building 15 meters from the right side of the convoy. “Good thinking!! All right, everyone. On my go, we head for that house!!” Staff Sergeant Baker said as he readied himself and watched the others do the same. “You and the others do that! I’ll stay out here and see if I can call for help again.” First Lieutenant Reyes said as he entered the passenger side of his Humvee to man the radio. “Now get going!!!” Twenty-four-year-old Specialist Garrett Mitchell looked from the Humvee gunners to the old house and back again. The Humvee he was hiding behind was right behind the one the sergeant was hiding behind. Deep inside, he was beginning to feel nervous and breath heavily as bullets kept flying over his and the others’ heads while other bullets ricocheted from the trucks. “Damn, this just gets uglier and uglier.” He said with concern. “Yeah, tell me about it. I hope you’re enjoying your second time downrange, Mitchell.” Another private complimented with sarcasm in his voice. The Specialist rolled his eyes at the compliment. “Shut your mouth, would ya? This is serious!!” The sergeant looked up at the sporadic directions of enemy fire waiting for the perfect opportunity. “Hold it... Hold it...” He said himself as the firing from one direction began to die down. “Go, go, go!!!” As Humvee gunners stayed to continue firing back, the soldiers entered the house one by one. Some were left behind to assist the gunners. Garrett sighed in relief after entering the old house, but they were not out of the woods yet. “We have to hold them off here until help arrives!” The sergeant said before getting replies from his remaining squad – including Garrett. Eventually, they began to fire back at the enemy once again. Garrett fired a few rounds from his M4 carbine before ducking behind cover. The only noticeable attachments he had on his weapon were an ACOG scope and a fore-grip. He also had a Beretta M9 pistol secured in his drop holster on his upper-right thigh and two M67 fragmentation grenades in their respective pouches. He got up to fire again, but caught site of an enemy aiming an RPG-7 at them. “RPG, RPG!!” yelled the specialist as the rocket flew through the air and hitting the ground near the house. Another rocket went off near the convoy and followed by a couple of others. “You got to be kidding me!!” Another specialist yelled out as he covered his head behind cover. The Taliban fighters were showering them with rocket-propelled grenades. Things may be turning for the worse. Garrett peaked up from cover only to see a rocket flying directly at him. He was about to move out of the way, but it seemed it was too late for him. He heard the cut-off sound of the explosion as his vision turned to white. So this was it... This was his time now. He was afraid this moment will come for him, but it happened anyway. The soldier survived his first tour, but his second became his last. His family... His friends... All of his loved ones... They will never see him again. As he lingered in his thoughts and trying to relive some of his memories, all what Garrett can do now was accepting his fate. At least there will be no pain, sorrow, suffering, or anything like that where he was going... Hopefully. “It’s all good, I guess. I can definitely drink to that for sure....” Eventually, his world turned to black. Funny... It looked like someone turned off the light in the room. -- Unknown Location Garrett began to open his eyes weakly as he heard what sounded like trotting and wheels turning. Despite his blurred vision, all he could see now was the clear blue sky through his dark shaded ballistic glasses and... Trees? Was he really dead? “Fluttershy, are ye sure you wanna bring this fella to your place? He looks kinda... Weird...” A female voice with a cowgirl accent can be heard and the injured MP soldier tried to turn his head to see who it was exactly, but to no avail. Wait... Someone here is speaking English and has that country accent. What was going on here? From his peripheral vision, however, he could see that was lying down on some wooden carriage. “Yes... I’m sure of it. I just don’t want to leave the poor thing here alone in the forest with all these wounds, Applejack.” Another female voice was heard and this time; the tone sounded timid. A third female voice rang out. “Just let me know when he’s awake, Fluttershy. I have so many questions to ask him. The others may like to see this too. I’ll fetch them after we bring him to your cottage.” Before he got the chance to turn his head to the direction of the third voice, Garrett was slipping back to unconsciousness. Odd, he could have sworn he barely saw a lavender colored figure and a yellow colored one... “I just can’t believe my eyes... I never thought I would actually be able to see one up close. I thought they were all just a myth.. I gotta write letter about this to Princess Celestia.” Those were the last sentences Garrett heard coming from the third female voice, before slipping into unconsciousness again. What was going on? What the heck was she talking about anyway? "I Don't Think I'm In Kansas Anymore..."Chapter 1: "I Don't Think I'm in Kansas Anymore..." Garrett opened his eyes and sat up almost immediately. He was breathing heavily as he stared straight toward a wall in front of him. Eventually, he was breathing at a normal pace, and began scanning his surroundings. He was on a bed, in some sort of wooden room. “Where am I...?” he whispered to himself, and found a mirror on the wall to his left. The MP soldier found his eyeglasses and dog tags on the nightstand next to the bed and put them on, and he removed the blankets to sit on the side of the bed. As he saw himself in the mirror, he was stripped down to only his Multicam trousers. Bandages were wrapped around his upper body, with a bloody patch on his left side. Also... how did he survive getting blown to bits by that RPG? And where and what is this place!? “This can't be right...” His carbine and holstered pistol lay beside the mirror, along with the rest of his things, including his ballistic glasses, his IOTV (Improved Outer Tactical Vest), which had M4 and M9 magazine pouches, his grenade pouches, his IFAK (Improved First Aid Kit), and his knife attached on it. All that, including his ACH (Advanced Combat Helmet), Camelbak hydration pack, and assault pack, was also present. After he got up from the bed, Garrett limped his way toward a nearby window for a clearer idea of where he was. Before he reached it, a quiet voice spoke out behind him. “Oh my... You're awake.” The female voice behind Garrett grabbed his attention. He could have sworn he had heard that voice from somewhere before... He turned around toward the sound of the voice, the owner of which was... A horse?! “Are you feeling any better, now?” “What the... Ah!” He panicked as he backed away from the talking horse, and ended up falling on the floor. The horse had a pink mane that looked like a hair style from a cartoon, as well as blue eyes, a yellow coat, and wings. On second thought, this one was not a horse at all; it was a pegasus. A pegasus was actually talking to him. “You... You can talk?!” he asked, as his back touched the corner of the room. He failed to realize that he was further from his things, especially his weapons. The yellow pegasus jumped in surprise from Garrett’s tone of voice, but was still showing concern for him. Before she could speak, she turned around to notice five more horses come into the room. One was a lavender unicorn; one was another unicorn, but had white coat and a purple mane; one was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane; one had a light pink coat with a dark pink mane; and one was orange with a blonde mane and wearing a Stetson hat. What kind of place was Garrett in? There was no way this could be Afghanistan. The lavender unicorn stepped forward and trotted toward the MP soldier. “Excuse me...” she spoke to him, but he quickly scrambled to his feet, panicking from what he was seeing and hearing. These six... horses... were talking to him. Was he going crazy? “Talking horses? What the hell is going on here?!” “It’s ponies, buddy! Now fess up! Who are you and why the hay are you here?” The rainbow-mane barked out as she flew right between him and the lavender unicorn. She was glaring at the soldier with fire in her eyes. Now that reminded him of his Drill Sergeants from Fort Leonard Wood. Then, the white unicorn butted in, attempting to calm the cyan pegasus down. “Rainbow, darling, please. Behave yourself. You don’t want to scare the poor thing, do you?” She spoke in a sophisticated tone of voice. It was a bit too late for assurance, however. “She’s right. We ain’t gunna hurt ya or anything, pardner,” the orange horse- pony with the cowboy hat spoke out, trying to support the white unicorn’s statement to the human. Garrett was stumped as to whether or not he should believe these hors- ponies. After taking a moment to calm himself down, he finally spoke. “Then, what is this place? Where am I?” “You’re in Equestria,” the lavender unicorn answered. “You’re in my friend’s cottage right now, which is outside of Ponyville.” Equestria? Ponyville? The MP soldier had never heard of these places before. Either that, or he should curse his sheltered life before the Army. He might as well introduce himself to the ponies. They probably wanted to know his name. “Perhaps I should introduce myself, then? The name is Mitchell. Garrett Mitchell.” The lavender unicorn placed her hoof on her chin, taking in the new information. “In that case, my name is Twilight Sparkle.” “I am Rarity. I run a boutique in Ponyville. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said the white unicorn. “I’m Rainbow Dash – the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria,” said the rainbow-maned pegasus. The orange pony tipped her cowboy hat. “The name's Applejack. Mah family owns Sweet Apple Acres, outside of Ponyville.” They all turned their attention to the yellow pegasus, who turned her head toward another direction, until a pink pony suddenly popped up in front of Garrett. “I’m Pinkie Pie! I work at Sugar Cube Corner in Ponyville! Come over there if you want some sweets!” She was leaning in so closely, the MP soldier almost fell backwards. Her tone of voice was very cheerful and hyperactive. She must have had too much sugar or caffeine in her system, perhaps? Once again, the group – Garrett included, after mentally recovering from the pink pony's crazy introduction – brought their attention back to the yellow pegasus, who was still looking the other way. Her pink mane covered her face as she quivered timidly. “I’m Fluttershy...” she said, but it was almost inaudible. “What was that?” Garrett asked. “I’m Fluttershy...” Again: inaudible. “Eh?” “I’m... I’m Fluttershy.” The yellow pegasus finally said in a normal voice volume. Her timidity was crystal clear. Twilight turned to Garrett and chuckled. “Hehe... I apologize for Fluttershy. She's really shy, but she's a good friend. As a matter of fact, this is her cottage. She takes care of animals here.” “Really? I take it that she enjoys doing that.” Garrett said as he scratched his head. As if on cue, a white rabbit entered the room and stood beside Fluttershy. It was soon followed by several more small animals, including squirrels and birds. Author's Note Another chapter to my story... Finally!! Not as much as I hoped because there is a probability that this story may start slow and pick up later, but it will get better. I assure you. I'm on leave right now and enjoying Christmas with my family at home. I just wished my leave was longer.... Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter made by this amateur writer. One more thing!!! Merry Christmas, Happy Hearth's Warming, and Happy New Year everyone and everypony!!!! I hope you're enjoying the holidays!!! Q & AChapter 2: Q & A The majority of Garrett’s afternoon was spent downstairs. He answered the six ponies’ questions, such as how he found himself in Equestria, which was still a mystery. Garrett's answers were both shocking and amusing to them, but some were confusing. He happened to have questions of his own, which were generously answered by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. It felt just like he was having an interview sheet and a sworn statement filled out at the MP station. "Okay... What do you do for a living, Garrett? Or, in other words, what is your job?" Twilight asked as she was checking the notes she had written so far. Fluttershy and the rest of the ponies were sitting nearby as they continued listening. Garrett, now draped in his MultiCam coat, scratched his nose after hearing the purple unicorn's question. "I'm a soldier of the United States Army," he answered. "My line of work in the Army is the Military Police," the soldier said as he pointed at the MP brassard on his left shoulder, which was just above his unit patch: the 89th Military Police Brigade. "A soldier? Similar to the Royal Guard, I guess..." Twilight quietly said to herself while she wrote down the new information. "What do you do in this... Military Police, then?" "Well... Generally speaking, we maintain and enforce law and order, just like the civilian police force." Garrett paused for a moment. "But, we MPs have something we're trained to do that the civilian counterpart isn't." "And that is?" "Combat..." Upon saying that word, he froze and looked down at the floor, lost in thought about his previous and current-until-now tours in Afghanistan. "Fighting, you mean?" Twilight blinked as she looked at Garrett with a puzzled expression. She noticed something a bit strange with the human, but she couldn't seem to put a hoof on it. "Garrett, are you okay?" There was no response from him. "Garrett?" Garrett finally shot out of his trance after he heard his name. "Oh... sorry. I zoned out for a moment." He chuckled and scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "That's fine. You had me worried a little, though.” Twilight sighed in relief and took another look at her notes. "Anyway, there's one thing that's still bothering me: You found yourself in Equestria with no idea what brought you here. You were in a situation that was supposed to end your life, but, somehow, you showed up here, merely injured.” She put her hoof on her chin, trying to figure out the answer. However, her concentration was interrupted when one of her friends spoke. "Garrett, darling, I have question I would like to ask." Rarity came up to Garrett and examined his MultiCam coat and trousers. "How could you be wearing those hideous-looking clothes?" The MP soldier gave the white unicorn nothing but a blank stare. He knew she owned a fashion boutique, but somehow didn't expect someone like her to ask such a question. Rarity continued the inspection. "Pockets on your shoulders, chest, upper, and lower legs!?" She put her hoof on her forehead as if she was about to faint, but quickly regained her composure. "What could you possibly need so many pockets for? This is an outrage in the name of fashion!" "My outfit happens to be designed for functionality," Garrett explained, "and I doubt it will ever be made for the world of fashion. I hope not..." Before the debate could continue any further, Twilight stepped in between the two. "Um... I think that's enough questions for the day. After all, we've been at it all afternoon." She nervously chuckled. "But, Twilight, look at the poor thing." Rarity pouted as she gestured toward Garrett. "The pockets and the wear and tear are merely the start. I can tell that the pattern of the colors is camouflage, but that is the most hideous-looking pattern I have ever laid eyes on!" Pinkie Pie eventually walked up to the group and looked at the MP soldier with a big grin on her face. "I bet he likes to play hide-and-seek," she commented with a giggle. "Do you like playing hide-and-seek? Do you?" Garrett couldn't help but listen to the white unicorn criticize his MultiCam attire. He was about to speak, but Rarity put up her hoof. “Now, now... There is no need to worry. Just come visit my boutique whenever you fully recover,” she said with a confident smile. -- The ponies trotted out of the cottage and into the front yard, with Garrett and Fluttershy behind them. When Garrett walked outside, he looked around, noticing the setting sun and a number of animals wandering around the yard. Was Fluttershy really taking care of these animals all by herself? “Well, Ah guess I should be headin’ back home. See y’all tomorrow. And come visit Sweet Apple Acres sometime, Garrett.” Applejack tipped of her hat before leaving the cottage. "Bye, girls! Bye, Garrett! Come visit Sugar Cube Corner soon! I'm already starting to plan a welcome party for you!" With that, Pinkie Pie disappeared quickly before Garrett could say anything back. "Farewell, darling. Please get well soon," Rarity said as she gave the soldier a charming smile before trotting away. Rainbow Dash flew up towards Garrett's ear and whispered, "You probably know this already, but she is an absolute nut for fashion." She backed away from him and Fluttershy before flying away. “Well, see you two later!” The last pony to leave was Twilight Sparkle. “I hope we all get together again tomorrow,” she said as Garrett and Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "Good bye." She then headed out of the cottage area, leaving the yellow pegasus and the human alone. "Um... Ready to go back inside now?" Fluttershy asked with a shaky voice. Garrett almost forgot about how timid she was. "Sure thing. I guess I should check on my things now." -- Twilight entered Ponyville, deep in thought. "I just don't get it... How did Garrett end up in Equestria from his world?” Even Garrett had wondered the same thing. He claimed to be out-cold at the time. "And the fact that he's a human. I thought humans existed only in ancient mythology. I have to write a letter to Princess Celestia about all this as soon as possible," Twilight said with determination, as the sun got lower and day slowly changed to night. Come to think of it, she had forgotten to mention the mythology to Garrett. Perhaps she should keep it from him for a while. Author's Note Ah... I just love the looks on my platoon sergeants' and First Sergeant's faces when they saw my MLP stuff in my room. That was two months ago actually. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the New Year and this chapter. And it seems that in every Military HiE story, Rarity criticizes the camouflage uniforms (mostly the patterns like ACU, MARPAT, and MultiCam). See you in the next chapter. Sensitive ItemsChapter 3: Sensitive Items Shortly after Twilight and her friends headed home, Garrett returned to the guest room to take another look at his belongings. He picked up his assault pack and began consolidating his the items on the bed he was lying on earlier. After what felt like at least ten minutes, the items from his assault pack were as followed: a pair of MultiCam coat (complete with nametapes, rank, unit patch on each shoulder, an IR (infrared) American flag patch, but no MP brassard) and trousers, a MultiCam combat shirt, two pairs of tan-brown shirts, and two pairs of underwear and socks. To top it all off was green pouch containing an AN/PVS-14 monocular night scope attachment for his helmet. “Hmm... Well, at least I know I have extra pairs with me all along...” The soldier quietly sighed and picked up the empty assault pack to inspect its exterior. "But... I don't remember carrying this. How odd..." He saw a one-quart canteen tucked safely on the side pouch and started digging into the pockets. He pulled out two pairs of washcloths, personal hygiene items, and a fist-sized weapons-cleaning kit. Garrett had almost forgotten how much an assault pack can carry. "Um... Do you need any help with your belongings, Garrett?" Fluttershy's voice grabbed the soldier's attention as she watched what he was doing. Garrett looked down at the yellow pegasus and chuckled. "It's ok, Fluttershy. I can take it from here," he replied as he continued digging into the pockets and found another item: a bracelet, black in color with the 1st Infantry Division insignia on it. Placed over the insignia was white text saying: R.I.P. Specialist Kevin A. Weinburg March 13 1986 - May 21 2011 Kandahar Province, Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom "Garrett, are you alright?" asked Fluttershy. Silence ruled the room as the confused pegasus looked up at the human. "Garrett?" This was a similar vibe to what had happened while Twilight was asking him questions earlier. Garrett shook his head as he returned to reality. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just daydreaming, heh..." he replied as he put the bracelet back into the assault pack. "Oh... Okay then." Fluttershy nodded her head as she continued to watch Garrett look into his belongings. He kneeled down to pick up his weapons and cleared them. Then, he pulled out the magazines for his weapons from the pouches of his IOTV and counted them: seven magazines for his M4 carbine and three for his Beretta M9 pistol. Garrett scratched his chin, thinking of what to do next, until he looked at his watch to check the time, which was about 1826. This prompted him to walk out of the cottage again, and Fluttershy followed him. -- Garrett sat under a tree, enjoying the air around him. The dirt-filled air of Afghanistan had nothing on the air he was breathing now. That, however, made him realize something! What happened to his buddies during that ambush? Were they safe? Did they manage to repel the ambush? The MP soldier then noticed a brown rabbit near him, staring at him. "I suppose I can't ask you anything about my squadmates' whereabouts." He chuckled as he petted the rabbit’s head, until the alarm on his watch went off, which made the creature run away. "Oops. My bad." Garrett shut off the alarm and saw Fluttershy approaching. "Pretty quiet out here, huh?" Fluttershy asked as she nervously walked toward him. "Indeed." Garrett nodded his head in agreement. Aside from the crickets chirping, it was very quiet. "I just hope I find a way home soon." He let out a sigh as he looked up at the starry sky. ”I hope you do too.” The yellow pegasus reassuringly smiled at the human as she sat to enjoy the starry night as well. -- Twenty minutes later, the two were back inside the cottage. Fluttershy was feeding her pet rabbit, Angel, and Garrett was back in his room checking on his Camelbak. The reservoir had less than half of water left, but he doubted he would be going anywhere soon that required him to have a full reservoir. As soon as the hydration pack was set aside, a knock came from the front door. Fluttershy opened the door to a panic-stricken Applejack and Rarity with Twilight behind the two. "Girls? Is something wrong...?" "Fluttershy, have ye seen Applebloom around, by any chance?" the orange mare asked. "She hasn't come back home, even when Ah came back." "Or even Sweetie Belle," Rarity added. "I haven't seen her since I came home as well." Fluttershy gasped upon hearing the news her friends had given her. "No... I haven't seen either of them." "Ah bet Scootaloo is missing too. Where in tarnation could they be right now?" Applejack asked as she grew more worried by the minute. "We looked everywhere for them. Everywhere except..." Twilight paused for a moment, thinking about the matter at hoof. "Except the Everfree Forest." Rarity looked at Twilight with fear in her eyes. "If they're in Everfree Forest, what could they possibly be doing there?" The white unicorn looked down, trying not to think about the possibility. "Everypony knows the forest is dangerous at night. They should know better, too." -- Little did the mares know, Garrett was eavesdropping on their conversation. He backed away and returned to his room. The MP soldier was about to do something that was unthinkable in his case; helping others he had barely met. In the past, he did provide help when needed. This was a different case somehow... Maybe it was just is normal instincts kicking in. After putting on his MultiCam coat, Garrett immediately slipped on his IOTV and Camelbak, securing them on his body after seeing his weapons' magazines properly secured in their pouches. Grabbing his monocular night scope, he attached the device on the adapter on his helmet before securing the headgear on his cranium when he made final adjustments to the night scope. "Alright. Here we go." He loaded his sidearm and secured it in his leg holster with a coil lanyard attached to the weapon and his belt. With his M4 carbine in his gloved hands, Garrett stepped out of his room and headed out to meet Fluttershy and her friends. -- "I would like to go into the Everfree Forest, but it's just too dangerous to go in there," Twilight said hesitantly. She willing to help her friends, but she wasn't sure if she could go into the forest at night again. "But, Twilight. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo could be there," Rarity objected with fear and worry. "It's the last place they may be, I reckon," Applejack said as she tried to calm Rarity down. "If we don’t go now, who knows what will happen to them?" Another voice rang out of the room. "Then, I say we go there and find them anyway." All heads turned to sound of the voice. It was Garrett, in the odd attire he was wearing when Fluttershy first found him. "Fluttershy found me out there, right? I think it's fair if I tag along." "You were listening to our conversation earlier, Garrett?" Twilight asked, seeing the human standing in front of her and her friends. Fluttershy walked over to him with concern in her eyes. "But, you're still recovering from those wounds. You can't go out there while you're still healing." "Don't worry, Fluttershy. I can take care of myself. I'll be fine." Garrett looked down at Fluttershy and gave her an assuring smile. The timid pegasus looked the other way, avoiding eye contact with the human while she was blushing. "Um... If that's fine with you, then... Okay." She nodded in agreement. "Then Ah'm putting my trust in ya, sugar cube." Applejack looked at the human with determination. "And so do I, dear," Rarity spoke out. "Me, too," Twilight added after her friends. Fluttershy looked up at the human, putting her trust in him also. As Garrett, Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity walked out of the cottage, Garrett inserted a magazine into his M4 and chamber loaded the weapon, after putting on his clear-lens ballistic glasses. "I'll stay here, in case those three come find their way out of the forest," Fluttershy stated as the others stepped out. "Come on, everypony. There's three fillies we need to find," Twilight said as Garrett, Applejack, and Rarity followed her into the Everfree Forest. Author's Note Cliffhangers, cliffhangers everywhere! Fun Fact Time: -Before the making of this chapter, I experimented on my assault pack with items mentioned that were in Garrett's assault pack. -Another name (and frequently used one) for ballistic glasses is "eye pro," which is short for "eye protectors." -The More You Know!- On a unrelated note: 10th Mountain Division MP's, Y U No use radio 10 codes and fill out PMCS sheets correctly for the patrol cars?! True story by the way. Search and RescueChapter 4: Search and Rescue The Everfree Forest was a dangerous place at night. Vicious monsters roamed the forest, but that doesn't mean they don't roam during the day. There have been few occasions Twilight and her friends went into the forest at night, and tonight was the latest. It was just her, Applejack, Rarity, and the otherworldly newcomer, Garrett. "Twilight, are you sure we're going the right way?" Garrett asked as he walked beside the purple unicorn. His night scope had already been placed in front of his right eye, allowing him to see his general direction in night vision. He could still see normally because of the moon light, but there wasn’t enough light to see much. Twilight looked up at Garrett from the corner of her eyes and answered, "Of course. This path has been used a lot. I'm sure those fillies went through here." "Then I hope they're safe somewhere," Rarity added. "Let's just leave this dreaded forest as soon as we find them." Applejack noticed the strange-looking device in front of the human's eye and began wondering what it was. "Garrett, what's that thing in front of yer eye, if ye don’t mind me asking?" Garrett looked down at Applejack for a moment after hearing her question. "It's called a night scope," he answered. "It allows me to see in the dark." "Well, Ah guess that's some fancy contraption right there." The orange mare nodded. She understood the general purpose, but how it exactly worked was beyond her. Garrett couldn't help but mentally chuckle from Applejack's compliment. Clearly, none of these ponies had ever seen weapons and equipment like what he had before. He couldn’t blame them for their lack of knowledge. Before anyone or... anypony could let another word out, something caught the human's attention through his night scope followed by the sound of ruffling nearby. "Girls, stop," he said quietly as they stopped moving. "Get behind something. Go." The four hastily dispersed, clearing the path. Applejack and Twilight hid behind a bush, while Garrett and Rarity hid behind an old, overturned tree trunk. In the prone position, Garrett peeked around it and aimed his weapon from the trail to the trees surrounding it. "What's wrong, darling?" Rarity asked, blinking in confusion. "I saw something," Garrett answered, using both the ACOG scope and night scope to scan his surroundings. "But, whatever it was, I couldn't get a clear look at it." After a few minutes of looking around, he returned to his feet along with the others. The group continued to walk down the trail, but they were more cautious this time. The search felt like an eternity to them, despite Garrett already having been used to situations like this. Since his first combat tour rotation, he remembered having to go on missions that took a day or more, or even overnight, before returning to his FOB. The silence of the forest was eventually interrupted by a unison of screams, which startled the group. To Applejack and Rarity, the voices of the screams were definitely familiar. "It's them!" Applejack exclaimed as the others rushed toward the source of the scream. -- When they reached their destination, three fillies were cornered by a huge boulder behind them. However, in front of them were three familiar figures Twilight and her friends were hoping to avoid... "What are those things?" asked Garrett as he lay prone beside a tree, aiming his M4 carbine at the two potential threats. "Timber wolves..." Twilight answered. "They may look fragile on the outside, but don't let that fool you. They're dangerous." Garrett took a quick look at the three scared fillies. One had a light yellow coat with a red mane and a ribbon on it. The second one was orange-colored pegasus with a short purple mane. The third one was a white unicorn with a light pink and purple mane. "I got this." Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity looked at Garrett after hearing his last sentence, not clearly sure what he meant by that. With the support of his weapon's foregrip, infrared laser sight, the ACOG scope, and his helmet's night scope, Garrett took aim at the timber wolves. "Twilight, you know what else separates humans from other species?" The purple unicorn leaned her head in confusion. "Humans can kill at a distance." Almost immediately, Garrett fired his weapon at the timber wolves. The sound of the weapon going startled everypony. Each trigger pull sent a bullet flying toward the intended target. Two bullets hit the nearest timber wolf in the body, while one hit one of the forelegs. The surprise sent the three animals, with one of them wounded, fleeing into the forest. The ponies froze in shock upon seeing what had just happened. Applejack and Rarity broke the trance by rushing toward the three fillies. Garrett and Twilight followed suit. "Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle!" The two ponies yelled in unison as they approached and the came together in a group hug. "Everypony was worried sick about you three. What were you doing here in the Everfree Forest at dark?" Rarity asked. "We heard rumors that some new creature was discovered here. So, we went here to see for ourselves," Sweetie Belle answered. As questions and answers were being exchanged, Garrett and Twilight approached the group. Garrett looked down at the pieces of wood left behind by the wounded timber wolf. The last shot took a good chunk from one of those creatures. It happened to be one of the forelegs. "Um... Who the hay is that tall one there?" The orange pegasus asked, motioning to the human. "His name is Garrett, Scootaloo," Twilight answered. "Fluttershy took him in earlier today. Don't worry, he's not going to hurt any of us." Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked up at Garrett in awe noticing how tall he was compared to them. "Garrett, there's something I forgot to tell you about those timber wolves," Twilight grabbed Garrett's attention with a worried tone of voice. "What about them?" He looked back at the unicorn mare with confusion. Before Twilight could answer, pieces left behind by the wooden creatures began moving on their own. To her and her friends, fear was all over their faces. For Garrett, surprise. The pieces flowed past them and moved toward the direction of where the timber wolves had fled to earlier. As if on cue, the three timber wolves revealed themselves from the treeline. The pieces returned to the one Garrett had injured and was rebuilt as good as new. "They can rebuild themselves just like that," Twilight finally said. "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Applejack yelled as the group began running with the three fillies in tow. They found themselves back on the trail they used earlier. Garrett, as the last one following behind, took a quick peek back, still seeing the timber wolves following them. There was no way they could outrun the wooden creatures except... "Girls, keep running! I'll draw them away!" he yelled before stopping in his tracks. Before Twilight and her friends said anything, they stopped and turned their heads upon hearing Garrett's weapon going off. They then saw him fleeing into the forest, with the timber wolves on his tail. "He's going to get himself hurt!" Rarity gasped. "We have to do what he said. He's our best chance to get out of here safely," Twilight said as they continued running. -- Garrett was running into the forest after grabbing the timber wolves' attention. "Good. It worked," he said to himself. "I just hope the others get to safety." He vaulted over a dead tree trunk and ducked behind it, panting for air. He peeked up and fired off a few rounds from his M4 carbine before he continued running. He was starting to slow down due to exhaustion. “Dammit...” Garrett quietly cursed at himself as he tried to regain his pace. The weight of his IOTV and other equipment on him was causing the slowdown, but he was trying to ignore it. Looking back for a moment and taking a quick sip from his Camelbak, the soldier continued until he found himself at a cliff edge. "Uh oh, not good..." The timber wolf trio stepped out of the woods and surrounded the lone, exhausted human. Garrett removed the night scope from his eye and stared at his pursuers. He was tempted to fire his weapon until its chamber caught his eye. The bolt was locked to the rear, indicating that there was no more bullets in his current magazine. He could pull out his Beretta M9, but he was still outnumbered. The creatures slowly approached him as he backed up until his heels were at the edge of the cliff. Garrett looked down at the cliff and saw nothing that could break his fall. He was given two choices - Become dinner for wolves made of wood or jump to a quick and painless death. When the timber wolves began running toward him, Garrett's choice was made. He faced away from the creatures and made a quick leap of faith to have one 'hell of a way to die.' "I ain't gonna jump no more..." Garrett said, closing his eyes before mentally laughing at the dark humor of the situation. Did he survive an IED/small arms ambush in one of the most dangerous provinces of Afghanistan, only to fall to his death in an unfamiliar place called Equestria? He was ready to accept his fate... until he felt a shift of some sort in midair. "Phew... Gotcha just in time." Garrett opened his eyes upon hearing a somewhat familiar voice. More importantly, he found himself on the back of a cyan-coated pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane. "R-Rainbow Dash?!" he gasped in surprise and relief. That was her name... right? "Good to see you again." Rainbow Dash smiled widely and chuckled. "The girls told me what was going on and that you were drawing the timber wolves away from them. I figured you needed a lift out of here." The soldier chuckled, relieved that the pegasus had figured that. As the two ascended to the sky, Garrett saw the timber wolves do nothing but watch their prey fly away. He became quiet when he thought about what would have happened if Rainbow Dash hadn’t arrived in time. "You okay?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Yeah... I'm just worn out. That's all," Garrett answered, masking his pain. -- Twilight and her friends were at the front of Fluttershy's cottage, waiting for Rainbow Dash and Garrett's return. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle waited with them as well. "They're still not here..." Fluttershy was growing worried for her two remaining friends. "Don't worry, sugar cube." Applejack placed her hoof on the yellow pegasus' shoulder. "Ah'm sure they'll be here at any time now." She still remembered Garrett diverting the timber wolves' attention away from them, but was he safe himself? Scootaloo looked up at the night sky, recognizing a familiar silhouette approaching the cottage. "Rainbow Dash!" she yelled in excitement, grabbing everypony's attention. Rainbow Dash and Garrett landed safely at the cottage's front yard and were immediately surrounded by the mares, rejoicing for their safe return. While still grasping his side in quiet pain, Garrett backed away from the group upon seeing them talking among themselves. He sighed in relief, knowing everypony was now safe and sound. As soon as he faced the cottage, he heard his name called out. "GARRETT!" The voice came from Fluttershy, who ran toward the human from the cottage and jumped to embrace him in a hug, which knocked the wind out of him. This was a greeting he didn't expect getting. She was hugging him as if they were close friends... Unsure of how to respond, he returned the hug. As soon as they backed away from their hug, Fluttershy giggled nervously after realizing what she did. Garrett removed his helmet and gave her an assuring, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” “Mister Garrett?” Garrett looked at the light yellow coated filly. Applebloom, wasn’t it? “Ah want to thank you for saving me and my friends from those timber wolves,” Applebloom said sheepishly. “If you and the others didn’t come, we would have been their supper already.” With that, two of her friends came up to Garrett as well. “Thank you, Mister Garrett,” they said in unison. Garrett nodded his head in acceptance. “You three are welcome, but just call me Garrett. It’s fine by me.” Soon, everypony was heading home, and Garrett and Fluttershy were back inside the cottage. “Jeez, that search made me worn out...” Garrett sighed in relief and rubbed his forehead before removing his IOTV and Camelbak. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “It was good you went with my friends, I guess...” “True. They may not have gotten away from those timber wolves if I wasn’t around.” Carrying his belongings, Garrett went back to his room. “Anyway... Good night, Fluttershy. I’m heading to bed now.” Author's Note Eeyup... Another room inspection took place last week. My team leader/squad leader shrugged seeing my MLP stuff just like the other time when he came in with my First Sergeant. Ha!! Anyway, I chapter complete. Whoooo!!!! Plus it's longer than the previous chapters. Formal WelcomeChapter 5: Formal Welcome *BEEP, BEEP! BEEP, BEEP! BEEP, BEEP! BE--* Garrett was awoken by the sound of his watch's alarm and checked the time. It was now 0830, but he lazily attempted to fall back to sleep. Rolling over to lie on his back, he stared at the ceiling and took a peek at the room he was in. It was the same place he had awoken in yesterday. This was definitely not a dream. All of this was real. Everything that had happened so far was also real. Garrett was in Equestria and no longer in Afghanistan. After dealing with some personal hygiene, getting into a clean pair of MultiCam attire, and putting on his watch and memorial bracelet, Garrett was in the kitchen eating breakfast with Fluttershy. "I hope the food is okay for you.... I.. I mean... It's not much,” said the yellow, timid Pegasus. In fact, she was not lying. It was just some slices of toast with butter and a red apple for each. "That's fine, Fluttershy. This is good enough." The MP soldier made an assuring smile before he continued eating. The food was not as plentiful as the DFAC's from his FOB or whatever food he was used to eating stateside and in-country, but it was better than nothing. "Oh. If you want, I can take you to Ponyville after breakfast... If it's fine with you, Garrett,” Fluttershy said as she looked down at her own food. Garrett paused for a moment, thinking about the yellow pegasus' offer. Was Ponyville the place near the cottage, but further away from the Everfree Forest? "Well, that sounds like a good idea... If they don't mind a 5'8" figure they’ve never seen before wandering around." As much as he wanted to see the rest of the area around, the human might not receive much positive attention. Then again, Garrett was used to all of that since his first deployment, whenever he and his squad or platoon were sent outside the wire for missions. "I'm sure everypony will understand why you're here." Fluttershy frowned, feeling concerned with what Garrett had just said. “Don't worry, Twilight and the others will convince everypony that you're not a big, evil monster." She smiled in an attempt to lighten up the mood. "In that case, I hope so." The human nodded his head before taking another bite from his food. This could be a long day for him. -- One hour later, Garrett and Fluttershy walked together toward Ponyville. Garrett was still wondering how the entire town would react to his presence. At least he was not wearing his gear or carrying his weapons to possibly look intimidating. There was no need for those for where he was going. As they entered the town, the human was expecting an angry mob to appear at any second. Any second now... And then there was none. He could see everypony going about their business. Watching locals go around the busy streets was all too familiar to him, not to mention uncomfortable due to past experience. It felt like Garrett was on a presence patrol with the others in a village and trying to gather information from the local ANA or ANP forces on any possible Taliban activities or anyone affiliated with them and/or weapons cache in the area. "Fluttershy, are you su--" "Surprise!!" A familiar pink pony bounced in excitement as confetti was shot into the air. Fluttershy and Garrett shrieked, and Garrett fell on his back like a tree trunk. "Wha...? Pinkie Pie?" The soldier blinked in confusion, trying to piece together what had just happened. "What was that for?" With the help of Fluttershy, he returned to his feet before dusting himself off and fixing his glasses and patrol cap. Pinkie Pie giggled and made a big, enthusiastic smile. "For you, silly,” she answered. "It's the "Welcome-to-Ponyville-and-Thank-You-For-Saving-Applebloom,-Scootaloo,-and-Sweetie-Belle-From-the-Big-Bad-Timber-Wolves" Party! And you're the guest of honor, Garrett!!" Garrett gave Pinkie a blank stare after hearing her answer. He could have sworn she had mentioned something about a setting up a party yesterday. Eventually, ponies began gathering around the three. He thought he saw some familiar faces among the crowd, but he shrugged it off. The numerous faces were showing a mixture of awe, skepticism, fear, and amusement. The human did not count on getting any kind of attention so soon. "Is this the one Pinkie was talking about?" "I wonder where he got that outfit from?" "He looks kinda scary..." "Um... Hello, everyone...?" The crowd gasped in surprise and awe hearing the voice of the strange newcomer and began murmuring amongst each other. Garrett rubbed his forehead, wondering what would happen next. He figured that he’d be fine, as long as there was no angry mob coming for him. -- This... party Pinkie Pie set up was taking place in and around a bakery called Sugar Cube Corner. Was this the same place she had mentioned yesterday? It looked as though the entire town was invited to this party. How could that pink pony manage to deal with all of this stuff on short notice? How was that even possible? Garrett sighed as he put that thought aside and took a seat. Fluttershy was sitting beside him as she looked around. The bakery was packed, both inside and around the outside. "I hope you like this party Pinkie set up for you, Garrett,” said the yellow pegasus as she looked up at the human. Garrett looked back at Fluttershy and nodded in agreement. That pink pony really kept her word about throwing a party. He thought she was only over-exaggerating or something... "Hey, Garrett!" "Huh?" Garrett heard a voice amongst the crowd. He looked around and discovered the source to be Twilight. Accompanying her were Rainbow Dash and some purple... lizard? "Hey, Twilight. Hi, Rainbow." He greeted them and smiled. "It seems like you're already the center of attention here in Ponyville." Rainbow Dash said as she looked around the room. “There’s only room in the limelight for one of us, you know.” She could not help but let out some laughter. "Right..." Garrett looked down at the rainbow-maned pegasus for a moment and turned his gaze to the purple lizard. "Twilight, who is that?” he asked, pointing at the unfamiliar figure next to the lavender unicorn. "Oh. This is Spike, my assistant from the library. He's a baby dragon." Twilight smiled as she introduced the one called Spike to the human. "You must be Garrett, right?" Spike asked as he extended his arm to the human. "It's nice to meet you." Garrett smiled as he shook the baby dragon's arm. "Likewise, Spike." As he let go of Spike's arm, he noticed a number of ponies walking out of the bakery and heard some commotion outside. Wondering what was going on, the human, the purple unicorn, the two pegasi, and the purple dragon stepped out with the rest of the crowd. In a matter of seconds, everypony was gathered outside of Ponyville as a chariot pulled by gold armored pegasi descended from the sky. When it landed and came to a complete stop, the passenger stepped out. As if on cue, everypony bowed before the new arrival. Noticing this, Garrett took a knee with his head down. "Rise, everypony." An angelic-sounding voice called out before the crowd around her had done so. Garrett was now able to see the one who had just spoken. It was a white-coated... winged unicorn? An alicorn, according to Twilight during that Q & A session he and the others had yesterday. If he remembered correctly, this alicorn must be Princess Celestia, the Co-ruler of Equestria. The alicorn's mane was wavy with its color consisting of pink, light blue, green, and teal. She was taller than the rest of the ponies and about a few inches taller than the human. "Princess Celestia!" Twilight rushed over to the princess happily. "It's so good to see you. You came here because of my letter?" "That's right, my faithful student." The Princess replied and nodded with a smile. "I would like to see this newcomer you mentioned with my own eyes. Is he around?" Twilight turned around, seeing Garrett sticking out of the crowd like a sore hoof. She gestured him to come over to see the alicorn princess, and he quickly complied. Celestia stood in silence, studying the newcomer from head to toe before speaking. "You must be Garrett Mitchell. Is that right?” "Uh, yes, Your Majesty." Garrett answered. Never mind Twilight and her friends, or even the residents of Ponyville for that matter. He didn't count on gaining the attention of such high a power as the princess. The alicorn princess nodded her head and smiled. "Twilight told me about you and how you got here, including how you saved three fillies from timber wolves." That much really attracted her attention so soon? Garrett had only been in Equestria for at least a day and was becoming quite well-known already. "Why I came is because I would like to personally welcome you to Equestria,” Celestia continued. "I am aware that you were brought here with no idea what made that possible. There may be no guarantee for it, but I will find a way to bring you back to your home." The human felt a bit uneasy at “no gaurantee.” However, he still hoped to find a way back home. "Until then, you shall stay here in Ponyville with Twilight Sparkle and her friends." "WOOHOO!!" Pinkie Pie jumped on Garrett from behind, causing him to fall on his face, and she wrapped her forearms around his neck in a hug. "Isn't this exciting?! You get to stay with us in Ponyville!!” Garrett replied with gagging due to the pink mare's grip. He was eventually released and got on his feet. Twilight and the rest of her friends cheered after hearing the news. -- As the party continued, Garrett got to know a bit more about Ponyville through Princess Celestia, Twilight, and her friends. For the second time, he got to meet Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle -the three fillies he rescued- who called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They told him that they have been trying to find their own talents to earn their cutie marks. "Any luck on getting your cutie marks yet?" Garrett asked. "No..." Scootaloo sighed. "But I'm sure we'll get them soon!" Sweetie Belle said with spirit. "Yeah, and once we do, no more being called 'blank flanks.' Just you wait." Applebloom smiled. Garrett smiled seeing the 'can-do' spirit in the fillies. "In that case, don't give up. You never know when each of you will finally earn yours." Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom cheered, thanked the human for talking with them, and walked away. "I see how well you interacted with those three,” Twilight said behind Garrett as she, Spike, and her friends - save for Pinkie Pie, who happened to be everywhere but there - approached him. "You were really nice with them." Fluttershy said. Garrett chuckled at her complement. "When you have younger siblings and/or nephews and nieces, interactions with other young ones tend to be a lot simpler." "Ah guess Ah can't argue with you on that, sugar cube." Applejack said while scratching her cheek and smiled, knowing her sibling relationship with Applebloom. "Likewise." Rarity nodded in agreement, thinking the same about Sweetie Belle. "And on an unrelated note, are you wearing another pair of that hideous outfit?” The human looked down at his own MultiCam attire, remembering the white unicorn mentioning it yesterday. "This conversation again, Rarity?" He sighed with a bit of irritation. Out of nowhere, a familiar pink mare appeared, surprising Garrett. "Hi, Garrett!! Areyouenjoyingtheparty!?" Pinkie asked with a wide smile. Getting the wind knocked out of him again, Garrett's eye twitched from Pinkie's sudden and random appearance. “Ye-- Yeah, Pinkie Pie. I am enjoying it," he answered. "And next time, don't do that again." “Okie dokie lokie!” she said as she and her friends burst into laughter. Garrett rolled his eyes for being the receiving end of the laughter. It seems it’s just getting weirder here for me every second now... Author's Note Finally I got a new chapter out... I swear. I thought I was never going to get this done, but here it is! On another note, my new platoon sergeant has become the latest person to discover that I'm a brony. lol I got some funny looks and WTF's from people (either military or civilians) when I wear MLP shirts but I say, 'Deal with it!' While at the PX few months back, I was wearing a shirt with Rarity saying "Oh... It is on!" Someone came up to me and said, "I just want to say that I like your shirt!" and walked away. Looks like I'm starting to discover fellow bronies on post. Fricken' A!
ProloguePrologue “We are the Regiment that “Of the Troops” was born, We are the Regiment that “For the Troops” was formed. Military Police Corps, In peace and war is there, To Assist, Protect, Defend our own, No matter when or where.” - The Military Police Corps Regimental March -- Helmand Province, Afghanistan 1406 Hours “Warfighter TOC, this is Warfighter 2-3! Do you read me!?” “WARFIGHTER TOC!! THIS IS WARFIGHTER 2-3!!!” No response was made as the soldier manning the radio threw the mic down in frustration. Bullets were flying from almost every direction, and the leading Humvee was down and out after getting hit by an IED moments earlier. The convoy section was ambushed by Taliban fighters shortly after that explosion. How could they let their guard down easily like that? “We need to use that old house for cover!! We gotta move as the gunners provide suppressive fire!!” Private Wyatt yelled out as he pointed to an old-looking stone building 15 meters from the right side of the convoy. “Good thinking!! All right, everyone. On my go, we head for that house!!” Staff Sergeant Baker said as he readied himself and watched the others do the same. “You and the others do that! I’ll stay out here and see if I can call for help again.” First Lieutenant Reyes said as he entered the passenger side of his Humvee to man the radio. “Now get going!!!” Twenty-four-year-old Specialist Garrett Mitchell looked from the Humvee gunners to the old house and back again. The Humvee he was hiding behind was right behind the one the sergeant was hiding behind. Deep inside, he was beginning to feel nervous and breath heavily as bullets kept flying over his and the others’ heads while other bullets ricocheted from the trucks. “Damn, this just gets uglier and uglier.” He said with concern. “Yeah, tell me about it. I hope you’re enjoying your second time downrange, Mitchell.” Another private complimented with sarcasm in his voice. The Specialist rolled his eyes at the compliment. “Shut your mouth, would ya? This is serious!!” The sergeant looked up at the sporadic directions of enemy fire waiting for the perfect opportunity. “Hold it... Hold it...” He said himself as the firing from one direction began to die down. “Go, go, go!!!” As Humvee gunners stayed to continue firing back, the soldiers entered the house one by one. Some were left behind to assist the gunners. Garrett sighed in relief after entering the old house, but they were not out of the woods yet. “We have to hold them off here until help arrives!” The sergeant said before getting replies from his remaining squad – including Garrett. Eventually, they began to fire back at the enemy once again. Garrett fired a few rounds from his M4 carbine before ducking behind cover. The only noticeable attachments he had on his weapon were an ACOG scope and a fore-grip. He also had a Beretta M9 pistol secured in his drop holster on his upper-right thigh and two M67 fragmentation grenades in their respective pouches. He got up to fire again, but caught site of an enemy aiming an RPG-7 at them. “RPG, RPG!!” yelled the specialist as the rocket flew through the air and hitting the ground near the house. Another rocket went off near the convoy and followed by a couple of others. “You got to be kidding me!!” Another specialist yelled out as he covered his head behind cover. The Taliban fighters were showering them with rocket-propelled grenades. Things may be turning for the worse. Garrett peaked up from cover only to see a rocket flying directly at him. He was about to move out of the way, but it seemed it was too late for him. He heard the cut-off sound of the explosion as his vision turned to white. So this was it... This was his time now. He was afraid this moment will come for him, but it happened anyway. The soldier survived his first tour, but his second became his last. His family... His friends... All of his loved ones... They will never see him again. As he lingered in his thoughts and trying to relive some of his memories, all what Garrett can do now was accepting his fate. At least there will be no pain, sorrow, suffering, or anything like that where he was going... Hopefully. “It’s all good, I guess. I can definitely drink to that for sure....” Eventually, his world turned to black. Funny... It looked like someone turned off the light in the room. -- Unknown Location Garrett began to open his eyes weakly as he heard what sounded like trotting and wheels turning. Despite his blurred vision, all he could see now was the clear blue sky through his dark shaded ballistic glasses and... Trees? Was he really dead? “Fluttershy, are ye sure you wanna bring this fella to your place? He looks kinda... Weird...” A female voice with a cowgirl accent can be heard and the injured MP soldier tried to turn his head to see who it was exactly, but to no avail. Wait... Someone here is speaking English and has that country accent. What was going on here? From his peripheral vision, however, he could see that was lying down on some wooden carriage. “Yes... I’m sure of it. I just don’t want to leave the poor thing here alone in the forest with all these wounds, Applejack.” Another female voice was heard and this time; the tone sounded timid. A third female voice rang out. “Just let me know when he’s awake, Fluttershy. I have so many questions to ask him. The others may like to see this too. I’ll fetch them after we bring him to your cottage.” Before he got the chance to turn his head to the direction of the third voice, Garrett was slipping back to unconsciousness. Odd, he could have sworn he barely saw a lavender colored figure and a yellow colored one... “I just can’t believe my eyes... I never thought I would actually be able to see one up close. I thought they were all just a myth.. I gotta write letter about this to Princess Celestia.” Those were the last sentences Garrett heard coming from the third female voice, before slipping into unconsciousness again. What was going on? What the heck was she talking about anyway?
"I Don't Think I'm In Kansas Anymore..."Chapter 1: "I Don't Think I'm in Kansas Anymore..." Garrett opened his eyes and sat up almost immediately. He was breathing heavily as he stared straight toward a wall in front of him. Eventually, he was breathing at a normal pace, and began scanning his surroundings. He was on a bed, in some sort of wooden room. “Where am I...?” he whispered to himself, and found a mirror on the wall to his left. The MP soldier found his eyeglasses and dog tags on the nightstand next to the bed and put them on, and he removed the blankets to sit on the side of the bed. As he saw himself in the mirror, he was stripped down to only his Multicam trousers. Bandages were wrapped around his upper body, with a bloody patch on his left side. Also... how did he survive getting blown to bits by that RPG? And where and what is this place!? “This can't be right...” His carbine and holstered pistol lay beside the mirror, along with the rest of his things, including his ballistic glasses, his IOTV (Improved Outer Tactical Vest), which had M4 and M9 magazine pouches, his grenade pouches, his IFAK (Improved First Aid Kit), and his knife attached on it. All that, including his ACH (Advanced Combat Helmet), Camelbak hydration pack, and assault pack, was also present. After he got up from the bed, Garrett limped his way toward a nearby window for a clearer idea of where he was. Before he reached it, a quiet voice spoke out behind him. “Oh my... You're awake.” The female voice behind Garrett grabbed his attention. He could have sworn he had heard that voice from somewhere before... He turned around toward the sound of the voice, the owner of which was... A horse?! “Are you feeling any better, now?” “What the... Ah!” He panicked as he backed away from the talking horse, and ended up falling on the floor. The horse had a pink mane that looked like a hair style from a cartoon, as well as blue eyes, a yellow coat, and wings. On second thought, this one was not a horse at all; it was a pegasus. A pegasus was actually talking to him. “You... You can talk?!” he asked, as his back touched the corner of the room. He failed to realize that he was further from his things, especially his weapons. The yellow pegasus jumped in surprise from Garrett’s tone of voice, but was still showing concern for him. Before she could speak, she turned around to notice five more horses come into the room. One was a lavender unicorn; one was another unicorn, but had white coat and a purple mane; one was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane; one had a light pink coat with a dark pink mane; and one was orange with a blonde mane and wearing a Stetson hat. What kind of place was Garrett in? There was no way this could be Afghanistan. The lavender unicorn stepped forward and trotted toward the MP soldier. “Excuse me...” she spoke to him, but he quickly scrambled to his feet, panicking from what he was seeing and hearing. These six... horses... were talking to him. Was he going crazy? “Talking horses? What the hell is going on here?!” “It’s ponies, buddy! Now fess up! Who are you and why the hay are you here?” The rainbow-mane barked out as she flew right between him and the lavender unicorn. She was glaring at the soldier with fire in her eyes. Now that reminded him of his Drill Sergeants from Fort Leonard Wood. Then, the white unicorn butted in, attempting to calm the cyan pegasus down. “Rainbow, darling, please. Behave yourself. You don’t want to scare the poor thing, do you?” She spoke in a sophisticated tone of voice. It was a bit too late for assurance, however. “She’s right. We ain’t gunna hurt ya or anything, pardner,” the orange horse- pony with the cowboy hat spoke out, trying to support the white unicorn’s statement to the human. Garrett was stumped as to whether or not he should believe these hors- ponies. After taking a moment to calm himself down, he finally spoke. “Then, what is this place? Where am I?” “You’re in Equestria,” the lavender unicorn answered. “You’re in my friend’s cottage right now, which is outside of Ponyville.” Equestria? Ponyville? The MP soldier had never heard of these places before. Either that, or he should curse his sheltered life before the Army. He might as well introduce himself to the ponies. They probably wanted to know his name. “Perhaps I should introduce myself, then? The name is Mitchell. Garrett Mitchell.” The lavender unicorn placed her hoof on her chin, taking in the new information. “In that case, my name is Twilight Sparkle.” “I am Rarity. I run a boutique in Ponyville. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said the white unicorn. “I’m Rainbow Dash – the fastest pegasus in all of Equestria,” said the rainbow-maned pegasus. The orange pony tipped her cowboy hat. “The name's Applejack. Mah family owns Sweet Apple Acres, outside of Ponyville.” They all turned their attention to the yellow pegasus, who turned her head toward another direction, until a pink pony suddenly popped up in front of Garrett. “I’m Pinkie Pie! I work at Sugar Cube Corner in Ponyville! Come over there if you want some sweets!” She was leaning in so closely, the MP soldier almost fell backwards. Her tone of voice was very cheerful and hyperactive. She must have had too much sugar or caffeine in her system, perhaps? Once again, the group – Garrett included, after mentally recovering from the pink pony's crazy introduction – brought their attention back to the yellow pegasus, who was still looking the other way. Her pink mane covered her face as she quivered timidly. “I’m Fluttershy...” she said, but it was almost inaudible. “What was that?” Garrett asked. “I’m Fluttershy...” Again: inaudible. “Eh?” “I’m... I’m Fluttershy.” The yellow pegasus finally said in a normal voice volume. Her timidity was crystal clear. Twilight turned to Garrett and chuckled. “Hehe... I apologize for Fluttershy. She's really shy, but she's a good friend. As a matter of fact, this is her cottage. She takes care of animals here.” “Really? I take it that she enjoys doing that.” Garrett said as he scratched his head. As if on cue, a white rabbit entered the room and stood beside Fluttershy. It was soon followed by several more small animals, including squirrels and birds. Author's Note Another chapter to my story... Finally!! Not as much as I hoped because there is a probability that this story may start slow and pick up later, but it will get better. I assure you. I'm on leave right now and enjoying Christmas with my family at home. I just wished my leave was longer.... Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter made by this amateur writer. One more thing!!! Merry Christmas, Happy Hearth's Warming, and Happy New Year everyone and everypony!!!! I hope you're enjoying the holidays!!!
Q & AChapter 2: Q & A The majority of Garrett’s afternoon was spent downstairs. He answered the six ponies’ questions, such as how he found himself in Equestria, which was still a mystery. Garrett's answers were both shocking and amusing to them, but some were confusing. He happened to have questions of his own, which were generously answered by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. It felt just like he was having an interview sheet and a sworn statement filled out at the MP station. "Okay... What do you do for a living, Garrett? Or, in other words, what is your job?" Twilight asked as she was checking the notes she had written so far. Fluttershy and the rest of the ponies were sitting nearby as they continued listening. Garrett, now draped in his MultiCam coat, scratched his nose after hearing the purple unicorn's question. "I'm a soldier of the United States Army," he answered. "My line of work in the Army is the Military Police," the soldier said as he pointed at the MP brassard on his left shoulder, which was just above his unit patch: the 89th Military Police Brigade. "A soldier? Similar to the Royal Guard, I guess..." Twilight quietly said to herself while she wrote down the new information. "What do you do in this... Military Police, then?" "Well... Generally speaking, we maintain and enforce law and order, just like the civilian police force." Garrett paused for a moment. "But, we MPs have something we're trained to do that the civilian counterpart isn't." "And that is?" "Combat..." Upon saying that word, he froze and looked down at the floor, lost in thought about his previous and current-until-now tours in Afghanistan. "Fighting, you mean?" Twilight blinked as she looked at Garrett with a puzzled expression. She noticed something a bit strange with the human, but she couldn't seem to put a hoof on it. "Garrett, are you okay?" There was no response from him. "Garrett?" Garrett finally shot out of his trance after he heard his name. "Oh... sorry. I zoned out for a moment." He chuckled and scratched the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. "That's fine. You had me worried a little, though.” Twilight sighed in relief and took another look at her notes. "Anyway, there's one thing that's still bothering me: You found yourself in Equestria with no idea what brought you here. You were in a situation that was supposed to end your life, but, somehow, you showed up here, merely injured.” She put her hoof on her chin, trying to figure out the answer. However, her concentration was interrupted when one of her friends spoke. "Garrett, darling, I have question I would like to ask." Rarity came up to Garrett and examined his MultiCam coat and trousers. "How could you be wearing those hideous-looking clothes?" The MP soldier gave the white unicorn nothing but a blank stare. He knew she owned a fashion boutique, but somehow didn't expect someone like her to ask such a question. Rarity continued the inspection. "Pockets on your shoulders, chest, upper, and lower legs!?" She put her hoof on her forehead as if she was about to faint, but quickly regained her composure. "What could you possibly need so many pockets for? This is an outrage in the name of fashion!" "My outfit happens to be designed for functionality," Garrett explained, "and I doubt it will ever be made for the world of fashion. I hope not..." Before the debate could continue any further, Twilight stepped in between the two. "Um... I think that's enough questions for the day. After all, we've been at it all afternoon." She nervously chuckled. "But, Twilight, look at the poor thing." Rarity pouted as she gestured toward Garrett. "The pockets and the wear and tear are merely the start. I can tell that the pattern of the colors is camouflage, but that is the most hideous-looking pattern I have ever laid eyes on!" Pinkie Pie eventually walked up to the group and looked at the MP soldier with a big grin on her face. "I bet he likes to play hide-and-seek," she commented with a giggle. "Do you like playing hide-and-seek? Do you?" Garrett couldn't help but listen to the white unicorn criticize his MultiCam attire. He was about to speak, but Rarity put up her hoof. “Now, now... There is no need to worry. Just come visit my boutique whenever you fully recover,” she said with a confident smile. -- The ponies trotted out of the cottage and into the front yard, with Garrett and Fluttershy behind them. When Garrett walked outside, he looked around, noticing the setting sun and a number of animals wandering around the yard. Was Fluttershy really taking care of these animals all by herself? “Well, Ah guess I should be headin’ back home. See y’all tomorrow. And come visit Sweet Apple Acres sometime, Garrett.” Applejack tipped of her hat before leaving the cottage. "Bye, girls! Bye, Garrett! Come visit Sugar Cube Corner soon! I'm already starting to plan a welcome party for you!" With that, Pinkie Pie disappeared quickly before Garrett could say anything back. "Farewell, darling. Please get well soon," Rarity said as she gave the soldier a charming smile before trotting away. Rainbow Dash flew up towards Garrett's ear and whispered, "You probably know this already, but she is an absolute nut for fashion." She backed away from him and Fluttershy before flying away. “Well, see you two later!” The last pony to leave was Twilight Sparkle. “I hope we all get together again tomorrow,” she said as Garrett and Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "Good bye." She then headed out of the cottage area, leaving the yellow pegasus and the human alone. "Um... Ready to go back inside now?" Fluttershy asked with a shaky voice. Garrett almost forgot about how timid she was. "Sure thing. I guess I should check on my things now." -- Twilight entered Ponyville, deep in thought. "I just don't get it... How did Garrett end up in Equestria from his world?” Even Garrett had wondered the same thing. He claimed to be out-cold at the time. "And the fact that he's a human. I thought humans existed only in ancient mythology. I have to write a letter to Princess Celestia about all this as soon as possible," Twilight said with determination, as the sun got lower and day slowly changed to night. Come to think of it, she had forgotten to mention the mythology to Garrett. Perhaps she should keep it from him for a while. Author's Note Ah... I just love the looks on my platoon sergeants' and First Sergeant's faces when they saw my MLP stuff in my room. That was two months ago actually. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying the New Year and this chapter. And it seems that in every Military HiE story, Rarity criticizes the camouflage uniforms (mostly the patterns like ACU, MARPAT, and MultiCam). See you in the next chapter.
Sensitive ItemsChapter 3: Sensitive Items Shortly after Twilight and her friends headed home, Garrett returned to the guest room to take another look at his belongings. He picked up his assault pack and began consolidating his the items on the bed he was lying on earlier. After what felt like at least ten minutes, the items from his assault pack were as followed: a pair of MultiCam coat (complete with nametapes, rank, unit patch on each shoulder, an IR (infrared) American flag patch, but no MP brassard) and trousers, a MultiCam combat shirt, two pairs of tan-brown shirts, and two pairs of underwear and socks. To top it all off was green pouch containing an AN/PVS-14 monocular night scope attachment for his helmet. “Hmm... Well, at least I know I have extra pairs with me all along...” The soldier quietly sighed and picked up the empty assault pack to inspect its exterior. "But... I don't remember carrying this. How odd..." He saw a one-quart canteen tucked safely on the side pouch and started digging into the pockets. He pulled out two pairs of washcloths, personal hygiene items, and a fist-sized weapons-cleaning kit. Garrett had almost forgotten how much an assault pack can carry. "Um... Do you need any help with your belongings, Garrett?" Fluttershy's voice grabbed the soldier's attention as she watched what he was doing. Garrett looked down at the yellow pegasus and chuckled. "It's ok, Fluttershy. I can take it from here," he replied as he continued digging into the pockets and found another item: a bracelet, black in color with the 1st Infantry Division insignia on it. Placed over the insignia was white text saying: R.I.P. Specialist Kevin A. Weinburg March 13 1986 - May 21 2011 Kandahar Province, Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom "Garrett, are you alright?" asked Fluttershy. Silence ruled the room as the confused pegasus looked up at the human. "Garrett?" This was a similar vibe to what had happened while Twilight was asking him questions earlier. Garrett shook his head as he returned to reality. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just daydreaming, heh..." he replied as he put the bracelet back into the assault pack. "Oh... Okay then." Fluttershy nodded her head as she continued to watch Garrett look into his belongings. He kneeled down to pick up his weapons and cleared them. Then, he pulled out the magazines for his weapons from the pouches of his IOTV and counted them: seven magazines for his M4 carbine and three for his Beretta M9 pistol. Garrett scratched his chin, thinking of what to do next, until he looked at his watch to check the time, which was about 1826. This prompted him to walk out of the cottage again, and Fluttershy followed him. -- Garrett sat under a tree, enjoying the air around him. The dirt-filled air of Afghanistan had nothing on the air he was breathing now. That, however, made him realize something! What happened to his buddies during that ambush? Were they safe? Did they manage to repel the ambush? The MP soldier then noticed a brown rabbit near him, staring at him. "I suppose I can't ask you anything about my squadmates' whereabouts." He chuckled as he petted the rabbit’s head, until the alarm on his watch went off, which made the creature run away. "Oops. My bad." Garrett shut off the alarm and saw Fluttershy approaching. "Pretty quiet out here, huh?" Fluttershy asked as she nervously walked toward him. "Indeed." Garrett nodded his head in agreement. Aside from the crickets chirping, it was very quiet. "I just hope I find a way home soon." He let out a sigh as he looked up at the starry sky. ”I hope you do too.” The yellow pegasus reassuringly smiled at the human as she sat to enjoy the starry night as well. -- Twenty minutes later, the two were back inside the cottage. Fluttershy was feeding her pet rabbit, Angel, and Garrett was back in his room checking on his Camelbak. The reservoir had less than half of water left, but he doubted he would be going anywhere soon that required him to have a full reservoir. As soon as the hydration pack was set aside, a knock came from the front door. Fluttershy opened the door to a panic-stricken Applejack and Rarity with Twilight behind the two. "Girls? Is something wrong...?" "Fluttershy, have ye seen Applebloom around, by any chance?" the orange mare asked. "She hasn't come back home, even when Ah came back." "Or even Sweetie Belle," Rarity added. "I haven't seen her since I came home as well." Fluttershy gasped upon hearing the news her friends had given her. "No... I haven't seen either of them." "Ah bet Scootaloo is missing too. Where in tarnation could they be right now?" Applejack asked as she grew more worried by the minute. "We looked everywhere for them. Everywhere except..." Twilight paused for a moment, thinking about the matter at hoof. "Except the Everfree Forest." Rarity looked at Twilight with fear in her eyes. "If they're in Everfree Forest, what could they possibly be doing there?" The white unicorn looked down, trying not to think about the possibility. "Everypony knows the forest is dangerous at night. They should know better, too." -- Little did the mares know, Garrett was eavesdropping on their conversation. He backed away and returned to his room. The MP soldier was about to do something that was unthinkable in his case; helping others he had barely met. In the past, he did provide help when needed. This was a different case somehow... Maybe it was just is normal instincts kicking in. After putting on his MultiCam coat, Garrett immediately slipped on his IOTV and Camelbak, securing them on his body after seeing his weapons' magazines properly secured in their pouches. Grabbing his monocular night scope, he attached the device on the adapter on his helmet before securing the headgear on his cranium when he made final adjustments to the night scope. "Alright. Here we go." He loaded his sidearm and secured it in his leg holster with a coil lanyard attached to the weapon and his belt. With his M4 carbine in his gloved hands, Garrett stepped out of his room and headed out to meet Fluttershy and her friends. -- "I would like to go into the Everfree Forest, but it's just too dangerous to go in there," Twilight said hesitantly. She willing to help her friends, but she wasn't sure if she could go into the forest at night again. "But, Twilight. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo could be there," Rarity objected with fear and worry. "It's the last place they may be, I reckon," Applejack said as she tried to calm Rarity down. "If we don’t go now, who knows what will happen to them?" Another voice rang out of the room. "Then, I say we go there and find them anyway." All heads turned to sound of the voice. It was Garrett, in the odd attire he was wearing when Fluttershy first found him. "Fluttershy found me out there, right? I think it's fair if I tag along." "You were listening to our conversation earlier, Garrett?" Twilight asked, seeing the human standing in front of her and her friends. Fluttershy walked over to him with concern in her eyes. "But, you're still recovering from those wounds. You can't go out there while you're still healing." "Don't worry, Fluttershy. I can take care of myself. I'll be fine." Garrett looked down at Fluttershy and gave her an assuring smile. The timid pegasus looked the other way, avoiding eye contact with the human while she was blushing. "Um... If that's fine with you, then... Okay." She nodded in agreement. "Then Ah'm putting my trust in ya, sugar cube." Applejack looked at the human with determination. "And so do I, dear," Rarity spoke out. "Me, too," Twilight added after her friends. Fluttershy looked up at the human, putting her trust in him also. As Garrett, Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity walked out of the cottage, Garrett inserted a magazine into his M4 and chamber loaded the weapon, after putting on his clear-lens ballistic glasses. "I'll stay here, in case those three come find their way out of the forest," Fluttershy stated as the others stepped out. "Come on, everypony. There's three fillies we need to find," Twilight said as Garrett, Applejack, and Rarity followed her into the Everfree Forest. Author's Note Cliffhangers, cliffhangers everywhere! Fun Fact Time: -Before the making of this chapter, I experimented on my assault pack with items mentioned that were in Garrett's assault pack. -Another name (and frequently used one) for ballistic glasses is "eye pro," which is short for "eye protectors." -The More You Know!- On a unrelated note: 10th Mountain Division MP's, Y U No use radio 10 codes and fill out PMCS sheets correctly for the patrol cars?! True story by the way.
Search and RescueChapter 4: Search and Rescue The Everfree Forest was a dangerous place at night. Vicious monsters roamed the forest, but that doesn't mean they don't roam during the day. There have been few occasions Twilight and her friends went into the forest at night, and tonight was the latest. It was just her, Applejack, Rarity, and the otherworldly newcomer, Garrett. "Twilight, are you sure we're going the right way?" Garrett asked as he walked beside the purple unicorn. His night scope had already been placed in front of his right eye, allowing him to see his general direction in night vision. He could still see normally because of the moon light, but there wasn’t enough light to see much. Twilight looked up at Garrett from the corner of her eyes and answered, "Of course. This path has been used a lot. I'm sure those fillies went through here." "Then I hope they're safe somewhere," Rarity added. "Let's just leave this dreaded forest as soon as we find them." Applejack noticed the strange-looking device in front of the human's eye and began wondering what it was. "Garrett, what's that thing in front of yer eye, if ye don’t mind me asking?" Garrett looked down at Applejack for a moment after hearing her question. "It's called a night scope," he answered. "It allows me to see in the dark." "Well, Ah guess that's some fancy contraption right there." The orange mare nodded. She understood the general purpose, but how it exactly worked was beyond her. Garrett couldn't help but mentally chuckle from Applejack's compliment. Clearly, none of these ponies had ever seen weapons and equipment like what he had before. He couldn’t blame them for their lack of knowledge. Before anyone or... anypony could let another word out, something caught the human's attention through his night scope followed by the sound of ruffling nearby. "Girls, stop," he said quietly as they stopped moving. "Get behind something. Go." The four hastily dispersed, clearing the path. Applejack and Twilight hid behind a bush, while Garrett and Rarity hid behind an old, overturned tree trunk. In the prone position, Garrett peeked around it and aimed his weapon from the trail to the trees surrounding it. "What's wrong, darling?" Rarity asked, blinking in confusion. "I saw something," Garrett answered, using both the ACOG scope and night scope to scan his surroundings. "But, whatever it was, I couldn't get a clear look at it." After a few minutes of looking around, he returned to his feet along with the others. The group continued to walk down the trail, but they were more cautious this time. The search felt like an eternity to them, despite Garrett already having been used to situations like this. Since his first combat tour rotation, he remembered having to go on missions that took a day or more, or even overnight, before returning to his FOB. The silence of the forest was eventually interrupted by a unison of screams, which startled the group. To Applejack and Rarity, the voices of the screams were definitely familiar. "It's them!" Applejack exclaimed as the others rushed toward the source of the scream. -- When they reached their destination, three fillies were cornered by a huge boulder behind them. However, in front of them were three familiar figures Twilight and her friends were hoping to avoid... "What are those things?" asked Garrett as he lay prone beside a tree, aiming his M4 carbine at the two potential threats. "Timber wolves..." Twilight answered. "They may look fragile on the outside, but don't let that fool you. They're dangerous." Garrett took a quick look at the three scared fillies. One had a light yellow coat with a red mane and a ribbon on it. The second one was orange-colored pegasus with a short purple mane. The third one was a white unicorn with a light pink and purple mane. "I got this." Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity looked at Garrett after hearing his last sentence, not clearly sure what he meant by that. With the support of his weapon's foregrip, infrared laser sight, the ACOG scope, and his helmet's night scope, Garrett took aim at the timber wolves. "Twilight, you know what else separates humans from other species?" The purple unicorn leaned her head in confusion. "Humans can kill at a distance." Almost immediately, Garrett fired his weapon at the timber wolves. The sound of the weapon going startled everypony. Each trigger pull sent a bullet flying toward the intended target. Two bullets hit the nearest timber wolf in the body, while one hit one of the forelegs. The surprise sent the three animals, with one of them wounded, fleeing into the forest. The ponies froze in shock upon seeing what had just happened. Applejack and Rarity broke the trance by rushing toward the three fillies. Garrett and Twilight followed suit. "Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle!" The two ponies yelled in unison as they approached and the came together in a group hug. "Everypony was worried sick about you three. What were you doing here in the Everfree Forest at dark?" Rarity asked. "We heard rumors that some new creature was discovered here. So, we went here to see for ourselves," Sweetie Belle answered. As questions and answers were being exchanged, Garrett and Twilight approached the group. Garrett looked down at the pieces of wood left behind by the wounded timber wolf. The last shot took a good chunk from one of those creatures. It happened to be one of the forelegs. "Um... Who the hay is that tall one there?" The orange pegasus asked, motioning to the human. "His name is Garrett, Scootaloo," Twilight answered. "Fluttershy took him in earlier today. Don't worry, he's not going to hurt any of us." Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked up at Garrett in awe noticing how tall he was compared to them. "Garrett, there's something I forgot to tell you about those timber wolves," Twilight grabbed Garrett's attention with a worried tone of voice. "What about them?" He looked back at the unicorn mare with confusion. Before Twilight could answer, pieces left behind by the wooden creatures began moving on their own. To her and her friends, fear was all over their faces. For Garrett, surprise. The pieces flowed past them and moved toward the direction of where the timber wolves had fled to earlier. As if on cue, the three timber wolves revealed themselves from the treeline. The pieces returned to the one Garrett had injured and was rebuilt as good as new. "They can rebuild themselves just like that," Twilight finally said. "LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Applejack yelled as the group began running with the three fillies in tow. They found themselves back on the trail they used earlier. Garrett, as the last one following behind, took a quick peek back, still seeing the timber wolves following them. There was no way they could outrun the wooden creatures except... "Girls, keep running! I'll draw them away!" he yelled before stopping in his tracks. Before Twilight and her friends said anything, they stopped and turned their heads upon hearing Garrett's weapon going off. They then saw him fleeing into the forest, with the timber wolves on his tail. "He's going to get himself hurt!" Rarity gasped. "We have to do what he said. He's our best chance to get out of here safely," Twilight said as they continued running. -- Garrett was running into the forest after grabbing the timber wolves' attention. "Good. It worked," he said to himself. "I just hope the others get to safety." He vaulted over a dead tree trunk and ducked behind it, panting for air. He peeked up and fired off a few rounds from his M4 carbine before he continued running. He was starting to slow down due to exhaustion. “Dammit...” Garrett quietly cursed at himself as he tried to regain his pace. The weight of his IOTV and other equipment on him was causing the slowdown, but he was trying to ignore it. Looking back for a moment and taking a quick sip from his Camelbak, the soldier continued until he found himself at a cliff edge. "Uh oh, not good..." The timber wolf trio stepped out of the woods and surrounded the lone, exhausted human. Garrett removed the night scope from his eye and stared at his pursuers. He was tempted to fire his weapon until its chamber caught his eye. The bolt was locked to the rear, indicating that there was no more bullets in his current magazine. He could pull out his Beretta M9, but he was still outnumbered. The creatures slowly approached him as he backed up until his heels were at the edge of the cliff. Garrett looked down at the cliff and saw nothing that could break his fall. He was given two choices - Become dinner for wolves made of wood or jump to a quick and painless death. When the timber wolves began running toward him, Garrett's choice was made. He faced away from the creatures and made a quick leap of faith to have one 'hell of a way to die.' "I ain't gonna jump no more..." Garrett said, closing his eyes before mentally laughing at the dark humor of the situation. Did he survive an IED/small arms ambush in one of the most dangerous provinces of Afghanistan, only to fall to his death in an unfamiliar place called Equestria? He was ready to accept his fate... until he felt a shift of some sort in midair. "Phew... Gotcha just in time." Garrett opened his eyes upon hearing a somewhat familiar voice. More importantly, he found himself on the back of a cyan-coated pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane. "R-Rainbow Dash?!" he gasped in surprise and relief. That was her name... right? "Good to see you again." Rainbow Dash smiled widely and chuckled. "The girls told me what was going on and that you were drawing the timber wolves away from them. I figured you needed a lift out of here." The soldier chuckled, relieved that the pegasus had figured that. As the two ascended to the sky, Garrett saw the timber wolves do nothing but watch their prey fly away. He became quiet when he thought about what would have happened if Rainbow Dash hadn’t arrived in time. "You okay?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Yeah... I'm just worn out. That's all," Garrett answered, masking his pain. -- Twilight and her friends were at the front of Fluttershy's cottage, waiting for Rainbow Dash and Garrett's return. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle waited with them as well. "They're still not here..." Fluttershy was growing worried for her two remaining friends. "Don't worry, sugar cube." Applejack placed her hoof on the yellow pegasus' shoulder. "Ah'm sure they'll be here at any time now." She still remembered Garrett diverting the timber wolves' attention away from them, but was he safe himself? Scootaloo looked up at the night sky, recognizing a familiar silhouette approaching the cottage. "Rainbow Dash!" she yelled in excitement, grabbing everypony's attention. Rainbow Dash and Garrett landed safely at the cottage's front yard and were immediately surrounded by the mares, rejoicing for their safe return. While still grasping his side in quiet pain, Garrett backed away from the group upon seeing them talking among themselves. He sighed in relief, knowing everypony was now safe and sound. As soon as he faced the cottage, he heard his name called out. "GARRETT!" The voice came from Fluttershy, who ran toward the human from the cottage and jumped to embrace him in a hug, which knocked the wind out of him. This was a greeting he didn't expect getting. She was hugging him as if they were close friends... Unsure of how to respond, he returned the hug. As soon as they backed away from their hug, Fluttershy giggled nervously after realizing what she did. Garrett removed his helmet and gave her an assuring, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” “Mister Garrett?” Garrett looked at the light yellow coated filly. Applebloom, wasn’t it? “Ah want to thank you for saving me and my friends from those timber wolves,” Applebloom said sheepishly. “If you and the others didn’t come, we would have been their supper already.” With that, two of her friends came up to Garrett as well. “Thank you, Mister Garrett,” they said in unison. Garrett nodded his head in acceptance. “You three are welcome, but just call me Garrett. It’s fine by me.” Soon, everypony was heading home, and Garrett and Fluttershy were back inside the cottage. “Jeez, that search made me worn out...” Garrett sighed in relief and rubbed his forehead before removing his IOTV and Camelbak. Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “It was good you went with my friends, I guess...” “True. They may not have gotten away from those timber wolves if I wasn’t around.” Carrying his belongings, Garrett went back to his room. “Anyway... Good night, Fluttershy. I’m heading to bed now.” Author's Note Eeyup... Another room inspection took place last week. My team leader/squad leader shrugged seeing my MLP stuff just like the other time when he came in with my First Sergeant. Ha!! Anyway, I chapter complete. Whoooo!!!! Plus it's longer than the previous chapters.
Formal WelcomeChapter 5: Formal Welcome *BEEP, BEEP! BEEP, BEEP! BEEP, BEEP! BE--* Garrett was awoken by the sound of his watch's alarm and checked the time. It was now 0830, but he lazily attempted to fall back to sleep. Rolling over to lie on his back, he stared at the ceiling and took a peek at the room he was in. It was the same place he had awoken in yesterday. This was definitely not a dream. All of this was real. Everything that had happened so far was also real. Garrett was in Equestria and no longer in Afghanistan. After dealing with some personal hygiene, getting into a clean pair of MultiCam attire, and putting on his watch and memorial bracelet, Garrett was in the kitchen eating breakfast with Fluttershy. "I hope the food is okay for you.... I.. I mean... It's not much,” said the yellow, timid Pegasus. In fact, she was not lying. It was just some slices of toast with butter and a red apple for each. "That's fine, Fluttershy. This is good enough." The MP soldier made an assuring smile before he continued eating. The food was not as plentiful as the DFAC's from his FOB or whatever food he was used to eating stateside and in-country, but it was better than nothing. "Oh. If you want, I can take you to Ponyville after breakfast... If it's fine with you, Garrett,” Fluttershy said as she looked down at her own food. Garrett paused for a moment, thinking about the yellow pegasus' offer. Was Ponyville the place near the cottage, but further away from the Everfree Forest? "Well, that sounds like a good idea... If they don't mind a 5'8" figure they’ve never seen before wandering around." As much as he wanted to see the rest of the area around, the human might not receive much positive attention. Then again, Garrett was used to all of that since his first deployment, whenever he and his squad or platoon were sent outside the wire for missions. "I'm sure everypony will understand why you're here." Fluttershy frowned, feeling concerned with what Garrett had just said. “Don't worry, Twilight and the others will convince everypony that you're not a big, evil monster." She smiled in an attempt to lighten up the mood. "In that case, I hope so." The human nodded his head before taking another bite from his food. This could be a long day for him. -- One hour later, Garrett and Fluttershy walked together toward Ponyville. Garrett was still wondering how the entire town would react to his presence. At least he was not wearing his gear or carrying his weapons to possibly look intimidating. There was no need for those for where he was going. As they entered the town, the human was expecting an angry mob to appear at any second. Any second now... And then there was none. He could see everypony going about their business. Watching locals go around the busy streets was all too familiar to him, not to mention uncomfortable due to past experience. It felt like Garrett was on a presence patrol with the others in a village and trying to gather information from the local ANA or ANP forces on any possible Taliban activities or anyone affiliated with them and/or weapons cache in the area. "Fluttershy, are you su--" "Surprise!!" A familiar pink pony bounced in excitement as confetti was shot into the air. Fluttershy and Garrett shrieked, and Garrett fell on his back like a tree trunk. "Wha...? Pinkie Pie?" The soldier blinked in confusion, trying to piece together what had just happened. "What was that for?" With the help of Fluttershy, he returned to his feet before dusting himself off and fixing his glasses and patrol cap. Pinkie Pie giggled and made a big, enthusiastic smile. "For you, silly,” she answered. "It's the "Welcome-to-Ponyville-and-Thank-You-For-Saving-Applebloom,-Scootaloo,-and-Sweetie-Belle-From-the-Big-Bad-Timber-Wolves" Party! And you're the guest of honor, Garrett!!" Garrett gave Pinkie a blank stare after hearing her answer. He could have sworn she had mentioned something about a setting up a party yesterday. Eventually, ponies began gathering around the three. He thought he saw some familiar faces among the crowd, but he shrugged it off. The numerous faces were showing a mixture of awe, skepticism, fear, and amusement. The human did not count on getting any kind of attention so soon. "Is this the one Pinkie was talking about?" "I wonder where he got that outfit from?" "He looks kinda scary..." "Um... Hello, everyone...?" The crowd gasped in surprise and awe hearing the voice of the strange newcomer and began murmuring amongst each other. Garrett rubbed his forehead, wondering what would happen next. He figured that he’d be fine, as long as there was no angry mob coming for him. -- This... party Pinkie Pie set up was taking place in and around a bakery called Sugar Cube Corner. Was this the same place she had mentioned yesterday? It looked as though the entire town was invited to this party. How could that pink pony manage to deal with all of this stuff on short notice? How was that even possible? Garrett sighed as he put that thought aside and took a seat. Fluttershy was sitting beside him as she looked around. The bakery was packed, both inside and around the outside. "I hope you like this party Pinkie set up for you, Garrett,” said the yellow pegasus as she looked up at the human. Garrett looked back at Fluttershy and nodded in agreement. That pink pony really kept her word about throwing a party. He thought she was only over-exaggerating or something... "Hey, Garrett!" "Huh?" Garrett heard a voice amongst the crowd. He looked around and discovered the source to be Twilight. Accompanying her were Rainbow Dash and some purple... lizard? "Hey, Twilight. Hi, Rainbow." He greeted them and smiled. "It seems like you're already the center of attention here in Ponyville." Rainbow Dash said as she looked around the room. “There’s only room in the limelight for one of us, you know.” She could not help but let out some laughter. "Right..." Garrett looked down at the rainbow-maned pegasus for a moment and turned his gaze to the purple lizard. "Twilight, who is that?” he asked, pointing at the unfamiliar figure next to the lavender unicorn. "Oh. This is Spike, my assistant from the library. He's a baby dragon." Twilight smiled as she introduced the one called Spike to the human. "You must be Garrett, right?" Spike asked as he extended his arm to the human. "It's nice to meet you." Garrett smiled as he shook the baby dragon's arm. "Likewise, Spike." As he let go of Spike's arm, he noticed a number of ponies walking out of the bakery and heard some commotion outside. Wondering what was going on, the human, the purple unicorn, the two pegasi, and the purple dragon stepped out with the rest of the crowd. In a matter of seconds, everypony was gathered outside of Ponyville as a chariot pulled by gold armored pegasi descended from the sky. When it landed and came to a complete stop, the passenger stepped out. As if on cue, everypony bowed before the new arrival. Noticing this, Garrett took a knee with his head down. "Rise, everypony." An angelic-sounding voice called out before the crowd around her had done so. Garrett was now able to see the one who had just spoken. It was a white-coated... winged unicorn? An alicorn, according to Twilight during that Q & A session he and the others had yesterday. If he remembered correctly, this alicorn must be Princess Celestia, the Co-ruler of Equestria. The alicorn's mane was wavy with its color consisting of pink, light blue, green, and teal. She was taller than the rest of the ponies and about a few inches taller than the human. "Princess Celestia!" Twilight rushed over to the princess happily. "It's so good to see you. You came here because of my letter?" "That's right, my faithful student." The Princess replied and nodded with a smile. "I would like to see this newcomer you mentioned with my own eyes. Is he around?" Twilight turned around, seeing Garrett sticking out of the crowd like a sore hoof. She gestured him to come over to see the alicorn princess, and he quickly complied. Celestia stood in silence, studying the newcomer from head to toe before speaking. "You must be Garrett Mitchell. Is that right?” "Uh, yes, Your Majesty." Garrett answered. Never mind Twilight and her friends, or even the residents of Ponyville for that matter. He didn't count on gaining the attention of such high a power as the princess. The alicorn princess nodded her head and smiled. "Twilight told me about you and how you got here, including how you saved three fillies from timber wolves." That much really attracted her attention so soon? Garrett had only been in Equestria for at least a day and was becoming quite well-known already. "Why I came is because I would like to personally welcome you to Equestria,” Celestia continued. "I am aware that you were brought here with no idea what made that possible. There may be no guarantee for it, but I will find a way to bring you back to your home." The human felt a bit uneasy at “no gaurantee.” However, he still hoped to find a way back home. "Until then, you shall stay here in Ponyville with Twilight Sparkle and her friends." "WOOHOO!!" Pinkie Pie jumped on Garrett from behind, causing him to fall on his face, and she wrapped her forearms around his neck in a hug. "Isn't this exciting?! You get to stay with us in Ponyville!!” Garrett replied with gagging due to the pink mare's grip. He was eventually released and got on his feet. Twilight and the rest of her friends cheered after hearing the news. -- As the party continued, Garrett got to know a bit more about Ponyville through Princess Celestia, Twilight, and her friends. For the second time, he got to meet Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle -the three fillies he rescued- who called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They told him that they have been trying to find their own talents to earn their cutie marks. "Any luck on getting your cutie marks yet?" Garrett asked. "No..." Scootaloo sighed. "But I'm sure we'll get them soon!" Sweetie Belle said with spirit. "Yeah, and once we do, no more being called 'blank flanks.' Just you wait." Applebloom smiled. Garrett smiled seeing the 'can-do' spirit in the fillies. "In that case, don't give up. You never know when each of you will finally earn yours." Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom cheered, thanked the human for talking with them, and walked away. "I see how well you interacted with those three,” Twilight said behind Garrett as she, Spike, and her friends - save for Pinkie Pie, who happened to be everywhere but there - approached him. "You were really nice with them." Fluttershy said. Garrett chuckled at her complement. "When you have younger siblings and/or nephews and nieces, interactions with other young ones tend to be a lot simpler." "Ah guess Ah can't argue with you on that, sugar cube." Applejack said while scratching her cheek and smiled, knowing her sibling relationship with Applebloom. "Likewise." Rarity nodded in agreement, thinking the same about Sweetie Belle. "And on an unrelated note, are you wearing another pair of that hideous outfit?” The human looked down at his own MultiCam attire, remembering the white unicorn mentioning it yesterday. "This conversation again, Rarity?" He sighed with a bit of irritation. Out of nowhere, a familiar pink mare appeared, surprising Garrett. "Hi, Garrett!! Areyouenjoyingtheparty!?" Pinkie asked with a wide smile. Getting the wind knocked out of him again, Garrett's eye twitched from Pinkie's sudden and random appearance. “Ye-- Yeah, Pinkie Pie. I am enjoying it," he answered. "And next time, don't do that again." “Okie dokie lokie!” she said as she and her friends burst into laughter. Garrett rolled his eyes for being the receiving end of the laughter. It seems it’s just getting weirder here for me every second now... Author's Note Finally I got a new chapter out... I swear. I thought I was never going to get this done, but here it is! On another note, my new platoon sergeant has become the latest person to discover that I'm a brony. lol I got some funny looks and WTF's from people (either military or civilians) when I wear MLP shirts but I say, 'Deal with it!' While at the PX few months back, I was wearing a shirt with Rarity saying "Oh... It is on!" Someone came up to me and said, "I just want to say that I like your shirt!" and walked away. Looks like I'm starting to discover fellow bronies on post. Fricken' A!
