Disoriented

Jack was running through the forest, his legs pumping him as fast as he could. He was vaguely aware of something following him. He didn’t dare turn around, knowing that if he did, he would be killed in an instant. Pain was pulsing through his shoulder, blood slowly dripping down his arm. He heard the sounds of gunshots whizzing past him, and ran out of the bush, faced with a cliff.

Below was a massive valley, where a small town lay near a river, he turned, looking backwards, noticing the large amounts of silhouettes running towards him. They were speaking in a language that Jack couldn’t understand, but it mattered not. He turned back to the cliff, looking below, towards the river. It was way too shallow, but Jack could either risk being shot by AK-47’s, or jump into a river.

“Now or never, Jack,” He said to himself, turning, and looking back at the men running at him, then back at the river. He then turned to the river, and jumped off the cliff, flying towards the river from maybe 100 feet up.

Jack hit the water in a cannon ball uniform, knocking the wind straight from his lungs. He plunged into the icy river, hitting the rocky bottom. Wind was knocked straight out of him, and he saw to the surface, his body pleading for sweet air. He breached the surface, the wonderful air seeping into his lungs. Bullets flew around him, as other soldiers jumped into the water. Jack swam over to the bank, quickly got out, pulled his own handgun out, checking if the magazine was full first, and pulled back the slide on the M1911. He aimed at the water, just as the other soldiers breached the surface. With extreme skill, Jack fired .45 shots into each of their heads, blood spewing into the water. About four more breached just as Jack was reloading, and they drew their machetes.

They were pirates, from the coast of Somalia, from the looks of their equipment and tattoo’s. They were no match for a well trained C.I.A operative. Jack drew his short bladed crescent knife, going into a defensive stance, on foot behind him, digging into the ground, the other barely put out in front of him. One of the pirates swung his machete, using his right arm as the swinging mechanism. Jack easily cut the pirates wrist open, tearing through bone and muscle alike. The machete dropped from the pirates hand, as Jack grabbed the pirates side arm from his holster, pushed it into his stomach, and fired a volley of rounds through the pirate, into the others. While it wasn’t very accurate, it did the job. All of the remaining pirates dropped to the ground, either wounded, or dead. Jack shook his head, and continued onwards, towards the town.

Jack opened his eyes, looking around the small room he was in. Once again, he found himself in a bed too small for him. The room was oval shaped, and had a small window, which golden rays were shooting through. He sat up, looking looking himself over. He looked at his stomach, which seemingly was sewn up, and his arm was sewn up as well, the multiple lacerations he had gotten from the wolf in his forearm healing slowly. He touched his head, feeling the large scar where his skull had been fragmented and put back together. He heard footsteps around the house, and there was a hot cup of tea next to Jack’s bedside. A small chair next to the bed, along with a wash pan filled with what looked to be fragments of shrapnel, and small blood droplets, marked that someone had been taking care of Jack.

He felt his back, realizing it had been filled with tiny particles of shrapnel and other unkindly things. Jack heard the footsteps getting closer to the room, so he laid back carefully, making sure not to strain his arm or stomach, and acted as if he was asleep again, eyes half open.

The door opened, and the young girl he had saved earlier walked in, carrying a small syringe. She then sat down on the stool next to Jack’s bedside, and cleaned the area connecting the forearm and upper arm with a small alcohol pad, then finding the vein gently with her finger tips. The soft fur on her fingers tickled Jack a bit, as she very carefully, and gently inserted the syringe into his vein. She did it so carefully that Jack barely felt the sharp needle pierce his skin. Within a moment, she drew the needle, and quickly cleaned the area once again. The girl then put a small smiley band-aid on the speck of blood that had appeared over where the needle pushed through. She then took a sip of her tea, pulling out a small, damp rag, and laid it across the Jack’s head, but not before feeling his head with her hand. Again, the fur on her fingertips tickled Jack a bit, but not too much. She placed the rag on his head, and stood up.

She walked out of the room, closing the door softly. As soon as she did, Jack sat up, grabbing the small vial that the girl had injected him with. He read the label quickly, horror overcoming him just as quickly.

“Rabies antidote?” He said silently, under his breathe. “I guess some of that glowy shit got into my mouth or something.”

He then looked around the room more closely, realizing that all of his equipment was in the closet next to the bed. Ranging from his M1911 and machete, to his dog tags. Everything. He reached out to touch it, when he heard some knocks on the entrance to the house. Jack quickly fell back into the bed, gasping at the pain pulsing through his still fragile body.

“Fluttershy, I’ve got more rabies antidote! Will 5 more be enough?” asked a voice that Jack registered as Nurse RedHeart’s.

He heard the door open, and the young girl, now revealed as Fluttershy, and Redheart converse a bit about how rabies was spreading through the communities animals, how rabid timberwolves were becoming a bit of a threat, who’s the best looking stallion in town, and finally, Jack himself.

“Have you caught that human yet?” asked Fluttershy, her soft, angelic voice carrying through the window in the bedroom.

“Not yet. We’ve found tracks up the hill, but that’s it. We think he may have died from blood loss, as the trail of blood stops right up your hill,” Said Nurse Redheart, hearing her breathe a heavy sigh. “Make sure to tell us if you find him.”

“Oh, I most definitely will, Misses Redheart. You’ll be the first one,” Said Fluttershy. “I have some work to do, but I’ll talk to you later, if I can.”

“Alright, see you around, Flutter. Also word of advice; Don’t let Thunderlane into your pants. He’s really rough, and can get pretty rowdy too.”

Yes, because I wanted to know that.

Redheart walked down the hill, and then Jack heard the door close. Fluttershy let out a loud sigh, and Jack sat up, when the door swung open.

There was a moment of silence between Jack and Fluttershy, staring into eachothers eyes. Hers were big and blue, almost luminescent aqua. Then, she started to scream.

“AHHHHH!” She screamed, running out of the room.

Jack shot up out of the bed, chasing after her. He realized he was still naked, but the last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself by a pony ratting him out. Jack caught up with her as he entered the kitchen, his long strides making him faster than the much smaller pony. He stopped Fluttershy by grabbing her from behind.

“Wait! Don’t freak out!” He said, trying to calm the still screaming Fluttershy. She continued to scream, and Jack let out an exasperated sigh. “Why are you screaming?”

“Get away from meeeeeeeeee!” Shouted Fluttershy, struggling out of Jack’s hands. He gripped firmer, trying not to hurt her, but to keep her from escaping.

“Why are you afraid! I won’t hurt you!” Jack said, vaguely aware that her fur brushing against his bare skin was slightly tickling him.

“You’re bigger than me and I saw what you did to that poor timber wolf!” Shouted Fluttershy, still struggling to get out.

“It was rabid! Do you know what rabies does to you?” Asked Jack, still holding her.

“Yes! I do! LET ME GOO!” Shouted Fluttershy, now more angry.

“I won’t hurt you!” Shouted Jack, and Fluttershy stopped struggling for a moment. She looked at him with her big blue eyes.

“Are you sure?” She asked, her eyes wide with fear.

“I promise I won’t hurt you,” Said Jason, his grip loosening. She pulled herself out of his arms, and went against the wall, looking him over. Her cheeks slightly flushed after her eyes passed over his nethers. Jack stayed still, and Fluttershy nodded.

“Okay... I’m sorry, I overreacted,” She said, and Jack nodded.

“Let me get clothed, and we’ll talk.”

So, about 20 minutes later, after donning his old combat fatigues, freshly washed with a rose smelling detergent, Jack was sitting across from Fluttershy, again, in a chair too small for him. His weapons and body armor was hanging on the counter next to him. The kitchen was small. There was a hexagonal cooking area, two sides open for exits and entrances. The side connected to the wall had the fridge and stovetop, and the little island had the dishwasher, sink, and the bar connected to it. Outside of the small cooking area, was a large oak table, complete with six seating arrangements. Fluttershy had a loose fitting yellow sweater, and a pair of pink sweatpants. Jack’s olive green tight fitting shirt and black fatigues contrasted his olive skin well.

“So... uh, why did you take care of me? You could have turned me in, to whats-her-face and Redheart,” Asked Jack, sharpening his combat KABAR knife on a rock.

“Well... I don’t really know. I just saw you laying there, bleeding, and I felt bad. So I took you in, stitched you up, applied medicine to you. I didn’t turn you into Redheart or Twilight, because they would have hurt you more,” Said Fluttershy quietly, looking into her lap.

“Thank you. It means a lot to me,” Jack said, looking at his arm. “I have rabies, then?”

“I’m guessing rabies here is much different from that of which you come from. The rabies here can be easily cured, but only with rest and an ample supply of antidotes. It’s rarely fatal, only to young foals and animals,” Said Fluttershy, putting the case of syringes on the table.

“I see. Back on earth, rabies is usually fatal. Judging from all animal areas around your house, you’re not exactly fond of the idea of killing animals, are you?” Asked Jack, holstering his knife.

“Heavens no! Killing anything is frowned upon in Equestria. Judging from your teeth type, you have meat as a steady part of your diet. Us ponies don’t eat meat, but things like Manticores, Dragons, and Griffins do,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack nodded.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any guns around the house, then?” Asked Jack. Hell, he might as well inquire about any types of armaments.

“Guns? You mean like that weird looking metal thing you have?” Fluttershy pointed at the M1911 hanging from Jack’s bullet proof vest.

“Yeah. Like that,” Jack said, and Fluttershy shook her head.

“I have butter knives. Oh, and this one thing that shoots out flames. Applejack keeps it here, because she doesn’t want Applebloom to burn herself to death with it,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack’s eyes went huge.

“You have a flamethrower? Where?” Asked Jack, and Fluttershy’s eyes went a little wide.

“Oh no, I don’t think we should touch that. Last time, Applejack got really angry,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack sighed.

“Okay then... Any idea where I could possibly find a projectile weapon?” Asked Jack, and Fluttershy shook her head.

“I’m not really into weapons. I don’t like to hurt things. There is a general store in town, maybe you could try that?” Fluttershy fluttered her ears up and down, and Jack scratched his now growing beard, having not been able to shave it for a while.

“Do you have a scrapyard or anything? Someplace people throw away their stuff when they’re done with them?” Asked Jack.

“We have the western pass dump, but no people go there, just ponies.”

“That’s what I meant.”

“Oh, well, okay. I don’t think you should go out just yet. You’re still hurt badly, and I don’t want you to get hurt,” There was a trace of pleading in her voice, and Jack looked at her for a moment. Fluttershy corrected herself. “I just don’t like it when ponies get hurt.”

“Well, I’m not a pony, am I? I’m a big, strong human. I won’t get hurt,” Jack said, and Fluttershy’s voice went a little bit high.

“It’s not that... it umm, squeak.” Fluttershy said, and Jack shrugged.

“There isn’t anything out there I can’t handle. Trust me, I’ve been through a lot,” Said Jack pulling back the slide on his pistol. Full magazine, plus one in the chamber. He grabbed his bullet proof vest and his other equipment, and put it on. The whole process took about 10 minutes, but Jack wasn’t complaining. He was used to the fact that putting on loads of body armor and equipment took a while.

Jack was about to walk out the door, when Fluttershy stopped him.

“Don’t get hurt, okay? I don’t think I’ll be able to help you this time,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack nodded.

“I’ll be fine, don’t you worry,” Said Jack, walking out the door.

Jack followed his compass to the west, which he wasn’t sure was correct. Seeing as how it was always a peice of shit, and he was on a different planet, place, or dimension altogether, Jack couldn't be sure of anything. He was trailing on the outskirts of town, making sure none of the ponies outside could see him. The forest next to him was filled with the sound of growling, and the occasional yelp. Jack didn’t pay too much attention to it, stalking through the deep grass. He saw a large pile of rubble about a mile in front of him, so Jack betted that was where he needed to go. But something felt off again. He decided to trudge on, avoiding the town at all costs.

As he walked through the tall grass, slowly coming upon the western pass, he heard sounds of screaming. But these weren’t screams of fear and hate. These were screams of laughter. He decided to be wary, instead of running in, and trying to scavenge whatever he could. As he reached the hill, the laughter grew louder. Jack climbed up the hill, peering over the top, looking down into the junkyard. There was 3 small anthropomorphic children playing gleefully, hopping around what looked to be a metal box with windows. Jack looked more carefully at it, when he realized what it actually was.

“They have a Jeep Rubicon in the junkyard? I can do something with that...” Said Jack to himself, quietly.

Suddenly, Jack heard a barking noise, and out of the dirt of the junkyard, popped out 5 ugly looking dogs. They stood on two legs, had opposable thumbs, and looked like they had just gotten out of the pound. They surrounded the children, whose laughter had stopped. The small children, now identified by Jack as girls, were either wearing short skirts or short shorts, revealing they did not have their cutie marks or whatever the fuck they were called on them yet. One was the color of a yellow apple, with red hair, a bow tied together neatly on it. The other was white, with purple and pink hair, a horn protruding out of her head. The final one was the orange with purple hair, and small little wings coming out of her tank top. The dogs circled them, their claws unsheathing.

“Shit... those are just kids!” Jack said to himself, shaking his head. “I can’t just let them die!”

Jack cursed under his breath, and pulled out his M1911, taking off the safety. He aimed the pistol downrange, breathed in steeply, and put his sights on one of the dogs heads.

One of the dogs lashed out, his claws tearing through the white one’s arm. Blood gushed out, and suddenly, a loud bang was heard. One of the dog’s heads exploded in a mass of brain and bone, splattering the girls with blood. The dogs turned 360, surveying the area. They saw the glint of a piece of metal, and suddenly, another one of them fell to the sound of a gunshot, this one missing his throat. Jack ran down from the hill, knife in hand. He only had one magazine, so he had to make his ammo count. The dogs charged at him, running on all fours to gain speed.

“RUN! GO HOME!” Shouted Jack at the girls, and they ran off, the dogs more focused on tearing out Jack’s throat. The dogs came upon Jack, their black claws poised to strike. Jack rolled out of the way, slashing one’s stomach. Jack stood up, turning to face the remaining 2 dogs. They jumped at him, and Jack threw his knife into one, leaving him unarmed. The remaining dog circled him, then lunged, his claws about to break Jack’s skin. Jack grabbed the dog by the throat, and slammed him into the ground, knocking the wind out of Jack’s assailant. Jack then looked around for a weapon, spotting what looked like a machete embedded inside a rock.

He ran over, tearing the blade out of the rock with ease. It was a stainless steel blade, with a serrated edge on the back. It was 2 feet long, give or take, with a black handle and a small feather hanging from it. The dog was still recovering when Jack cut his throat open with the machete, spraying blood all over the gravel and dirt ground. Jack fell back, tired from the encounter. He was out of shape, and in no condition to be fighting this hard. He looked at the dogs, who were donned with precious gems and metals.

“Whatever those things are... They’re dead now. Now, about this jeep...” Jack said, walking over to it.

Fluttershy was taking a shower, when there was a knock on the door. She got out of the shower quickly, throwing on some comfortable clothes. She didn’t bother with a bra or panties, seeing as how she would have time for that later.

She walked over to the entrance to her small cottage, careful not to wake the sleeping animals. That reminded her to check the time. It was 9:00, and she was getting quite worried about Jack. Not that she had feelings for him, or anything. She saw him as a friend, and she would not let her heart tell her otherwise. He wasn’t even the same race, for goodness sakes! He had killed a timberwolf in front of her, and ate meat! That was reason enough for the two of them not to even think about getting into any type of relationship. While he was fairly handsome -and well hung, at that- he was just too violent and too different from Fluttershy. She blushed at the thought of Jack nude, but then shook off the feeling. The door was knocked on again, and Fluttershy opened the door.

“Yeah, uh, I got a car,” Said Jack, covered in grease and blood. His hands where bandaged, the knuckles seemingly split from working.

“Car?” Asked Fluttershy, looking outside. Behind Jack was a black looking metal box with windows and wheels, similar to the prototype that Flim and Flam had brought to Ponyville. Massive headlights were glaring at Fluttershy, and she shaded her eyes.

“Where did you get that?!” exclaimed Fluttershy.

“Junkyard. You seem to have a number of human things in there. Really simple to fix it. Had to change out the brakes, the engine, wheels, and everything else. It was trashed, but I scrounged around enough to find stuff,” Said Jack, and Fluttershy just looked dumbfounded.

“Well, where are you going to put it?” Fluttershy asked tentatively. “I don’t think we can put it here, otherwise, Twilight will catch on.”

“Good point. Do you know anyone -or anypony- who could possibly hide this?” Asked Jack, and Fluttershy thought for a second.

“I think I may know somepony...”

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!”

“Fluttershy, it’s just a little bump. That type of thing happens when you’re offroading.”

“GET ME OUT OF THIS THING!”

“Fluttershy, where is what's-her-faces house?”

“Oh, you mean Zecora? Right turn up ahead.”

Jack pulled carefully through the thick forest in the jeep, careful not to scare Fluttershy any more than she already was. There was a small hut in front of the headlights of the Jeep. It seemed black inside the hut, and Jack turned off the headlights.

“I’ll go do the talking,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack put a hand on her shoulder.

“I should come,” Said Jack, and Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

“Aren’t you afraid Zecora will maybe, I don’t know, act surprised?” Asked Fluttershy, and Jack scoffed.

“If she’s willing to hide a massive hunk of human made metal next to her hut, I’m sure she’ll be fine with meeting a human,” Jack said, unbuckling himself from the seat.

They both got out of the jeep, when a voice came from the hut.

“Who goes there? For it is no fair, to visit somepony in the night, to give them a fright!”

“What the fuck?” Jack asked, and Fluttershy made a shush sound.

“That’s just how Zecora talks,” Fluttershy said.

“She sounds african.”

“Okay then,” Fluttershy said, turning to the hut. “Zecora, it’s Fluttershy! My friend and I were hoping that you could do a favor for us!”

Suddenly, a black and white zebra anthropomorph walked out from the hut, completely naked. Jack averted his eyes, trying not to stare at her breasts, but sadly, he was not a master of self control. The zebra walked straight up to Fluttershy and Jack, and looked both of them over.

“This is the human?” Asked Zecora, looking Jack straight in the eyes.

“Yes, it is,” Said Fluttershy, and Zecora nodded.

“He looks like a capable warrior. And judging from the tribal tattoo on his arm, he is a fierce warrior as well,” Said Zecora, taking Jack’s hand. She placed his hand on her breast, and Jack didn’t break eyecontact with her. “He is also capable of controlling himself.”

Zecora pulled herself away from Jack, and Jack looked at his tattoo, noticing that Zecora had one exactly like it on her upper arm. Her and Fluttershy talked for a bit, and then Zecora nodded.

“I will take in the human machine,” Said Zecora, turning back to Jack.

“Thank you, Zecora. I am very grateful,” Said Jack, as Fluttershy started to walk back towards the cottage. She stopped about 20 feet in front of Jack, waiting patiently for him.

“You’re welcome, human. I hope you have the best of luck getting back to your home,” Said Zecora, waving goodbye to Jack and Fluttershy.

Jack took out a flashlight he had in his bullet proof vest, and continued through the forest quietly. Fluttershy walked next to him, thinking about what Zecora had said.

“He is a fine specimen, Fluttershy. Take care of him, and in return, he will take care of you.”

What did she mean by that? How could Jack take care of her? Fluttershy wasn’t exactly needy. On occasion she needed help, but she could manage by herself. If anything, Jack needed more help. He was still weak, and did not know the culture of the ponies. Something told Fluttershy she should hold on to Jack for just a little bit longer.

“Something wrong, Fluttershy?” Asked Jack, as they came into a clearing, leading up to the cottage.

“Oh, no, nothing at all. We should get to sleep, its getting late,” Said Fluttershy, and Jack nodded.

“I concur,” Said Jack, as they walked to the cottage.

They both stayed silent, as Fluttershy opened the door, and walked in, making sure not to wake up the animals. Jack walked in, pulled off his vest, and went directly to his room. Not even a ‘good night’.

Fluttershy sighed, and walked into her own room, flopping down on the bed.

Jack laid there, staring at the ceiling. He was sharing a house with a horse. A anthropomorphic horse, who had C cups, but a horse nonetheless. She was pretty, kind, and caring, but she was a horse. Jack was beginning to think he overdosed on cocaine, which reminded him, he hadn’t had a hit in what felt like a month. Sure, he probably went through all the withdrawal symptoms already, but damn, a line sounded good right now.

Jack eyed his vest, knowing that there was one baggie of cocaine in his chest pocket. He scratched his stubble, and shook his head.

“Now is probably my one and only chance to get clean,” He said to himself, quietly. He reached over to his vest, pulled out the baggy of cocaine, opened the window, and poured the powdery drug into the air, in which it blew away. Jack nodded, falling into his bed. He thought about Fluttershy for a moment, then turned over.

“We aren’t even the same race...” Jack said, shoving his face into a pillow.

He just laid there, thinking about how fucked he was, and how he was going to get out of a situation like this. He was screwed, and he knew it. But death was no excuse, is it? You do a job until its done right. He had to finish what he started.

Author's Note

Hey guys, so I tried to slow it down a bit in this chapter. I would really appreciate any feedback you could give on if I'm going too fast, too slow, or just right. It always helps to bring the readers what they want.

-Storm