'Human' in Equestria: Maverick and Hunter

Remorse

“This is it, huh? The Everfree forest, as you call it?” Heather asked, looking at the clear beginning of the path that led into the forest. Trees and other types of vegetation lined the edges of the path, the dirt road seeming to lead on forever into the dense and dark forest beyond. Everfree seemed peaceful at the moment, no sign of any of the creatures that inhabited the forest.

“Yeah... this is it. We’ve got quite a journey if we are going to find Maverick, though. The forest is gigantic. Shall we get started?” Twilight asked, turning her head to look at Heather. The soldier nodded and the two ponies began to walk into Everfree.

“So... have you ever been in the Everfree forest before?” Heather asked, looking at the various plants she passed as they slowly trotted down the path.

“A few times, yes. Why do you ask?” Twilight asked, turning her head to look at Heather.

“Just curious. When I was in here, it was like a maze. Until I found that hut a while back into the woods, I thought I was going to be lost in here forever. Do you know the zebra that lives there? In the hut.”

“Yes! Zecora, she lives out here in Everfree by herself.”

“Mmhm. She said something about the path in Everfree can be... dangerous when we were getting ready to head for Ponyville. What did she mean by that? I didn’t see anything too bad out here when I first arrived.”

“Really? You must have good luck, then. There are plenty of dangers within Everfree that we may have to watch out for.”

“Like what?”

“Timberwolves, cockatrice, ursa minor, all sorts of things. But, for now, we should be fine in the daylight. Activity in Everfree is toned down a little during the day.”

“Wait, wait, ursa minor? Like the constellation?”

“Yeah! Why?”

“Well, constellations aren’t... you know, alive. At least, back in our world. They’re just clusters of stars in the sky back on Earth. We never really think of them too much.”

“You’re not on Umbra anymore, things could be a lot different than it is here than it is on Umbra. Here, lets stop here for a second. I haven’t eaten yet today.”

“Sounds good. I’m starting to get a little hungry too.”

Heather and Twilight came to a stop on the path, Twilight taking off her saddle pack and setting it down next to her as they sat down. Twilight unpacked a few food supplements she had taken with her, a few slices of bread, some grasses, and an assortment of other plants. Heather looked at the food Twilight set out on some paper plates, leaning to the side to try and look in Twilight’s saddle pack.

“Is... is that it? Just vegetables and grains?” Heather asked.

“This is all I took with me. What do you mean?” Twilight asked, taking a bite out of the sandwich she had made.

“Humans kind of have a... different diet than ponies, usually.”

“Like what?”

Heather stayed quiet for a second. “She would probably find it a little strange that I ate another animal in my lifetime, wouldn’t she?” Heather thought to herself.

“Heather?” Twilight asked, waving a hoof in front of her face.

“Uh... nothing. Forget I said anything.” Heather said, taking two pieces of bread and putting them next to each other on a paper plate.

“Heather, would you mind if I asked you something?” Twilight said, shifting her eyes from her sandwich to the soldier sitting in front of her.

“Not at all. What is it?” Heather asked as she set a few slices of cheese down on two pieces of bread.

“What are humans like?”

Heather looked up from her sandwich, lifting an eyebrow as she turned her gaze from her food to Twilight.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that! I just, I never got to ask Maverick or Hunter and I thought they would be-” Twilight said hurriedly.

“Twilight, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. Humans... they’re complicated. One minute they can be just fine and the next they can... I don’t know. Things are difficult right now back on Umbra and Earth and Lambda are having just as much trouble we are. Has Maverick told you about Earth and Lambda?” Heather asked.

“Only small portions. He has mentioned them, but has never gone into too much detail. He was usually mainly talking about Umbra.”

“Well, Lambda and Earth aren’t doing too much better than Umbra warfare-wise. Things were hectic back on Earth when I left and I can see Umbra is having just as much trouble with rioters and revolutionists as Lambda and Earth are. I’m really not sure we’re going to be able to end anything if we continue on like we are.”

Heather shifted her eyes back to Twilight, the purple unicorn leaning forward and listening intently.

“I’m... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to go into a military overview or anything. It has just been the main thing on my mind lately, with all the surprise attacks and all. It’s hard to get comfortable without worrying about someone or something sneaking up and...” Heather trailed off. “...Never mind. Should we get walking again?” Heather asked.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Twilight said, nodding as she stood up and began packing the plates back into her saddle pack. Heather stood up and she and Twilight began walking down the Everfree path once more. Maverick would still be a large feat to find and capture.

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The sun above began to set on the dense and large forest outside of Ponyville, darkness slowly edging its way in and suppressing the comforting light of day. Barely any light made its way through the canopy of the forest, the moonlight coming down in columns through the holes in the leaves and branches. The path through Everfree was barely lit, a single light quickly traveling down the path as two ponies searched for a lost soul. The sound of branches cracking, twigs snapping, and plants rustling filled Everfree as two mares ran in the hurry for survival. Panting and running out of energy, the two ponies ran as fast as they could as they deviated from the path into the forest itself.

“What are they!?” Heather yelled over the commotion, looking back at the savage beasts chasing them through the woods.

“Timberwolves! They won’t stop, just keep going!” Twilight shouted through the lamp in her mouth. Heather and Twilight dodged around the large trees, long vines, and thick bushes blocking their paths, galloping away from certain death. The wolves continued to bark and howl as they chased the defenseless ponies out in front of them, taking swings and bites as they got close, but missed every time.

“Twilight... I can’t run for any longer! I need to... I need to rest...” Heather said, breathing heavily as her pace slowed down and she began to fall back.

“Heather! Don’t stop, keep running! We can’t slow down!” Twilight yelled, keeping her pace, yet slowly running out of energy as well.

“Keep going, Twilight. I’ll be fine. Teleport, fight back, do something! For now, this is goodbye.” Heather said. The soldier slid to a stop and stepped to the side behind a tree as fast as she could. Twilight continued forward and she slowly went out of sight, the light of the lamp disappearing from the area. Heather cringed as she heard the sound of the timberwolves come closer, but opened her eyes once more as she heard them run past the tree she was behind. Listening to the chase as she stood still and recovered her energy, a small magical ‘pop’ came from the distance, Heather sighing with relief.

“Good luck, Twilight. I’m sure you’ll be fine. I just hope that I can trust myself when I say that I’ll be fine as well...” Heather said quietly as she regained her breath. The soldier stood still for a second, listening to the sounds of night that occurred deep within the forest. Heather looked around the area surrounding her, inspecting the forest for any other timberwolves or creatures that would harm her. No other animal could be seen in the immediate area, Heather taking a few steps away from the tree behind her. The soldier slowly began walking back towards the path she and Twilight had been on, cautiously listening to and watching the environment. Heather emerged from the thick forest and made her way onto the path she and Twilight had been walking on. Heather quickly turned her head to the forest behind her, the sound of the timberwolves pushing their way through Everfree coming into earshot. The soldier quickly began walking down the path once more, alone and helpless.

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Heather trotted along the dark and dreary path, looking from side to side as she heard small shuffles in the thick bushes and trees running alongside the dirt road. The soldier looked up toward the sky as she came to a stop in the middle of the path, letting out a slight sigh. The full moon above was visible through the brief break in the canopy of the forest, the moonlight gently making its way down into Everfree. Heather looked back towards the path, the trees beginning to clear more further down the dirt road as she could see columns of moonlight in the distance. The soldier began to walk hastily to the clear part of the dirt path, but stopped as she stepped on something. Heather looked down and moved her hoof out of the way, a puzzled expression on her face as she stared at what she had stepped on. A torn piece of and Umbra uniform sat on the ground in front of Heather, four strips laying in an imprint of what looked like wolf tracks. Heather looked to her right, following a trail of hoof and wolf imprints in the dirt with her eyes. On the branch of one of the trees along the path hung a large strip of blue and gray camouflage, multiple tears in it.

“An Umbra military uniform? Out this deep in the forest? Who’s could it... wait.” Heather said quietly. The soldier leaned in closer to the direction of the torn Umbra uniform and lifted her ear up. The sound of heavy breathing barely made its way to Heather’s ear, along with the sound of someone whispering quietly to themselves. Praying. Heather quickly walked to the origin of the voice, pushing the vegetation out of the way. Heather walked around a fairly large tree and came to a small clearing in the dense part of the forest, moonlight streaming down in an almost ten foot cylinder through the clear section of the canopy. Seeing what laid on the ground and on one of the trees, Heather lifted a hoof up to her mouth and gasped slightly.

Approximately five timberwolves laid on the ground of the clearing, three of their necks twisted at an extreme angle and the other two with knives stuck in their heads. A stallion laid still on his side in the middle of the mess, a thick pool of a dark red substance gathering around his head. He showed no signs of breathing or movement, lying lifeless in the moonlight. Another stallion laid in the clearing, his back against the trunk of the tree opposite from Heather. He had his head down and the tip of his nose could be seen in the moonlight, his mouth moving up and down slowly as he whispered to himself. Part of the blue and gray camouflage that he had on was missing, deep wounds scattered through his legs and lower body. The stallion stopped talking and the tip of his nose moved upwards, Heather, staring at the injured stallion.

“Who... who are you? What are you doing out here? Where... ah... where did you come from?” The stallion said, leaning forward slightly so his face emerged from the darkness into the moonlight. His blue eyes glimmered in the dim light, the area under his eyes slightly wet with blood and tears. Heather recognized the voice that came from his mouth, Heather almost breaking down into tears as she realized who the two stallions were.

“...Blake. Is that you?” Heather asked quietly, moving her hoof away from her mouth and putting it at her chin.

“Heather... I never thought I would see anybody else than Kessler again. What... heh, what took you so long?” Blake asked, a slight smile growing on his face despite his condition. Heather made her way through the mess of timberwolves and came to a stop at the stallion laying on his side.

“Kessler didn’t make it. The poor bastard took the hit for me... he managed to get his knives into two of the other... things as well. I was already injured by that time... the two other ones just got the last of me.” Blake said, sliding sideways off the tree and laying on his side in the moonlight. Heather quickly walked over to Blake, sitting down in front of him and moving his medium, light brown mane out of his face. Tears began to form in Heather’s eyes, staring down at the dying stallion in front of her.

“Blake... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone after Maverick, I should have stayed with you, Kessler, and Ramirez.” Heather said quietly, wiping away a tear slowly making its way down her cheek.

“No... you shouldn’t have. If you would’ve stayed with us... you’d be in just as much shit as we are. Ramirez... we never really did find him. He’s out there... but we just couldn’t find him or you. I’m the one who should be sorry. I wasn’t able to help Kessler when he needed it. Now look at him. Scratched up and bitten to hell... oh... why did this happen?” Blake moaned, attempting to lift a hoof to his face, but found his leg stuck where it was.

“Don’t worry, Blake. You’re going to be fine. One of the residents in the towns out of the forest is in the forest with me. We can get you out of here, we can get you help! Just hang in there, you’re going to be okay.” Heather said, beginning to reach into her pocket for a personal first aid issued out by the Umbra military. Blake weakly reached out to Heather and lightly hit her hoof away from her pocket, his hoof falling hard to the ground in front of him.

“Save that for yourself... Heather. This dumb bastard isn’t going anywhere.” Blake said, his eyes slowly closing.

“Blake, wait!” Heather said quickly, putting a hoof on Blake’s face and leaning forward.

“Don’t let Maverick get away. Make him know what he has done. Capture him... bring him back to Umbra... and let him suffer. He doesn’t deserve to live...” Blake trailed off from his sentence, his eyes fully closing and his breathing coming to a stop. Heather folded her lips inward and attempted to stop herself from letting her tears get the best of her, making small squeaks as she stared at Blake. Heather slowly stood back up on her hooves, not sure what to do with Kessler and Blake as repressed tears made their way down Heather’s cheeks.

“Blake... Kessler... I’m so sorry!” Heather shouted out loud, falling back down and burying her head in her hooves. Her tears fell at full force, Heather sobbing as she tried as hard as she could to stop her tears from flowing. Heather lifted her head out of her hooves, her tears beginning to let up as she rested her muzzle on her legs. The sudden depression that had taken over Heather slowly subsided as what seemed like endless seconds passed by. Heather’s tears began to dry within her eyes, the soldier laying in the silence of the forest a she stared at Blake’s lifeless body. After a moment of thinking over the situation and resting her mind, Heather stood back up on her hooves, gently wiping off her uniform. She stayed still for a second, tilting her head upwards to look at the sparkling nocturnal sky.

“I... I don’t have the tools to properly bury you two... I’m sorry. But just know that you won’t be forgotten. I won’t let Maverick get away with what he has done. I’ll take him back to Umbra... and make sure that he has learned his mistakes.” Heather said quietly, slowly bringing her gaze back down at the ground. The soldier lifted her hoof up to her head and briefly brought it outwards in a sudden motion, giving a small nod as she turned around. Heather made her way through the trees and other plant life back onto the path she had been walking on, turning her head to the right to look at the, what seemed to be, the end of the dark part of the forest. Heather turned her head back to the forest behind her, watching as the torn part of Blake’s uniform swayed gently in the light breeze. After whispering inaudibly and giving a small nod, Heather turned back toward the path and trotted over to the path she had been heading in. As Heather walked into the dim light of the moon, she let out a small sigh, letting the tenseness in her body go as she exited the dense portion of the forest.

Heather lifted her eyes from the ground and focused her attention on a large stone structure across the ravine she stood away from. The castle that once stood was practically non-existent any longer, the walls of the stone building destroyed and the ceiling completely gone. Vegetation grew around the abandoned castle carelessly, vines hanging off the broken edges of the walls. The large wooden doors seemed to be open partially, hooves steps visible in the dirt path leading to the castle doors.

“Could that be Twilight? Or Ramirez? Maybe... Maverick.” Heather thought to herself, staring at the fallen castle. Heather’s ears perked up and she turned around. The sound of distant yells and hoof steps emerged from within the forest, the outline of a pony visible in the darkness of Everfree. As the yells grew louder and the pony got closer, Heather could recognize who the pony was, getting a little tense as she also saw a pack of timberwolves chasing Twilight.

“Heather! Get across the bridge! Hurry!” Twilight yelled, glancing back at the timberwolves. Heather quickly turned and ran towards the ravine. Bridge shaking and her heart pounding, Heather made her way across the unstable rope bridge to the other side of the scar in the earth. Heather slid to a stop on the dirt path at the end of the bridge, quickly turning around to see where Twilight was. The purple unicorn was bolting across the bridge as well, the timberwolves biting at the ropes holding the bridge up on the other side of the ravine. Heather leaned forward and put her hoof out for Twilight to grab as the timberwolves ripped apart the ropes holding the bridge, Twilight beginning to panic as the bridge fell from beneath her. The purple unicorn kicked off of one the planks on the bridge, reaching out for Heather’s hoof. The purple unicorn closed her eyes, feeling a falling sensation once more. She began to let out a scream, but she came to a halt in the air, something holding onto her hoof. Twilight opened her eyes and looked up, Heather sitting on the ground with her hooves stretched out over the side of the ravine, grasping Twilight’s outstretched hoof.

“I gotcha, Twilight. I’m not letting you go.” Heather said reassuringly, giving Twilight a smile. The purple unicorn sighed and she looked back over at the other side of the ravine. The timberwolves stared angrily at the two mares, growling quietly as they slowly sulked back into the dense part of Everfree. Heather leaned backwards and pulled Twilight up with her, the purple unicorn falling forwards and laying down next to Heather as Twilight came back onto solid ground. Twilight rolled on back next to Heather, both mares exhausted as they laid on their backs and stared up at the night sky.

“Thank you, Heather. Thank you so much.” Twilight said, turning her head to look at the soldier laying next to her.

Heather nodded. “You’re welcome, Twilight. I wouldn’t let you go like that.” Heather said as she turned her head to meet Twilight’s gaze. The two mares looked back up at the night sky, staring off into the star littered abyss above Everfree. The forest seemed vaguely quiet on the side of the ravine the two mares laid on, the moment of subtle quietness brining a relaxing feeling to both Twilight and Heather.

“Twilight?” Heather said quietly, keeping her eyes at the moon.

“Yes?” Twilight responded, watching as a star shot across the night sky.

“If we get back to Ponyville... safely, I... I would like to spend more time together. You know, as friends. Well... maybe a little more as...” Heather said quietly, trailing off from the end of her sentence and a bitter expression forming on her face.

“More as...?” Twilight asked, turning her head to Heather. The soldier hesitantly looked at Twilight, the purple unicorn smiling at her. Heather kept silent for a second, staring into Twilight’s eyes.

“Nothing, nothing. As friends.” Heather said, a small smile growing on her face. Heather rolled on her stomach and stood up on her hooves, Twilight standing up a second later. The two mares lifted their eyes from the ground to the castle, Heather walking forward slightly.

“Heather, wait! There are hoof steps in the path. Somepony is around here.” Twilight said quietly, looking at a hoof step imprinted in the dirt beneath her.

“I know. And I think I know who it is. Come on.” Heather whispered, motioning her hoof as she began walking to the castle doors. Twilight and Heather quietly made their way over to the castle doors, Heather pushing them open as slowly as she could. The soldier leaned forward and peaked into the entrance of the castle. Seeing no one in the area, Heather and Twilight crept their way into the castle entrance, standing up straight and looking around.

“What is this place?” Heather asked, examining a vine growing on the top of one of the broken walls.

“The Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. A lot has been forgotten about this place, there are only a few books that even mention it in the library.” Twilight said, walking up to the decorative statue in the middle of the room. Heather moved her way along the side of the castle walls, examining the vines that grew around the broken stone. Heather came to a stop a one of the shattered windows, taking a second to look out at Everfree. The forest seemed to stretch on forever from the castle window, no stop to the dense and dangerous forest in sight. Heather began to turn away from the window, but something caught her attention as her line of sight passed a vine hanging on the window sill. The soldier turned back to the broken glass, taking a second to look at the vine hanging over the wall. Heather leaned forward, inspecting a thin silver chain with two small, thin sheets of metal on the end of it.

“Dog tags?” Heather said quietly.

“Hunter’s. I’ve kept them ever since he died.” A voice said gently from the end of the castle entrance. Heather and Twilight looked to the doors at the other side of the room, Maverick walking through the doors slowly.

“Maverick...” Heather said quietly, taking the dog tags off of the vine. The dog tags glowed with a red aura and they floated slowly through the air, Heather watching as they made their way over to the soldier at the end of the castle entrance. Heather and Twilight backed up to the middle of the room as Maverick walked closer to them, Maverick stopping in front of the statue within the castle entrance.

“I assume that you’re still looking to carry out your mission, Culpepper. If you haven’t gotten the message yet, I’m not going with you.” Maverick said, putting the dog tags in his possession into the pocket of his Umbra uniform.

“Whether you like or not, you’re going to have to come back to Umbra at some point, and it might as well be with me. What you think the military will do to you is not as bad as it seems. The military base you were stationed at had a history of being harsh with its soldiers. Trust me, you can come back. It’s safe.” Heather said reassuringly.

Maverick stopped his hoof on the ground. “I can’t go back! Just because my superior officers are gone from the base doesn’t mean they aren’t dead! They’ll still want the same outcome as the General did, they just see me as another soldier waiting to die!” Maverick said, his voice growing in volume with every word.

“Maverick, the military-”

“I don’t care what the military thinks! I’ve seen what they are doing with Umbra and I cannot stand around to watch it just roll over! They tried to take this world away from these ponies and they’re trying to take over Umbra! I’m just one man, Heather, I can’t stand up to a whole military! Not... not without Hunter.”

“Just come back to Umbra, we can help you!”

“There’s nothing for me there! They wanted me dead, what makes you think that they’re going to accept be back into the Umbra military without consequences!? What makes you think I want to work with them when I know how heartless they can be!?”

Twilight chimed in forcefully, “Maverick, just listen! We can help you! Just come with us back to Ponyville and everything will be fine! We can work something out!”

“Nothing can help me! I’m a failure! Look at me!” Maverick spat. Maverick lifted a broken chunk of the castle walls from the ground with a telekinesis spell, hurling it at the two mares out in front of him. Heather lifted a hoof up to her face, blocking the debris as the stone shattered on the ground in front of her.

“Maverick, what would Hunter think of you!? He wouldn’t want you doing this, just calm down and we can work this out!” Heather shouted.

“Hunter is dead! I killed him! I made the mistake of using the military dimension device that was supposed to be Hunter and my execution mechanism instead of the X prototype! The power failed and the growth chambers that Hunter was in lost power! Something in the dimension transport went wrong and the X prototype shattered during the transport between dimensions! It took me three months to piece the X prototype back together when I arrived in Equestria, and by that time, Hunter was gone! The three month period slowed down his development and he turned into what you saw when you found me! I spent six months trying to keep him alive on Umbra, but I couldn’t accept the fact that Hunter was gone! A year! A year I spent waiting for Hunter to come back and I killed him! Hunter never should have died! It was my fault!” Maverick yelled at the top of his lungs, hurling numerous heavy stone pieces at Heather and Twilight repeatedly. Using her magic, Twilight was able to deflect most of the stones Maverick threw with a shield in front of the mare out next to her, allowing Heather to slowly advance and make her way to Maverick.

“Maverick, just listen to us! You don’t have to blame yourself!” Heather shouted, flinching as another stone bursted on the purple shield protecting her.

“You don’t get it! You haven’t seen what I have been through! You haven’t had to kill your own brother because you failed to take care of him! You’re just another one of Umbra’s pawns!” Maverick continued, tears starting to stream down his eyes as he rapidly threw chunks of the castle’s broken walls at the soldier advancing toward him. Heather pushed against the purple shield in front of her as she came close to Maverick, looking back at Twilight and giving her a nod. Twilight let go of the shield and Heather flung forward, tackling Maverick and coming to a stop on top of him, holding his front legs down.

“Maverick! I had to let go of my parents as I was drafted into the military on Earth! I had to let go of them again when I was transferred to Umbra! I had to execute a newly born Beta unit on Umbra because it was ‘defective’! I had to sit there and watch the Beta unit’s Alpha unit cry her eyes out, only to be shut out and beaten by her out of anger when I tried to comfort her and apologize! I had to helplessly watch as Blake bled to death in the forest back there because of you! You don’t know the half of what I have seen and what I have done! Just stop! Please, just stop!” Heather screamed, punching Maverick’s chest lightly as tears streamed down her face. Maverick kept quiet as Heather continued to unconsciously hit him, staring at Heather as she tried to keep her tears from coming out as she shut her eyes. Twilight quickly walked over and grabbed Heather, gently pulling her off of the trapped Alpha unit and sitting her down on the ground in front of Maverick. The purple unicorn looked up from Heather at Maverick, a pleading expression on her face. Maverick let out a small sigh and slowly stood back up on his hooves, looking down at Heather as she continued to sob. The ground beneath the crying soldier had become soaked with tears, the small puddle still growing as memories of her past filled Heather’s head.

Maverick turned away from Heather, closing his eyes. “We’ve all shared the experience of loss, Heather. Some of us more than others. But I can’t go back and face that again. Not now. In due time, I’ll come back to Umbra, but right now, I can’t. Twilight, take care of Heather. She’ll need it.” Maverick said quietly. Maverick’s mechanical arm and eyes glowed with a red aura and he disappeared from the castle entrance with a teleportation spell. Twilight looked away from where Maverick stood and back down at Heather, the soldier slowly calming down and her tears drying.

“Sadie... I didn’t want to... I’m sorry...” Heather muttered, her voice strained as she spoke through her tears.

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You’ll find out who Sadie is later, don’t worry. Maybe even next chapter.

You’ll have to excuse me for updates being further apart, I’m having a bit of... trouble these last few chapters.