When Death Knocks

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Epilogue

Prologue

When Death Knocks, Answer the Damn Door

It didn’t take a genius to know I was a dead man. All around me, screams, gunfire, and hellish roars blended together in a deafening cacophony of sound. Necromorphs of every shape and size poured from broken vents and bulkheads, charging towards the struggling squad of soldiers clustered at the end of a narrow hall. And, as fate would have it, I was among those brave, doomed bastards.

My name is Jack Ventralis, a Lieutenant serving in the elite EarthGov Special Forces. I have the best RIG money could buy, my armor was beyond bleeding edge, and months of brutal training had shaped me into a killing machine that excelled at...well, killings things. My job ensured that I’d been briefed on the Necromorphs, two years before my deployment to Titan Station. All members of the Special Forces were given data on the Necromorphs, on the off-chance we ever fought them. EarthGov was quite proud of its skilled Intelligence teams for giving us accurate intel, though nothing could have prepared me for my first encounter with the damn things. I’ve seen a lot of nasty stuff in my time, but Necromorphs take the cake. Rotten corpses with blade-like limbs protruding from their backs, eyes that blazed with nothing but as feral instinct to kill. They were the stuff of nightmares...or maybe a cheesy horror movie.

Still, I wasn't doing half-bad on that insane, chaotic day. I might have been on the receiving end of a Necromorph onslaught, true, but I certainly wasn't panicking. My modified M-5 Seeker Rifle was dismembering Necros with ease, and I’d settled into a comfortable routine of aiming and shooting. Given, I was low on ammo, but at least I was taking dozens of the ugly bastards with me. The squad of terrified security guards around me opted to blindly fire on full-auto with their pulse rifles, not even bothering to aim for the limbs of the charging nightmares, despite my insistence otherwise. I couldn’t blame them, really. I doubt their superiors told them about the Necromorphs in any great detail, sans for the useful of advice of “aim for the limbs”. Given their horrid accuracy, however, I had a feeling most them were asleep for that particular lecture.

I didn’t know how long the firefight had raged in that blood-stained hall. It could have been minutes, or well over an hour. It’s hard to tell in the heat of battle, and I wasn’t paying attention to clock on my HUD. Whatever the case, as the battle neared its crescendo, and the tide of Necromorphs threatened to finally overwhelm us with sheer numbers, everything began to shake violently. The Necromorphs immediately started backing away, rushing away from us in a veritable stampede, as if someone had flipped a switch in their brains (or what was left of them). I didn’t bother trying to shoot them, not with the floor shaking like it was. I didn't want a case of friendly fire marring my combat record, after all.

“Magnetize!” I shouted to stumbling the security team, “Magnetize your boots, dammit!” Despite their fear, my voice cracked through them like a whip, and the sound of magnetic boot soles clamping firmly to steel quickly filled the air. The vibrations were gradually worsening, but none of us were in danger of getting thrown to the ground. The heads-up display of my helmet informed me that the entire Government Sector was experiencing a massive power surge, and that several critical systems were in danger of failing, including life support. The lights on the ceiling rained sparks down on us as they shorted out, plunging the hall into almost total darkness.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse (I try to be an optimist), a bone-shaking explosion rocked the hall, just as a giant ball of white light appeared at the end of the hallway. It was incredibly bright, bright enough to force the visors of my helmet to darken in order to protect my eyes. The security guards around me began shouting and cursing, covering their heads with their arms as the light quickly began approaching us. I fired off a few rounds from my seeker rifle, though I quickly realised it was a waste of ammo. The bolts merely caused ripples in the surface of the blazing orb, doing nothing to stop, or even slow, its approach.

Like I said earlier: I knew I was a dead man in that hallway. Hell, I was a dead man as soon as the outbreak started. Everyone on the station was, and no amount of sweat and bullets was going to change that. At least I was going out with a bang. In my line of work, that’s all you can ask for, really. Well, besides retirement and fat pension check, that is.

I closed my eyes as the ball of light enveloped me. For a brief moment, I felt a searing pain flash through my body, followed swiftly by a welcome fall into merciful unconsciousness.

Finally, I remember thinking to myself, I deserve a damn rest.

Author’s Note: Well, if you’ve made it this far, congratulations. I can’t say I’m proud of this prologue, seeing as how it’s a pretty much a complete rough draft/ rush-job. This short prologue was born from a dare I made with a friend. He claimed, rather brazenly, that I couldn’t write a story that managed to transition from a heated battle that took place in the Dead Space universe, to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. When I told him, also rather brazenly, that I could, he gave me an hour to write him a prologue. The abomination you just read is the product of that. Lieutenant Ventralis is in desperate need of more characterization, bless him, and I fear the action scene could use a bit more flare. Well, besides the giant ball of light that appeared. Har-har.

Once I’d completed the prologue (with time to spare), my friend insisted that I upload it to FIMFiction for critique/comment...without editing beforehand. He’s a funny guy, my friend, but who was I to say no? Besides, I think it’s high time I uploaded a story for all to see. I mostly keep my work to myself, though this my first ever fanfiction, so I’m interested to see how I do.

Your opinions and critiques are, of course, welcome for this first-time endeavour. If you enjoy it enough, and want the adventures of Lieutenant Ventralis to continue, I will happily begin work on a first chapter, one not tainted by time constraints and brazen challenges. And, of course, it will have ponies. Many, many ponies.

-Wes

Chapter One

When Death Knocks, Be Polite

As a soldier with the EarthGov Special Forces, my training prepared me for many things. Hostage situations, terrorist attacks, covert infiltrations. You name it; I’ve probably done it at some point. At thirty-five years old, I was the youngest member of the Special Forces, but I never caught any flak for that. My combat record made sure of it. I truly was an asset to my superiors, one they used only in the direst of circumstances. That is to say, I was often sent to the most dangerous, brutal hellholes in the galaxy. Of course, I’m not complaining. After all, my training and experience prepared me for anything….or so I thought.

For instance, I wasn’t expecting a ball of light to suddenly appear and envelop me, during that desperate last stand on The Sprawl. Nor was I expecting to actually wake up after it knocked me out. You might think I’m being a pessimist, but honestly, how many people do you know, that were suddenly absorbed by a furious orb of light that appeared out of thin air? Probably none, because they were most likely disintegrated by the damn thing. On the off-chance you did know someone who died like that, do yourself a favor, and let EarthGove know. I know for a fact that’s not a natural occurrence.

Anyway, back to more important matters. I’m not sure how long I was unconscious, after I blacked out. It could have been minutes, hours, or even days. Whatever the case, after an indeterminable amount of time, I slowly became aware of a steady dink, dink, dink, as droplets of water struck my helmet in a constant, rhythmic pace. My head was hurting something fierce, and my whole body felt like it had been thoroughly pounded by a large mallet, wielded by an angry gorilla. I groaned in pain for a few seconds and spat out a few choice curse words, before prying my eyes open.

I was greeted, of course, by the HUD of my helmet. I blearily blinked at a few hovering icons, running several diagnostics on my suit integrity and personal health. Much to my relief, my Resource Integration Gear, or ‘RIG’ for short, was green across the board, and my suit was in perfect condition. I dismissed the reports and gently rolled onto my back, before slowly sitting up. I ignored a wave of nausea that washed over me, gritting my teeth as I waited for it to pass. Once it had, I let my helmet unseal and collapse on itself, where it disappeared into the collar of my suit.

I immediately began to take in my surroundings, though in all honestly, there wasn’t much to look at. I was sitting at the end of a wide stone tunnel that had a high, vaulted ceiling. Guttering torches lined the damp walls, and the air felt cool as it brushed against my skin. A small reflecting pool sat a few feet behind me, which I promptly crawled over to. I took a few moments to splash cold water onto my face, before checking my reflection to make sure I wasn’t missing my usual features.

My hair was still short and black, my eyes were still green, and my skin was still pale (hey, you try getting a tan while wearing armor almost every day). The deep, jagged scar that began above my right eyebrow, and ended just above my lip, was also in its proper place. A close call with a hidden trip-mine had given be that unsightly thing, a few years back, but I didn’t bother having the surgeons remove it. I kept it as a reminder, of sorts. A reminder that despite everything, I’m still human, and certainly not invincible. Besides, it gave me a roguish look that the combat medics always fawned over, so I can’t complain

Satisfied with my appearance, I gripped the edge of the reflecting pool and hauled myself to my feet, even as my sore body protested. I ignored the pain, took a few deep breaths, and began wondering three things:

Where was I?

How did I get here?

Where the Hell was my gun?

I decided to concentrate on the most important question first, and look for my seeker rifle. I certainly didn’t want to go wandering down the tunnel unarmed. After a few minutes of searching, however, I couldn’t find it anywhere in the immediate vicinity of where I had awoken. I couldn’t bring myself to be too disappointed, though. Things could have been much worse, given the circumstances. Besides, I still had my sidearm, sitting securely in it holster on my right hip. I hadn’t bothered using it, during my brief stint on The Sprawl, and I still had two extra clips for it on my utility belt. It wasn’t the most powerful weapon, true, but I was just glad to have something that shot bullets.

Satisfied with my armament, I began tapping the screen of my suit’s small, chest-mounted holo-projector. A wide holographic screen appeared a few feet in front of me, streaming with lines of text and numbers. I was trying to establish a connection to…well, anything really. An orbiting satellite, a local network, anything I could use to pinpoint my current location and time. My efforts were greeted with several error messages, however, informing me that the tunnel was interfering with any signal connections, or that no network could be detected. I was starting to get frustrated at that point, though my pounding headache wasn’t doing my mood any favors.

I dismissed the display after a few moments, rubbing my eyes as I let out an exasperated sigh. I wasn’t beginning to panic, mind you, but I was beginning to feel uneasy. I had no idea where I was or how I’d gotten there. I could only recollect the final moments of my battle on The Sprawl, the ball of light enveloping me…then nothing. I reasoned that I could have teleported, but that technology was still decades away from seeing any sort usage on the field. Besides, that didn’t explain what exactly that ball was, or where it had come from. If it was a weapon, then it must have been heavily classified, to the point where even my clearance wasn’t high enough. And trust me, I’ve seen about every dirty secret my government had.

I sighed again, as a sense of weariness settled over me. Service in the military had a tendency to make anyone feel twenty years older than they were, and I’ve been at it for more than a decade. Situations like this didn’t make me frightened anymore. I just felt as if I was just going over a well-practiced routine for the hundredth time. Before long, I’d be complaining about kids and their newfangled music.

I chuckled at the thought, before shaking my head and un-holstering my pistol. I tapped the collar of my armor once, and the various sections of my helmet sprung from their housing. They quickly formed together over my face and head, sealing with a familiar, satisfying hiss. The T-shaped visor of my helmet flared with blue light as my HUD booted up, and I flicked on my shoulder-mounted, LED flashlights. The bright beams cut through the darkness with ease, illuminating the only path I could take: Straight forward. I rolled my shoulders, popped my neck, and began walking.

“No sense in standing around,” I muttered to myself, gripping my pistol in both hands, “Down the rabbit hole, Jack.”

__________________

I walked for well over an hour, with only the sound of my footsteps for company. Honestly, though, I wasn’t making a real effort to keep quiet. That was almost impossible, given my suit. Unlike the sleek designs of standard-issue military armor, my suit consisted of grey, heavy titanium plates connected to a powered exoskeleton. I could run, jump, and move easily in the suit, but my footsteps were loud and cumbersome, which the empty tunnel only served to amplify. It wasn’t the only suit I had at my disposal, of course, but it was the one I’d chosen when fighting in the tight corridors of The Sprawl.

However, I wasn’t overly worried about my footsteps alerting anyone. The tunnel was completely deserted, and my radar wasn’t picking up any life, sans for the occasional cockroach. As far as I knew, I’d been the first to walk that tunnel in quite a few years. I was hoping to see some carvings I could scan, something that could give me a clue as to where I was. Unfortunately, no such helpful signs decided to show themselves.

Eventually, I noticed the tunnel becoming progressively wider. Torches became bigger and brighter, to the point where I no longer needed my flashlights. The floor began gradually sloping upwards, and I had a feeling I was nearing something. I quickened my pace; fervently hoping I’d reach some sort of chamber or, God willing, an exit. I wasn’t claustrophobic, by any means, but I was becoming increasingly sick of staring at smooth stone walls and torches.

After cresting the top of the increasingly-steep floor, my eyes beheld a welcome sight: A wide set of wooden doors. The faded image of a blazing sun was emblazoned on each of them, bracketed by two crossed swords. I did a quick scan of the symbols as I approached, but my RIG’s database couldn’t match them to any known civilization, extinct or otherwise. Wherever I was, I realized, had gone completely unnoticed by the march of time…and that it sure as Hell wasn’t on Earth. I mean, the whole planet had been almost completely strip-mined of resources, and overcrowding was still an issue, despite planetary colonization. There was no way a place like this could have gone undiscovered.

“Focus, Jack,” I said to myself as I approached the door, “Concentrate on getting to the surface. Worry about Earth later.” I holstered my pistol and gripped the rusted iron rungs on the door, the servo-joints of my armor whirring quietly as I pulled them open. I was grateful for the boost my suit's exoskeleton gave me, since the doors were damn heavy, and obviously hadn’t been moved in quite some time.

I opened them just enough for me to fit, and I stepped into the vast chamber beyond. It was easily the size of a football field, with a domed ceiling that was missing several large chunks. Vines dangled from those gaping holes, while moss was sprouting from hundreds of cracks in the floor. There were no torches, but beams of sunlight provided plenty of illumination, and I could hear the sound of birds chirping somewhere nearby. I breathed an audible sigh of relief and walked over to a ray of light, standing beneath it as a brought up a holo-screen in front of me.

Once again, I tried to connect my RIG to any sort of satellite or network. Hell, I’d even take the wi-fi from a Starbucks. But, as before, I was greeted with the same error message: There simply wasn’t anything to connect to. Honestly, I had to take a moment to wrap my head around that simple fact. RIG connections were a vital necessity, in the year 2510. Since everyone had one, there needed to be plenty of networks that people could connect to in a pinch, be they soldiers or civilians. Hell, even when I was in the middle of an operation on a backwater planet, Intelligence always made sure my RIG had direct a line back to HQ.

However, as I stood beneath that ray of light, glaring daggers at the holo-screen, I realized a cold, simple truth: I was on my own. Completely and utterly cut off from, well…everything. I was used to being a lone wolf, but this was something else entirely. I had no chance of backup or extraction, no maps and intel to consult, and I was standing in the middle of an ancient ruin armed with nothing but a pistol. For the first time in quite a while, I felt truly…exposed.

”You’re gonna get through this, Jack,” I murmured to myself, pushing away any thoughts of doubt, “You’ve been in worse situations before. Hell, nothing can as bad as the Necromorphs, right?” I took a few deep breaths, cracked my neck, and began warming up my suit’s thrusters. The only out was up, and there was no point in waiting around in the ancient chamber. My first order of business, once I was topside, was discovering some sort of civilization. A town, a city, whatever. Just somewhere that had people. With my goal firm in mind, and my resolve steeled, I prepared to ignite my thrusters and rocket out of the chamber.

Just before I could, however, the auditory sensors of my helmet picked out the flapping of heavy wings, and the rattle of metal upon metal. I whipped my head around towards the leftmost hole in the ceiling, just as a group of (I kid you not) armored pegesai descended from it. There were at least a dozen of them, all hovering in perfect formation. They were about three feet tall, had white coats, blue tails, and wore golden armor that glittered in the sun. Their leader, a one-eyed bastard with a scarred face, glared at me with his one good eye as the others quickly surrounded me. I would have been concerned, though I was too busy wondering how a pony was glaring at me. What happened next, however, nearly caused me to fall on my ass in shock.

“Human!” the one-eyed leader shouted at me, “I, Commander Thunderclap, hereby arrest you in the name of Princess Celestia, Regent of the Sun. You will be detained and brought before Her Majesty in Canterlot, where you will face trial for your crimes against Equestria. Come quietly, and we will not harm you. Resist, though, and the consequences will be…dire.” He grinned at the last sentence, as if he wanted me to attack. I, however, was still trying to get over the mental speed-bump of a talking pony (a pegasus, no less). Seriously, how often do you encounter something like that, outside of an acid trip? And I’m certain I hadn’t taken any drugs beforehand.

Hell in a hand-basket, was all I could think to myself as I stared at the pegasi, This day just got a lot more…interesting.

Author’s Note: Bam! I bet you weren’t expecting a new chapter this early, huh? Well, neither was I, in fact. But, after the positive response my prologue got, and all the tracks my story gathered, I wanted to give you guys a full-fledged chapter to enjoy, over the weekend. I know not a lot of stuff happened in this chapter, but I wanted to get some exposition out of the way, and set up Jack in preparation for meeting the Mane Six. I hope this chapter doesn’t feel like fluff and padding, or bore you to sleep. Things will heat up, I promise! Here’s a teaser for the next chapter, to whet your appetite. As always, comments and critique are welcome.

-Wes

Preview: When Death Knocks, Smile and Nod

“Aren't you going to read me my rights, at least?” I asked Commander Thunderclap.

“Would it make any difference if I did, human?” he retorted.

“Well, no,” I replied, my hand twitching towards my pistol, “Probably not.”

Chapter Two

When Death Knocks, Smile and Nod

It’s not often that I find myself at a loss for words. Sarcasm and ripostes come naturally to me, to the point where my friends didn’t bother getting into verbal debates with me, anymore. They’d have better luck winning an argument with a brick wall, then besting me at a battle of words. But, even I have moments were a witty quip escaped me. For instance, when the one-eyed pegasus hovering in front of me opened his mouth and began speaking, any verbal responses lounging in my brain promptly committed suicide on the spot. Hell, the Necromorphs might have been ugly and disconcerting, but they had they courtesy of being, more or less, zombies. And zombies were something I could wrap my head around. Talking ponies, on the other hand…not so much.

Still, I didn’t let myself stare at the pegasus commander in blatant confusion for too long. My instincts, the ones honed by my years in the Special Forces, dung in their heels and forced my brain to process what the commander had told me. I was being accused of something I didn’t do, and the pegasi were tasked with arresting me. Then, I’d be dragged before a Princess and tried for my supposed crimes. My brain quickly came to the conclusion that it didn’t like that particular idea, and quickly began thinking of how I was going to get out of the chamber. My right hand began to slowly twitch towards my pistol as I considered my options.

“Wait just a moment,” I said to the commander, stalling for time, “You’ve got the wrong man, Commander. I mean, I just got here a few hours ago. If this is how you treat newcomers to…wherever the Hell this, then your tourism industry must be absolute garbage.” I know, I was running my mouth, but trust me, it’s a handy skill to have in tight situations. Commander Thunderclap (which sounded like something from a cartoon), narrowed his eye at me as I spoke, shaking his head in disgust.

“Don’t lie to me, human,” he retorted, baring his teeth slightly, “You are responsible for the failed assassination of our beloved Princess, the attempted kidnapping of Twilight Sparkle, and the severe damage caused to the town of Ponyville. There aren’t any other humans running around in Equestria, so don’t stand there and tell me you’re not the monster I’ve been ordered to arrest!” Lordy, he was a long-winded fellow (not to mention a bit melodramatic). Still, two could play at that game, and I wasn’t about to be outtalked by a pony.

“I’m not a monster, Commander” I said, raising my chin slightly, “I am Lieutenant Jack Ventralis of the Earth Government Special Forces. And I swear upon my honor as a soldier, that I have not committed the crimes I stand accused of.” I took a step forward, causing the pegasi to edge away from me, “Move aside, Commander, and allow me to leave in peace. Attack me, though, I shall have your head.” See? I can bust out the melodrama, too. High School Drama class had taught me well, it seemed.

The Commander bristled at my words, and I could tell things were about to get ugly. I wrapped my fingers around the grip of my pistol, quietly flicking off the safety with my thumb. The pegasi around me tensed, preparing to rush me head-on. They had me outnumbered, but I had the benefits of a gun, better armor, and opposable thumbs. Besides, how much damage could they do with hooves? However, before things escalated any further, there was a heavy, resounding boom as something big landed behind me.

I turned slowly, cursing quietly as I saw the massive pegasus standing just twenty feet away. He was almost seven feet tall, making him a few inches taller than I was. He wore a suit of platemail that covered him entirely, the helmet forged in the shape of a snarling wolf. His wings were a deep shade of blue and incredibly long, even when folded at his sides. From behind the visor of his helm, I could see gunmetal grey eyes staring intently at me. I wasn't intimidated by the pegasus in the slightest, but he did make me much more wary of starting a brawl.

“Commander Thunderclap,” the armored pegasus said, his deep voice filling the chamber, “Take your squadron and bring the war chariot. Leave the human to me.” Behind me, I heard the Commander salute, and his squadron quickly departed, leaving me alone with the giant pegasus. Without a word, we began circling each other, my hand still resting on my pistol. I bent my knees slightly, prepared to dodge if he decided to charge.

“I’ve been looking forward to this day, human,” the pegasus said, his eyes never wavering from me, “The day when I could haul your broken, unconscious body before the Princess for judgment.” I held back a sigh at his proclamation. I don’t know what drove these ponies to talk so much before a fight. Not that I was complaining, of course. It just gave me more time to plan my attack.

“That sounds fine and dandy,” I replied as I drew my gun, “Too bad it’s not going to happen.” I began firing, the sharp report of the pistol echoing through the chamber. The pegasus was a quick bastard, though, and he managed to dodge several shots. A few of them struck his chest and helmet, leaving deep dents in the steel, but were unable to pierce it. I grunted in surprise at that sight. Given, pulse rounds didn’t carry much in the way of armor-piercing power, but they should have at least slowed him down. Much to my dismay, however, the pegaus simply shrugged them off, unfurled his wings, and darted towards me like an arrow.

To say he hit me hard was an understatement. Five hundred pounds of muscle and armor careened into me with bone-shaking force, the impact sending warning symbols flashing across my HUD, and causing my pistol to tumble from my grip. I flew back at least thirty feet, sparks flying from my armor as I struck the floor and began skidding across it. I slammed my fists into the ground to slow myself, but I didn’t have time to rise to my feet before the pegasus moved in for another attack. He was on me in a heartbeat, steel-shod hooves coming down to stomp my head viciously.

Before they could connect, though, I managed to grab them, the servo-joints of my armor whirring noisily as I strained against the strength of the pegasus. We stayed like that for a few moments, out strength almost evenly matched. In the end, though, I managed to push him off balance and land a vicious punch on his right foreleg. The steel plates crumpled from the blow, the pegasus grunting in pain as it gave out beneath him, unable to hold his weight.

Rising to my knees, I got the bastard in a headlock and began punching him in the face, even as he started flapping his wings to get airborne. I clung to his neck with grim determination, though, and continued hammering away at his helmet, each blow denting steel. We rose steadily higher at a rapid pace, until I could practically touch the ceiling. Then the pegasus did something I wasn’t expecting. He angled himself towards the ground, and with a fierce war cry, rocketed forward, body-slamming me into unyielding stone floor.

Believe or not, that almost completely took the fight out of me. Getting body-slammed into the ground at high speeds has a tendency to do that. I rolled onto my stomach, gasping for the air that had so rudely deserted my lungs. In my peripheral vision, I saw the pegasus unbuckle his dented helmet and drop it to the floor, before limping over to me. I tried to stand up, but got a strong buck to the face for my efforts, sending me crashing back to the ground. The blow was powerful enough to make hairline cracks form on my visor, causing my HUD began to begin flickering wildly. I shut it off, making the blue light of my visor go completely dim. The pegasus loomed over me, his grey eyes holding no trace of pity or compassion.

“Not bad…for a pony,” I mumbled to him as my vision began to swim, “Not bad at all.”

I passed out a few seconds later. It was becoming something of a trend, that day.

_______________

Rather than awake to the sight of a stone cell, as I anticipated, I was pleasantly surprised to smell the distinct scent of hot coffee and doughnuts as I blearily opened my eyes. I was sitting at a wood table, with a plate of freshly-baked doughnuts and a cup of steaming coffee right in front of me. Giving them a suspicious glance, I moved my arms and legs experimentally…and found that they weren’t bound to the chair I was in (though I was missing my utility belt and holster). Hell, the room I was in didn’t even look like a prison cell, either. It was some sort of private study, complete with a roaring fire at on end and plenty of bookshelves on either side of me. Through the skylights set in the ceiling, I saw the late afternoon sun overhead. I’d been out for a while, it seemed.

Since my HUD was offline, and my visor in need of repair, I pried my helmet off and set it on the table, before diving into the doughnuts. Hey, don’t look at me like that. I hadn’t eaten anything in almost twenty-four hours. Between my time on The Sprawl and waking up in…wherever I was now, my stomach had been deprived of vital sustenance, and it wasn’t too happy about it. And even if my body felt like one giant bruise, thanks to my tussle with the pegasus, I still enjoyed the small amount of pleasure the coffee and doughnuts gave me. Even if said pleasure wasn’t all that healthy. While I ate, I had my RIG auto-inject a few painkillers into my system, and begin deadening the pain.

A few minutes later, I heard a door open behind me, followed by the distinct sound of hooves. I was too sore to turn around, though, so I simply concentrated on sipping my coffee, cradling my aching head with my left hand. The pegasus I’d fought in the chamber came around the left side of the table, though he wasn’t wearing his armor. He still had a slight limp, and I took note of various stiches on his face. I don’t consider myself a prideful person, but I had put up one Hell of a fight, and I couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit of smug satisfaction as he turned to face me.

“You’re finally awake,” he rumbled, giving me a nod, “Good. The Princess will be here shortly to speak with you.”

“Hrgh.” I replied tactfully, my pounding head refusing to form a proper sentence. That required far too much effort, on its part. The pegasus chuckled, his tone carrying a hint of understanding. I was wary of his sudden change in attitude towards me, but I decided not to mention it. I didn’t want my heavenly coffee taken away from me, after all.

“But where are my manners?” he said, once his mirth had subsided, “I am General Titus, Commander-in-Chief of the Equestrian Royal Guard.” He extended his hoof towards me as he spoke.

“Lieutenant Jack Ventralis,” I replied, reached over to grasp his hoof, “of the EarthGov Special Forces.” I didn’t mind that I was shaking hands/hooves/whatever with a pegasus, at that moment. I wasn’t sure if that meant my brain was simply taking everything in its stride, or a sign that it had finally snapped.

The General opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, the door to the study opened, and he immediately bowed to whoever was behind me. I made to stand up, since they were probably important, but a wave of dizziness forced me back into my seat. Lordy, the General had given me a serious ass-kicking, and that didn't happen very often. I waited for the room to stop spinning, before looking at the new arrival as she faced me from the other side of the table.

I found myself staring into the eyes of an alicorn, and I nearly dropped my coffee in surprise. She was as tall as I was, though the horn protruding from her head made her seem much taller. Her coat was pure white, while her mane and tail were various colors of the rainbow. Despite there being no breeze, they flowed majestically around her, the effect almost mesmerizing to watch. On her flank was some sort of tattoo, in the shape and color of a blazing sun. Her eyes were a soft color of pink, and she had no qualms about locking gazes with me. I couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down my spine as I looked at her. She was majestic and beautiful, but deep down; I somehow knew she could beat me senseless like the General had, if not worse.

“Greetings, Jack Ventralis,” she said softy, finally breaking the silence stretching between us. Her voice was regal, but warm and friendly. “I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria, the land you currently find yourself in. You’ve already met General Titus, though it’s unfortunate that it had to be under such…violent circumstances.” My brain was immediately bum-rushed by a torrent of questions, but before I could voice them, the Princess continued.

“I know you have questions,” she said, giving me a knowing smile, “Luckily, the answer to some of them is simple. When the General brought you here, I delved into your memories while you slumbered. Don’t worry, I didn’t go riffling through your past, or darkest secrets. I merely…viewed the last day or so of your life. Much of it didn’t make sense to me, I daresay, but they told me what I needed to know.” She winked at me as her smile broadened, “You’re an innocent man, Lieutenant.” I wasn’t sure how I felt about a mythological creature rooting around in my head. Sure, it proved I was innocent, but I couldn’t help but feel slightly…violated. Still, I decided not to say anything, and merely gave her a grateful nod.

“If I may interject, Your Majesty,” General Titus said from behind Celestia, “This means that the human we are after is still at large. Perhaps he is the one responsible for the Lieutenant’s sudden arrival in Equestria?” I perked up at that, setting aside my coffee and resting my elbows on the table as I leaned forward.

“A fair point, General,” the princess replied, before looking back at me, “The method of your arrival has eluded me, thus far. Judging from your memories, the ball of light that enveloped you was an inter-dimensional relocation spell, and a very powerful one, at that. Magic such as that is potent, dangerous…and forbidden, in Equestria. I-” Before she could continue, I held up my hand to politely interrupt her.

“Magic?” I deadpanned, giving her a skeptical look, “You’re saying I was transported here by…magic?” You’d think, after all the insane, logic-defying things I’d seen that day, I wouldn’t have trouble believing in magic. But, my brain was stubbornly refusing to do so. It had been a trooper all day, but it was quickly beginning to reach the limit of what it could logically accept. I'm surprised it hadn't started foaming at the mouth.

“Indeed,” the Princess replied, smiling again, “I know magic does not exist where human’s come from, but in Equestria, is an integral part of our everyday lives. Here, let me show you.” The tip of here horn began glowing, and right before my eyes, my coffee cup began hovering, surrounded in a corona of yellow light. I jerked back violently, the action sending me toppling backwards and onto the carpeted floor of the study. I might have let out an unmanly yelp of surprise, too, but I can’t remember. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but in my defense, I’d had a long day, and my brain wasn’t acting the way it should have. Honestly, in retrospect, the magic she’d used wasn’t all that different from the telekinetic modules used by engineers to lift heavy objects, something I’d seen dozens of times. I’d just overreacted….somewhat.

I stared up at the ceiling of the study for a moment, before letting out a long, weary sigh. Princess Celestia trotted over laid down next to me, obviously concerned for my wellbeing. Her horn glowed again, and I felt a sudden warmth wash over my body. The aches and pains of my fight vanished instantly, leaving me gasping in surprise at their sudden departure. A second wind of energy coursed through me, and I immediately sat up, looking at the Princess incredulously. I felt like a million bucks!

“A simple healing spell,” she explained with a smile, “I wish I could explain everything to you right now, but time is a luxury we cannot afford.” Her smile faded as her demeanor sobered. “The human we mistook you for is still on the loose in Equestria, and so long as he roams free, my subjects will remain threatened. General Titus and the Royal Guard have kept him on the run, but it won’t be long before he makes another move against us.” I knew what she was starting to get at, but I remained silent as she spoke.

“I’ve looked into your mind, Jack Ventralis,” she said, eyes locking with mine, “You’re a soldier, one who has come face-to-face with unspeakable horrors and lived to tell the tale. Equestria needs someone like you, someone who can cast down the evil plaguing my beloved ponies. I know I’m asking much from you, but…will you help us?”

And there it was. The loaded question. After several minutes of serious, silent deliberation, I rose to my feet, the Princess following suite.

“Well,” I replied, giving her a broad smile, “it’s not like I had anything else to do today. I’ll do whatever I can to help, Princess. I only ask, when all is said and done, that you find me a way back home.”

Celestia nodded and raised her hoof as she said, “We have an accord, then.” I shook her hoof firmly, my smile never wavering.

Lord, I thought to myself, what have I gotten myself into this time?

Author’s Note: Blah. This chapter was somewhat difficult to write, mostly because I came down with writer’s block and partially because it involved a lot of talking in the second half and I didn’t want to bog things down with a lot of exposition. I had to rewrite the fight scene in the first half a few times, before I finally decided to introduce General Titus as Jack’s opponent. I like Commander Thunderclap, but after a while, I realized Jack needed someone who could not only match his strength, but also give him a royal pounding. Poor guy. I also had an annoyingly hard time describing Princess Celestia's mane. Maybe I shouldn't be staying up to late to work on these chapters. >_>

I know the second half feels rushed, but next chapter, I’ll be able to get a lot of exposition out of the way without it being boring, and begin introducing the Mane Six. I have a feeling Twilight is going to be quite fascinated with Jack, and all his fancy-lookin’ technology. I almost feel bad for him. Almost.

As always, your comments and critiques are welcome. No preview this week, since I’m still outlining Chapter Three. Adios!

-Wes

Chapter Three

When Death Knocks, Compliment the Size of His Scythe

The castle suite was deathly quiet, sans for the scratch of a pen upon paper. I sat in the far corner of the massive, ornate room, hunched over a wooden writing desk. The leather-bound journal in front of me was battered and worn, but my pen still flowed effortlessly over its pages. For many years years, the journal had been at my side through the most desolate hellholes the Special Forces could drop me in. It held my greatest triumphs, my bitterest defeats, and my darkest secrets. Hell, if Internal Affairs knew I had it, they’d burn me at the stake, given the amount of classified information in it. But, I valued the simple peace writing brought me, and it was one of the few things that helped me truly relax. I could have easily kept a holo-journal, of course, which would have been far easier to store and carry. But the smell of old paper and the scratch of a fountain pen helped ground my thoughts, something a holo-journal could never do. The act of writing had to be personal, at least for me.

Outside, the early morning sun was steadily rising, marking the start of my second day in Equestria. Despite everything that had happened the previous day, I was able to get a decent night’s sleep, surprisingly enough. And let me tell you, that did wonders towards helping me cope with my current situation. A small part of my brain still thought concepts of magic and talking ponies was…surreal, but compared to yesterday, it wasn’t reeling around in shock and denial. Writing down everything in my journal also helped steady my thoughts, and my latest entry was already five pages long.

However, despite what you may think, I wasn’t exactly…trusting of Princess Celestia. Not yet, at least. See, in my line of work, trust is a rare commodity. Which is to say, it hardly even existed. My own trust only extended to my fellow Special Forces comrades and my superiors. I’m not a paranoid bastard, by any means, but I was cautious. I only accepted Celestia’s plea because I had no other options, and I needed her help, just as she needed mine. I didn’t think she was going to stab me in the back…but I’ve been wrong before.

Of course, I was certain Celestia knew I still had my doubts about her. She’d extended an olive branch, of a sort, when she returned my utility belt after our meeting, complete with my pistol and other items. In addition, she was also letting me stay in Canterlot Castle’s massive suite, which was, admittedly, pretty damn impressive. The living room alone was as big as a courtyard, complete with a marble fountain right in the middle. The domed ceilings were inlaid with gold filigree, the bathroom shower was bigger than my apartment, and the bed could easily hold several people. It even had a small study, but I didn’t bother trying to decipher the strange glyphs ponies wrote in.

With a sigh, I finished writing in my journal and shut it, laying aside my pen. I leaned back in my chair, staring up at the ceiling of the suite. I wasn’t wearing my armor, at the moment, which made sitting much more comfortable. Instead, the various different parts of the suit were laid out on a wooden table nearby, where I’d spent a good portion of the evening making some basic repairs. My current clothing consisted of my black jumpsuit, my boots, and the grey, lightweight under-armor that I wore beneath my plates. Without the thick armor encompassing me, I looked far less imposing, though my muscles were still visible beneath the jumpsuit.

A knock on the suite’s doors broke me from my reverie. I rose from my seat, popping my neck was I walked towards the door. Princess Celestia told me to expect a visitor this morning, though she didn’t specify who. I was hoping it was a butler or something bringing me breakfast (since I didn’t have a clue where the kitchen was), but my dreams were dashed when I opened the door and saw a lavender unicorn standing outside. The symbol on her flank (which Celestia told me were ‘cutie marks’) depicted a six-pointed purple star surrounded by several bursts of light. Her mane and tail were purple, with streaks of pink through the middle. A bag of paper, quills, and inkwells hovered next to her, held in a sparkling field of purple light, the tip of her horn glowing with the same color. Her wide, expressive eyes looked up at me with an almost tangible fascination, and while they didn’t hold fear, she certainly looked nervous.

“If this is a staring contest,” I said, after a few moments of awkward silence, “then we’re going to be here all morning.” My words snapped her out her trance-like state, and she blushed brightly. It was quite adorable, really, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

I’m sorry!” she said hurriedly, quickly glancing away, “I’ve just…never seen a human before. I wasn’t expecting you to be so tall, or…handsome.” She muttered the last word, but I still caught it, and I raised a questioning eyebrow at her. She froze like a deer in headlights, her face practically blazing red.

“You aren’t hitting on me, are you, miss?” I asked nonchalantly. Much to my silent amusement, she stuttered in surprise, trying to say several different things at once and utterly failing.

“I…I…n-no, of course not! I-I didn’t mean to say…,” she sputtered, “Not that you aren’t handsome, y-you really are, I just…I…sorry.” She sighed in resignation and extended her hoof towards me, “I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“Jack Ventralis. You must be the unicorn Princess Celestia told me about, the other day,” I replied, grasping her hoof gently, “You’re her prized student, if I’m not mistaken. You must be remarkable, indeed, to earn such praise. Please, come in.” I winked at her, causing her to blush to brighten. What can I say? My suaveness and I are good friends. I stepped inside to allow her inside the suite, shutting the door gently behind us.

“I hope I’m not intruding, Mister Ventralis,” Twilight Sparkle said, laying her bag on the suite’s sofa, “When Princess Celestia told me about your arrival in Equestria, I just had to meet you. She was kind enough to send a chariot to pick me up, yesterday evening. I have so many questions I want to ask!” She gave me an embarrassed glance, “If that’s alright with you, of course.” I chuckled as I pulled up a chair and sat down in front of her.

“I don’t mind at all,” I said, resting my elbows on my knees, “Ask me anything you want, Miss Sparkle.” There was no sense in me clamming up and refusing her request. It’s not like EarthGov was going to break down the door and haul me off for treason, after all. Besides, I wasn’t going to start spouting off about the Necromorhps. Equestria was a veritable utopia, from what I could tell, and I wasn’t going to scar the young unicorn by telling her about such horrors. Not that I wanted to recount that particular tale, anytime soon.

“Excellent!” Twilight Sparkle said, using her magic to levitate a quill, an inkwell, and some paper in front of her, “So, to start off, what’s the device on your back? What does it do?” She was talking about my RIG, of course. I furrowed my eyebrows in thought, trying to decide the best way to explain the complex technology to her. It was difficult, since Equestria, from my understanding, was nowhere near the level of technology human’s possessed. Hell, I doubted they even had concepts of such things. It would be like trying to explain sound to a deaf person. Not impossible, per se, just very difficult when the person had no preexisting knowledge of such a thing.

“It’s called a RIG,” I replied, after a few moments, “That stands for ‘Resource Integration Gear’. All humans have one, where I come from. The blue light is an indicator of my current health. If I’m injured, the light will change to either yellow or red, depending on the severity of the wound. It also allows me to view three-dimensional holographic maps, communicate with other people over long distances, or project a navigational beam to follow, just to name a few things.” I gestured towards my armor in the corner, “I’d show you, but I’d need to put my armor on first.”

“Another time, then,” Twilight said, writing furiously on the paper in front of her. I was surprised at how her demeanor changed from excited nervousness (and flustered embarrassment), to unwavering attention, while I talked. Her eyes were intent and focused, like a doctor preforming an operation. “The Princess mentioned you were part of a military organization, something called the ‘Special Forces’. Could you tell me about them?”

Now that was much easier to answer. “Of course,” I said, “The Special Forces are a secretive militant branch of our government, known only to the most high-ranking officials. Only the best soldiers are chosen, and all must undergo a brutal, six-month training regime before they’re even considered for the job. Those that make it become official members of the Special Forces.” I couldn’t keep a hint of pride out of my voice as I spoke, “We undertake the most dangerous missions our superiors can give us. Missions that require our…special talents, to complete. We do everything behind the scenes, but the Special Forces is, and always has been, an essential tool for keeping the peace.”

“Fascinating,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully, jotting down more notes, “Not even the Royal Guard has such rigorous standards, though to be fair, they mostly serve as a ceremonial unit.” She dipped the tip of her quill into some ink, before levitating a fresh piece of paper, “Now, what can you tell me about the human race, Mister Ventralis?”

I raised my eyebrow at that question. Where the Hell was I supposed to start with that sort of question? I silently cursed the lack of coffee in the suite, a sentiment my brain fervently agreed with.

This is going to be a long morning, I thought to myself, giving Twilight a strained smile

__________________

There comes a time in the life of every soldier, when he is faced with an impossible situation. A scenario where there is no escape or hope of rescue, when the chances of survival are almost nonexistent. These desperate situations are what make, or break, a soldier of the Special Forces. I’ve survived several such predicaments, in my time…but few of them hold a candle to having a conversation with Twilight Sparkle.

She possessed a thirst for knowledge that I’ve rarely seen before, and her questions became increasingly more elaborate as I tried explaining the human race. She was fascinated with every aspect of our culture and history, even though my knowledge on such things was relatively limited. Old Earth history was never my favorite class in school, and my interests only extended to legendary military conflicts and tactics. Had I known then that I would cross paths with Twilight Sparkle, I certainly would have paid more attention to my teacher.

The young unicorn was particularly interested in Humanity’s exodus from Earth, driven by our desperate need for resources. I told her of the massive Planet Cracker-class starships that roamed the deep sectors of the galaxy, seeking out resource-rich planets to harvest. The dimensions of the massive ships astounded her, and I couldn’t help but agree. I’d toured several of the vessels, and every time, the sheer size of them impressed me. They were monuments to human ingenuity, a testament to our will to survive and prosper. I said as much to Twilight Sparkle, who promptly quoted me. She was practically writing a book as I spoke, much to my amusement.

I shied away from telling her about human wars and conflicts, at least in detail. I didn’t want to her to know just violent and savage we humans could be, or how far we could fall from grace. I’ve seen good men become monsters, and evil men become devils, during my time in the Special Forces. Humanity was capable of doing many things…but that doesn’t mean those things are necessarily good. The darkest shadows lie within the hearts of Men, and that was a cold truth I’ve witnessed hundreds of times.

Twilight Sparkle didn’t need to know that, however. And much to my relief, she didn’t seem particularly keen on learning about such things, despite her curiosity.

As morning passed into early afternoon, the sudden growling of my stomach caused Twilight Sparkle to look up from her increasing stack of notes in surprise. Her eyes widened, and she quickly began packing away her quills and paper, apologizing profusely the whole time. I gave her a bemused look, before glancing down at my stomach and glaring at it sternly. I might have been hungry, but that didn’t give it an excuse to be rude.

“I’m sorry!’ Twilight said quickly, her voice bordering on something akin to panic, “You haven’t even had breakfast yet. I knew I should have brought some muffins with me. How I could I have been so rude?” She rambled on for several moments, stuffing paper and quills into her bag at an ever-quickening pace.

“Twilight,” I said gently, breaking her from her panic-stricken rant, “There’s no need to get flustered. I’m not angry. Trust me; it takes more than an empty stomach to get me riled up.” She stared at me for a few seconds, before blushing slightly and glancing away. I chuckled, standing up to strength my legs as I spoke, “Breakfast, however, sounds heavenly right now. Is there some sort of room service I could contact?”

“Actually,” Twilight Sparkle replied as she zipped her bag shut, “the Princess told me I could take you to Pony Joe’s, if you were hungry. He serves the best doughnuts in Equestria.” She smiled brightly at me, “Consider it my treat, for putting up with my curiosity.”

“That’s very kind of you. How could I possibly say no to doughnuts?” I said, giving her a wink, “Let me get my suit on, and we’ll get going.” I walked over to the table where my armor was laid out, and began the methodical, well-practiced routine of clamping the various plates together. Straps had been rendered long-obsolete, replaced by various kinds of magnets. They were special magnets, of course, designed to withstand anything sort of stress and damage. My armor had more than most, given its design, but it only took me a few minutes to fully suit up. Twilight Sparkle watched me the entire time, eyes rapt with fascination. For a moment, I thought she was going to whip out some more paper and begin taking notes again. She didn’t, thankfully, and before long, we were on our way to Pony Joe’s.

We chatted idly, as Twilight Sparkle led me through the broad marble corridors of Canterlot Castle. It truly was an impressive place, with all the vaulted ceilings, tapestries, and gold filigree. It was like something out of a fairy tale, the sort of castle that children visited in their imagination; where noble knights lived, protecting their princess from the predations of dragons and wicked sorcerers. Hell, if there had been a sword jutting from a stone somewhere nearby, I wouldn’t have been shocked.

“I’m surprised you don’t have any questions for me, Mister Ventralis,” Twilight Sparkle said as we rounded a corner, “Surely Equestria is, well…confusing to you, to put it mildly.”

“It is, indeed,” I replied, glancing down at her, “But, Princess Celestia was kind enough to give me the CliffsNotes on Equestria, yesterday. She told me all about the different kinds of ponies, the concept of cutie marks, Nightmare Moon-the whole shebang.” I chuckled as I recalled the torrent of information Celestia had jammed into my brain that evening, “I admit, it was a lot to take in, but I’ve managed to grasp the basics. Given, I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around a few things, but I'm not stumbling around in the dark, at least.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded in understanding, and the short remainder of our walk passed in silence. Eventually, we found ourselves in a high-ceilinged room, where a dozen or so small chandeliers hung. A long bar sat at one end of the room, in front of which was several tables. A stout earth pony with a yellow coat and apron was tending the bar, where he was in the process of polishing a mug. When he glanced up and saw me, though, he promptly dropped it, his mouth hanging open limply.

“Pony Joe!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, smiling brightly as she trotted over to the bar, “It’s good to see you again. This is my friend, Jack Ventralis. He’s the human Princess Celestia made the announcement about.” I gave him a friendly nod, which seemed to shake him from his surprised stupor.

“Oh!” he replied hurriedly, “Sorry ‘bout that, I’ve never seen a human up close. It’s good to meet you, Mister Ventralis. Any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of mine.” He gave her a knowing smile, “Now, what can I get for you two?” Twilight Sparkle set about ordering some doughnuts and coffee, while I crouched down next to one of the tables. I let my thoughts wander as I looked about the room, before realizing that Twilight Sparkle had called me her ‘friend’, while greeting Pony Joe.

Now, I’m not sure about you, but I found that simple statement to be rather…strange. I’d only known her for a few hours, after all. But in that short span of time, she’d gone from nervously curious, to completely at ease in my presence. For most humans, when they meet a new person, that sort of connection takes weeks to establish, perhaps months, and depends on many varying factors. And yet, Twilight Sparkle already considered me one of her friends, despite the fact that she’d only just met me that morning.

Foolish, whispered a shadowy nook of my mind, She is foolish to trust so blindly. Trust must be earned, not given.

Things are different here, Jack, the logical part of my brain reminded me, You have given her no reason to distrust you. To her, you are kind man, and not someone to be suspicious of.

Princess Celestia had told me that friendship was a powerful thing, in Equestria. Love, tolerance, and harmony were bound tightly by the ties of friendship between ponies. Unconditional love and trust was a common place here…but I could not say the same for Humanity. They were far too many petty and wicked people for the ideals of Equestria to ever take root, no matter how many my superiors ordered me to put down.

This place is a utopia, whispered those dark thoughts again, You don’t belong in it. No human does.

“Jack?” Twilight Sparkle said, pulling my mind back to the present. She was standing across from me, her eyes genuinely concerned, “Are you alright?” I mentally berated myself for letting my mind wander like that. Who was I to question Twilight Sparkle’s decision to trust me? No harm would come from it, after all, and I did feel rather…humbled, that she considered me her friend.

“Sorry,” I said, smiling apologetically, “my thoughts were talking a stroll without me.” I began sipping my coffee, the heavenly drink making my brain practically sing with joy. “This coffee is incredible. If I come over the table and hug you, don’t be alarmed.” Twilight Sparkle giggled, taking a bite from the sprinkle-topped doughnut in front of her.

I asked a few questions about her friend’s and interests, while I ate. I almost regretted it, since she immediately began giving me a detailed analysis on her various different studies, her life in Ponyville, and her five best friends. I merely smiled and nodded as she spoke, her intelligence continuing to impress me. Honestly, I’ve met scientists who weren’t as smart as Twilight Sparkle was. I didn’t know whether to be amused or slightly depressed, at that thought. I eventually showed her a few functions of my RIG, projecting some basic maps of The Sprawl I’d been given prior to my deployment. Her reaction was like a kid walking into a toy store; utterly excited and fascinated with the amazing things she saw. I chuckled as she put her hoof through the image, causing it to shimmer and distort. She began barraging me with questions on how it worked, and I did my best to answer them. I wasn’t an engineer, however, and I could only give her a basic understanding of my RIG’s tech.

It only took us an hour to finish up our doughnuts and drink our coffee. By that time, a familiar faced trotted into Pony Joe’s: General Titus. He was clad in his armor, sans his helmet, and promptly made his way over to our table when he spotted us. I rose to my feet, greeting him with a nod and a casual salute. His face was looking slightly better, though it still bore a few stiches.

“Lieutenant,” he said, returning my nod, “I have some news from Princess Celestia. She would have delivered it herself, but the Royal Court has her tied up, I’m afraid.” He gestured back towards the door of Pony Joe’s, “I’m to escort you to Ponyville, as soon as you’re ready. She believes the other human will make another attempt at kidnapping Miss Sparkle here, or one of her friends. If he does, you’ll be in a prime position to intercept and stop him.”

“She isn’t worried about another assassination attempt?” I replied, raising a questioning eyebrow, “If the other human is willing to try kidnapping again, then I doubt he’ll think twice about gunning for the Princess a second time.” The General nodded in agreement, and for a brief second, I saw annoyance flash across his face. I was surprised to see that, honestly. The General hadn’t struck me as the type of soldier to be easily annoyed by his superiors. Well, superior, in his case.

“I told her the much the same thing,” he said, sighing in exasperation, “But the Princess can be rather…stubborn, when, it comes to matters of personal protection.” He sighed again, shaking in resignation, “Orders are orders, however, and I must obey them. I have a chariot ready to take Miss Sparkle and you to Ponyville. Say the word, and we can depart.”

I glanced at Twilight Sparkle, who gave me a determined nod. “Alright, then,” I said, smiling slightly, “Let’s get to it, General.”

Ponyville, huh? I thought to myself as General Titus led us from Pony Joe’s, That doesn’t sound so bad, really.

Sometimes, I hated being wrong.

Author’s Note: Writing this chapter made me want to strangle a goat. Honestly. I didn’t want to bore you guys to death with all the exposition and dialogue, necessary as it was. Nor did I want to confuse anyone who hasn’t played ‘Dead Space’, when talking about Jack’s RIG and whatnot. I tried to keep the boring stuff to a minimum, while giving a few glances into Jack’s mind in the second half. While this story won’t go anywhere near Dark or Sad territory, I’ll certainly be touching on the less….savory aspects of Jack’s time in the Special Forces. A guy like him certainly has stories to tell, and not all of them are necessarily epic war ballads of heroism and valor.

Chapter Four is definitely going to have action in it to offset the slower pace of this chapter, so don’t worry. I’ll also be putting Jack’s equipment to use (i.e. his suit’s thrusters and stasis module), so don’t think I’ve forgotten about it. You can expect Chapter Four in two or three weeks, depending on how busy I am.

Also, for those who haven’t read my blog posts on FIMFiction, I’m in the market for a few pre-readers. If you’re interested in becoming one, send me a private message.

Here’s hoping you don’t find this chapter to be a boring snore-fest. Cheers!

-Wes

Chapter Four

When Death Knocks, Don’t Beg For Your Life

Despite the fact I was soaring high above the ground in a golden chariot, pulled by a team of armored pegasi, I found the ride from Canterlot to Ponyville rather relaxing. Given, there wasn’t a lot of room in said chariot, even with General Titus deigning to fly beside it, but I wasn’t complaining. I’d managed to tuck myself into the corner, with Twilight Sparkle sitting to the left of me. The skies were clear and the breeze pleasantly cool, brushing against my helmetless face as the chariot flew effortlessly onward.

Far below us, a winding river cut through a mixture of rolling green plains and small forests. Something about the natural beauty of Equestria captured my attention, despite my lingering trepidation about my current situation. It almost seemed…untainted, in a way. I’ve visited many a planet, in my time, and many of them had wilderness preserves that held many wonders. But, there was always something within them to remind me of human habitation, that what I was witnessing was allowed to exist, all because EarthGov wanted to appease the environmentalists back home.

Equestria, however, was far different. Its beauty truly was natural, unharmed by any sort of voracious industry. I saw only the occasional cottage or farm flash below, the only sign of habitation for miles around. The air was crisp and clean, carrying with it the smell of fresh pine, a far-cry from the metallic, recycled oxygen I’d breathed on The Sprawl. As I watched the verdant green land roll by, I let my thoughts drift on some pleasant memories. I didn’t completely let my guard down, mind you, but I wasn’t going to let myself be tense and paranoid.

Twilight Sparkle had similar ideas, though her method of relaxation differed from mine. Namely, it involved falling asleep and using my left shoulder as a convenient pillow. Her alarmingly-loud snoring broke me from my reverie, and I glanced down at her slumbering form in slight annoyance. I grimaced as I saw the strand of drool working its way down my arm, but I didn’t have the heart to wake her. Earlier, before we’d departed Canterlot, she mentioned that she’d barely slept the night before, given how excited she was to meet me. It would have been terribly rude of me to wake her up now, despite her…uncouth sleeping habits.

“She’s a deep sleeper, that one,” General Titus beside me, effortlessly flying next to the chariot, “Curious, too. She must have talked your ear off this morning.” He chuckled, and I had a feeling he was familiar with Twilight Sparkle’s rampant curiosity.

“Something like that,” I concurred, smiling slightly. I glanced at the General, before giving him an acknowledging nod, “I’ve been meaning to congratulate you on beating me, General. I don’t recall the last time I lost a brawl like that. The body-slam was…unexpected.” The General smiled, his expression carrying the slightest hint of pride in it.

“To be honest, I was getting rather desperate to dislodge you. That move was sloppy, but it worked, so I guess I can’t complain.” He smiled, and gestured towards the stiches on his face, “You almost had me, at the end. I wasn’t expecting you to put up a fight like that. It’s rather…humbling, to know that I can still be taken by surpri-“ General Titus was interrupted as a silver and black object, moving faster than I could blink, slammed into his back. I shot to my feet as he disappeared from view, though I could hear him scuffling with his attacker. Twilight Sparkle remained stubbornly asleep, despite her face now pressing against the floor of the chariot. I would have been amused at the sight, under different circumstances.

“Keep flying!” I barked at the pegasi pulling the chariot, “Don’t stop until you reach the town. I’ll handle this.” Before they could respond, I leapt nimbly from the chariot, my helmet forming around my head as I fell. My HUD instantly zoomed in on General Titus, who was already fifty feet below the chariot. He was locked in a midair duel with a black griffon, whose armor seemed heavily inspired by the centurions of ancient Rome. His helmet even had one of those silly-looking crests on top of it. Scars ran across his beak in several places, and his grey eyes smoldered with barely-contained rage.

I didn’t allow myself to be too surprised at the sight of the griffon, despite his outfit. My brain had calmly resigned itself to the weird and unexplainable, at that point, and didn’t bother trying to toss up any mental blockades. Instead, my well-honed instincts kicked in, the ones born from years of being a soldier. I narrowed my eyes, blocking out everything until I saw only the griffon, locked in combat with the General. Everything around me seemed to go deathly quiet as I fell, the howling wind rushing past me abruptly stopping. My breathing slowed as I closed my eyes, though my brain was practically whirring with thought. I played out my fight with the griffon in my head, trying to account for every potential variable, every attack and counter I could use against him.

Time itself seemed to stop and watch the unfolding spectacle, interested to see just what I would do.

I let loose a loud war cry as my eyes snapped open, the sound mingling with the roar of my suit’s thrusters as they blazed to life. From exhaust ports set just below my shoulders, twin streams of blue-white fire shot outward, and I rocketed towards the griffon at a breakneck speed, a pillar of roaring flame trailing behind me. Stabilizers on my shoulders and legs kept my armored form straight, and I was quickly closing the distance between my quarry and I.

In retrospect, I was lucky that I’d chosen to wear that particular suit, when I'd deployed to The Sprawl. Its experimental thrusters were far better suited for flight than other models, which were supposed to be used in zero gravity. They weren’t the most subtle devices, true, but I didn’t mind at all. Shock and awe was their purpose, to fill the skies with a sound barely indistinguishable from thunder. They invoked thoughts of cavalry charges and marching legions, an unstoppable force that Fate itself could not hope to hinder, let alone stop.

The griffon looked up from his attack on the General, just in time to see me approach. I saw his eyes widen fearfully beneath his helmet, and he flapped his wings frantically, trying to put distance between us. His action was in vain, however, for I was far too close for him to escape. I struck him in the ribs, just below his left wing, and the force of the impact was sufficient enough to send him cartwheeling off the General’s back. I must have broken something, since the griffon let out a leonine roar of pain as he fought to steady himself, wings pumping furiously.

I didn’t relent in my assault, however. Before he could recover, I delivered a stiff uppercut to his beak, followed quickly by a powerful haymaker that left a sizeable dent in his helmet. The griffon’s steel-shod talons raked at my chest and shoulders, but were unable to pierce the reinforced plates of my suit. He snarled in frustrated pain, and I knew he was starting to get desperate. I continued to rain powerful blows on his chest, his armor beginning to noticeably buckle under the strain.

“Foolish human,” the griffon spat, shoving me away with his hind legs, “You would dare trifle with Jagged Claw? I shall pick the flesh from your bones and devour your sou-“ His dastardly monologue was interrupted as I headbutted him, sparks flying as our helmets connected. I have a very firm policy about talking during a fight; I don’t. Stopping to deliver a witty one-liner might win you the ladies, but it sure as Hell doesn’t stop a bullet. Or, in the griffon’s case, a skull-rattling headbutt.

Jagged Claw hissed in pain, drunkenly spinning away from me. He veered towards the ground, swiftly heading towards a clearing in the small forest below us. I gave chase, though my thrusters weren’t exactly built for high-speed chases. The griffon had me beat, in that regard, though only just. We landed in the clearing a few moments later, my impact causing fallen leaves around me to flutter into the air. Jagged Claw faced me from the other side of the clearing, rising to his full height…which wasn’t that tall at all, really. He only came up to my chest, though that stupid crest on his helm made him seem slightly taller than he really was.

“Just walk away, pal,” I said to him, hardly even winded from the fight, “I don’t want to make you uglier than you already are.” I smiled as Jagged Claw bristled at the insult. I wasn’t an expert at psychological warfare, but when it came to making my opponents angry, I had a lot of practice.

With a roar of anger, Jagged Claw leapt at me, easily crossing the distance between us. I sidestepped him smoothly, his talons digging furrows into the ground, rather than me. Before he could pull them free, I lashed out with a kick that struck him in the ribs, right in the area I’d previously injured. He hissed in pain, though he managed to dodge my second kick, before seizing a rock and bashing me upside the head. I grunted, stumbling back a few paces from the force of the blow. He tackled me around the waist before I could recover, but I managed to keep my feet and prevent myself from tumbling to the ground.

I wrapped my arms around the griffon’s neck, and with a grunt, hefted him off the ground. I slammed him back down with bone-shaking force, before picking him up again, spinning around, and tossing him into a nearby tree. Jagged Claw struck with enough force to crack the trunk, and he tumbled limply to the ground. I calmly strode over to him and gripped his throat tightly with my right hand. I lifted him up, pulled him back, and smashed his head against the tree.

I pulled him back again and bashed his head once more, before tossing him contemptuously back into the clearing. Jagged Claw tried to rise, but collapsed back to the ground in a battered, broken heap. He was having trouble focusing his eyes, and he blinked them rapidly as he tried clearing his vision. I walked over slowly, kneeling down next to him as I wrapped my right arm around his throat, immobilizing him in a tight chokehold. He struggled against the vise, but his attempts were laughably feeble in his weakened state.

“I gave you a chance to leave,” I told him quietly, tightening my hold on him, “But you didn’t.” My voice was unyielding, lacking anything remotely close to mercy or pity. “Who’s the foolish one now, hm?” Jagged Claw merely rasped in response, talons gripping my arm as he tried to pry it loose from his throat. I felt my lips peel back into a snarl beneath my helmet as I watched the pitiful sight. The bastard just didn’t know when to quit. I adjusted my grip slightly, preparing to snap his neck and finally put an end to things.

“Jack!” a panicked voice suddenly called from above me, “Jack, stop!” I looked up, just as General Titus and the chariot landed in the clearing. Twilight Sparkle immediately jumped from the back of the chariot and galloped over to where I was kneeling. She skidded to a halt front of me, her eyes wide and pleading. She put her hooves on my arm, trying to remove it from Jagged Claw’s throat. I merely stared at her, more than a little confused at her actions. Jagged Claw had attacked and tried to kill me…but she wanted me to let him go?

“Please, Jack.” She pleaded, eyes brimming with desperate tears, “I know he’s a bad griffon, but you don’t have to kill him! Just…please, let him go. Please!” She tugged at my arm harder, even as Jagged Claw’s eyes began to droop close. I looked at her, before glancing down at the griffon I held in my grip. All it would take was a mere twist of my shoulder, and Jagged Claw would never draw breath again. Just a twist, and I could extinguish the life of a foe that would most certainly hold a grudge against me, if I let him live.

Let him go, Jack, a voice in my head whispered, Don’t scar Twilight Sparkle. You're not a bad person.

“I’m not a hero, either,” I murmured in reply, too quiet for Twilight to hear.

With a final glance at the tears spilling down Twilight Sparkle’s face, I let Jagged Claw go. My HUD readouts told me his heart was still beating, but he’d be out for a long while. I sat back, though I didn’t feel any sort of remorse at what I’d almost done. If you were expecting me to, then I’m sorry to disappoint you. I don’t make it a habit of letting my enemies live. Jagged Claw was a lucky bastard, indeed. If Twilight hadn’t of shown up when she did, he’d be a dead man…or dead griffon, rather.

I’m not a bad person, yet I’ve never claimed to be a hero. I’ve walked the fine line between saint and sinner every day for over a decade…but don’t ask me which one I am. I’m still trying to figure that out, myself.

“Thank you,” Twilight Sparkle said, wrapping her forelegs around me in a tight hug, “You aren’t injured, are you?” I shook my head, gently removing her hooves from my neck as I stood up. I walked over to General Titus, who eyed Jagged Claw’s limp form with something akin to satisfaction. At least the General approved of my actions. I briefly wondered if he would have done the same, in my position. I refrained from asking that question aloud, though.

“That’s the other human’s second-in-command,” he said, nodding towards the griffon, “He’s earned a fearsome reputation, these past few months.” He gave me an apologetic glance, “Sorry for not helping, once you landed. I needed to make sure the chariot wasn’t under attack by anything else. Jagged Claw usually flies with a pack of rogue pegasi. He looked back at Jagged Claw, “From the looks of it, though…you really didn’t need my assistance.”

“He was an ass,” I replied, chuckling slightly, “Honestly, you put up a better fight than that clown, General.” I hopped onto the chariot, settling back down in my previous spot, “Unless you intend on bringing him with us, I suggest we get moving.” General Titus nodded, gesturing for Twilight Sparkle to get onboard. She did so reluctantly, glancing back at Jagged Claw as she sat down next to me.

“Don’t worry about him,” I told her, “He’ll be awake soon enough. Besides, I want him to report back to his boss.” I smiled slightly beneath my helmet, “Consider him a…warning, so to speak. The other human will be less inclined to fight me, once Jagged Claw tells him about our scuffle. At least, I hope that’s what happens.” Twilight Sparkle still seemed troubled, and I doubted my words did anything to alleviate her conscience, but she didn’t try arguing

Things are going to get worse, Twilight Sparkle, I thought to myself, as the chariot took off, Depend on it.

Author’s Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this most recent installment of ‘When Death Knocks’. I wanted to keep this chapter action oriented, to make up for the smaller pace of Chapter Three. It was an absolute blast to write this, especially since Jack got to utilize some of his technology. I always loved the sections of Dead Space 2 when Isaac utilized his suit’s thrusters, especially when he was escaping that orbital relay. One of the best parts of the game, in my opinion.

Also, I want to give a massively ginormous thanks to Invictus, the amazing pre-reader I recruited to help with my story. His input helped me stamp out the errors in this chapter and forge it into the creation you just read. Do him a favor, and check out his story ‘Magic and Mayhem and…Murder? Oh my…’ It completely blows mine out of the water. That man can write like an absolute boss. Check it out here!

March is going to be a really busy month for me, so there could be a lengthy delay between chapters. Still, I’ll work as hard as I can to deliver Chapter Five ASAP.

Thanks for reading!

-Wes

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

When Death Knocks, Don’t Push Your Luck

“Is the town supposed to be on fire, General?” I said dryly as Ponyville came into sight. Amid the clear morning sky, I saw stacks of thick black smoke rising from various areas of the idyllic-looking town. Ponies of every color, shape, and size were galloping around the town, some of them clutching buckets of water in their teeth. From my position on the chariot, I could see only a few buildings consumed by flame; but the fire was certainly not natural. It was a strange shade of blackish-green, and seemed content to merely devour the building it had in its grasp, rather than spread wildly.

“No!” Twilight cried from beside me, leaning over the side of the chariot, “The Carousel Boutique is on fire. Rarity could be inside!” She turned to look at General Titus, her eyes wide with panic, “We have to land, General. Hurry!”

The chariot soared over Ponyville, though due to the confines of the streets, was forced to set down near a tall pavilion, just a few blocks away from the boutique. Twilight Sparkle had already leapt from the chariot by the time I got one leg out, and galloped away at a surprising speed. The bookworm could move pretty damn fast when motived, it seemed. I quickly sprinted after her, ignoring the various expressions of terror and surprise I received from the ponies I passed. My boots pounded on the cobblestone street as I ran after Twilight, my long legs allowing me to catch up with her quickly. General Titus flew just beside me, effortlessly keeping pace with both of us.

Twilight Sparkle skidded to a halt just outside the flaming boutique, panting heavily as she looked at the unnatural blaze. A few groups of ponies had formed impromptu bucket brigades, and were hard at work in their attempt to quench the flames. Much to their credit, none of them stopped what they were doing to stare at me in shock. They merely kept at their task with a stoic determination, and I only earned a few concerned glances. General Titus immediately set to work helping one of the groups, leaving me to stand by myself as I debated on how to lend my assistance without scaring the daylights out of the ponies. Hi! Need any help carrying that bucket? Don’t mind me; I only look like something you’d see in a nightmare.

“Twilight!” a feminine, panic-stricken voice called over the din. I turned to see another female unicorn, sporting a white coat and indigo mane, gallop over to Twilight Sparkle and embrace her in a tight hug. Twilight hugged back just as tightly, an obvious indicator that the two were friends. Hey, I’m no psychologist, but it doesn’t take one to figure some things out. I just stood there awkwardly, giving the sky my best thirty-yard gaze as the white unicorn wept into Twilight’s shoulder, completely oblivious to my presence.

“It was horrible, Twilight!” she sobbed, “Absolutely horrible! A group of…of things just dropped from the sky and began setting buildings on fire. I’m lucky I was running errands this morning; I would have still been inside when those monsters showed up.” She clutched Twilight tighter as she spoke, “Oh, Twilight…what am I doing to do? M-my home, my b-business…it’s gone.” The unicorn began crying uncontrollably, at that point. Hell, I didn’t even know her and I still felt a twinge of sympathy for the sobbing pony.

“It’s OK, Rarity,” Twilight Sparkle reassured, trying to keep herself from crying as well, by that point, “Everything’s going to be fine. We’re all here for you.”

I glanced down at the two ponies, opening my mouth in preparation to speak (I was getting a little tired of standing around like a statue), when my HUD suddenly flashed a warning. My eyes snapped towards the boutique, and I set my HUD to x-ray mode as it scanned the building. I silently prayed it had just been a false alarm or a glitch…but that proved not to be the case as the HUD reticule locked onto the unmistakable heartbeat of a living creature. A pony, to be exact, but much smaller than any of the ones I’d seen thus far.

Lifeform Detected, the flowing white letters of my HUD read, Vital Signs: Outside Acceptable Parameters.

“This day just keeps getting better and better,” I mumbled under my breath. I stalked forward, towards the front door of the building. Twilight Sparkle said something from behind me, but I tuned her out as I leaned back and lashed out with a powerful kick. The thick wooden door of the boutique flew off its hinges from the blow, disappearing into the smoke-filled foyer. I strode inside without a moment’s hesitation, my HUD cutting through the cloying smoke easily. All around me, the eerie fire consumed almost everything in its path, and my armor’s internal temperature lowered to compensate for the sudden heat. I didn’t stop to stare, however, and I quickly made my way up the stairs of the boutique, following the navbeacon my HUD had placed on the pony.

The upper floor consisted of a single large bedroom, and it was here that the flames seemed most intense, despite the room’s relatively small size. Ignoring the tongues of fire brushing against my armor, I knelt beside the room’s four-poster bed, hunching down low to look beneath it. A small, terrified pony (a ‘filly’, if you want to be technical), shied away from the blue light of my visor as it washed over her. She had yellow coat and a red mane, both of which were stained with soot. A pink bow rested atop her head, seemingly untouched by the grime covering the rest of her. Her eyes were red and puffy, no doubt from a mixture of stinging smoke and fearful crying.

“Hey,” I said gently, reaching out towards her slowly, “It’s alright, kid. I’m gonna get you out of here. But you have trust me, alright?” The filly looked out my outstretched arm, shaking in obvious terror. After a moment of hesitation, she rested her hoof in my hand, and allowed me to carefully pull her from under the bed. Once she was out, I tucked her in the crook of my left arm and hurried to my feet. The creaking wood under me wasn’t assuaging my doubts about the boutique’s structural integrity, and I had no desire to be buried beneath several hundred pounds of burning wood. With that thought firmly in mind, I began making my way to the door of the bedroom.

“Hold, mortal,” a raspy, dry voice said suddenly from behind me, ”It is high time you and I had a talk.” I whirled around, drawing my pistol in one smooth motion. However, rather than a solid, fleshy target I could pump full of pulse rounds, I found myself face-to-face with a green, shadowy apparition. It wasn’t a pony, though…it was a human, dressed in garb similar to Jagged Claw’s. But rather than segmented metal plates the apparition’s breastplate was forged in the shape of a muscular physique, much like the old Greco-Roman commanders used to wear. His face was obscured by a crested Corinthian-style helmet, though I could see a pair of burning orange eyes from behind its visor. He was shorter than I was, but his bare arms were thick with heavy slabs of muscle.

“You were foolish enough to fall into my trap, mortal,” the apparition rasped, chuckling in amusement, “Now, you shall listen to what I have to say.” I arched an eyebrow at his words. Whoever this chump was, he’d gone through a lot of trouble just to talk with me. It must have been important…it’s a shame I didn’t care, though. The filly in my arm buried her face between her hooves, and I could practically feel her trembling in absolute fear.

“Is that right?” I retorted, glancing around the burning bedroom, “And just who might you be?” I took a few steps backwards, ready to leap through the doorway if Raspy decided to attack. I normally would have stood my ground, but I didn’t want to risk putting the little filly in harm’s way. Besides, I had no intention of letting this chump waste more of my time.

“I am Lord Aurelius, peasant,” the apparition sneered, his voice aloof and haughty, “King of Shadows, Master of Fate, and Praetorian of Dest-“ The apparition was interrupted as three, neatly-placed pulse rounds tore through its chest, causing it to shriek in rage (and, surprisingly enough, pain). It disintegrated a moment later, falling to the burning floor in a fine cloud of green dust. That dust soon disappeared as well, leaving behind no trace of the apparition.

“I asked for your name,” I grumbled as I turned and hurried from the bedroom, “not your résumé.”

Rather than take the stairs back down to the ground floor, I merely hopped over the railing, landing nimbly in a crouch. After that, it only took me a few seconds to sprint from the boutique, leaping through the doorway and into the street once more. The filly blinked at the sudden brightness of the sun, before looking up at me blearily. I let my helmet unseal and store itself away, allowing me to give the filly a reassuring smile.

“Are…are you an angel, mister?” she asked me, coughing weakly from the effort. She would need to see a doctor, but I had a good feeling she wouldn’t suffer any long-term damage from smoke inhalation. I’d gotten to her just in time, in that regard. If my HUD hadn’t of picked up her vital signs, well…I didn’t really feel like thinking about that. I don’t make a habit of dwelling on ifs and maybes; I’d saved the kid’s life, and that was good enough for me.

“An angel?” I replied, chuckling as I rested my hand atop her head, “Nah. I’m just a soldier, kid.”

___________________________

By the time I’d taken the young filly (whose name I learned was Applebloom) and helped General Titus put out the remainder of the town fires, morning had given away to midafternoon. After being thanked by a dozen or so ponies for my efforts, I eventually found a quiet, shaded spot near the communal pavilion to rest. I sipped water from my suit’s in-built CamelPack, the ice-cold liquid a welcome relief for my parched throat. The cool autumn air brushed against my face, and for the first time in a long while, I couldn’t help but feel…at peace. It was a rare day in the Special Forces when I could simply relax and enjoy the crisp weather of a beautiful day. Besides, I found Ponyville to be a rather calming place. Maybe it was the clean streets, the rustic houses, or the simple country charm the whole place seemed to have; whatever the case, I had a feeling the little town would start to grow on me, in the coming weeks.

Besides, thanks to my timely rescue of Applebloom, many of the townsfolk no longer gave me sideways glances of fear. After I’d dropped Applebloom off at the local clinic, a whole group of ponies practically swamped me. They'd shaken my hand, greeting me like an old neighbor and not like a towering human clad in powered armor. Admittedly, I was caught off guard by the sudden rush of gratitude. Seeing as how the majority of my work in the Special Forces fell under ‘Highly Classified’, being thanked for a job well-done just felt…strange. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, of course. It was just another mental speed bump I had to get over that day.

I let the flexible plastic tube of my CamelPack retract into my armor as I took out my journal. Flipping it open to a blank page, I began sketching out a picture of ‘Lord Aurelius’, as the apparition called himself. I put everything I could properly recall into the picture: his armor, his burning orange eyes, the thick muscles of his arms, the design of his helmet. Strangely enough, I was the first person to actually see Aurelius (in a manner of speaking), according to General Titus. He only ever spoke through his minions (whom the General called ‘Legionaries’), and even then, only to ponies he dubbed ‘worthy’. I know that makes him sound like some ominous villain, but in reality, it just made me want to beat him to death with his own damn helmet. Trust me; I’ve met more than a few dastardly fiends who enjoyed working behind proxies and cats-paws. In the end, though, their complex wall of secrets couldn’t protect them from a bullet to the head…or a drop from a skyscraper, in one case.

After I told him about my brief conversation with Aurelius, the General and I theorized that Jagged Claw’s attack hadn’t been as random as we’d previously thought. Indeed, judging from what Aurelius had said, everything from Jagged Claw’s attack to Applebloom being in the boutique had been orchestrated intentionally. That may seem like a bit of a stretch, and I was having a difficult time connecting the dots, but I had a gut feeling Aurelius’ was the one responsible. General Titus told me he would question the filly once she was checked out of the clinic, and discover why she’d been in the boutique to begin with. He shared my suspicions, though, and I knew that the General suspected Aurelius had been manipulating today’s events, as well. What his exact motives were, however, eluded either of us.

Despite the strong resentment I was starting to develop towards Aurelius and his puppeteer ways, I wouldn’t allow myself to underestimate him. From what I was told by General Titus, he was an experienced sorcerer, and not a foe to be taken lightly. While I didn’t think Aurelius could simply disintegrate me with a wave of his hand, I was still wary of just what he could throw at me. Princess Celestia told me that combat magic had fallen out of use centuries ago, but she described it as being a deadly ability when wielded properly. I might’ve had a gun, but Aurelius had his knowledge of magic at his disposal. I wasn’t sure which us had the advantage, in that regard, but I was hoping my trigger finger was faster than his spell-slinging abilities.

“Jack?” a familiar voice called, pulling me from my thoughts. I turned to see Twilight Sparkle approaching, her expression one of weary fatigue. Her legs were stained with soot, and her mane was sticking out in several places. She plopped down next to me in the shade with a quiet sigh of relief, rolling onto her back to gaze up at the clear blue sky.

“Hey, Twilight,” I said, stowing away my journal, “Looks like you’ve had a long day.” I smiled down at her, “Though, I guess we’ve both had one, eh?”

“You can say that again,” she said, blowing a loose strand of mane from her face, “General Titus said he’d meet up with us later, once he and his squadron are done patrolling the area. I guess he wants to make sure those Legionnaires really did leave.”

“Smart thinking,” I grunted, leaning my head against the pavilion, “I should probably go help him. With the way things have gone today, he’ll probably end up fighting a rampant hydra or something.” I reached into a pouch on my belt as I spoke and pulled out a Tuscan-style cigar, followed closely by a small box of waterproof matches. While I didn’t smoke by necessity, I did enjoy the occasional cigar, whenever I had a rare moment to relax. Besides, after a long day of fighting bloodthirsty griffons and putting out fires, I think I deserved one. I stuck the cigar in my mouth and lit it with well-practiced ease, flicking away the spent match when I was done.

“Uhm, Jack?” Twilight Sparkle said after a moment, wrinkling her nose at the cigar’s pungent smell, “What is that?”

“Something that used to kill people,” I replied casually, blowing out a small cloud of smoke, “until some brilliant man came along and cured cancer. Now it just makes your clothes smell like the ass-end of a donkey.” I chuckled at Twilight’s confused expression, “I take it Equestria doesn’t have tobacco, then?”

“No, we don’t,” Twilight Sparkle said, blowing away a lingering puff of smoke near her, “And after smelling it, I’m kind of glad.”

“Fair enough,” I chuckled, looking up at the sky as I smoked. The silence between us stretched for several moments, before I finally decided to ask, “How’s Rarity holding up?”

“She’s still in shock,” Twilight replied, sighing quietly, “I’ve never seen her like this before, Jack. She’s usually so dramatic, but this...” She shook her head sadly, “I don’t think anything could have prepared her for losing her business and her home. She’s barely said a word to anyone, since the fires were put out. I…I don’t know what to say to her, Jack. What can I say?” Twilight Sparkle bit her lip, glancing up at me pleadingly.

They’ve never experienced this before, I thought to myself, my gaze lingering on my cigar, They’ve never been attacked by someone who doesn’t care whether they live or die. Aurelius is stripping away their damn innocence day by day.

“I’m not one to give advice, Twilight,” I said, resting my hand on the unicorn’s head, “Never really had anyone to give it to, either.” I flicked away the ashes on my cigar as I spoke, “But I suppose the best thing you can do for Rarity now, is be there for her. Give her your shoulder to cry on when she needs it, or pick her up when she stumbles. Rarity will come around soon enough. She just needs some time, is all.” I gave Twilight a reassuring smile as I looked down at her.

“I…you’re right,” Twilight said, resting one of her hooves atop my hand, “It’s hard seeing her like that…but you’re right.” She was silent for a moment before speaking again, “This is going to get worse, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” I replied, making no effort to hide the truth, “It sure as Hell is, kid.”

As if to emphasize my point, my cigar suddenly exploded as something incredibly fast struck it. I jerked my hand back with a grunt of surprise, immediately jumping to my feet as I drew my pistol, my helmet forming around my head. Barely a moment later, a red-hot sledgehammer of force hit me in the chest, driving me to my knees. Tendrils of pain stabbed through my lungs as I struggled to catch my breath, and when I glanced down to look at my chest, I saw a thin metal bolt jutting from my armor.

I looked up in time to see a familiar holographic-blue dot settle directly on my forehead.

Author's Note: Whoops! I forgot to add my note to this chapter. How derpy of me.

Not that there's much to say about this chapter, anyway. It took me longer than anticipated to release it, due to the bout of writer's block I went through. Still, all things considered, I think it turned out pretty well. Of course, that's mostly due to my amazing pre-reader, Invictus. Seriously, that guy is like a wizard when it comes to pointing out mistakes and giving me much-needed suggestions. I would give him a bajillion dollars, if I could.

Aaaand that's about it, really. I hope you enjoy the new chapter! With luck, I'll be able to complete Chapter Six soon.

Until next time, my most beloved readers!

-Wes

Chapter Six

When Death Knocks, Don’t Panic

For the second time that week, I knew I was a dead man. That was blatantly apparent as I watched that blue dot settle on my head. My thoughts flashed back to my battle on The Sprawl, that desperate last stand where I was more than certain that my end had finally come, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. That same sense of inevitability settled over me as I closed my eyes, waiting for the moment when the bolt would pierce my helmet and finally put an end to me. At least I was dying in a nice place, rather than some godforsaken hellhole.

I knew the bolt was coming, courtesy of my helmet’s sensors. I could hear it whistling through the air towards my head, backed by all the authority of fate itself. I clenched my eyes tight, prepared to feel the bolt punch through my helmet and into my skull, followed immediately by complete and utter darkness. There was just one problem, however…

That moment didn’t come. Rather than reinforced metal, I heard the bolt embedded itself into something else with a sound akin to breaking glass. I snapped my eyes open as I heard it, and found myself face-to-face with the lethal projectile, its tip mere inches from my helmet. Hovering just in front of me was a shimmering pane of purple light with hairline fractures spanning across its surface, courtesy of the seeker bolt currently jutting from it. Confused, I whipped my head towards Twilight Sparkle, and saw her horn glowing brightly as she sustained the shield in front of me, her eyes clenched in concentration.

Well, I’ll be damned, I thought to myself, I need to learn that trick.

I quickly rose to my feet as my HUD traced the bolt to its point of origin: the rooftop of a home just across the square. It couldn’t pick up the shooter’s vials, but my HUD did lock onto the weapon’s ID tag and confirmed that it was indeed my seeker rifle. I felt a very pointed sense of annoyance at being shot at by my own weapon, and was already formulating a plan that involved me beating the gunman senseless. Sometimes, it’s the simple things that make life grand.

With a throaty roar the thrusters of my suit activated. I felt my feet leave the ground as I soared into the air, arcing towards the rooftop my HUD had highlighted. My visor’s crosshairs locked onto the gunman as he hastily tried to make his way off the roof, but just before he could leap, I tackled him around the waist with bone-crushing force. My momentum smashed the two of us through the roof, both floors of the house, and out a large window. We separated as we tumbled down the street, ponies screaming and scattering from our paths. I ended up careening into a stall selling bright red apples, scattering produce all over the street.

I didn’t allow myself to feel guilty about the destruction, however. I scrambled to my feet as my opponent, having landed relatively close to me, unsheathed a gladius from his belt. His outfit was similar to Aurelius’s in design, leading me to believe that I was facing one of the legionaries mentioned by General Titus. He, and I assumed it was in fact a he, was shorter than I was and considerably less muscular. But he moved with a serpentine grace as he prowled back in forth in front of me, the blade of his sword gleaming. He was too close for me to draw my pistol and shoot, and besides, I wasn’t afraid of the medieval pig-sticker he was packing.

The legionary struck first, lashing out with his gladius in a murderous arc. The blade swiftly found itself meeting my forearm, causing a trail of sparks to form as metal struck metal. In reply, I lashed out with a right hook that sent the sonuvabitch stumbling back, before following up with a knee to his stomach. He doubled over from the blow, allowing me to grip his throat, heft him up, and slam him into the ground. His sword clattered from his grip, but I didn’t relent there. Instead, I picked him back up, grabbed his head, and forcefully drove it into the side of a nearby building. I repeated the process several times, to the point where the helm of the Legionary was nothing more than a dented, ruined mess when I let him slump to the ground.

“Bastard,” I grunted, kicking him in the gut to make sure he stayed dead, before pulling the seeker bolt from my chest plate and tossing it away. I then strode over to where my seeker rifle had fallen during the scuffle, and gently picked it up. Its worn grip felt reassuringly familiar, almost akin to shaking hands with an old friend. I brushed dirt from its barrel, before ejecting the spent clip and sliding a new one home. I only had three extra clips left, but I didn’t care about the ammo shortage. I was just damned glad to have my rifle back. Happy enough, in fact, that I cracked my first genuine smile since waking up in Equestria. Call me a weirdo, but when it comes to a soldier and his gun, you won’t find a better love story.

“Jack!” Twilight called, prompting me to turn around. She came galloping up the street me, while General Titus and his squadron landed not far behind her. The young unicorn’s eyes were wide with worry and fear, as she looked at my suit’s newly acquired scrapes, and the small puncture hole the bolt had left. “Are you alright? Do I need to teleport us the hospital?”

“I’m fine,” I grunted, slinging my rifle as I spoke, “Trust me, Twilight. It takes more than a tumble to hurt me, and the bolt didn’t pierce my under-armor. Besides…” I hooked a thumb at the body of the Legionary, “he wasn’t so tough.”

“Several of my soldiers would beg to differ, Lieutenant.” General Titus rumbled as he trotted up to me. His squadron fanned out around the legionary, and quickly set about covering the body with a tarp. “They are notoriously difficult to bring down, even for my veterans. For you to defeat one in single combat is…impressive, to say the least.”

I just chuckled and reached down to ruffle Twilight’s mane. “Not gonna lie, General. The bastard caught me with my pants down. If it wasn’t for Twilight here…well, I doubt we’d be speaking right now.”

“Is that right?” Titus said, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Twilight.

The unicorn blushed visibly, and I realized then that Twilight was rather…modest. From what Celestia had told me, she was one of the strongest, most talented damned unicorns in Equestria, and that was high praise coming from an immortal alicorn that raised the sun every day. And yet, Twilight Sparkle remained humble through it all. I felt my respect for her go up a few notches, as she stammered out a reply to the General.

“I-it was nothing, really,” she said, still blushing slightly, “I just cast a simple shield spell, is all. But…thank you, Jack. I’m glad I could help.” Twilight glanced at my rifle as she spoke, and I could practically hear her brain whirring with dozens of questions.

“Before you ask,” I said, raising a hand to stall her, “this is my seeker rifle. I had it with me during…well, before I came to Equestria. It was gone when I woke up in that tunnel, and no, I’m not sure how that jackass got it.” I sighed in annoyance, “I’m not even sure how he figured out how to use it. From what the General said, Aurelius likes to use magic, not guns. Hell, didn’t you say that his goons are just mindless constructs?”

“Indeed I did,” Titus replied, nodding soberly, “They are nothing more than beings made from raw magic and given a modicum of sentience. They are fond of using swords, as you no doubt discovered, and never have I seen them wield a…gun, as you called it.” He frowned in thought as he spoke, “Perhaps Aurelius gave this particular soldier knowledge on how to use such a device. If that’s the case, then maybe he knows about your dimension of origin, Lieutenant, and the weapons your people wield.”

Well…that as one hell of a thought. If that was true, then Aurelius had used his magic trick to single me out specifically, and bring me to Equestria. Why? I hadn’t a damned clue. I’m a soldier, not a detective, and so far Aurelius was just an enigma. An enigma I wanted to kill violently, but an enigma nonetheless. And I couldn’t just ask the guy what his deal was, either. To be brutally honest, I was grasping at straws in the dark.

Maybe he wasn’t trying to bring you here, a part of my brain whispered, Maybe he was trying to summon something far different. Something violent, brutal…mindless. Nothing more than husk that wants to slaughter any living thing in its path.

“Oh…shit,” I whispered. I felt the hairs on my neck stand up, and a cold shiver run down my spine. Paranoia began nibbling at the back of my mind, and I instinctively rested my hand on my pistol as I glanced around the street. “Twilight, Celestia mentioned that the spell Aurelius used to bring me here was beyond powerful. If that’s the case, then how many times could he use it? Is there, I don’t know, a limit or something?”

“Theoretically,” Twilight replied instantly, oblivious to my sudden caution, “any unicorn that uses magic for extended periods will begin to feel the strain, and will eventually reach a point where they are unable to cast even the most basic spells.” She furrowed her eyebrows in thought, “Assuming that Aurelius uses magic the same way we do, casting an inter-dimensional relocation spell would leave him utterly exhausted. Not to mention the fact that it can take weeks, even months, for the ritual to be prepared. So to answer your question…no. There is no limit. Aurelius could cast the spell multiple times, but it would take a long time, and leave him vulnerable.”

“Hm,” I grunted, still a bit on edge despite Twilight’s words, “Well that’s something, at least. We know Aurelius won’t be pulling new stuff out of his ass like some Vegas magicia-oof!” I was interrupted as something struck me in the side, sending me sprawling to the ground. My vision was filled by a bright pink mass of cotton candy, or at least something strikingly similar. A moment later, a blue eye pressed against my visor, as if desperately trying to see past the glowing blue glass.

“Helloooo?” a high-pitched, girlish voice sang, “Is there anybody in there?” A hoof began rapidly tapping against my head repeatedly, followed by amused giggling, “Oooh, I see symbols!”

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight said from somewhere, her tone authoritative, “Get off of Jack right this instant!” I would have been surprised at the bookish unicorn’s demand, had I not been thoroughly confused about what a ‘Pinkie Pie’ was, and what it was doing on my chest in the first place.

“Okie dokie lokie!” the voice said. The pink hair obscuring my view disappeared as its owner hopped from my chest. I promptly sat up, and found myself face-to-face with a pink pony. And by pink, I mean…pink. Her coat was pink and her mane was pink, though each was a slightly different shade. Her cutie mark depicted a trio of balloons, and her grin could have put the Cheshire Cat to shame, given how broad it was.

“Hi!” she exclaimed happily, bouncing slightly as she spoke, “I’m Pinkie Pie! You must be new here, ‘cause I know everyone in Ponyville and I’m certain I haven’t seen you around. Unless I’ve forgotten, but that would be silly!” Pinkie Pie giggled joyously as she hopped in a circle around me, “You’re so big and tall, there’s no way I could have forgotten you!”

“I…right, of course,” I said numbly, still uncertain about how I felt about the excited pony, “Pinkie Pie, hm? Twilight Sparkle told me all about you. You’re the one that likes to throw parties, right?”

“Shouldn’t have said that, Lieutenant,” General Titus murmured, trying his best not to smile in amusement at my plight. Before I could ask what he meant, Pinkie Pie stopped hopping, and for a moment, I thought she was going to practically explode with excitement.

“You know who I am!?” she said, grabbing my helmet with her forelegs and mushing her face against my visor, “Oh, I’m so happy! We were already friends from the start!” Pinkie Pie hugged my neck tightly, “I’m throwing a party tonight. It’ll be a ‘Welcome To Ponyville, Mister Big Metal Suity-Man’ party! You’ll get to meet the rest of my friends, and eat cake and have fun and I need to get the decorations right now!”

Before I could even respond, Pinkie Pie galloped off at an alarming speed, leaving me completely dumbfounded at…whatever had just happened. After a long moment, I stood up and brushed dirt from my suit as best as I could.

“I don’t know whether to feel flattered,” I mused to myself, “or violated.” Twilight Sparkle had given me a fair warning about Pinkie Pie beforehand, but nothing in the universe could have prepared me to deal with something so utterly random.

“Trust me, she’ll grow on you,” Twilight assured me, before gesturing for me to follow her, “I was going to visit Applebloom at the hospital before we were attacked. Do you want to come with me? Her sister will want to thank you for saving her, no doubt.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” I grunted, walking beside the unicorn as we made our way down the street.

_________

The walk to Ponyville General was a fairly quick one, and before long, I found myself standing in a clean, cool lobby. I was surprised at how much the place resembled the hospitals of twenty-first century Earth. Compared to Ponyville’s rustic aesthetic, the sudden change was rather unexpected. However, I kept my thoughts to myself as Twilight Sparkle asked the receptionist where Applebloom was.

“She’s just down the hall behind my desk, dear,” the mare replied, fidgeting nervously at my presence, “Room 203. The doctor expects she’ll be able to leave sometime this evening. She’s tired, but the smoke didn’t leave any permanent damage.”

“Much obliged,” I replied, nodding at the receptionist as Twilight led the way to Applebloom’s room. As she knocked on the door gently, I let my helmet unseal and store itself away. Even though my scuffle with Aurelius’s thug had left me cautious, I didn’t want to scare the little filly with my helmeted visage. She’d been through enough that day, I reckoned.

“Hello?” Twilight said softly as she cracked open the door, just wide enough to stick her head though, “Hi, Applejack. Can we come in?”

“You sure can, sugarcube,” a mare with a heavy country twang replied, “Who’s with...you…oh my stars.” The mare trailed off Twilight swung the door open the rest of the way, revealing my armored figure. I walked inside slowly, my eyes sweeping around the room. It was Spartan in its design, with crisp white walls, a single window, and a bed for the patient. Applebloom rested on that bed, her tiny figure partially covered in a heavy blanket. Her head lay on a large pillow, and I noticed that her mane lacked the pink bow that had previously tied it together. Sitting on the other side of the bed was a young mare with an orange coat, blonde mane, and green eyes. An honest-to-God Stetson was clutched between her hooves as she looked at Applebloom, and judging from the trio of apples that represented her cutie mark, I figured that I was looking at Applejack, Applebloom’s older sister

“Applejack,” Twilight said quietly, giving her friend a reassuring hug as she spoke, “This is Jack. He’s the pony...er, I mean, the human that saved…“ She trailed off as Applejack promptly stood, trotted over, and embraced me in a fierce hug. Twilight smiled at the scene, while I awkwardly patted Applejack’s head, unused to such displays of affection from...well, from just about anything.

“Thank you,” Applejack said, her voice barely a whisper, “Thank you for saving my sister. I don’t know what I’d do without her.” She sniffled quietly, giving me an apologetic smile as she let me go and stepped back. “Shoot, but where are my manners? I’m Applejack, partner.”

“Lieutenant Jack Ventralis,” I replied, gently kneeling down in front of her, And, uhm...don’t mention it? My pleasure, really.” God, I was terrible at this shit. Give me a heated firefight over emotional moments anyday. In order to break the moment of awkward silence that had suddenly formed, I spared a nod at Applebloom as I asked, “Has she talked about why she was in the boutique to begin with?”

“She has,” Applejack said, wiping the few remaining tears from her eyes, “Earlier, when she was awake, ‘Bloom mentioned that she and her friends were playing by their treehouse. The last thing she remembers is falling asleep under the tree, then waking up in that inferno. Doesn’t know how she even got there.”

“Teleportation, maybe?” Twilight Sparkle supplied, resting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder, “Aurelius could have easily used magic to make sure Applebloom stayed asleep while he put her in the boutique. She would only wake up when…” She bit her lip, shivering slightly at what I knew was a frightening thought…to a pony, at least. I knew full well what would have happened if I hadn’t of saved Applebloom in time, and you know what? Unlike Twilight, it didn’t bother me at all. You might think that’s more than a little cold, but I’ve long since accepted death as something that just…happens. You can fight it, of course. You can wail and gnash your teeth defiantly, or run until your heart gives out.

But one way or another, the man with the scythe will come. That’s a fact I understand and acknowledge, but the ponies? Not so much. Still, I guess I couldn’t blame them. When you live in a utopia of sunshine and happiness, shadows are never a welcome sight.

“Magic seems to explain everything here,” I grunted, focusing my thoughts on Twilight’s words, “I wish it were like that back home.”

Applejack furrowed her eyebrows at that, and I groaned inwardly at my slip. I’d told myself earlier that I would avoid mentioning my dimension to any other pony besides Twilight, since I didn’t want everyone asking me a barrage of questions. Consider it my preemptive solution against playing Jeopardy with every damn pony I met. The fact that Humanity didn’t have magic was strange enough to Twilight, and I sure as hell wasn’t qualified to be my species’ spokesman.

“Sis?” a small, weak voice said suddenly, preventing Applejack from voicing whatever thoughts she had. We all looked at Applebloom, whose eyes were starting to flutter open. She let out a truly impressive yawn as she glanced around the room, and it wasn’t long before her eyes settled on me.

“Mister Angel?” Applebloom breathed, her eyes widening. She promptly wiggled out from under the covers and stood, her red mane splayed around her head in an uncombed mess.

“Hey there, kid,” I said quietly, shifting around until I faced her squarely, “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Applebloom replied, looking slightly nervous, “The doctor said the smoke didn’t hurt my lungs too bad. I should be able to leave this evening, depending on what he says.” She bit her lip in uncertainty, before surprising me as she leapt from the bed and into my arms. She hugged my neck tightly, burying her face in my neck as she began quietly sobbing.

“I was s-so scared,” she whimpered, “The f-fire and the s-smoke, and I c-could barely b-breath…” Her words gradually became harder to understand as she wept, to the point where I didn’t bother trying to make them out. Instead, I just patted her head, unsure of what to say. However, as the little filly cried, I felt anger slowly kindle in my chest. It started small at first, but when I realized that Applebloom would be haunted by the fire for weeks, maybe months to come, it turned into something more akin to an inferno.

Eventually, Applebloom cried herself back to sleep in my arms. I gently handed her to Applejack, who nuzzled the filly as she tucked her back into bed. Rather than stick around, though, I promptly stood and quickly walked from the room. The anger I was feeling towards Aurelius was gradually building, and the rational part of my brain was demanding that I get some fresh air. I was more than happy to oblige it, and ignored Twilight Sparkle’s concerned questions as I made my way from the hospital, allowing my helmet to once again sheath my face.

“Jack, wait!” Twilight cried as I stepped outside, standing in front of me to block my progress, “What’s wrong? Please, you can tell me!”

“Twilight,” I replied after a quiet moment, “I want you to promise me something. Can you do that?”

“Of course,” the unicorn said, without a second’s hesitation, “Anything for a friend.”

I didn’t say anything for a while. Rather, I looked up at the afternoon sky, taking in the sights and sounds around me. Equestria really was a beautiful place. A paradise, really. A paradise where friendship came without a catch and love practically permeated the very air. It was a place where harmony ruled, where violence was practically nonexistent…a place I had no right to be in. Because in the end, I was a killer. I was the boogeyman the terrorists and insurgents whispered about, whenever they gathered together. Hell, even my superiors liked to call me their ‘personal Grim Reaper’. And you know what the real kicker is? They were right. I was their Grim Reaper, and even if you find it downright bloodthirsty, I enjoy what I do. I enjoy bringing pain and fear to the people who deserve it. I enjoy the fact that my name scares evil men shitless, that it makes them chuck under their bed at night and sleep with a gun under their pillow.

But killing...killing is what I enjoy the most. And that meant Equestria was no place for a reaper like me. Redemption? I wasn’t looking for it. My soul was already going to a hot place when I died, I knew that. The least I could do was make sure I had a big welcoming committee, when I got there.

“I’m not sure if you’ll be there when I find Aurelius,” I finally said to Twilight, “But if you are, promise me you won’t try and stop me.” I felt my hands curl into fists, “Aurelius is a dead man, Twilight. He’s signed his own death warrant, and I’m going to be the one who makes him choke on it. I’m going to make sure he never hurts anyone ever again…”

Twilight flinched back at my cold, unyielding tone. She swallowed audibly, but managed to keep her voice from shaking as he she spoke. “I promise, Jack. I hope it doesn’t come to that…but I promise.”

I didn’t know if she would stick by that pledge, when the moment of truth came, but I simply nodded at her words. A small part of me felt bad for scaring her, though, and I sighed as I rested my hand on her cheek.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, “Sometimes, there’s only one way to deal with a problem, Twilight. I know that from experience. And the solution isn’t always one we like.” I knelt down in front of her, “I understand it may seem harsh to you. But if it guarantees the safety of innocent lives, then Aurelius must be taken out of the picture entirely.”

“I….understand,” she whispered, laying a hoof on my hand as she looked at me, “How can you do it, Jack? How are you able to live your life so...so…?”

“Coldly?” I supplied, causing her to nod, “It’s the only way I know how, Twilight. Simple as that.” I rose to my feet, “Come on, let’s head back to down.”

Twilight Sparkle said nothing as we began walking back into Ponyville, her eyes firmly fixed on the distance as she thought about what I’d said.

Author's Note: Well, holy son of a biscuit eater. This took way longer to make than I thought, and that’s a no-no. Though to be fair, I was hit by a perfect storm of problems, whilst writing this. Things like getting my driver’s license, visiting my family in Kentucky, starting my college classes, ect. And, of course, that infamous bout of writer's block I battled with. I dueled with the beast for weeks, but in the end, I proved to be victorious! I smote his ruin upon the mountain side and cast the One Ring into Mount Doom...er, I mean, I finished the chapter. >_>

But joking aside, I really am sorry for the delay. You’re all the best readers an author could ask for, given how patient you’ve been. Hopefully, now that I’ve gotten my schedule figured out, I’ll have MOAR time to write this story! It shall be a shining beacon of hope for all to see! Or, you know, maybe just a few people. One of the two.

Finally, I’d like to give a huge thanks to my pre-reader, Invictus. Seriously, this guy’s practically a saint to me. Without him, these chapter’s would be filled with repetitive words and silly, unnecessary nonsense. And if you haven’t checked out his story, ‘Magic, Mayhem, and....Murder? Oh my...’, what the heck is wrong with you? It completely blows my story out of the water, and as a bonus, it updates more frequently. Seriously, go check it out and give it all your likes/favorites.

Besides the reminder that I’m still looking for some cover art, I think I’ll wrap this up. Thanks so much for your patience, everyone! You guys are the absolute bestest.

-Wes

Chapter Seven

When Death Knocks, Show ‘Em Your Moves

Let me tell you something right off the bat: I don’t like parties. In fact, I don’t enjoy anything remotely resembling a social gathering. Crowds put me on edge, and I’ve never been one to mingle with people I haven’t met before, or particularly care to know in the first place. Hell, I’ve never even been to the monthly barbecue my comrades liked to throw. And on the rare occasion when I was forced to attend a party, I mostly just hung around in a nice corner and avoided conversations. Call me a recluse if you like, but I’m not willing to drop over a decade’s worth of paranoia for the sake of small talk with strangers.

Yet despite all that, I still found myself standing in front of Ponyville’s garishly-colored ‘Sugarcube Corner’, preparing to mingle with what appeared to be quite a few ponies. I was surprised at the fairly large number of attendees, given that night was settling on Ponyville. When I voiced my thoughts to Twilight, the young unicorn merely giggled and smiled up at me.

“No one ever declines an invitation to Pinkie’s shindigs,” she explained, “She might be a little eccentric, but when it comes to parties, Pinkie Pie is practically the princess.”

“So you’ve said,” I replied, before sighing and glancing at Twilight, “Look, I’m not saying this to be rude, but I’m really not one for parties, Twilight. The last one I attended was, I don’t know, three years ago? Maybe four?”

“You’ll be fine, Jack,” Twilight assured me, “Besides, you get to meet the rest of my friends!”

I stared at her for a long moment, before turning my gaze towards the open door of Sugarcube Corner. Then, with another sigh and a mumbled curse, I began striding forward, Twilight following excitedly. I admit, I was impressed at how fast she’d bounced back from my cold words regarding Aurelius, though I still had a feeling she hadn’t quite yet accepted my reason as to why he needed to die. To her, giving someone a second chance almost seemed instinctual. The tolerance that permeated Equestria was nearly enough to make me nauseous, and while a part of me found their devotion to it laudable, another part wanted to rave at their naivety. I wanted them to see that sometimes you had to fight for peace, and not have it served up on a silver platter. I wanted them to understand that sometimes, when push came to shove, you had to draw a gun and shoot someone dead.

I wanted them to understand what it was like to have to fight for survival... that sometimes, when push came to shove, you had to draw a gun and shoot someone dead. But they didn’t. Maybe they couldn’t. And all I could do was smile and nod.

I pushed aside that dark train of thought as I just outside the doorway of Sugarcube Corner, eying the ponies inside warily as I fiddled with the strap of my seeker rifle. I felt Twilight gently nudge the back of my knee, prompting me to stop loitering outside the bakery. Barely a moment after I’d stepped inside, a certain pink pony leapt from nowhere and began bouncing happily in front of me.

“You’re here!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, “Now the party can really start!” Before I could even say anything, she grabbed my hand dragged me to the middle of the room for all to see, “Everyone, this is Jack. Jack, this is everyone! Well, not everyone, but everyone I could invite on short notice.” Pinkie Pie began pointing her hoof at individual ponies and introducing them at a rapid pace, “That’s Berry Punch, Pokey, Cheerilee, Cloud Kicker, Raindrops….”

The names went on, and it was all I could do to nod politely at each pony Pinkie Pie introduced. Like I said, I wasn’t one for parties, and a part of me was itching to scramble out the door and leave Sugarcube Corner in the dust. But out of respect for Pinkie Pie (and sheer force of will), I stood my ground until, finally, the introductions came to an end. Pinkie Pie went off to fetch me a drink, giving me an opportunity to slink into a corner and hover just beyond the party’s social circles. I was content to stay that way, too, until a familiar unicorn with a white coat trotted up to me.

“Hey there,” I said to her, inclining my head slightly, “You’re Rarity, right? Sorry about your boutique.”

“Please, darling,” she replied, putting a hoof to her chest, “You needn’t apologize. You saved Applebloom’s life, and for that, I am more than thankful.” She blushed in sudden embarrassment, “And I daresay that I was…overreacting earlier, when my boutique was ablaze. Princess Celestia has already offered me the funds to rebuild my boutique and my business, so I should hardly be worrying about living on the streets.”

“Glad to hear that,” I said, folding my arms together and leaning back against the wall. Inwardly, I winced at my blunt words. Rarity had been through a lot that day, and I probably wasn’t doing her any favors with my attitude. Before I could make an attempt at small talk, however, Pinkie Pie scurried back over to me, a glass of punch balanced on her nose.

“Thanks,” I said, relieving her of the glass before it could topple over, “So, uh…are any more of your friends here?” Barely a moment after I’d spoken, I saw Twilight Sparkle approaching me with two pegasi in tow. One had a blue coat with a rather impressive rainbow mane, and hovered just above Twilight. The other pegasus sported a yellow coat and pink mane, though, unlike her comrade, she seemed content to keep her hooves on the ground.

“Jack,” Twilight said as she stopped in front of me, “I’d like you to mee-” Before she could finish, the rainbow-maned pegaus zipped in front of me and offered me her hoof.

“What’s up?” she said, “My name’s Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria!” Her chest puffed out visibly as she spoke, and it was all I could do to resist rolling my eyes. I could already tell that Rainbow Dash’s brazen attitude was going to get on my nerves. Nonetheless, I politely shook her proffered hoof.

“Charmed,” I grunted, before glancing down at the yellow pegaus. She immediately seemed to shrink under my gaze, prompting me to raise a questioning eyebrow at Twilight Sparkle. I mean, I knew some ponies were still hesitant around me, but it wasn’t like I was that scary to look at.

“This is Fluttershy,” Twilight said, laying a comforting hoof on her friend’s shoulder, “Fluttershy, this is Jack. He’s the one who saved Applebloom earlier today.”

“Yup,” I replied, kneeling down in front of the timid pegaus and holding my hand out, “Twilight’s told me all about you. You like to take care of animals, right?” Honestly, you’d think I was wearing a skull mask and howling like an idiot, given how Fluttershy was shaking. But after a moment, she tentatively rested her hoof in my hand, though she still hid behind her mane as she spoke.

“H-hello,” she said, her voice barely a whisper, “And y-yes, I do love taking care of animals.”

“Fluttershy is the best vet in Ponyville,” Rainbow Dash quipped from beside me, “Seriously, don’t let her tell you otherwise.” The rest of her friends agreed, causing Fluttershy to blush in embarrassment.

“Oh!” Pinkie Pie added, raising her hoof in the air, “And she’s the nicest, kindest, sweetest pony in the history of Eques-”

An earth-rattling roar shook the air, interrupting Pinkie Pie and just about every other pony in the room. I shot to my feet, gripping my seeker rifle and raising it to chest height as another roar echoed through the town. I spared a glance at Twilight, who had paled visibly at the sound. In fact, all of the ponies in the room seemed to have gone stock-still at the thunderous noise. Whatever it belonged to must not have been particularly friendly.

“Alright, listen up!” I shouted, causing every pair of eyes in the room to look at me, “Twilight, take everyone here and get them out of Ponyville.” I pointed to Rainbow Dash. “You say you’re a fast flier? Prove it. Spread the word to every pony you can. Tell them to get the hell outta town.”

“Are you kidding?” she retorted, folding her forelegs belligerently, “There’s no way I’m leaving my friends!”

I narrowed my eyes at Rainbow Dash and took a step forward. “Don’t push me, girl,” I growled at her, “I won’t think twice about breaking those pretty wings of yours.”

The pegasus glared at me and remained right where she was, demonstrating what she probably thought was bravery. In reality, she was only making me want to follow up on my threat. Her friends seemed indecisive towards what to do, though I had a feeling they'd back Rainbow Dash if things escalated further.

“That’s enough!” Twilight Sparkle suddenly snapped, surprising both Rainbow Dash and me. The unicorn quickly interposed herself between us, her expression determined. “Rainbow Dash, trust me. Jack knows what he’s doing. You can catch up with us later, alright? Right now, you're the only one fast enough to warn the rest of Ponyville."

Rainbow Dash looked as though she was going to argue, but after a moment, she merely nodded at Twilight and zipped from the room. She left a prismatic contrail behind her, and the speed of her passing caused several papers plates to fly into the air. Had I not been so annoyed at her attitude, I probably would have found the display of speed impressive. Instead, I merely gave a derisive snort and strode towards the bakery’s door, my helmet sealing itself into place.

“Jack!” Twilight called after me, “You can’t go outside, it’s too dangerous!”

“Good,” I grunted in reply, glancing at her over my shoulder, “Don’t wait up for me.”

Before she could protest further, I leapt forward and soared into the night sky.

__________

As soon as I was airborne, my RIG immediately began mapping out sections of Ponyville. I saw crowds of ponies galloping through the streets in terror, looking fearfully towards the southern part of town. I didn’t see where the trouble was at first, until a gout of green flames illuminated the sky above Ponyville, followed closely by a mighty roar. I tore my eyes away from the town and looked up towards the origins of the flames, expecting to see some new type of minion from Aurelius.

What I got, however…was a dragon. An honest-to-God, fire-breathing dragon. He was incredibly tall, his wings were broad, and his scalers were blacker than sin. The claws at the ends of his hands were easily as long as I was, and his red eyes seemed to smolder like coals. Even as I watched, he landed atop the town’s pavilion and tore gouges into the thick wood. He would have set it ablaze, too, if it hadn’t been for the trio of seeker bolts I embedded into his snout. He snorted in annoyance and turned his baleful gaze towards me. Rather than attack, however, he opened his mouth and began speaking.

“Greetings, little man,” the dragon rumbled, his voice deep and gravelly, “Lord Aurelius told me of you. He says you are a mighty warrior...but I daresay you look no stronger than the ponies of this wretched town.”

“That right? Guess your boss forgot to tell you that I could do this.” Before the dragon could retort, I lifted my seeker rifle and planted a bolt right into one of his over-sized eyes. He roared in agony and unleashed a gout of flames, forcing me to dodge out of the way. I quickly began ascending, hoping to lure the dragon away from the town and its inhabitants. The last thing Ponyville needed was a human and a giant lizard brawling in the streets.

As I expected, the dragon unfurled his wings and leapt after me, smoke curling from his nostrils. I swiveled around and emptied the remaining bolts of my seeker rifle into his head. His thick, jagged scales were like armor, however, and bolts did little more than aggravate him further. I cursed vehemently as I dodged another pillar of green fire and slung my seeker rifle, quickly considering my options. I didn’t have enough ammo to whittle away at the dragon, and I had no illusions of taking him on up close. His claws would have torn through my armor with ease, and I knew for a fact he was stronger than me. What I did have, however, was the advantage of maneuverability, and the dragon was having trouble playing catch-up. Speed was my ultimate advantage over him, and I knew just how to use it.

I clenched my right hand into a tight fist and blink-clicked an icon on my HUD. Barely a second later, a blade slid smoothly from a slit cut into my vambrace. It was nearly two-feet in length, and gleamed in the pale light of the moon above me. Officially, these types of blades were meant to help rescue workers pry open doors on ships and space stations, on the off-chance the power was down and a RIG couldn’t access the door’s controls. EarthGov, however, saw fit to adapt them for military use, and as a result, many members of the Special Forces utilized them regularly. The alloys used in their construction rendered them durable, sharp, and lethal in the hands of a trained soldier like myself.

The dragon was about to learn that the hard way.

I intentionally slowed my ascent, allowing the beast to begin closing the distance between us. Just before he could swipe his talons at me, my suit’s thrusters cut out entirely, letting me free-fall past his back. I reached out and gripped one of his scales, anchoring myself firmly in place. The dragon snarled in fury and began spinning around in an effort to dislodge me, but I held on grimly as I began pulling myself forward. Beneath my helmet, my teeth were bared in a savage grin as I inched towards the dragon’s neck. The exhilaration of the mid-air battle had my heart racing, and my blood pumped at a furious pace. The fact that I was going to slay a dragon, of all things, was not lost on me, and I already planned on taking a few of its scales as a trophy.

Finally, after a few close calls, I reached the dragon’s neck. With an adrenaline-infused shout of defiance, I raised my blade and plunged it into the soft, unprotected flesh beneath his scales. He roared in agony and pain, twisting wildly in the air and bellowing random blasts of flame. I pulled my blade free and stabbed again, the dragon’s blood staining my gauntlet crimson. Before I could wrench the blade out again, however, the dragon finally pulled a move that caused me to tumble off it’s neck. Moving with serpentine speed, despite his injury, the dragon snapped me up in his jaws. Or rather, he tried to. I managed to catch two of his massive fangs, preventing him from closing his mouth all the way. My arms shook from the exertion, and the joints of my suit were whirring in protest from the strain. Despite my efforts, the fangs inched gradually closer to my face, spittle dripping from their tips and onto my visor.

“Well…shit,” I grunted, realizing that I didn’t have much in the way of options. Even then, those were cut to only one as I saw fire beginning to gather at the back of the dragon’s throat.

This is gonna hurt, I thought to myself. I quickly heaved a deep breath. before releasing my grip on one of the dragon’s fangs and shoving my blade into the roof of his mouth. My left arm promptly buckled from the lack of support, causing a particularly long tooth to pierce my shoulder. Red-hot pain laced through my neck and arm, but I forced myself to ignore it as I twisted my blade, causing the dragon to finally open his mouth and shake me loose. Fire roared out a moment later, briefly engulfing me as I tumbled away. My suit insulated me from the intense heat, but my RIG wasn’t so lucky. The fire made its internal temperature spike, to the point where a warning flashed across my HUD.

Internal temperature critical, it stated, Thrusters: Offline.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I hollered as I fell towards Ponyville, trailing smoke like a comet. The dragon, fortunately, didn’t seem eager to give chase, and I saw it fly away in the opposite direction. My satisfaction, however, was tainted by the fact that I was hurtling towards the ground at breakneck speeds. Not to mention that my left shoulder hurt like seven kinds of hell, and I was bleeding like a stuck pig. It wasn’t lethal, but that hardly mattered, given my inevitable reunion with one of Ponyville’s streets.

I may have been plummeting towards the the ground, but even without my thrusters, I still had an option for survival. It was crazy, and maybe even a little stupid, yet an option nonetheless. But my timing would have to be more than perfect, else I’d wind up nothing more than a twisted mess of metal and blood. With that mental image clearly in mind, I spread my arms and legs, doing my best to control my descent towards Ponyville. My target was the town square, which provided me ample room to land. If my landing went according to plan, that is.

Collision imminent, my HUD calmly told me, to which I replied with a grumbled curse. I dismissed the warning, and any other icons on my HUD, with a blink. I needed my vision clear for what I was about to do, and that moment, my HUD was just in the way. The ground steadily moved closer, the wind whistling past my ears like a siren’s call. But I still I waited. I waited until I was a mere thirty feet from the ground, before slamming my left arm into my chest and triggering my stasis module.

Instantly, time seemed to slow as the blue-white field enveloped me. My movements seemed more than sluggish, as if elastic cords were tied to my limbs. The world around me blurred, and I heard nothing as my free-fall turned into a slow, gentle float downward. I have to admit, the sensation of being hit with a stasis field isn’t the most pleasant thing I’ve experienced. Of course, at that moment, I wasn’t really complaining. It had saved me from a rather unpleasant death…even if it made me look like a boneless carcass that was limply floating towards the ground.

The stasis wore off when I was about fifteen feet from the ground, leaving me to collide solidly with the street. I hissed in pain as the impact aggravated my shoulder, but my armor was barely even scratched from the drop. I rolled onto my back as my helmet stored itself away, the cool night air feeling pleasant as it brushed against my face. I stared up the sky for a long moment, before I began laughing quietly. The adrenaline was wearing off, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of what had just happened: A mid-air battle with a talking dragon. God, it was like something out of a cheesy fantasy novel…but there I was, having just done exactly that.

“Jack Ventralis!” I shouted to no one in particular, “Dragon Fighter!” I made to fist pump the air, but quickly lowered my arm when my shoulder throbbed. Hey, I may have been a professional soldier, but even I found time to be silly on certain occasions. Once my mirth had subsided, I sat up, removed my pauldron, and began tending my wound. I may have been bruised, battered, and little sore…but I was alive. Through a battle with a dragon and an uncontrolled free-fall, I was still alive.

I didn’t know what Aurelius had planned next, but I’d won that round of his game, and was ready for more. Because I knew, through everything that had happened, one thing was certain: No matter what Aurelius did, and no matter what creatures he sent to fight…the Reaper was coming for him.

One way or another, I was coming for him.

Author's Note: Lordy, I got this chapter out quickly. Consider it my apology for taking so long with the last one.

As always, thanks to Invictus for being an amazing pre-reader and helping me forge this latest installment of 'When Death Knocks'. Hopefully, I can make chapters like this more quickly. I mean, I heard that everyone likes it when a good story updates, so hey, might as well give it a shot!

Thanks for reading!

-Wes

Chapter Eight

Death is Never Grey

“Taking on that dragon was borderline suicide, Lieutenant,” General Titus chided, “You’re lucky to even be alive.”

“Luck?” I replied, “Heh. Yeah, guess I am, aren’t I?”

The two of us sat in the living room of Twilight Sparkle’s tree-home, morning rays peeking through the windows. The place, comfortably placed within a hollow oak tree, also doubled as Ponyville’s library. Books of every description surrounded me, and I had to wonder if Twilight had read them all. Given how much of an egghead she was, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she had. A set of stairs leading to Twilight’s bedroom ran up the far well, and I knew that she was slumbering peacefully after last night’s events. Mostly because I could hear her muffled snoring through the door.

“At least you admit it,” the General grunted, before turning his gaze to my wounded left shoulder. I was in the midst of stitching it closed, a process that required me to take off the outer plates of my suit and remove the top half of underarmor. As a result, I was sitting bare-chested in the library’s living room, bloody cotton balls scattered haphazardly around me. “Are you certain you don’t need me to bring Nurse Redheart?”

“Nah, I’m good. Armor kept it from piercing too deeply. It hurts like a son of a bitch, but I’ll live.” I winced as I pushed the needle into an especially sore spot. “I woulda taken care of it last night, but I was helping you round up the ponies who’d booked it out of town.”

“That was quick thinking on your part,” Titus replied, nodding to himself, “You probably saved lives, Lieutenant. The dragon still damaged the town, but it’s nothing we can’t fix.” He sighed wearily as he looked at me. “First legionaries and now a dragon. Aurelius’ influence and power seems to have grown these last few months. A part of me fears what he’ll unleash next, I daresay.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it, General,” I said, finishing the last stitch on my shoulder and discarding the bloody needle. “Way I see things, Aurelius is getting a little anxious to kill me. I don’t think he was expecting me to become such a pain in the ass, so he sent a heavy-hitter to try and off me. A plan that didn’t work out too well, in my opinion.” I rolled my shoulder experimentally as I spoke, testing the strength of the stitches. “He’ll start getting desperate. He’ll slip up. And when he does, we’ll put him in the ground.”

General Titus smiled slightly, but before he could respond, the door leading to Twilight’s bedroom opened. The unicorn yawned loudly as she made her way downstairs, blinking her eyes blearily. I wasn’t expecting her to be up so early, so I hurriedly set about picking up the mess I’d made while patching my wound. Before I could lean over and dump the handful of cotton balls I held into the waste bin beside me, Twilight Sparkle trotted over and gave my bloody shoulder a concerned look.

“It’s fine,” I assured, tugging my underarmor back on to cover the ragged stitches, “Trust me, I’ve had a lot worse.”

“If you say so,” she replied, before glancing at General Titus, “General, do you mind if I had a word with Jack in private, please?”

The towering pegasus nodded and rose to his hooves. I briskly saluted him as he trotted out the door, before turning back to Twilight. “Something the matter,” I asked her.

“No, no,” Twilight said quickly, scratching at the floor with her hoof, “I just wanted to thank you, Jack. For everything you did yesterday. Saving Applebloom, fighting that legionnaire and the dragon….” She gave me a small smile, “You were very brave and selfless. Just like the knights of Old Equestria.”

“I…er…” I replied tactfully, rubbing at the back of my head. Honestly, I wasn’t used to my deeds being praised. Sure, the missions I undertook with the Special Forces often saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives, but I wouldn’t be getting any monuments. I wouldn’t be attending any award ceremonies, or shaking hands with the president of EarthGov. My face wouldn’t be on the holonews, and my name wouldn’t be etched onto a memorial when I died. Despite my deeds, I was nothing more than a ghost. And a ghost hardly ever receives praise from the living. Which was fine by me. I hated the limelight, anyway.

“Did I say something wrong?” Twilight asked, biting her lip in uncertainty.

“Of course not,” I replied quickly, clearing my throat quietly. “I’m just not used to being thanked. But, uh…you’re welcome, I guess.”

Twilight Sparkle giggled, before wrapping her forelegs around my neck in a hug. I stiffened slightly, but didn’t outright shove her away. I patted her back instead, even as I glanced around the room for a way to escape the sappiness. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t despise Twilight in any way. She was tough, intelligent, and could sling some serious magic. I owed her a debt for saving my life, and I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t starting to grow on me a little. But affection was not my forte.

Thankfully, Twilight released me before things got too mushy. “So!” She said happily. “I was hoping we could talk a little this morning.”

“Talk?” I grunted, leaning back against the bookshelf behind me. “About what?”

“About you, of course.” she replied. “You never really went into detail about yourself in Canterlot. Now that I’ve been around you for a few days…” Twilight blushed slightly. “I’m interested in getting to know you better. I mean, you’ve just never told me much about… well, yourself.”

It was an innocent question, but regardless, I still felt a nagging sense of sudden paranoia towards Twilight. She was, after all, Celestia’s personal student, and I still had lingering doubts about the princess. Would anything I told Twilight reach Celestia’s ears? Could I truly confide in the unicorn, or was everything just a set-up, courtesy of her mentor. For all I knew, she could have told Twilight Sparkle to keep an eye on me and make sure I wasn’t going to become a problem like Aurelius. Hell, maybe Twilight was supposed to be the one to hold my leash and snap me back if I started acting out, like a damned dog.

Easy, Jack. I thought to myself. You’re jumping at shadows. Twilight’s just treating you like she would any other friend.

I blew out a silent breath as I shoved aside my paranoia. Twilight Sparkle didn’t deserve it, and a part of me felt like an ass for considering that she was Celestia’s little spy. I reminded myself that Equestria was far different from the cold, chaotic world I was accustomed to. Underhanded tactics were hardly the bread and butter of pony society, after all. Hell, even if they tried, I doubted they’d be any good at it. Compared to humans, ponies were easy to read, and I saw nothing but genuine honesty as I looked at Twilight. Honesty mixed with the same curiosity she always seemed to have around me.

“Well…” I drawled, finally breaking the silence. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully, noting that I desperately needed to shave. “There’s not much to tell, really. I was born on Earth, and raised in a state called Colorado. My parents owned a RIG repair shop, so most of my childhood was spent helping them around the store.” I snorted quietly. “My dad wanted to pass the place on to me eventually, but I ended up joining up with the military instead.”

“What made you want to join?” Twilight asked, eager to know more.

“’My brother, Phillip. He was always sort of my role model when I younger, and let me tell you, a kid couldn’t ask for a better brother than him.” I replied quietly. “I was about sixteen when Phillip decided to join the Earth Defense Force. He’d just turned eighteen that year, and he didn’t waste time signing up for boot camp.” I smiled faintly as I recalled memories that seemed more than ancient. “I remember being at his graduation ceremony, watching him stand at attention. God, he looked just like a soldier in his uniform. And I realized, right then and there, that I wanted to be a soldier too. I wanted to be just like my brother.” I shrugged slightly. “So I joined the EDF when I was eighteen and…well, I guess the rest is history, isn’t it?”

I can’t recall the last time I’d talked about my family. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I hate them or anything. It just wasn’t a topic that was brought up often in the Special Forces. Which mostly stemmed from the fact that we kept very limited contact with our families. Not because were under orders to remain distant, but because it was hard to find time between missions to just sit down and talk. I know a lot of guys who found that hard, especially if they were married and had kids. I may make it seem like the men in the Special Forces are coldblooded, hardassed bastards who kill without remorse, but at the end of the day, most of them are just soldiers doing their job. A job that takes us a long, long way from home.

“I know what it’s like to have an older brother.” Twilight said. “Shining Armor became a Captain of the Royal Guard not long after he finished his training. I missed the award ceremony, but my parents said Celestia herself presided over it. They were so proud of him….” She sighed quietly, before glancing at me apologetically. “Sorry. I just…miss him. Now that he’s married, he’s been busier than ever. We write each other, but…well, it’s not the same as seeing him.”

“No need to apologize. I understand completely.” I grunted in reply. “I’ve only seen my family twice, since joining the military. Hell, I’m only able to talk to them a few times a year.” I felt a small twinge of guilt as I spoke. I know my family missed me, especially Phillip. Hell, a small part of me missed them, too. Maybe, when I was done strangling Aurelius and Celestia got me home, I’d turn in my papers and finally retire. I mean, how could I top fighting Necromorphs on the Sprawl? Or being transported to a land of talking ponies? That’s the sort of shit that makes a soldier step back and think, ‘What could I possibly do now?’

Before Twilight and I could speak further, the door of her home burst open. I drew my pistol in a heartbeat, even as I swiftly put myself in front of Twilight. However, when I saw the armored form of General Titus standing in the doorway, I promptly relaxed, especially when I realized something was wrong with the pegasus. He looked angrier than the Devil himself, to the point where his eye twitched, and when he spoke I thought his voice would devolve into a snarl.

“Lieutenant.” He said. “I just received a letter from Princess Celestia’s personal messenger. A letter informing me that we have a traitor among us.” His face twisted into a grimace, as if the word tasted bitter on his tongue. “After the attack on our chariot earlier this week, the Princess thought it wise to discover who told Jagged Claw of our departure. Her investigation finally yielded results this morning and…”

“And it turns out one of your boys is working for Aurelius.” I finished for him, nodding in understanding. I understood why the General was more than little pissed off. Having a turncoat in the ranks is always bad, but when it’s someone directly under your command? That’s an entirely different beast. Wasting no time, I began clamping my armor in place, ignoring the dull ache of my shoulder. “Do you already have him detained, or are we going on a hunt?”

“We needn’t worry about finding him. I immediately had him restrained, after reading the letter.” Titus replied. “Miss Applejack was kind enough to let us use her barn to hold him, for the time being.” He sighed, shaking his head in frustration. “I tried getting him to talk, but he’s keeping his mouth shut. Either Aurelius has him under a spell that prevents him from speaking, or there’s something else holding his tongue. Either way, I’d like you to take a crack at him. Maybe you’ll have better luck than me.”

“Field interrogation, eh?” I grunted, clamping my helmet into place. “Don’t worry, General. Give me a few minutes with him, and I’ll make him sing.”

_____________

Since it was Applejack’s barn, it didn’t surprise me to see the Stetson-wearing country pony standing outside the bright-red building when we got there. She greeted Twilight and I with a broad smile, while giving General Titus a polite tip of her hat. If she was nervous about the squadron of Royal Guards ringed around her barn, she was damned good at hiding it. “It’s mighty good to see you again, Jack.” She said. “Applebloom’s been askin’ about you nonstop since she got out of the hospital.”

“Applejack.” I replied, nodding at her. “I take it your sister’s doing fine, then?”

“You bet, partner. The doctor fellas said she’s right as rain.” Applejack said, . “She’s been beggin’ me to invite you over to breakfast all morning.” She spared a glance at the barn behind her. “Once you’re…finished up here, you’re more than welcome to stop by for a bite to eat. Same for you, Twilight. I reckon Dash and Pinkie are gonna join us, too.”

I may have been a little hungry that morning, but I didn’t know about having breakfast with Pinkie Pie. Don’t get me wrong, she was a nice pony, but she was also…energetic. And that’s just putting it mildly. “I’ll…think about it.” I said, after a moment’s consideration. “Now, let’s get down to business. General, do you mind waiting out here while I….have a talk with our friend?”

“Not at all.” Titus rumbled in reply, gesturing for his stallions to unlock the barn door. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to shout.”

I grunted and began walking forward, but before I could take two steps, Twilight caught my hand with her hoof. I looked down at the unicorn, noticing her uncertain expression as she glanced between me and the barn. “Jack?” She asked quietly, her tone pleading. “Go easy on him, alright? I know he’s a traitor, but please…please don’t hurt him.”

There was a tremor in her voice, so subtle that it bordered on imperceptible. But it was there regardless, and at that moment, I realized something: Twilight Sparkle knew just how far into the dark I could walk. She knew I had no limits when it came to violence, no inhibitions about causing pain. And that made her afraid for the pony in the barn. Afraid for a traitor who’d sold her out. I wanted to berate her for being so naive and, I admit, I very nearly did. But I stopped before the harsh words could make it past my lips. Instead, I found myself squeezing her hoof reassuringly.

I didn’t have limits. But for the sake of my friend, I’d draw a line that day.

“He’ll be fine, Twilight.” I said quietly, before letting her hoof go and striding into the barn. The guards shut the barn door behind me, leaving me alone with one trussed up pegasus. Despite being gagged, bound to a chair and stripped of his gear, the turncoat soldier still managed to look unimpressed with me as I loomed over him. I had to give him credit for that, at least.

“What’s your name, son?” I asked him, tugging away the cloth covering his mouth. “And for your sake, don’t try using the silent treatment. I don’t have the patience for that bullshit.” I began walking around him, my steps slow and measured. “One way or another, you’re going to talk.”

“I’m not telling you a thing, human.” The stallion spat, keeping his eyes focused on the floor. I didn’t skip a beat as I cocked my arm back and backhanded him across the mouth. The blow wasn’t the hardest I could have swung, but it was enough to send him toppling to the floor. A thin line of blood trickled from his nose, and judging from his stunned expression, his Royal Guard training hadn’t prepared him for a human-style interrogation. Go figure.

“You will address me as sir.” I told him calmly, easily righting the chair as I resumed walking. “Now tell me your name, or I’ll bounce your face off my knuckles again.” My fingers popped audibly as I cracked them. It was an unnecessary act, but one that I hoped would rattle him, at least a little.

“Ice Wind, sir.” The pegasus growled in reply, raising his eyes to glare at me. “And don’t think for a second that you scare-” Another backhand sent him crashing to the ground again, only this time, I didn’t bother to sit him back up. Instead I knelt down beside him, my armor’s servo-joints whirring quietly from the motion. I calmly gripped his throat, applying just enough pressure to make it hard for him to breathe. I knew for a fact that outright strangling him wouldn’t make him talk. Rather, I was relying on the panic induced by a slow asphyxiation. The kind where he could take small breaths, but they wouldn’t be enough enough to alleviate the fire that would begin to burn in his lungs, or keep the room from blurring around him. It was a subtle art, and one that I had practiced for many, many years.

“Listen carefully, Ice Wind.” I murmured into his ear, my visor inches from his face. “I’m not sure what Aurelius did to make you betray your friends, and frankly, I don’t really give a damn. All I care about it is you telling me what I want to know.” I tightened my grip on my his throat. “So what’s it gonna be, tough guy? You can either leave the barn alive, or in a body bag.”

Ice Wind tried to thrash around, but it was a waste of energy on his part. Between my hand and the ropes binding him, he wasn’t moving anywhere. Finally, he choked out a word that prompted me to loosen my handle on his throat, allowing him to gulp down air by the lungful. “That’s what I thought.” I grunted. “Spill the beans, son. Try and salvage whatever honor your have left.”

“Aurelius…” Ice Wind rasped, coughing weakly. “Aurelius came to me a week ago, said…said he wanted me to spy on General Titus. He wanted information on patrols, battle plans, other things.” Any anger he held towards me was gone. In its place was only a pleading desperation. “I didn’t want to do it, sir, you have to believe me. But…but Aurelius threatened to kill my family if I refused.” He gulped fearfully, genuine tears leaking from his eyes. “Please, sir. Do whatever you want with me, but don’t let him take my family.”

You know what the real kicker was? I had a gut feeling Ice wasn’t lying about his motivations. I’ve met plenty of assholes who cried crocodile tears about how they didn’t have a choice, when in reality, they’d just been given a hefty bribe. But not Ice Wind. He’d betrayed his comrades out of love for his family, and a part of me couldn’t help but respect his decision. After all, Aurelius hardly seemed like a man to make idle threats, and wouldn’t have qualms about slitting the throats of an innocent family.

“They’ll be safe, Ice Wind. I promise.” I said quietly. “How did you keep in touch with Aurelius? Did you meet him somewhere? Send him letters?”

“Sometimes he just… showed up out of nowhere, when I was alone.” Ice Wind replied. “Other times, he’d mentally contact me and have me meet him in random locations.” He clamped his eyes shut as he thought. “He hardly ever talked during my reports, but on the night before you showed up in Equestria, he gave me the option of abandoning my duty entirely and joining him. If I was interested, he said to meet him at a place called ‘Black Reach.” Ice Wind shook his head slowly. “I don’t know if that’s where he operates, or if it’s just another random place, but he didn’t bother elaborating. I wish I could tell you more, sir, but that’s all I know..”

“It’s more than I had a few minutes ago.” I said, my voice sincere. I rose to my knees, straightening Ice Wind’s chair as I did. “I’ll talk to General Titus and see about getting your name cleared. Way I see it, he can’t really fault you for wanting to protect your family.” Of course, I knew that Ice Wind would probably be exonerated. I was in Equestria, after all, and forgiveness came easily to ponies. Even if he didn’t get reinstated as a Royal Guard, at least he wouldn’t be tossed into a prison. And that, much to my surprise, made me feel rather…good. I mean, I’d walked into that barn expecting to find a worthless traitor. But all I got was a pony wanting to protect his family from a monster. Sure, he’d given information to Aurelius, though not because he’d been offered money or power. It wasn’t because he wanted revenge against someone. He was just a soldier looking out for his family, not a worthless scumbag.

It was strange, having to deal with such a blatant shade of grey. I was used to black and white operations, where the bad guys were ruthless bastards that had more blood on their hands than me. I was used to storming the beach and killing anything that shot at me. But shades of grey? I didn’t have any experience with those, and a part of me hoped I wouldn’t have to face another one in Equestria. I didn’t like things I was unaccustomed to.

Pulling the trigger of a gun was easy. But questioning why you had to do it? That was something that drove some soldiers to put a pistol to their temple and blow their brains out. It was something that made the lines between good and bad blur, until there was nothing left but you, the gun in your hand, and the poor son of a bitch who’s head was in your sights. It made you think ‘Who’s the real monster here?’ while you looked in a mirror, your own reflection glaring back at you.

Or it made you like me. I haven’t figured out which is worse.

With a grunt of annoyance, I quelled the voice in my head and strode out of the barn. I could debate with myself later. For now, I needed to deal with a man who was very high on my shit list.

Author's Note: Hey, this chapter didn't take me two months to write! The stars must have been aligned properly. Either way, I hope you enjoy this latest installment of 'When Death Knocks'. I was a bit wary of writing such a dialogue-heavy chapter, but it turned out much better than I thought it would. But make to mistake, my dear readers. This is just the calm before the storm. With the end in sight, I can really cut loose now.

As always, I thank my amazing pre-preader, Invictus, for his help. I honestly think he's a wizard, despite his claims otherwise.

And, of course, thank you for taking the time to read my story. Seriously, you're amazing. Yes, you. The person sitting at their computer right now. No no, the other guy sitting at the...oh, never mind. Thanks anyway!

- Wes

Chapter Nine

The Reaper Comes Knocking

The Everfree Forest was a dark place. That fact had become apparent as soon as I’d stepped foot in it. The thick canopy prevented the moon’s rays from illuminating my path, forcing me to rely on my HUD’s night vision to see. Sure, it wasn’t the most hostile locale I’ve been in, but it oozed an otherworldly strangeness as I tromped through the thick brush. An inexplicable sense of foreboding permeated the very air, as if it was aware of my presence and wanted me gone. It didn’t scare me in the slightest, but after a few hours of walking, even my nerves were on edge. Of course, I couldn’t really complain. I’d chosen to venture into the creepy woods by myself, after all.

My reasons for leaving Ponyville under the cover of darkness were relatively simple: I didn’t feel like waiting. Princess Celestia and General Titus wanted to marshal an army to besiege Black Reach, the castle where Aurelius had made his home. According to the research Twilight Sparkle had done on the place, it was well-fortified and had weathered its share of sieges. The fact that it was nestled deep within a spooky-ass forest didn’t help things, either. Moving an army though the Everfree would’ve taken longer than I cared for, and I had a gut feeling Aurelius wasn’t going to hang around forever. Not when he learned that Ice Wind had spilled the beans, at least. And if he went to ground, I’d have a bitch of a time digging him back up.

So, that very night, I cleaned my guns, checked my RIG, and left Ponyville. I didn’t even leave a note for Twilight Sparkle while she slept. Did I feel like a bastard for doing that? Absolutely. She’d probably be worried about me. Hell, it wouldn’t surprise me if she sent a letter to the Princess, begging for her to send out a search party. But I wasn’t just going to sit around and wait for Aurelius to hightail it out of Black Reach. I wasn’t going to let the bastard slip through my grasp. Not when I was so close to putting a bullet in his skull.

You shouldn’t have left, a voice whispered in the back of my thoughts, After all she’s done, this is how you repay Twilight?

“Shut up.” I growled aloud, gripping my seeker rifle. That little voice had been pestering me since my interrogation of Ice Wind, and frankly, it was starting to piss me off. Doubt was something I despised with every fiber of my being, and I didn’t need it annoying me before a fight. I couldn’t afford to be distracted when I threw down with Aurelius. If I slipped up, he’d send me back to Ponyville in a matchbox.

She’s your friend, the voice insisted, She didn’t judge you, despite knowing what you’ve done. But now she’s going to be worried sick, all because you’re too damned bloodthirsty.

“Shut. Up.” I snarled, shaking my head rapidly. “Keep it together, Jack. You don’t need this shit right now.”

I was so engrossed in silencing the voice that I didn’t hear the creature stalking me until it struck. With a suddenness that made me grunt in surprise, a white-hot pain lanced through my left shoulder, just below my pauldron. Before I could react, I was lifted off my feet and slammed into the trunk of a gnarled tree, the wood cracking from the impact. I clenched my teeth over a hiss of pain and rolled to the side, just in time to dodge a giant scorpion tail tipped with a wicked barb; a barb that gleamed with my blood. I watched the tail whip back to its owner, and I cursed vehemently when I saw just what it belonged to.

The creature had the muscular body of a lion, but on its back were a pair of comically-small bat wings. Its scorpion tail lashed back and forth, even as the beast growled menacingly at me. It was like something right out of an Old Earth myth, but I couldn’t place a name to the damned thing. Not that I particularly cared for what it was called, though. It was trying to kill me, and I wasn’t going to stop to ask for its name. I barely managed to scramble to my feet as it lunged at me, claws tearing into the tree I’d struck. It roared angrily and whirled to face me, moving surprisingly fast for its size…but not fast enough to dodge the two seeker bolts I embedded into its chest.

The creature roared in agony, lashing out with its razor-sharp claws. They tore deep scratch marks into my breastplate, but I held my ground against the assault as I thrust my rifle forward. The barrel punched through the thing’s teeth, shattering them with a brutal ease. I snarled savagely as I pushed the rifle deeper down its throat, before squeezing the trigger three times in rapid succession. The beast jerked violently, stumbling back as it made horrid retching noises. It fell onto its side, legs kicking wildly as its tail whipped around in a complete frenzy. I stared impassively at it for a long moment, before calmly putting a final bolt in the thing’s head. Its violent spasms ended abruptly after that, its tail falling to the ground with a solemn thud.

“Chew on that, bitch.” I spat, shaking blood from the barrel of my gun.

I grimaced in pain as my newly injured shoulder throbbed, and it didn’t take me long to realize that I’d broken out in a cold sweat, even as a sudden wave of nausea washed over me. My RIG flashed a message across my HUD, warning me of the unknown substance the creature’s stringer had pumped into me. I took a moment to lean against a tree, catching by breath as my RIG injected me with a veritable cocktail of anti-venom and light painkillers. I gave my shoulder some rudimentary first aid as I waited for the meds to kick in, though all I could really do was spray some anti-bacterial foam on the wound and slap a gauze over it. I just hoped whatever poison spreading through me was slow.

With a grunt, I shouldered my seeker rifle and pressed on, moving at a far quicker pace than before. The nausea was gone, but I still felt colder than an icicle as I pushed through the forest. At least the annoying voice in my head was gone, and I hoped to God that it stayed that way. I could deal with poison and pain, not doubt. Doubt could kill a soldier just as easily as a bullet to the head, or a knife to the throat. It could make a man turn on his own country, and tell him to kill his comrades in cold blood. I’ve seen it happen, and it wasn’t a pretty sight to behold.

Then again, I suppose nothing about my job is pretty, is it?

___________

It took me over an hour of walking before, finally, I pushed my way out of the jungle and into a wide, rocky clearing. Right in the middle of that clearing was Black Reach, and let me tell you, it was kind of a shithole. It wasn’t some grand, sweeping, ominous citadel where legions of undead soldiers patrolled the battlements. Instead, my eyes were treated to the sight of a worn, battered-looking tower surrounded by four crumbling stone walls and illuminated by guttering torches. The tower itself was a dozen stories high, though the majority of top floor was missing, exposing the interior to the elements. Hell, my HUD only picked out a handful of Aurelius’ legionaries guarding the walls, but to be fair, I didn’t know how many were inside. Not to mention that my ammo was more than a little scarce. It didn’t help that I felt like hell, either. My RIG was doing its best to counter the poison in me, but so far, it had done little good. I was running a high fever and the nausea made me feel like puking in my helmet. I knew I could tough it out, at least long enough to finish Aurelius. After that, though…

Well, let’s just say I wasn’t favoring my chances of getting back to Ponyville alive. I could hear Death knocking on my door, but I wasn’t in a hurry to answer it. The old bastard would have to wait until I’d dealt with Aurelius before spiriting me away. Death had been hoping to punch my ticket for decades; he could hold on just a little bit longer.

With a calm, deep breath, I began striding forward confidently, my mind entirely focused on the coming fight. The niggling voice of doubt was gone, replaced by the untroubled thoughts of a man who knew what was about to happen, and had accepted it completely. Thunder rumbled like a herald as I neared Black Reach, and with a sharp crack of a lightning bolt, the dark clouds above me split open. Rain began pouring down in drenching sheets, rivulets of water pouring down my helmet’s glowing visor. With a practiced ease I reloaded my seeker rifle, the sound of a fresh magazine sliding home almost inaudible over the rain. When I finally reached the gatehouse of Black Reach, I stopped to stare up at the tower looming in front of me. I regarded it calmly for a long moment, before slinging my rifle and methodically removing the heavy plates covering my arms. Even if they didn’t limit my range of motion, I wanted to be as fast as possible while fighting Aurelius. I couldn’t afford to be even the slightest bit slow if he started slinging magic.

I dropped the metal plates to the muddy ground, my breath forming a visible cloud as I exhaled quietly. Then, with a roar that drowned out the falling rain, my suit’s thrusters activated, sending me soaring into the air on a pillar of blazing fire. Reaching the top floor of the tower was easy; getting in was even easier. All I had to do was angle myself over the gaping hole and drop inside, my boots leaving a web of hairline cracks in the stone floor as I landed. The wide, decrepit room was deathly quiet, illuminated by a dozen guttering torches. I noticed immediately that something was off, and it took me a moment to realize that the rain wasn’t falling inside. Hell, I couldn’t even hear it. I glanced up to see the droplets of water simple ceasing to exist as they fell towards the roof, as if the tower was topped with an invisible umbrella that muffled the howling storm.

“A clever spell, if I do say so myself.” A familiar voice rasped from behind me. “It’s hardly complex, but I suppose that’s where its beauty lies: Simplicity.”

I turned around slowly, and found myself nearly face to face with Aurelius’ masked visage. In person, he was hardly different than the apparition he’d appeared as in Rairty’s boutique. He was the same size, the same height, and his armor still looked ridiculous. The only thing that seemed off about him was his attitude, which almost seemed…respectful, somehow. I wasn’t expecting him to shake my hand, of course, but at least his bearing didn’t scream ‘condescending prick’.

“Skip the pleasantries, jackass.” I grunted, folding my arms across my chest. “You know why I’m here.”

“Oh, I’m quite away of your intent, Lieutenant.” Aurelius chuckled, resting a hand on the sheathed gladius that rode his hip. “I know that one of us isn’t leaving this room alive, before night’s end. This fight, I daresay, is long overdue.”

“Damn straight.” I replied. “Before I kick you ass, though, mind if I ask you a question?” I hooked a thumb at myself. “Why did you bring me here? You coulda used your hocus-pocus magic to steal a crate of guns or something. Seems like a better investment than me, in my opinion. At least the guns wouldn’t try to strangle you.”

Aurelius shook his head and sighed, as if he was dealing with a particularly slow idiot. “You assume that I wanted you here in the first place, Lieutenant.” He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “Transdimensional magic is a fickle thing to use, even for those of us with years of magical experience. My original targets were the foul creatures you were fighting, but much to my…surprise, I caught you instead. Neither did I expect you to appear in an entirely different part of Equestria. You being here was, to be blunt, a complete accident.”

“Heh. Well, just look at how well things turned out for you. Maybe you should go back to magic kindergarten.” I snorted derisively, watching as Aurelius’ blazing eyes narrowed beneath his helm. “And you’re all kinds of stupid for wanting to bring the Necros over. They would’ve slaughtered anything in their way, including you.”

“Not if they were on a leash.” Aurelius growled, tightening his grip in his sword. “I could have easily bent their minds to my will, used them to spread terror throughout Equestria. With them at my side, I could have easily dethroned the Princesses and taken over as the kingdom’s rightful ruler.” He raised his free arm and pointed a finger at me commandingly. “There was a time when all of Equestria bowed to men like you and me. Humans were worshiped as gods! I’ve waited centuries to take my vengeance upon the Princesses, and I will not let you ruin my pla-oof!”

I headbutted Aurelius solidly, interrupting him mid-sentence. Sparks flew from either of our helmets as metal met metal, and Aurelius stumbled back in surprise. I swiftly backpedaled and raised my seeker rifle, but just before I could squeeze the trigger, Aurelius made a swift cutting gesture with his hand. A green-black disk of energy flew from his fingertips, scything through the air faster than I could blink and neatly severing the barrel of my rifle. I cursed savagely and threw the weapon aside, in time to catch a blast of unseen kinetic force in the chest. I flew backwards and careened into the wall behind me, my vision swarming with stars as my head smacked against the unyielding stone.

“I’ll send your head back to Canterlot on a spike!” Aurelius roared, drawing his gladius and sprinting towards me. I cursed again, rolling to the side as Aurelius leapt forward, intent on ramming his sword through my chest. Instead, the blade embedded itself firmly into the wall, giving me the opportunity to rip a nearby torch from its sconce and bash him upside the head. He snarled as the embers burned his eyes, but he still had enough sense to duck my next swipe and tackle me around the waist. I stumbled back a few steps, but I held my ground as I hammered my knee into Aurelius’ chest, leaving a sizable dent in his polished breastplate. I managed to break his hold shove him back, leaping forward to drive his head into the wall. His helmet put a crack in the stone, but he rebounded quickly and sent me stumbling back with a spinning kick.

I expected him to charge me, but instead, he extended a hand towards his gladius. It flew into his grip of its own volition, and with a flourish, he began whirling it around him as he stalked towards me. I didn’t take long for me to realize that Aurelius was far better with a blade than with his fists, and he managed to score several scratches in my breastplate as we fought. I grunted as the gladius cut across my right arm, but I quickly rolled out of the way as he sliced at my head. Thinking quickly, I punched my hand into the old floorboards of the room and pulled one free, just in time to catch Aurelius on the chin with an underhand blow. He reeled backwards, giving me the chance to plunge the splintered end of the board into his arm. Red blood leaked from the wound, and Aurelius snarled angrily as he throw his gladius at me. I just barely managed to lean back in time to dodge, but the tip still left a deep scratch on my helmet as it passed.

Taking advantage of the brief distraction, Aurelius tackled me again, this time managing to slam me to the ground. I briefly gained the upper hand and grabbed Aurelius’ neck as I pounded his head into the floor. I even threw in a few heavy punches, but he swiftly shoved me off and straddled my chest before I could rise. His fingers wrapped around my throat like a steel vise, his eyes ablaze as he throttled the air from my lungs.

I choked out a curse and hammered by elbow into his face, before viciously shoving my thumb through the visor of his helm and into one of his blazing eyes. He roared in pain and immediately released his grip, giving me the chance to roll to my knees. I sent him sprawling onto his back with a solid uppercut, but before I could pounce, he slapped his hands together and sent a gout of fire streaming towards me. I instinctively raised my arms to shield my face as the flames washed over me, and I could feel their preternatural heat as they began burning my arms. I swore vehemently at the pain and scrambled to the side, out of the fire’s path. I put some distance between myself and Aurelius, who was in no hurry to pursue me as he slowly stood. I only took my eyes from him for a second to inspect my arms, and grimace at the damage. The sleeves of my jumpsuit had protected me from the worst of the fire, but they were ragged and tattered beyond repair. I eyed them for a moment, before tearing the scorched shreds off and casting them to the ground. My muscles rippled as I flexed my bare arms, before punching my fist into my palm and charging forward. Aurelius did the same, our boots pounding like thunder on the floor.

The two of us met in the middle of the room with a resounding clang. Punches were exchanged with a rapid ferocity as we dodged and countered one another. Looking back, I’d say the two of us were almost evenly matched. We were both strong, quick, and knew how to fight. Aurelius had the experience of a man who’d survived for centuries on the run, whereas I had the knowledge garnered from dozens of suicide missions and near-death experiences. I hadn’t avoided Death for decades on luck alone, after all. Aurelius and I hammered away at each other relentlessly for what seemed like hours, but with a well-timed dodge, I finally managed to land a savage kick to his knee. He howled in pain, collapsing to the ground as his leg buckled, unable to support his weight. Before I could begin pounding him flat, though, he clenched his fist and rammed it into my chest, spitting out a jagged-sounding word in the process. At first, I didn’t know what the move had achieved. It was only when my HUD began flashing red that I looked down at my chest, my eyebrows raised slightly

A ghostly, translucent white blade jutted from above Aurelius’ fist. He twisted it savagely, sending a lance of pain stabbing through my chest. Even though my armor was undamaged, bright red blood stained the blade as he wrenched it free and shoved me back. I sank to the ground, my legs shaky and unresponsive as I tried to move, but I couldn’t so much as speak as Aurelius stood and limped over to me. He reached down and pried my helmet free, tossing it aside contemptuously as he loomed over me. I tried to say something, but no words came out of my mouth; only a wheezing, wet rasp. Aurelius chuckled darkly and slowly knelt down beside me, casually wiping away the blood trickling from my mouth.

“You’re a most worthy foe, Lieutenant.” Aurelius remarked, rubbing the blood against his fingertips with his thumb. “Perhaps I should try enthralling you and turning you loose against Equestria.” He put a hand over his heart in mock grief. “Oh, imagine poor Twilight Sparkle’s reaction when the man she adores comes to murder her. It would be absolutely priceless.” He laughed mockingly and shoved his blade into my gut, sending another wave of pain washing through me. I’m not going to lie, it hurt like a real sonuvabitch. But I couldn’t do much except grit my teeth and glare at Aurelius, rage swarming through me in an unstoppable torrent. I clenched my fists, willing with every fiber of my body to get up and do something. Anything that would let me tear the smug bastard’s face off.

“But, I suppose you have earned the privilege of a quick death.” Aurelius mused, pulling his blade free and angling it over my neck. “Farewell, Jack Ventralis. Know that your sacrifice was entirely in vain.”

The shimmering white blade plunged towards me, but rather than my throat, it sunk into my left hand. I focused my rage and hatred into pushing through the foul magic keeping me down, slowly pushing Aurelius’ blade away from me. I saw his eyes widen beneath his helm, but before he could react, I ripped my pistol from its holster and punched the barrel into his throat with a sickening squelch. The sound of the gunshot was nearly deafening at such close range, but I didn’t let that stop me from emptying the rest of the magazine into Aurelius’ neck. He jerked violently, warm blood spattering my face as the blade embedded in my hand disappeared.

He didn’t roar out any last words or spit a final curse as the pulse rounds tore into him. There wasn’t a maniacal laugh as his body disappeared ominously, or the screams of the damned as they took his soul. Aurelius merely toppled backwards and hit the ground with a wet thump, his throat a mangled ruin and blood pooling around his head. Death was many things, but he was hardly ever theatric. He did his job with a cool efficiency, and Aurelius didn’t get any special treatment. I only hoped his trip to Hell was delayed somehow. I didn’t want him beating me there.

Almost as if someone had flipped a switch, the rain began pouring into the room again. The cool drops felt fantastic on my burnt arms, and I couldn’t help but crack a smile as the water ran down my face. Before long, I was wheezing out raspy, hacking laughter as I stared up at the sky. I didn’t know what it was about dying that I found so funny. Maybe the ridiculousness of the last few days was finally catching up to me. Or maybe because I envisioned Death standing beside me, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for me to finally expire. Either way, I figured kicking the bucket with a smile on my face was better than dying angry.

I couldn’t help but wonder about Twilight, as I died. She’d been the closest thing I’d had to a friend for a long while, and deep down, I felt a twinge of sadness as I thought about how distressed she would be about my death. But I knew she’d endure. Beneath that bookish exterior, Twilight had the heart of a fighter. She would pull through in the end...I only regretted that I hadn’t been better to her, over the last few days.

“Thanks, kid.” I whispered to myself as the sound of rain began receding. “Thanks for sticking...with....” I trailed off as my breath caught in my throat, and convulsed violently, my back arching painfully before, thankfully, I went entirely limp. My RIG beeped wildly, the holographic display pulsing with a blood-red light. But, just like the rain, even that noise faded away to nothing.

And then I fell into the cool, welcome embrace of darkness.

Author's Note: Is this the end? Well...you'll just have to wait and see. As always, my gratitude goes out to Invictus for his pre-reading skills. I hope you all enjoyed!

-Wes

Epilogue

When Death Knocks

Epilogue

“Sleep when you’re dead, son.” A gruff voice said sternly. “ Get up, we’ve got some things to discuss.”

I was jolted awake by a firm kick to my side. I heaved a deep breath as my eyes snapped open, but for some reason, I didn’t lash out at my attacker. Rather, a serene feeling of calm washed over me as I took in my surroundings. I was laying in a featureless room with steel-grey walls, illuminated by soft blue lights set into the ceiling. Looming above me was a middle-aged man with lean, hawkish features, his shaved head covered by a high-peaked cap. His grey uniform was immaculate, and his left breast was adorned with dozens of gleaming medals. He regarded me with a calm, distant gaze as I hurried to my feet and snapped him a brisk salute.

“Colonel McAllister, sir!” I said, recognizing the man for who he was: Commander-in-Chief of the Special Forces. Which is to say, my boss.

“At ease, Lieutenant.” The Colonel replied, waving his hand dismissively. “There’s no need to be so formal. This is your mind, after all.” He smiled faintly at my confused expression. “You’re not dead yet, boy. You got pretty damned close, even by your standards, but you’re still breathing. You’re lucky the princess saved your sorry arse. You’re in Canterlot right now, laying in some hospital bed. Last time I checked, Twilight was still sitting beside you. Stubborn girl has been there all night.”

I furrowed my eyebrows at his words. “All night?” I asked. “How…how long have I been out, sir?”

“’Bout twelve hours, give or take.” The Colonel replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “You’re in a coma, but your condition is stable. Aurelius’ magic messed your guts up good, but at least they pumped that poison from your veins. It was close a few times, but you pulled through. Death’s going to be angrier than the Devil himself, but you’ve been pissing him off for years, haven’t you?” He chuckled quietly, before shaking his head. “But enough about that. You and I need to talk about a few things, before you get to waking up.”

The Colonel clasped his hands behind his back, boots clicking softly as he paced in front of me. “You’ve been serving in the military since you were eighteen, Lieutenant.” He said. “You’ve undertaken hundreds of missions, and killed more men than I care to count. You’re one of the best assets EarthGov has as its disposal…but son, I think it’s time you put your soldiering days behind you.”

“I…don’t think I can do that, sir.” I replied uncertainly, not knowing how to take the Colonel’s words. “I’ve thought about it before, but…I just don’t know if I can set it aside. I’ve been at it for so long, it’s all I know how to do.”

“I know. Men like us always have trouble settling down.” The Colonel said quietly, coming to a halt in front of me. “But do you remember what I told you, after your first assignment in the Special Forces? When you mentioned how you missed home?”

I remembered his words in my head, clearer than glass. They’d haunted me for a long time, before experience taught me their true meaning. Even now, years later, I remembered what McAllister had said exactly. They were the sort of words that a soldier carried to his grave.

“I do.” I said, lowering my voice and mimicking the Colonel's growl, “You said, ‘Home? Son, we can’t go home. There was a time when we could, but we’re in too deep now. For men like you and me, there’s only one thing waiting for us at the end: Death. And if we’re lucky…peace’.”

“Exactly.” The Colonel replied, setting a hand on my shoulder. “Peace is what we all want, Lieutenant. Yet only a few of us ever truly attain it. And even then, it comes with a heavy price.” He tapped a finger on my chest. “But you’ve been handed something unique. You’re in a land where peace isn’t just a fool’s dream. God knows you’ve paid your dues a hundred times over, Lieutenant.”

“I don’t belong in Equestria, sir.” I said, shaking my head at him. “I…I have too much blood on my hands. Hell, I’m no better than Aureli-” I was interrupted when the Colone’s fist struck me solidly across the cheek, sending me reeling back a few steps. I didn’t feel the slightest hint of pain, but the shock alone was enough to keep my mouth shut.

“Aurelius was a damned monster.” The Colonel spat, glaring angrily at me. “You may think you’re like him, Lieutenant, but you’re not. You’ve never taken a life that didn’t need to be taken. You’ve saved thousands of innocents, and you’ve done so without asking for fame or recognition. For years, you’ve walked into the worst hellholes the galaxy has to offer, knowing full well you wouldn’t even get a damned burial if you died.” He lifted his chin defiantly. “You can be a bastard, but you’re no monster. Hell, Twilight Sparkle knows you’ve done some terrible things, but she still cares about you. And she’s been bawling her eyes almost the whole night, hoping that you’ll wake up. Would a monster have a friend like that?”

I stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say. I wanted to tell that he was wrong, but his words rang true in my head. They touched a part of me that I didn’t know existed, until that moment. The part that craved an end to the death and violence. Like a leaden weight dropped from above, I suddenly felt a heavy burden on my shoulders as I thought about the decades I’d spent as a soldier. An inexplicable weariness washed over me, and I felt more tired than I ever had before. Tired, and very…old, somehow. I looked down at my chest, and only then did I realize that I was wearing my navy-blue dress uniform. Unlike the Colonel, I didn’t have a multitude of medals on my chest. I just had one: a leering silver skull bracketed by a shield. That little, unassuming medal represented more than just the symbol of the Special Forces. It was my life, represented by a grim motif of Death himself.

With a trembling hand, I wrapped my fingers around the medal and tugged it free. I gazed at it for a long moment, before slowly looking up at the Colonel…only, he wasn’t standing in front of me. Instead, my eyes were greeted by the sight of my self. I blinked in surprise, before realizing it wasn’t an exact reflection. My face marred with dozens of scars, and my hair was cut to regulation length, though my beard was several days past needing a shave. My eyes were sunken and haunted, while my armor was battered severely. Without saying a word, Other-Jack held his hand out towards me. And without prompting, I reached out to drop the silver medal into his palm. It burst into blue flames almost immediately, before disappearing from view in a small cloud of glittering ash.

Other Jack smiled sadly at me as the ashes faded away, tears beginning to trickle from his eyes. Then, with a deliberate slowness, he stood at attention and saluted me.

“We stand relieved.” He said, his voice ghostly and distant, barely above a whisper in volume.

“I stand…relieved.” I echoed, my own eyes glistening as I mirrored Other Jack’s salute. He nodded at me once, before clasping his hands behind his back and closing his eyes. His expression was content, as if he was finally able to rest after carrying a heavy, heavy burden. With a whisper of wind, he disappeared from view, leaving me alone in the grey room. I wiped at my eyes with the sleeve of my jacket, before exhaling quietly and turning around. I was greeted by a metal door, the middle of it dominated by a blue, holographic circle.

“Time to wake up.” I muttered, before reaching out and placing my palm on the circle.

__________

For the second time that day, I awoke with a gasp. However, this particular awakening involved far more cursing than the last one. My entire body felt like God had taken a hammer to me, and when I tried to open my eyes, I was greeted with a searing white light that forced me to close them immediately. That, in turn, prompted me to spit several more foul words as I slapped a hand over my face, gritting my teeth in annoyance. Before I could do much of anything else, I heard a familiar voice cry out beside me.

“Jack!” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, moments before I felt her hooves wrap around my neck, her mane spilling over my face as she rested her cheek on my chest. She tried to speak, but the only thing that came out of her mouth was a wracking sob. I slowly forced my eyes open, shutting away the painful light stabbing into them. I couldn’t see much past Twilight’s mane, but I could still slid my right arm around her as she cried, my left hand brushing the strands of multi-colored hair from my face. I wasn’t a fan of hugging, but Twilight had stuck by my side all night. The least I could do was to let her know I was there for her, too. I owed her that much.

“Why?” Twilight choked out, lifting her head to look at me directly. “Why did you leave?” She smacked a hoof against my face, her expression borderline furious. “Why did you run off like that!? You almost died! Why are you so damned stubborn!?” The curse word, while tame in my dictionary, still took me by surprise. More so than the second slap she struck me with. Her hoof was pulled back for a third one, but before it could fall, she collapsed against me as she began weeping again. I rubbed at my cheek for a moment, before sighing and sitting up, taking in my surroundings. I was in a hospital room of some sort, and judging from the light pouring through the windows, it was morning. Twilight watched me quietly as she sat on my lap, doing her best not to break down again.

“I’m sorry, Twilight.” I said quietly, resting my hands on her cheeks. “Running off on my own was…well, it was stupid. I’m..sorry for being an inconsiderate jackass, alright?” I smiled faintly at her. “By the way, I’m telling the princess you cursed. I’m proud, but you shouldn’t make a habit of it.”

The unicorn blushed despite herself, which she quickly hid by wiping at her eyes. “It’s not my fault you’re a terrible influence.” She sniffed, before nuzzling my cheek. “I was so worried, Jack. General Titus was organizing a search party when I got a letter from the princess. By the time the General flew me to Canterlot, you were already in the hospital.” Twilight shivered visibly as she spoke. “The doctors didn’t know if you were going to make it or not. They were able to cure the manticore poison easily, but the spell Aurelius used on you was…something else entirely.”

“I figured as much. It sure as hell didn’t feel good, that’s for sure.” I grunted, brushing a loose strand of hair from Twilight’s face.

“I’d imagine so.” Twilight replied. “If Princess Celestia had arrived five minutes later, the spell would have liquefied your internal organs. You were very lucky, Jack. It took both of the princesses to heal the damage. Princess Luna wasn’t sure if you’d pull through, but…well, I knew you would.” She smiled broadly. “You are a soldier, after all.”

I chuckled at that, before laying back down and staring up at the ceiling. “Ex-soldier.” I said quietly, the word sounding strange on my tongue. “I’m…well, I’m retired now.” I smiled faintly at Twilight’s confused expression. “Don’t ask. But let’s just say I’m done with the soldiering business. Done with the killing, done with the almost-dying and close calls. I’ve been handed the opportunity to put my gun aside, and I’m not gonna squander it.”

“Does…does that mean you’ll stay in Equestria?” Twilight asked, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. “What about your family, though? Don’t you want to see them again?”

“’Course I do.” I replied. “But now that I think about it, I doubt EarthGov would’ve just let me retire. Not after the shit I’ve seen. I would’a wound up with a bullet to the back of my head if I’d tried walking out. Besides, they probably think I’m already dead. Might as well save the pencil-pushers the trouble of un-labeling me as MIA.”

“Oh. I see…” Twilight said quietly, before giggling slightly. “Well, I guess you could stay. But I don’t want you causing any trouble, okay?”

“Damn.” I grunted. “And here I thought you’d let me have a wild party or two at the library. Killjoy.”

Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes, before yawning loudly. Before I could object, the unicorn flopped down and sighed contentedly, closing her eyes as she yawned again. “I hope you don’t mind if I just…close my eyes…for a bit.” She murmured sleepily.

“Go ahead.” I said dryly. “Just don’t start drooling on me.” Twilight as already asleep by the time I’d finished speaking, apparently finding me more comfortable than an actual bed. I snorted quietly as I watched the slumbering mare, before turning my gaze back to the ceiling. I couldn’t help but think about what Aurelius had told me before our fight, about there being other humans long before I’d arrived in Equestria. I had no reason to believe him, but if he’d been telling the truth, it raised a dozen questions. Questions that only Celestia and her sister could answer.

But those questions could wait. My feet were set firmly on a new path, and for the first time in many years, I wasn’t being ordered to march down it. I could do things at my own pace, things that didn’t involve slitting someone’s throat or doing my government’s dirty work. I quashed whatever knots of uncertainty lingered, smiling slightly at the prospects of starting a new life in Equestria.

Start a new life… right. I thought to myself. Can’t be too hard, can it?

I hoped to God it wasn’t. But if it was…well, I’ve faced much worse in my lifetime. After all…

I used to be a soldier.

Author's Note: And here it is! The final chapter of my humble little fic. I must say, getting here was quite the journey, but I've loved every minute of. Well, except for the parts where I felt like bashing my face against my keyboard. But other than that, it was grand!

Of course, I couldn't have come this far without my pre-reader, Invictus. He's been instrumental in helping me hammer these chapters out. He's taught me much over the last few months, and I can't thank him enough for taking the time to help me. He's the best wizard in the world!

And lastly, I can't thank all my wonderful readers enough. You guys have patently waited during the long stretches where I haven't worked, and your comments encouraged me to write *When Death Knocks. Even if I don't reply, I read all of the comments posted, and nothing makes me happier than when you guys enjoy my latest work. You guys are awesome!*

This isn't the end of Jack's adventure! I daresay that I'm just getting started, now that I've immersed myself in the world of fanfiction. Stay tuned for my next story, everyone. You won't be disappointed.

-Wes