Blood of the Past: Insanity has Consumed Me

by Theta

Rating: mature
Tags: Anthro, Main 6, Princess Luna, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Romance
Length: 13327

The Princess demands a discharge of a Marine in order to study his mental state. What will she find interesting inside my head?

(first person anthro)
Drifter...for acts of valor, courage, and heroism; I, Princess Celestia, honorably release you from your contract. In lieu of this, I have set up a house in a small town called Ponyville, just for you. There I want you to meet some new ponies, six very special mares who will help you integrate into society.

Ponyville, huh? By the sounds of it, Celestia must think it's a place of salvation for me... I hope she's right about these mares... Eh, who the hell am I kidding? My mind, as well as my body, are damaged beyond repair...

Published 2013-03-25 08:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-03 04:22:39 UTC

Gone

Lance Corporal "Drifter"
Actual name unknown.
5th Battalion, Wolfpack Company. "Alfa" Squad.
Age:Twenty-One
Distinction: Pegasus.
Deemed mentally and physically unfit for combat; recommend rehabilitation. Patient is unaware of true reasoning behind discharge, and is likely to react adversely to the truth. Discretion highly advised.

"Lance Corporal Drifter! Front and center, I have an urgent letter for you!" Sergeant Master Guns calls my name, and I quickly walk to the front of the lounge room; snapping to attention as I fall in, in front of him. Handing me the letter, I notice the sarge quivering slightly. "Fall out."

I returned to my seat in the corner of the room, and looked over the parcel; it wasn't often I got mail. The front has "URGENT" written across, and upon opening the letter, three papers dropped out. One being a letter, another being a check, and the final being some sort of deed.

FROM THE DESK OF PRINCESS CELESTIA

Lance Corporal Drifter,

For acts of valor, courage, and heroism; I, Princess Celestia, am honored to release you from duty. In lieu of this, I have set up a house in a small town called Ponyville, just for you. There I want you to meet some new ponies, six very special mares who will help you integrate into society. Enclosed in this envelope is a train ticket and check for 1000 bits. I wish you luck in the future, and will be monitoring your recovery integration progress.

Signed,
Princess Celestia of Equestria

Heroism? When the fuck have I been heroic, or even remotely close to that? I mean, to civies, I guess all enlisted are heroes, but me in particular? I wonder what she's on... maybe it'd help me with my delusions as well.

I looked up at the clock, reading 2230 hours. I rushed to pack the dark green bag with everything in my footlocker: two diggies, formal dress, pack of cigarettes, and my beloved pistol. I had picked the beauty up during a mission; confiscated it from a POW... and proceeded to execute him with it. The word 'Insanity' was inscribed on the slide, and I later learned that the whole thing had been converted from a basic .45; telling me that he was some sort of higher up in their army. There were two reasons why I was allowed to keep it: One, my CO's (commanding officers) feared me, and two, they were dead. It was one of a few missions where I stood alone for evac.

I looked down at my watch, it read 11 P.M.; otherwise known as lights out. I may have been insane, but I still followed rules. I stripped out of my blouse, and neatly folded it and set it under the flat pillow upon my bunk. Things quickly turned to black as my head hits the pillow, and I enter a dreaded land: my mind.

0530

That night I had gotten lucky; no dreams. Thankful, I prayed to the gods themselves for allowing me a night without the voices. They taunted me most nights, however once in a blue moon, they subsided; allowing for a peaceful slumber. I opened an eye to find, as always, the sun on the horizon. From the flat bunk, I awoke and slipped on the shirt that lay under my pillow. Eagerly, I slung the bag over my back and started my trek towards the train station. Before I left, a few of my still living sarges come up to me and give me a salute. It would've been better if it wasn't painfully obvious they had been waiting for this day for far too long; all of them sighed in relief after I turned my back, and in the reflection of a hallway mirror I saw all of them smiling for the first time.

It took about five minutes for me to arrive at the station, and another fifteen to actually board the train itself. The thing was deserted; a barren wasteland of civilian pleasures. Nopony occupied any of the seats, so I quickly sat down and sprawled out, taking up multiple seats. I drifted yet again into a deep sleep.

Why did you make me walk?

Drifter, you had to push it...

Did we mean nothing to you?

Even in death, I can see you're nothing more than a worthless excuse for a soldier... you couldn't even shed a tear as you awoke to me...

"FUCKING SHUT UP!" I sat up quickly, and grabbed my head; which was infected with a migraine. I took a look around the now filled train car, only to be greeted with scared faces and spiteful looks. The voices...Each one of them. Dead... D-E-A-D, dead. All because of me... They can't control me, no one can! Celestia herself struggles to keep a vice one me!... The memories of my fallen comrades followed me... to this day, they won't leave me. But I have come to terms with them, per say. I am still bugged by them, however they don't constantly harass me like they used to.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville

"Hey Twilight! I have an urgent message for you! It's from the Princess.", Spike called out from down the steps.

Twilight sighed, but yelled, "Bring it here then."

My dear student,
I have a favor to ask of you and your friends; I have recently discharged a marine from the Equestrian military, one who has been known to cause... unusual incidents, and cause destruction. I ask that you six will rehabilitate him to the best of your powers, and more importantly watch over him, and observe his behavior. We have never experienced a pony as... eccentric as him, and would like further studies on his mental state. By the time you receive this letter, he should be arriving at Ponyville train station.
Your loyal teacher,
Princess Celestia of Equestria

"Oh dear... Spike, gather the others. Looks like the Princess has mission for us."

Well, damn... The Princess didn't say who or what to look for. I am completely fucking lo- a group of mares walked up to me with smiles plastered on their faces. The pink one was first to talk, "OHMYGOSH!!! YOU MUST BE THE NEW PONY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HELP! MY NAMES PINKIE PIE, WHAT'S YOURS?"

"Umm it's Drifter...I go by Drifter." I replied in a flat voice.

"Well, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance , Drifter. Ah'm AppleJack."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, it's so nice to meet you.", a lavender mare spoke up, in a soft voice. Twilight Sparkle...Ah! That's the Princess's prodigy... At least, I'm pretty sure she is. Wonder if she's dangerous?

"And who might you be, fair lady?", I asked in a suave, yet sarcastic voice; directing the question towards a rainbow maned pegasus.

"Pfft, I'm Rainbow Dash, otherwise known as the fastest pony alive! And the lady is-"

"The lady is right here, Mr. Drifter. I am Miss Rarity. It's a pleasure being in your presence, I've never met a marine before...might I say those fatigues look absolutely fabulous on you darling. I mean I couldn't pull them off... but you seem to have a certain je ne sais quoi about you.", the white one started in, speaking in a upper crust voice. Damn, she's the kind of mare that's painted on tanks...Shit she's one fine piece of ass.

"And you might be?", I asked the remaining mare, who was visibly shaking with a lowered head.

"Umm...my names Fluttershy...", she replied with a whisper.

"Alright then... I assume y'all are supposed to reform me? What's first?"

Author's Note

Peanutbutter

The Monsters Within

"Well, if you wouldn't mind, I thought we could start off with a base examination of your psyche."

"Be my guest. While you're in there, feel free to silence the voices." I let out a dry laugh as I rummaged through my sack.

"Uhh partner, can Ah ask what y'all are lookin fer?" the orange mare questioned.

"My gun." I replied as I withdrew the .460 from my bag and strapped the holster to my thigh.

"I... I don't think that's legal, Mr. Drifter." Twilight fearfully told me.

"Yeah, and who's going to stop me from carrying it?", I pulled the slide back, and released it with a brief click, "Don't worry, I'm putting the safety on."

To my surprise, none of them visibly relaxed; in fact it made each one of them cringe. As I slung my bag back over my shoulder, Twilight spoke up, "Umm, Alright then... Follow me, we'll go back to the library to conduct some experiments."

The walk back was great; I found the small town to be peaceful and rustic. It was as if I had been there before. Everything was perfect... well up until I noticed the patrons of the community turn their heads in disgust. I would've been fine if they just did that... but a few minutes after I realized their disdain for me, a thin, weak looking stallion approached me; and proceeded to spit in my face. "Murderer! I believe I speak for this town when I say we don't want you, nor any of your propaganda in our town!"

I quickly wiped the spit from my face, and just stared at the saliva in my hand. After a minute, I looked up to find the same stallion being patted on the back by a group of hippy-like ponies. Not one to idly sit by and let myself be degraded, I bum rushed the scrawny man, and quickly backed him up into a near by building. With one hand, I lifted him off the ground, and slammed him down to the earth beneath, "Listen fuck face, you do NOT, and I repeat DO NOT spit on anypony... especially me," He clenched his chest, and was wheezing. I drew my pistol from his holster, and leveled it straight at his head, "They just discharged me... you know why? Because even Celestia herself is afraid of me!" I quipped, followed by a cynical laugh.

Most of the six mares, along with many passerby's, stood in complete shock. The only exception being the blonde maned one, who frantically called over to a red stallion, "Mac! We need some help over here, asap!", before I knew it, the same guy was trying to subdue me, but to no avail.

The small, scrawny fuck who spat on me still lay on the ground, not even bothering to move a muscle. Before Mac managed to take me down, I fired three shots around the stallion's head; making sure to scare the piss out of him... in the end it paid off, as I glanced down I saw a dark line run down the leg of his pants, along with a large stain in the groin area.

I hit the ground with massive thud, and let out a "Oomph" as I connected with the hard dirt below. My beloved sidearm broke free of my grasp, and slid a few feet from my reach. Fluttershy, as I was later told her name was, picked up my gun and carried it back to Twilight, unsure of what to do with it. The large red stallion proceeded to lift me up, and put me in a bear like vice. The guy who I shot at slowly rose to his feet, before freezing in front of me. I said nothing, but gave him a demonic smile, making sure to imprint my face into his memory. As soon as I started to squirm, he bolted. Ran faster than I thought a small thing like him could.

"You can let go now.", I ordered in a stern voice.

"Nope.", was the only response I received.

"Big Mac, if you c-could drop him off at the library, th-that would be very helpful.", Twilight asked the large man.

He said nothing, but just nodded and walked down the road.

After a few minutes of being carried, we arrived at a large tree with multiple openings carved into it. I was dropped, quite literally, onto a small black leather couch. Mac just nodded to the six mares, and exited without a word. Heh, strong, silent type, eh? Wonder what makes him tick...he looks to be a simple fellow, so it shouldn't be that hard to piss him off... My thoughts were interrupted by Twilight.

"Okay, question number one; Do you hear voices, outside your own, in your head?"

"Straight to the point... yes, I do. Constantly, they won't leave me alone."

"Do you know the voices, do they have distinct personalities?"

"There's only a few of them...they all speak in different manners. But what would you expect? After all, they're the voices of fallen squad mates. The ones I let die..."

Twilight, along with the others, looked at me in shock. "Y-Y-You let them die?!?!"

I chuckled at the question, "For the most part, not literally...but I accept full responsibility for their deaths. In some way or another, I caused their demise."

"How...How did they die?"

"Well, my last squad leader went out with a bang- literally. When we were out on patrol, his humvee ran over a mine... He didn't die on impact, no... he actually survived the blast...well the first one, anyway. I got out of my vehicle, along with my other squad mates,to check on him. From our perspective, he didn't look too scraped up. So we, well I, made him crawl to us if he wanted help. Seemed hilarious at the time... but when there's one mine, there's always a field of them. Like I said, he went out with a bang.

"The other three voices are from previous battle buddies: Torque, Skully, and Tank. All of them were good soldiers, going above and beyond the call to serve Equestria; they were Marines, after all. Torque was the one I was the closest with. He and I weren't so different. We were lethal, and had no regrets about anything we did. Together, it seemed as if we were unstoppable; as if we alone would be able to put down the griffin insurgents by ourselves. The day he died... We were just walking around on guard duty. Earlier we had a game of rock, paper, scissors in order to see who would take point that night. Initially I lost, and demanded best two out of three. In the end, I won. Little did I know, that was the last fun we would have together... he lost his head to a sniper. I can still remember his blood splashing in my face, having to wipe his brains from my eyes to get a clear shot at his killer.

"Skully, on the other hand, was my complete opposite. He enlisted solely for military benefits. He had no sense of nationalism, yet he mourned every loss that we encountered- how that worked, I'm still unsure of. All I know is that I didn't know or like him very much. Before you jump to conclusions, no I didn't kill him, nor did I put him in death's way. He was captured during a surprise attack, and listed as MIA for three months. We eventually found him, eyes gouged out and limbs torn off. He was nothing more than a torso with a head... the sick bastards nailed his arms above him in an 'X', and left what was left of his legs by his side. It took a while to realize what they had been doing with them; they had been eating him! I never felt a surge of hate and sympathy like that before, nor since. Each day since, I have carried his dog tags with me, so that I will never forget him. I may not have liked the guy, but if anyone deserves respect it's him; he lasted all those months...we could tell, his body was freshly killed; no decay was present. Even being so different, we were, no, are brothers in arms.

"The last, Tank, didn't die so bad... he was a good stallion. But he trusted people too easily. That was both his greatest gift, and his ultimate downfall. Like Skully, I didn't kill him, nor put him in situations that put him in danger. I have no opinion of him, really. He and I got along to an extent, but for the most part I kept my distance from him, making sure not to get too attached. You'd be surprised at how having any sort of relationship, good or bad, with a pony makes losing them harder. This was before we fully understood what the griffins were willing to stoop to... Th-they had strapped a bomb on a crying child. He had a soft spot for kids, telling me on one occasion that he hated that we had to tear up so many families. In the end, he decided to check it out. As soon as he stepped up to the young boy, there was a giant flash of light and a large boom... I was knocked back, and hit my head hard against the stone street. When I awoke, nothing remained of the child, and Tank laid in the street with a large chunk missing... Like I said before, we weren't very close, not in the slightest. But I couldn't help but shed a single tear as I watched him bleed out.

" I don't know why Skully and Tank haunt my thoughts, maybe they want closure... Y'know there are nights when I dream of drowning in blood, and their voices are always screaming at me. Other nights, I find Torque wandering my mind, simply humming to himself... but when I put my hand on his shoulder, he dissolves into nothing, and the dream slowly fades into a memory; Torque lays in front of me, head blown to bits, and blood n' brains on my face. And those are the times when I can actually sleep.", I turned my head up to find all the mares in the room, along with a small dragon, looking at me with terror in their eyes, and tears on their cheeks.

As she came back to reality, Twilight concluded, "I...I think that's enough for now... you can stay here if you like. I offer you my couch, and home to rest in."

"Thanks, but if you don't mind I'd like to take a walk to clear my head. I'll probably be out for a while... I promise I'll be back, and to not cause no trouble. Unless I get spit on again. Then someones getting ripped a new one.", I said while walking out the door, making sure to pick up my pistol from the sheepish mare on the way out.

Author's Note

Hey guys, welcome back for all of those who favorited this story. I hope that you found this somewhat disturbing (really, I hope you saw that Drifter is fucked up), and also enjoyed the whole chapter. If you didn't read the title of the video, the song is Freak me out by Weezer. I, personally, think that song goes perfectly with the scene. It's calm, yet describes a few things about Drifter...they're very subtle, I won't give you any adamant answers, but I think y'all can pick up what I was intending.

I Promised No Trouble, But...

*LETTER FROM TWILIGHT SPARKLE TO PRINCESS CELESTIA*

My most wise teacher,

I have troubling news regarding Drifter. Today, for who knows what reason, Small Fry decided to... welcome our newest resident by spitting upon him. Needless to say, he was (excuse my French) pissed off! At first, we thought Drifter would just let it go, and be the bigger stallion... But that wasn't the case; after wiping the saliva from his face, Drifter picked the other stallion up and dropped slammed him hard on his back. He then proceeded to pull out his side arm (Which I have no idea where he got it, or why he has it) and not once, but thrice shot at the poor colt! Luckily, he missed all three shots, the bullets only landing near Small Fry's head. On a side note, I have now seen a grown stallion pee himself; it was very entertaining.

My next report bares no happier or better news. I decided to start questioning him about the voices he hears- turns out that they're all fallen comrades of his! What's worse is that he believes that all four deaths were caused by him (Okay, so one of them really was caused by him). He went on to tell us of his dreams, how he drowns in blood, and is reminded of how the bodies looked after they had died... While I do not want to waste your time with the details, let me just say that he got VERY specific. I'm afraid to both go on, and wonder if he's hiding anything outside of what he already told us.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

P.S. How has Princess Luna NOT been inside his mind as he slumbers?

When I went outside, it was around 2 in the afternoon; and time to do some errands. My first priority was to cash the check Celestia gave me; 1000 bits, which easily allowed me to coast for the first year. I arrived at the local bank, check in hand, and smile beaming straight ahead. Well, it was sort of a smile... Okay, so it was one of those creepy, emotionless half smiles. Back to the story, I walked up to the front door; only to find it locked. I peered in through the glass door, and saw nothing.

That is, until I noticed a set of eyes looking at me in terror. Seeing this, I assumed said person worked at the bank, and so I calmly tapped on the door. Tap Tap Tap... No reply. I knew he could see me, which pissed me off... after he realized he was staring at me, he beckoned for me to go away; in other words that I wasn't welcome there. Without a word, I undid my blouse, and took off my undershirt. I carefully wrapped the shirt around my knuckle, making sure that it covered every part of my hand, and with a single punch, broke the glass. "Knock, knock, dick mouth."

Reaching my hand in, I unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was strange; no alarms went off (incidentally, a few days later somepony tried breaking into the place, only to be greeted by a large siren going off). I slowly walked up to the counter, and slammed the check down; my palm making a loud crash upon impact. The worker slowly rose, and mustered , "W-welcome to the First Bank of Ponyville. H-How may I help you?"

I simply pointed at the check, and pointed at the vault behind him. The stallion shook his head, and proceeded to retrieve my money. Within minutes, he had a large stack of coins loaded into a bag, and quickly handed it off to me. Without hesitation (or restraint), I snatched the bag and exited the building. A normal pony would be wary of thieves trying to take that may bits; but most ponies weren't looked at as mentally unstable, or made as big of an impact as I had on that first day. Next task was to drop by the Mayor's office, and verify the deed to the house that was bought for me. I realized I was still shirtless, as I caught many a mare(and a few stallions) gawking at my chest.

Okay, the fuck? I know I'm in shape, but I ain't a body builder...not that I'm complaining., I slowly slipped the shirt I had tucked in my belt back on, and my blouse along with it.

If you're expecting something as bad as the bank to go down in the Mayor's office; you're shit out of luck. Everything was formal, and I was in and out within a matter of minutes. Albeit, there was some tension with the receptionist, everything else went as smooth as KA-Bar knife blade. Stepping, yet again, out into the street, I felt like a school colt; with a bounce in my step, I ran to my new house. I learned in the Mayor's office that although it was on the outskirts of the town, it also lay near a forest and stream (not the Everfree, by the way).

The serenity of the slowly moving stream calmed me as I approached the house. In all honest, it was bigger than previously described, and looked like the Princess just had it built. The tan studs accented the eggshell white walls, seemingly perfect fit for the surroundings. It's a two story, with a slanted roof and wooden shingles. I had grown so used to metal everything that I had forgotten they made things this amazing in the civilian world. With a simple twist of my wrist, I opened the door, to be greeted by a fully furnished living room; before me were two couches, a recliner, a flat screened television, and a coffee table. All hovering on a white carpet.

I spent the next hour exploring, finding that I had a COMPLETELY furnished house. I thought for sure that I would only be given the living room, but I almost shit myself when I saw everything else. From a king sized bed, which literally feels like a cloud, to an electric stove in the kitchen; I now had it all. After settling down, I sat at the kitchen table and wrote a letter to the Princess.

TO:Princess Celestia

FROM: ~~Lance Corporal~~ Drifter

Princess, may I first begin by thanking you immensely for not only the money you have given me, but for the house as well. I am a simple stallion, and giving me just a bed and t.v. would've sufficed, but you gave me the whole package! Literally, I cannot thank you enough for what you have given me, a lowly ex-marine. If I hadn't already sworn to do so at birth, I will now do whatever you desire, whether it is to take the backlash for a political decision, kill your enemies, or even just clean the castle; know that my services are always open to you.

On a flip side, I must admit that I have done something terrible. Today, instead of just walking away, I injured a civilian, and scared him beyond an inch of his life. Literally. I shot three times around his head, to make sure he and everyone else got the message that they can't fuck with me, without receiving a consequence. He...to put in better words, wet himself on the spot, causing many around him to laugh at his expense. If you wish to reprimand me in any way, I fully understand and am willing to receive said punishment. Oh, and I kinda-sorta broke into the local bank. I didn't take any money that wasn't owed to me, the worker there locked the door and wanted me to go away, when all I wanted to do was cash the check that you gave me. I'll probably pay for the glass.

I glanced at my watch, which read 5 P.M., and realized that I promised to go back to the library. I quickly ran out the door, and sprinted to meet Twilight. The sun was on the horizon as I sped through town, and it signaled the end of the day. Upon my arrival, I looked through the front window of the tree house, to see Twilight nervously pacing in the main room of the library. Without hesitation, I opened the door, and prepared my ears for the battle that surely lay ahead. "Hey, I'm back...Just like I said I would be."

"OH THANK CELESTIA!!! I was worried you got in trouble with the towns ponies. I'm glad to see that you're alright...I suspect you stayed out of trouble?", she cast a discerning look at me as she asked this.

"Uhhh," a switch in my head suddenly flicked on, and the memories of that day slowly came back to me, "Yeah, I guess you could say that... Just avoid the bank for a day or two."

She tilted her head, "Why's that?"

"No reason...just looked like there might be some shady characters down there. Don't want you to get mugged or something. By the way, do you have any more questions, or are we done for the day?"

"Just a few more, if you don't mind."

Author's Note

....No comment on any of this. Enjoy, the good Lord knows that I love writing this story! No sarcasm intended there, but I really do like writing this story.

Reason

"Imagine, a day there and I already caused two people to cower before me, and based on how small the town was, word of me being some big, bad wolf spread like wild fire. Looking back on it, I know how you felt when you came back on Nightmare Night.", a dark blue arm drapes itself around my shoulder, and the weight of a moon nestles into my shoulder; urging me to continue my story.

Twilight kept me for two more hours, most of the questions she asked got long, thought out answers. By the time she asked the last query, I was certain I could answer it without a problem. But what she asked stunned me; even after I answered her, I found the question stuck in my head.

"Okay, last question and we'll call it a night. What made you join the EQMC? Why not the Canterlot Guard, or the Equestrian Army?"

"I joined the Marine Corps because I wanted a challenge. I wanted to see combat. Plus, I had nowhere else to go. I'll come back to this in a minute... to answer the other part of the question; the Canterlot Guard are pussy hooves. They get paid to sit on their asses and look nice, while the Army and Marines are out there actually fighting; all the while we get paid half their salary. The differences start with the uniforms- what I'm wearing is standard issue to all enlisted marines. What they wear is glorified Colt Scout uniforms, made for decoration. Next is training; their training focuses more on drill than anything else, I'd be surprised if they could fight with the spears they're given. Every recruit, every officer, everypony in the EQMC is first and foremost a rifleman; which is why it makes a single marine the equivalent to a squad of infantry in the army, and a battalion of Canterlot Guards.

"As for the real reason I joined, we gotta visit my past. Before you get ready to turn on the water works, let me make one thing clear; I had a normal life growing up. My family wasn't the richest, but we sure as hell weren't the poorest either. I had a few close friends, much like you with yours. Occupations forced us apart. Some of my buddies went to university after high school; I never had the grades to even dream of attending a college, I slid through school with mostly 'C's. As for the guys who didn't rush out of Marecinnati, they settled down and accepted life immediately. They had two things I didn't; a stable relationship with a mare, and a useful talent," I rolled my sleeve up, revealing a string of sinew and a lacrosse stick, "Remember how I said the only thing I was good at was lacrosse? Well my damn talent fits with that sport. That's sinew; it's used to string a crosse. That's literally all I'm good at- stringing lax sticks. It'd be great if it was easier to get into that business.

"Believe me, I tried during the last two years of high school. I crash and burned pretty slowly. While business moved along at a nice pace, I realized early on that I was losing money, not gaining it. After my first year, I had picked up a second job just to break even. Senior year, I still made sticks, but they were horrid in comparison. Without proper funding, I couldn't buy the right wood to shape the stick out of. A lot of them broke during the bending process, and countless others were just too fragile to play with. Soon, people just stopped coming to me for everything- stringing, repair, and new sticks. Now what's this have to do with me enlisting, you ask?

"Well, without a proper profession, or grades to move onto college; there was no future for me. I had been receiving pamphlets since my sixteenth birthday from all the various recruiters in the area. I looked back through them, and realized that if I couldn't do anything worthwhile there, I might as well make a difference somewhere else. I chose the Marine Corps for the challenges that the Army and Guard couldn't offer me. I knew full well that I'd see combat, and I was damn ready for it... or so I thought. You already know what happened to my squad mates, but that wasn't the end of everything; let's just say lady luck has never been on my side.", I subconsciously rubbed my chest in the same area all the shrapnel had to be removed, "That's... well let's save that for a later date. It's getting late, and I wouldn't want to give you night terrors, so if ya don't mind, I'll be taking my leave." I rose to my feet, and quickly stretched my upper body. The sound of paper crumpling up made me remember the letter I wrote to Celestia, "Oh, before I forget, mind sending this for me?"

I set the letter down on the coffee table in front of me, and walked out the door, and into the comforting embrace of the night. The walk back to my house was slow; I made sure to take my time and relish in the moonlight. I had never told anyone of my time in the military, and now was my opportunity to get it all off my chest.

The walls around me were covered in blood, and there were only two entities in the room; me and the Al Flighta boss that I executed. We were locked in a stare down, neither one of us backing down. After a minute of staring, a devious grin emerged on his face, revealing sharp, dragon-like teeth. Before I knew it, what I thought was a demon flashed into existence in place of the griffon. He spoke softly, and tried to talk me into a rampage.

"You know, I don't think this town likes you... that has to piss you off. I bet you'd like to shoot everyone here, just like you did over there. The streets would run red with the blood, and above everypony else would stand you; the soul survivor."

"Demon, you are wrong. That part of my life is over. I will not kill those who I fought hard to keep alive."

Come on Drifter, you and I know you're nothing but a killer. I'll take the blame, you can tell everypony it was me who shot them. They don't trust you, nor do they want you here. They don't accept you, they don't need you, and you don't need them. End their worthless lives. You'd be doing them a favor-"

"NO, begone from my mind, you are no longer welcome here! I will not do what you want, I will never listen to you."

Slowly the world around me faded, and I bolted upright in my bed, sweaty and clammy. Looking to my right, I saw it was still night time, however I found myself unable to sleep, I rose from the bed, and went to the living room. For the rest of the night, I sat idly, watching infomercials on T.V. When day came, I was more than ready; I rose from the recliner and was about to make a simple breakfast, when I remembered I hadn't even bought groceries yet. I decided it best to just go into town, and buy some fruit for a quick and simple meal.

I slowly laced my boots, and started my trek into town. I reached the market right as the morning rush started; however every stand I approached seemed to be out of stock, or the workers on break. I was about to give up, when I passed an apple cart with a familiar orange mare standing by. "Heya, partner! It's Drifter, right?", I nodded my head, "Right then, Drifter, what can Ah get ya?"

"Three apples, please.", I responded groggily.

She handed me the produce in a paper bag, "That'll be five bits."

I handed over twice that amount, "Keep the change, think of it as payment for making sure I didn't kill anyone the other day." I flashed her a smile, and continued on to the library.

A few blocks from my destination, I was stopped by three young fillies; the infamous Cutie Mark Crusaders. As I recall, Scootaloo was the first to talk, "Mr. Drifter! Just the stallion we were looking for! Before you ask, I'm Scootaloo, this here is Sweetie Bell, and that's Apple Bloom; and we are-"

The three joined in unison, "THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!"

"Today me n' the gals decided it'd be a good idea to become Cutie Mark Crusader soldiers! We were wonderin' if-"

"I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is no. Girls, trust me there is no way you would want to do what I did. You are all too young for me to tell you war stories, but trust me when I say you don't even want to know what I've gone through. Besides that, you're parents would kill me if I taught y'all anything. I want you guys to go off and think about what it'd be like to lose your best friends, and if you knew you'd never come home. If you can come to terms with that, then I'll consider sharing a single story with you."

The three fillies sighed in disappointment, and walked off to who knows where. All I was focused on was what Twilight would ask me that day. I was in for a rude awakening when I got there; instead of questions, she got me a job taking care of animals with Fluttershy.
`

Author's Note

Two chapters in one day? FUCKING INCREDIBLE! Sorry, this chapter just came to me out of nowhere and said, "Theta, ignore sleep. You still have five hours before school, you're so awesome, I bet you can write me down and still have adequate time to sleep!" All I have to say is, I won't regret this tomorrow afternoon, but I will hate myself for it in the morning. Oh well, enjoy! By the way, drill (more properly known as D n C or Drill and Ceremony) is just basic marching along with a few other commands to make one look good. It serves no real purpose (although it was put in place to instill discipline in soldiers). I guess it still does, but that can be debated.

Almost Serious Suicide

"I almost fell into the embrace of death, y'know. Looking back, I was really fucked up. My involvement in the war gave me my fair share of flesh wounds; from the bullet that collapsed my lung, to the 'nade that sent shrapnel inta my chest. I didn't, and don't, fear death. That's why I could've pulled the trigger.", My gaze is held by the stars, and an audible gasp escapes the mare's mouth.

"Twilight, this ain't going to work. For one, animals piss me off. And two, you're friend there won't get out from behind you.", I sarcastically explained, pointing towards the cowering mare.

"Drifter, she's scared of just about everything..."

"Hey, little pegasus mare, BOO," the mare fainted at the whisper, "I have no comment on this."

"That was really mean! Now she'll never open up to the idea of being your friend!"

I just laughed dryly. Nothing I could say, really; I don't do apologies. I closed my eyes for a brief second, trying to see if I could map out the possible ways this day would go. But, something happened that I never even considered. Upon opening my eyes, Rainbow Dash slowly approached me, and said three simple words, cold as ice, "Go kill yourself! You made poor Fluttershy faint, and she's done nothing to you!"

Me, being in a fucked up state of mind, took that command literally. I unbuttoned my holster, and drew Insanity; slowly raising it to my head. I, yet again, let out a dry laugh, "If that's what you really want, then I guess I'll have to do it. You are an Element afterall; just looking out for the good of the world."

The three mares present stared on in horror as my finger slowly tugged on the trigger. CLICK, "Y-You aren't... th-the gun didn't fire...", Rainbow was the first to speak up.

"Didn't load the magazine into it. You should've seen your faces...Oh, and by the way, that offer still stands, I got the ammo right here, I could splatter my brains across the ground on your command." I gave her a sarcastic salute, as I pulled the mag from my front breast pocket. For more effect, I loaded it, and pulled the slide on the weapon, "Or if you prefer, I could slit my own throat. Mix things up a bit, you know?"

"NO NO NO NO NO! I didn't mean what I said... I'm sorry, it's just I don't like when people pick on my friends." Rainbow solemnly explained.

"It's cool. Glad to see you guys know I take shit seriously. And by the way, I really don't like animals. They usually bite me... or pee on me... sometimes even swipe at me. Albeit, most of the time it's all three."

The three gave me a look of disgust, but soon relented and just told me to head home.

Author's Note

VERY SHORT CHAPTER. I don't know, this idea just came to me. Fits how I want people to see the character, plus it's a little humorous. NOTE: To all of you who know someone who has, or you yourself have experienced suicidal actions/repercussions, I'm sorry if this offends you. I have a twisted sense of humor (This chapter is going to make people downvote this story, just watch). Anyway, I promise a new chapter in the near future (sometime next week), WITHOUT anything too over the top, and ass hole like.

Reminder

"Among everything I've been called in life, one name has always bothered me. What is it, you might wonder? It's a word so simple, that we, especially in Equestria, rarely use it. Killer. That word stings; like rubbing salt and lemon juice in a open wound. Celestia told me that Ponyville was a peaceful town. I thought I'd be, in the least bit, respected. I didn't expect being spit on that first day, and I sure as hell didn't expect that word to hurt as much as it does." I lose my thoughts in the stars, but am brought back to reality as two arms wrap around me, and squeeze.

For the first time tonight, she spoke, "We have never killed... But We are also reminded of our past. This is something We can relate to..."

I did as I was told; to head home. To get back, I simply had to walk through town. The only problem I encountered was that people cowered at the sight of me. I would raise my hand to wave, and they'd just hit the deck. Realizing that my house contained no food, I made a quick decision to do some shopping. That was something easier said than done. Every stall I stopped at, the proprietors would hide behind their carts. That is, until I took out my bag of bits. Long story short, I got the sellers to open up to me with cold, hard cash.

I was in for a surprise when I walked home. I wasn't all too surprised that news traveled quickly in the town, but how they got my address is still a mystery to me. No one had followed me, or even tried to. Before I arrived, I just felt that something was off. When I reached home, I found somepony had written 'KILLER' on my front door. I didn't react immediately. I let it sink in. I heard all the bullets I fired ring in my ears, all the people I killed flash in my eyes, and the blood of my squadmates rush over me.

I snapped back to reality about ten minutes later. More than anything, I was angry. Not because someone had desecrated my property, but because they made me remember everything, even the shit I blocked out. I didn't rampage, however. I did something far worse. I further burried the seed of fear in Ponyville. How could I do that? I already shot at an innocent stallion, what could top that?

Easy. I showed them that nothing- no pony could keep me down. I went into town square and called out the biggest stallions, the ones no one would even dare talking bad about. There sat me, an average size marine, calling on only the most muscular guys to gather around me. I didn't fight them; I got each one of them to punch me with all of their might. It was really easy, just had to poke at their masculinity. Well for most, anyway. A few just asked if I was serious, and just did what I asked. How many times did I get hit that day? Fifteen times. No breaks in between, no time to spit out the blood that pooled in my mouth. I'm lucky none of my teeth got knocked loose, something I still can't understand why...

The biggest were saved for last. At that point, mares and stallions alike gathered around and started making bets at who would knock my lights out. From what I heard, most peoples money were on Thunderlane and Big Mac. Can you guess who were at the end of the line? The simple farmer and big city pegasus, trying to best a marine. Thunderlane gave me a hell of a punch, for the first time that day I saw stars in my vision. My eyes glazed over for a second before I shook my head, and came back to the world of the living. He, along with all the pegasi in the crowd, were surprised when I didn't collapse. After a handshake, he stepped back, allowing for Mac to come forth.

His biceps alone are the size of my thighs. He eyed me up and down, before spitting out the piece of straw that lay in his mouth. No words were said, but his left eyelid raised up, questioning me if it was really okay to follow through as hard as he could. I simply nodded, and stuck my cheek out; designating a clear landing for his fist. Mac drew his arm back as far as it would go, and came down directly on target. I won't lie, it hurt like hell. Like the force of a brick house came falling onto my face. A loud crack echoed through the crowd.

To my surprise, I could still move my jaw. What the fuck? If my jaw ain't broken, then what is? I directed my glance towards the large, red pony that stood in front of me. What I saw shocked me; he was rubbing his knuckle. The crack everypony heard was his hand breaking. I tried asking if he was alright, but when I opened my mouth, blood came pouring out; leaving a crimson mess that covered my teeth, tongue, and gums. In front of me was literally a little puddle of blood. The red water continued to flow until it dropped off my chin, staining my light brown coat.

After that, somepony brought me a bottle of water to wash out my mouth, and another aided Big Mac in getting to the hospital. I sat on the fountain's edge, and felt all the lumps and bruises I had acquired in the past hour. I looked into the fountain to see a puffed out, and heavily bruised face looking back at me. The next week, no one saw me; because I just didn't go outside. I let my body heal, and the word that I was the toughest guy around to spread.

Author's Note

This chapter was hard to believe, I know. I mean how the fuck don't you lose a tooth from that many punches? Don't look at me, Drifter has to be magically enchanted or something. I'll reveal that later...maybe. Another good question is how did he not pass out? Also something you'll find out at a later date. I revealed a little bit more about his physical appearance, hope that satisfies you guys for now. As always, be chill and peace out.
Theta

An Old Saying...

"It was almost a year until people stopped and realized that I am mortal. I remember the day that the Cutie Mark Crusaders figured out that I wasn't 'enchanted'. No, I showed them something much worse. Something that explains why I have the pain tolerance that I do." The princess of the Night had seemingly fallen asleep in my lap, but I don't care. I continue my story, as if she could visualize everything I'm telling her.

It was two or three weeks after I shocked everypony in Ponyville. Summer was approaching; I could feel it in the air. It was an unusually hot day, but nothing that a swim couldn't fix. I heard Rainbow Dash talking about a swimming hole earlier in the week, and I went out to "PT" out there. I was initially surprised when I reached the lake; for one it was bigger than I had imagined, and two no pony was there. It was almost ninety degrees (fahrenheit), yet not one soul was there. I just shrugged it off, and thanked the gods that it was empty.

For a swim, one must remove their clothing- shirt included. Now I'm not necessarily proud of my body, but I'm not ashamed either. Of the many marks on my body, most lay on my back; four scars caused from enemy fire. Three are from bullets, the other is...well the other is from a mortar. The bullet holes are self explanatory, they just appeared during different fire fights, and stung very little. The mortar, on the other hoof, is a separate story. I'll give you the basic run down, so I don't bore you any more than you already are.

That attack nearly wiped out my whole squad, the exceptions being me and one other. It just came out of nowhere, one minute everything was fine, and the next there were bodies and mortars landing everywhere. I did what came natural; I ran. I tried to run out of our camp, but it was hopeless. After a few steps, I heard a high pitched wizzing sound, and felt something force me forward, and onto my face. I passed out, either from sudden blood loss, or just hit my head too hard. Either way, when I woke up, I had a throbbing feeling in my back; I put my hand back to feel out what was wrong, and froze after my hand hit a sharp piece of metal.

Sticking in my back was a large chunk of metal, just sitting there. My hands rushed in front of my face, but all I saw was blood. Remember how I said it was me, and one other guy? Well I was damn lucky he was a medic. He told me, "We have to remove this metal, the longer it stays in, the more chance you have of it getting infected." he went to take it out, but I stopped him when he was about to touch it.

"No," I said in a cold voice, "I'll do it.", First I screamed internally as I touched the shrapnel, and then at the top of my lungs as I started to slowly unlodge it from my back. After about three minutes of excruciating pain, I managed to completely pull it out. Heh, poor kid, still green as grass... I remember he puked before, and after, he patched me up. After that, we were transferred to different units.

Thanks to that mortar, I don't have much feeling in my back whatsoever. As for my head, you can thank years of lacrosse for that. I ended my high school season with three concussions, severe shin splints, two stress fractures, and a broken arm. Even before I enlisted, I was destined for pain. Most ponies would just quit, not wanting to get hurt; not me, I learned to embrace it. I learned to relish in my blood, to laugh in the face of danger, and to never quit.

At the time, I was focused on just getting in the water. But right as I got my shirt off, I heard the bushes off to the side rustle; inside lay three notorious fillis: Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo. Now, I played along, and pretended I didn't notice them, and when they were trying to sneak away, I turned around and caught them mid step. They looked horrified, like they just seen a ghost. Well, most of them; the little orange pegasus, Scootaloo, had a thousand yard stare that met mine. Her friends sought shelter behind her.

For what seemed like a millennia, we just stared at each other. At last, she spoke up, "Mr. Drifter, we... we did what you asked us to do. Y'know, come to terms with our family and dying and all that junk. We want to know what it takes to become marines."

"Didn't think you guys would actually follow through on that... Hell, it damn near slipped my mind. I'm a stallion of my word, so I won't back out. I'll be cutting out the worst, y'all aren't old enough to hear full war stories yet...", I sat on the ground below, allowing the sand to absorb and contort to me. I motioned for the three to sit across from me, and told them how I got the scars on my back. I didn't intend to scare them completely, but I also didn't want to encourage them to rush into the military when they got to that age.

I finished relatively early, and was about to walk them back into town, when Apple Bloom asked me, "Mr. Drifter why did ya go off ta fight?"

"I enlisted to protect little ones like you, make sure you have all the luxuries and freedoms I had growing up. I fought for everything and pony in Equestria; even if that meant losing my life. I'll leave you with a saying my grandpa used to tell me. 죽음에 싸우는 병사는 정말 절대 안 죽 잖아. 그러나 존재 싸우고 군인이 정말 존재하지 않습니다. That's in my families native tongue, translated it's, The soldier that fights to the death, never really dies. But the soldier that fights for existence, never really existed. Think about that, let it sink in."

Author's Note

Guys, if it doesn't show up for you, know it's in Korean. The link is to translate, where in the bottom right hand side of the box on the right, it will pronounce the saying for you. If not, just type it in, along with switching the language switch to korean.

Records

"Man, if she wasn't the Element of Magic, than Twilight Sparkle woulda found herself to be the Element of Question. That's for damn sure.", I laugh a little at my joke, but quickly take note that Luna didn't take it the same way as I did.

She took it better. Laughing is an understatement, as before me, the Princess of the Night clenches her abdomen, gasping for air. "Th-that is so true! Please, tell us more of your anecdote!"

Up till that point, I never had a freak out like that. Hell, I paid the price for that incident for the rest of that year. Especially from the Elements. Twilight couldn't stop trying to probe my mind; Applejack kept insisting that I be tossed outta town; Rarity wouldn't even look at me; Pinkie Pie kept surprising me with parties in my house; Rainbow Dash kept insisting I spar with her and some locals; and Fluttershy... Fluttershy just sat there, and gave me irresistible eyes. It's no wonder she can control animals (most of the time, I saved her ass from wild creatures in the Everfree).

Back to what Twilight asked me after my melt down. "Drifter, have you been having any physical problems?"

"Whaddya mean by that?", I asked with an angry snort.

"Well, you know things like upset stomach, migraines, diarrhea...", Twilight's voice was drowned out by the laughter coming from a certain dragon.

Looking over, we found Spike standing in the doorway, just laughing uncontrollably, "I-I nev-never th-thought I-I-I'd he-hear die-di-diarrhea come from Twilights mou... So now's not a good time?", Spike visibly cowered, most likely from the death glare coming from both Twilight and I.

"Get out Spike, this is a serious matter!"

Once Spike walked out the front door (we heard it open and shut very, very fast), I gave my answer, "Well, no not really. The only thing I'm getting is severe migraines. But even those are rare."

"Okay, next question; Do you remember being given any pills in the military?"

"Well...Yeah, they gave us pills before they sent us out into battle, told us it was caffeine supplements. It's funny, I always thought them things were tiny, white pills. But the ones we got were a deep red, and in a large capsule. I heard a superior refer to it as spice. Oh, and they gave us these small syringes to inject in dire situations. It's odd; I never saw anyone else with them but me."

Twilight quickly wrote down my answer, and was shaking a little, "That's not good... If they gave him those, then he's unstoppable... Must report to Celestia on this matter...", the mare appeared to be deep in thought, but came to reality when I shifted my gaze from the floor, to her. "Oh dear...I said all of that out loud didn't I?"

"Yeah. You fucking did." Something in me snapped; whatever logical sense left had gone straight out the door. In a matter of seconds, an idea became an action; Twilight was carrying a clipboard with something on it...something that would help me figure out what the fuck she was talking about. Within a moment, I had seized my prize; easily taking it from the lavender mare. What I read made my blood boil; I could feel the veins in my skull about to pop. I clenched my teeth in anger, a flame had been ignited in me; and what I'm guessing a nasty looking scowl had also adorned my face.

Drug Dossier

Hyper Awareness Stimulant

Code Name: Spice

Little tests have been run for this drug, all that we know is that it makes our stallions nearly unstoppable. Side effects and long term damage is unknown, and may pose to be a problem in the future. Effects of the drug include, but aren't limited to: No pain reaction, increased adrenaline flow when blood pressure rises, heightened sense of hearing and sight, and increased production of testosterone. The plan is to give soldiers this exactly three times, in order for it to permanently register in their bodies. Use with extreme caution and care, but increase dose if it seems the initial three had no effect. With adrenaline pumping so much, be careful around these stallions; they are likely to rampage, and flip out completely lose their shit.

Drug Dossier

Situational Enhancement "Adrenaline"

Code Name: Drifter's Requiem

No tests run on this, still in experimental stage. Waiting for subject Delta to be put into a certain combat scenario. Made to increase adrenaline, combining both the user's and minotaur adrenal stimulants. Unsure of the effects, however it is suspected that the user will become resistant to all forms of pain, thus making an unstoppable soldier at half the cost of designing new armors.

Delta will be given both to see the effects of both for future use.

-Dr. Hard Break

"What the fucking fuck is this?", I asked in a spiteful tone; nearly snarling at the poor librarian.

"It-it's a l-l-letter I received from Celestia...I asked for a detailed record...", Twilight looked as if she witnessed a murder in person.

My face went completely red, my veins completely surfacing in my rage. In a deep scream, I yelled, "Celestia, I want some fucking answers, and I ain't takin' no for an answer! I'm coming for you..."

I burst through the doors of the library, and out to the train station; hell bent for Canterlot. I dropped thirty bits on the ticket handlers desk and grunted, "Two way. Canterlot, Now."

He was about to open his mouth, but quickly shut it after he caught a glimpse at my irate expression, and just slid me the ticket. I board the train, and prepared to fight my way through the castle, "Seems my thirst for blood ain't been quenched yet... I'm going to make fools outta those fucks you call guards." I sat there and laughed like a sanitarium patient, as I relished in the fact I would see action once again.

Author's Note

THETA IS CURRENTLY EDITING AND ADDING TO CHAPTERS OF THIS STORY. I AM DOING THIS RANDOMLY AND WILL BE DOING ALL CHAPTERS. IT IS ADVISED THAT YOU CHECK IN NOW AND AGAIN TO SEE WHAT GETS EXPANDED ON, PLUS WHAT IS TO COME.

Holes

"You're going to hate me for this...but before we get to me breaking down the oak doors of the Palace, I should tell you how I got stitched up," I lift my shirt, revealing ten scars descending from my right shoulder to my left hip, "It took five hours of surgery to do, but somehow Doc got 'em out for me."

"Curse you..." Luna gently whispered, running her hand across my chest, "Just make sure it's either quick or full of explosions!", the Princess of the night cheers.

This was more recent...about a year prior to being discharged, to be precise. My squad, along with a few RGA soldiers, were given the task of collecting intel on a specific target... You should know him as Saddle Hoofsein. Three weeks... three fucking weeks, and we got nothing on the guy. No insurgents, no suspicious activity; nothing. Not that we were complaining at the time, it was like we were on leave. The Demon Sarge let us breathe for once; and didn't wake us up at dawn. It was amazing... Or so we thought.

It was Monday, the first day of the fourth week, that we were hit. It wasn't Al Flighta... No, it was something much, much worse. Who attacked? Changelings. We found out the hard way that the surge that knocked the fuckers outta Canterlot didn't send them back to their wasteland of a home. Instead, blasted them straight into Griffon territory. As I recall, it was 0300 hours, right before sunrise, when they hit us. I woke up to two dead squadmates and one griffon; blasts of magic were flying everywhere. Ironic...such an old form of weaponry and tactics was sticking it to us. We wore bulletproof vests, Kevlar lined helmets, and fuckin' gas masks; but nothing that could stop such obsolete tech.

Upon opening my eyes, I reached down for the P3A1 that lay in the hands of the RGA soldier, stripped him of all his clips, and pulled the slide; revealing a fully loaded magazine. I was grateful that I found this gun; my standard issue M16 had been jamming and misfiring for a while. The only downside was that instead of my green/red dot sight, this P3 had regular iron sights; not as accurate, but the heavier caliber made up for what it lacked. By the time I was fully awake and with the rest of my squad; only four of us remained. We had taken cover behind upturned tables, sparing no time firing off rounds where ever we could.

"Fuck! Ain't any good, can't see where the fuck to shoot!", Private Pile yelled after his first mag.

"I hear that!", Corporal Static shouted back.

"Heh, reminds me of being back in the jungles of sector Victor!", First Sergeant Path chimed in, "'Cept this time it ain't the P.C. that's after us, and y'all ain't no peace lovin' hip-", Path was cut off by a blast of magic. The early morning moon shone upon his body, revealing a large gap in his gut; all of his organs had been charred, and spilled out onto the floor.

"Shit! They got the Demon Sarge! Take it ya ass hats, take it back to your damn bitchuva moth-", Pile was cut off by a direct hit in his chest. I glanced over, and saw blood cascading from his mouth; he'd been hit dead in the middle of his chest. He had clenched his sternum, and within seconds collapsed forward. The biggest stallion in our squad had been lost with one shot.

"Just you and m-", In a flash of light, Static had disintegrated, leaving nothing but a red mist.

I was far enough into the war to be mentally unstable, but not as far as to being all the way gone. I remembered my training; what they told us to do in these situations. I reached into one of my pockets, and withdrew a small, capped syringe; within seconds it was injected into my right arm. It was euphoric, to say the least. I felt no fear, no pain; I felt invincible. I don't remember too much after I injected myself; everything in my head just went black.

When I returned to conscientious, I was laying in the middle of our camp. The sun had risen by that point, revealing fifty or so of insectoid beings. Each one of them oozed green from multiple holes, and in my left hand lay Pile's M249 SAW. In the other was my G3, and at my side was Static's LAW. I remember feeling hungover; a raging migraine, and blurry vision. What happened? What the fuck are these things? Why did they attack? So many thoughts ran through my head, which just made it ache even worse.

Out of my peripheral vision, I spotted movement. It was subtle, but I managed to pick it up through my hazy eyes. Slowly, I tried climbing to my feet; yet found myself unable even move my upper body. I glanced down to find a stitch pattern of ten bullets across my chest; it was a miracle I hadn't bled out. When the other being started to rise, I managed to crawl over to it before it got to its feet; a nasty, crimson streak marked where I was dragging my body. I was in luck; I lay five feet from it, and from the looks of it, she was beat up almost half as bad as me. I caught her right before she stood up completely, "Who the fuck are you?", I said dryly.

"Hmph...does my reputation not exceed me? Do you not know the power I contain!?! I am the almighty Queen Chrysalis, monarch of the changelings...", she slowly trailed off, seeing the destruction around her, "What happened?!? These were my finest soldiers! The most mindless, and strong! You... You foal, do you not know our numbers?!? We will retaliate for this atrocity! We are so many!"

"And we are more. You're quote unquote soldiers are nothing but mindless drones; all of whom dropped at my feet.", I violently pulled the queen down, pinning her to the ground beneath. I barely got my arm around her neck, but when I did; it was the game changer. I got my hand down fast enough to catch her by surprise; holding a vice grip on her pharynx. "You are weak, like your followers. It's no wonder they fell so easily. Now, you're going to tell me why you're out here, and why I should keep you alive." I pulled out my sidearm, and aimed it at Chrysalis as I allowed her to crawl away.

"Isn't it obvious? My whole colony was ejected from Equestria! After our attack on Canterlot, we were expelled to here... well the ones who didn't die from the blast, that is. We were blending in fine here in Griffon territory, until we spotted you damned ponies spying on us!"

"We weren't out here for you, Chrissy. We were out here for Saddle Hoofsein, ya know the big leader of Al Flighta, the whole fucking reason we're out in this barren wasteland! You're way too narcissistic, you've been old news for over five months."

"Oh...that would explain why you didn't attack... Still, you would have if you found us!", Chrysalis started to pout.

"No, we wouldn't. One, that'd start another unnecessary war, and two you guys aren't that big of a threat to us; I bet the Canterlot Guard could beat you guys with their hands tied behind their backs!", I let out a laugh, as I stifled her ego.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!", she screamed, plugging her ears like a child.

"How cute, her royal ass ain't getting her way and is getting a hard dose of reality. Gee, your medical bill from me is gunna be mighty high...Excuse me for a sec.", I clutched my chest, and tilted my head to the right, dropping to my knees; puking up both blood and a blue substance. I wiped my mouth with the sleeve of my blouse, and stood back up. "Oh, and by the way, you're officially a P.O.W. Hope they serve good bread in Canterlot Dungeons, cause you'll be there for a while." I smirked, and crawled over to the radio.

"Command, come in command!"

"Outpost India, we read you."

"I have a person of importance hostage, request immediate dust off!"

"Before we deploy a Raven Rescue Team, answer who is it that you have captured?"

"Queen Chrysalis; changeling leader. She attacked and killed my squad, along with the RGA soldiers that were with us."

"Coordinates located; Fife team has been deployed. Over and out."

Fortunately for me, the rest of the operation went swimmingly. We were dusted out in a matter of a few minutes, and both prepped for surgery. Said surgery took five hours overall for me. I was surprised when the Doc woke me up. I didn't realize it at the time, but they had weapons. Some of them snatched what they could from our stockpile, and used our own weapons against us. I didn't think about it when I awoke in the field, but looking back I did see a few too many M16's laying around, and way too many casings were scattered around from just my weapons.

Chrysalis wasn't in as bad of condition as I was. Worst she had was a mild concussion; the rest were all bruises. That was the first time I got to speak with Celestia. She came by and chatted with me a few hours after my operation. Mostly about how I was holding up, and if I'd resume my military career. But eventually we got down to business, and came to a conclusion about what to do with Chrysalis. By we, I really mean her. I wanted that bitch executed; hanged by a tree on the border between Dragon territory and Equestria. But as always, Celestia got what she wanted; which was to try to make Chrysalis a political ally, quoting that she was a "valuable asset" to the future of Equestria.

Author's Note

Sorry, but I promise next chapter will include Drifter breaking a few appendages trying to get into the Royal courtroom...Shit, I already said too much...Too lazy to hit backspace... Oh well, enjoy!

Bitch, We Got a Problem

"So, how was that for a side story?", I look over to find Luna wide eyed, and smiling.

"It was, how you say, awesome!"

"Shoot, you like that, then you'll definitely like this next part..."

"Celestia! Open this fucking door! You got till the count of three, then I'm breaking this fucking door down!", I screamed at the top of my lungs, "One....Two...", I heard footsteps clatter behind the door, "...Three."

I struck the door as hard as I could, but to no avail. I punched again and again and again; each one ending the same way. Over and over, I hit the door with full force, "You can't hide forever! I will break this door down, that I can guarantee!"

After an hour of nonstop hits, I finally looked down to bloody, bent, and gashed fingers. Fuck, I keep this up, I ain't going to have hands anymore...SHIT! That's it! I reached into my front breast pocket, and pulled out the game changer; the syringe. "Hey, queen cunt! Looky what I got here!"

I slowly rolled my sleeve up, and shoved the needle into my arm. The only words to describe the feeling are bliss and rush. As in the rush that it gave me was unlike any other drug; it can only be described as pure bliss. Something clicked in my brain, my blood started to literally boil, and all over my body, my veins had come to the surface once again. I let out an exasperated scream before I ran up to the door, and started banging my head on the lock, "Celestia, I'm coming in whether you fuckin' want me to or not!"

Ten minutes later, and I had made a dent the lock; and other than slight bleeding, nothing was wrong. Another ten minutes after that, and I had completely shattered the steel handle; and with little might, pushed the two doors inward. On the other side were five soldiers, eagerly waiting for my entrance. They weren't anything special, just a few Guardsman, most of which looked like brand new recruits. All but one of them. The tallest of them (about a head taller than me, but paled in comparison to my body mass) wore a sergeant insignia, and looked to have at least a year of service under his belt. But you gotta remember; they're Guards, I'm a Marine. Also, I had experimental drugs that made me damn near invincible.

I must've had something on my face, cause the four recruits were trembling something fierce. One of the poor bastards just dropped his weapon and ran past me, out the door. One down, four to go... "Is this really the only defense her majesty put up?"

The sarge was first to speak up, "Stop right there. We have orders not only for your arrest, but also to shoot if need be!"

I just laughed at the guy. I couldn't help it, but his troops just weren't intimidating. Compared to the changelings and griffons, these guys looked like kittens to me. I slowly reached down to my side, and extracted InSaNiTy from it's holster, and leveled it at the stallion. "Fire on me, and it'll be the last damn thing you do. I got eight shots in this mag, and four mags to back this one up. I ain't afraid to kill you, hell I'd relish in your blood soaking the marble floor. So, by all means, give me a damn reason to put y'all in body bags.," I said in a nonchalant tone.

All but the sarge had lowered their weapons, looking between each other and to the sergeant. Finally, he spoke up, "I'm going to die either way. Rather die protecting the kingdom, than be hanged by a noose for treason. Men, put this A-WOL fucker down.," He quickly turned around and retreated back further, I thought he was running away. But I was wrong, I'd see him much later.

The second I saw one of them move, I pulled the trigger; I managed to pop the one on the far right in the dome. "Boom! Fucking twenty points to me!," I giddily screamed.

"Shit! He got Gunn-," I shut up the gray unicorn next to him by repeating the same action.

"Didn't your momma ever teach you to speak when spoken to?," I sarcastically remarked.

The two remaining, both earth stallions, looked at each other, and did what the first recruit did; dropped their guns and ran like hell. "Easy as takin' candy from a mentally handicapped baby." I let out a dry laugh, and continued on my path to Celestia's room.

Drifter...we're bathing in blood. Keep it up! Maybe, if we're lucky, you'll die! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Author's Note

Damn! Took a while! Sorry, just had my mind elsewhere. Enjoy!

Consumed

Luna giggled, which surprises me, "Those young fillies must have been terrified."

"Heh, yeah... I caught backlash from that a few days after. What followed me right after was something that I wasn't expecting...well I should have, but I was busy laughing to really care..."

I swam for most of the afternoon, making sure to swim three laps around the lake. When I finally called it quits, I slowly emerged from the water (still surprised nopony had joined me that day), and dried off. Then it- no they, came to me.

That was a naughty thing ya did to them children, Drifter...

Lance Corporal Drifter; you have three seconds, exactly three fucking seconds to wipe that shit-eating grin off your face! You disappoint everything that an Equestrian Marine that has ever stood!

After that, they all laughed. Not just the two that spoke, all four of them. All fucking four of them! I dead sprinted in the direction I was heading, grabbing my head and screaming inaudible swears. Before I knew it, I had arrived in the center of town; that's when I broke down. By that time everypony was staring directly at me. I was thrashing around, pounding at my head and crying out, "Shut the fuck up, just shut up! Just stop!" When I looked up again, a large group had gathered around me; but I didn't care. Finally, I collapsed to my knees, and before I knew it tears had run down my face. The finale to my incident ended with me dual punching at my temples, causing me to pass out.

I was able to seek peace, the darkness in my head consumed everything around me. Like an impenetrable wall, it let nothing in or out. I awoke a few hours later, in Twilight's library. I woke in a cold sweat, and quickly lowered my hand to my pistol, preparing for the worst. A scared voice called out from behind a corner, "D-Drifter a-a-are you al-alright? You scared everypony in t-town today..."

Twilight emerged a few seconds later, her hands nervously twiddling with each other. "Ye-yeah...I'm good, just...they kept laughing at me. I don't know why I broke down, but I did..."

"Maybe it's time for us to have another sessions, yes?", she teleported her quill and paper, and they appeared right in front of her.

I'm in for it now...

Author's Note

Needed to get this idea out. Sorry it's so short, I promise more later! I love writing this story because its a challenge writing for Drifter... Oh well, peace.