Despite darker days

by Luna Republic

Rating: mature
Tags: Romance, Human, Dark
Length: 3232

A discharged soldier is somehow sent to the land of Equestria. (yes, it's ANOTHER one of those, so you might want to skip over it. )

A discharged soldier is somehow sent to the land of Equestria. (yes, it's ANOTHER one of those, so you might want to skip over it.)

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-05-25 16:02:09 UTC

1

You sigh and grimace, looking over the forest that surrounded your home. It had been a year since you had been honorably discharged. Looking back now, you shudder. You had been in the first SFOD-D, or Delta force.  At the time, you were proud.  There was absolutely no reason not to be, and you were good at what you did. However, no matter what a man is good at, there are always things that could get to him.  You had been going on a patrol around a small village in Iraq, helping the already-stationed soldiers there. But that day, that damned day, was the sole reason you had been discharged. Your fists were clenched now, you had to stop thinking about it... but the memories were to much to handle.  You let your mind take you back, back to the place you had promised yourself you would never go back to.

"Hey, Marks!", you call, hoping to get your driver's attention.

"What do you want?", he said, frowning and turning around.

"You really think that Taliban's got a nest 'round this route?"

"No", he said,"I Think they're too dumb to come up with a plan even as simple as that."

You take this into consideration, smiling to yourself as you picture an insurgent trying unsuccessfully to formulate a battle-plan.  Your thoughts are cut short by a loud noise and a scream up ahead.

You slowly peer out of your window. What you see next will stay with you for the rest of your life.  Ahead is what is barely recognizable as a half of a Humvee, and several broken bodies lying near it. A hole in the road was evident for an I.E.D.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN, NOW!" a voice screams as the first shots, from where nobody knew yet, rang out.

You snapped out of it, realizing you were still at your house. your fists were almost white from squeezing them so hard in a fist. You think back again...

"Damn it, Bryantt!" you say to the support gunner perched on the hood of the Humvee. You and him had both gotten the convoy in a sort of circle, and had been using the vehicles as cover.  "What did I do now?!", he replies.  "You really haven't pin-pointed that fire yet?", you say scanning the vacant road for another tell-tale flash."Well, It's kind of hard to do when he ain't sho-" he didn't finish. A shot rang in the distance. You pause.  Your eyes widen as you realize what had just happened. You sputtered. something was wrong  with you, too; but you couldn't tell what yet.  You feel it, a warm feeling across your face.  When you put your hand to your face, you know what it is instantly.  Blood.  You hear a soft whimper. He was alive! You turned him around, signaling for the medic.  A few more shots sounded as he awkwardly shuffled over, aware that he was under fire. A few men returned fire in various places, but you weren't paying attention. The medic turned Bryantt over. His jaw had been torn almost off, the bullet hole going through his throat.  Gasping for air, you just notice the increase in shots from somewhere behind the convoy.  In an audible twang, one grazes the side of the Humvee you were taking cover behind. At this moment, you notice a hand on your leg. You look down, and discover it was Bryantt.  When he spoke, even though it was barely understandable, you would never forget it.  "I... wanna go home..." Was all he said before he passed. You gasped, and felt something snap inside of you.  You began breathing heavily,your vision becoming clouded. Without thought, you grab your weapon: a standard issue M4 Carbine, and spin around.  You see what caused this: several insurgents, firing at your convoy from a  barely noticeable indention or two in a large rock pile.  Now infuriated, you began firing on them with all of your might, pounding the bullets into them with the heat of a thousand suns.  Long after they are dead you keep shooting. They would pay for this, not just for Bryantt, but you also found yourself blaming them for every problem you could think of, every pr- "STOP!" You blink, and realize what you had just done.  In front of you were two bodies that were little more than gelatin. You turn around, and see the worried faces of your squad, and the rest from the convoy.

That was what you remembered, and it has plagued you for years.  You had flashbacks; sometimes set off by normally innocent things, like a balloon being popped.  You cried for no reason. You were in no condition to continue like this.  Your once loving wife had left you, and you felt you had no reason to live. because of your disability, you felt you were a failure.  You had prepared for this day.  Beside you lay a small pistol.  "look at me now, mom..." you whispered to yourself. Slowly, you raised the pistol. Before you could squeeze the trigger, it fell to the floor.  "What the..." Your hand started to glow. This couldn't be real, no way it could be real. Soon, your entire body was glowing. Everything started to go fast, appeared as if you were witnessing entire days go by in seconds, milliseconds. Suddenly, everything stopped, and you fell to the floor.

When you came to, you were in your military fatigues. weird, you thought.  You were In a field, surrounded by a deadly-looking forest. your hand reached something; your duffel bag. Looking inside, you found clothes and several MRE's. Looking around once more, you notice your weapon. Off In the distance, you hear the sound of civilization. Your curiosity got the best of you, and grabbing your weapon you started walking to the sounds of distant laughter.

Walking towards the serene sounds ahead, you find that all of the voices in the distance sound strangely feminine.  Hopefully you would find a mature adult; these voices sounded as if they belonged to children.  Still, you do not let yourself become unfocused.  No matter what you heard, your house had still disappeared, and you wanted to get to the bottom of this.

A few minutes later, the unintelligable chatter had become somewhat understandible.  Huh, well, at least you know they speak English.  Crouching behind some bushes, you peer through and see what looks like a rainbow-colored... horse with... wings?

"Da fuq?" you mutter to yourself.  Looking closer, you see what appeared to be another horse,  much smaller than the other.  This must be the one you heard laughing, you think to yourself.  This one is orange, with a purple mane, about the size of a lab puppy.  Nope, no logic here.

Your head begins to hurt.  "What the HELL am I on?" you ask yourself.  With your focus centered on the orange... filly... you failed to notice that the bigger one was gone.  You feel a small poke on your shoulder.  Turning around, you nearly have a heart attack. It's the rainbow one.

"What the HAY are you doing, and why are you stalking a filly?!"

You are to stunned to speak, and let out a not-so-manly gasp.

"Why, I oughta kick your flank, you creep!"

Slowly realizing what is about to happen, you decide now is the best time to speak up.

"No no no no! I wasn't stalking her, I was just-" By now, the little one had walked over.

"What the hay are you?!" she said.

"A Creep," the rainbow one said, "and watch your language."

The little one in turn blushed.  Getting frustrated, you speak up once more.

"I am NOT a creep, I was trying to see who was making that noise.  Now, WHO in god's name are you?"

Rainbow-head got a smug look on her face.  "The names Rainbow.  Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in all of Equestria!"

You have the worlds most skeptical look on your face.  "What's Equestria?"

The two pony-horse thingies looked dumbfounded.  "The nation you are in, dumb-dumb!" spoke the little one.

"NATION? Hold up, last time I checked, I was in the U.S."

Rainbow Dash looked thoughtful for a moment.  "Nope. Never heard of it."

You have a minnie heart-attack.  Clicking your heels together, you begin to chant "There's no place like home, there's no place like home..."

Rainbow looked to you, and then to the little one.

"Come on, Scoots," she said, "Let's show this guy to Twilight!"

"Scoots" nodded enthusiastically, as if she'd agree with anything Rainbow said.

"Come on, dude.  We have a friend that might be able to help you."  She leaned in closer.  "But be warned, I have my eye on you."  Behind her, "scoots" was doing the sign for "watching you."  You groan.  You know this was going to be a long day.

Ponies.

"Why are we going to Fluttershy's place again?"  Scootaloo asked Rainbow, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"Because, if we can get her to walk that," jerking her hoof in your general direction, "To Twilight's, nopony will question him.  Well, I think it's a he..."

"I can hear you, ya know." You sigh.  After you had reluctantly followed the two seemingly female equines,  they had started whispering something about you being an "Alien squishy", from a "Daring Do" novel, or something like that.  These strange creatures were driving you up the wall, and you didn't like that.

"So, what exactly are you guys?" you ask.

"Ponies!  Do they not have those where you come from?" who you had later learned who's full name was Scootaloo, replied.

"Oh, they do, they are just,,, not sentient, so to speak."

"Whatsa senti-ant?", asked Rainbow.

You mentally face-palm.  "It's like... I dunno, being able to talk and think and stuff."

The two looked confused for a moment.  "Egghead!" was the reply you took.  After watching the two bump their hooves, you shoot them a death-glare.  "Alright, so who is Fluttershy?" You ask.

Rainbow looked to the path ahead.  "She's a friend of mine, and is especially good with animals."

You are surprised.  "So ponies will see me like an ape who is under her care?  Huh, good plan."

Rainbow smiled.  "You seem surprised that I could come up with a plan."

"Well, I've only just met you." You reply coolly.

"We're here!"  Scootaloo shouts at a louder-than-really-needed tone.

"Stay here, whatever-your-name-is.  I'll get Fluttershy!" Rainbow said.

Several moments later, the door opens, and following Rainbow is the single most heart attack-inducing thing you've ever seen.  It appears to be a butter-yellow pegasus with pink mane. This should be interesting, you think.

She kinda walks up to you, and peeks out from under her mane.  "Um, hello?"she asks, barely audible.

Your heart melts.  "Hi, there." you say in a friendly tone, and you toss in a sort of smirk to show that you are friendly.

"I uh, heard that you um, needed help?" She asks.

"Only if you would be happy to oblige, miss Fluttershy."

She smiles at your kindness.  "Oh, certainly.  Would you like to come in for some tea and discuss your... um... situation?"

"That sounds great, ma'am."  Meanwhile, Rainbow and scoots are trying not to crack up.  You send them another death-glare, and return to Fluttershy, who is blushing and leading you down to her cottage-style home.

Inside her cottage, smiling happily as she sets down with somehow four cups of tea balanced in her hooves and mouth.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, what... um... exactly are you?"  She asks, and you chuckle.

"I am a human, and apparently the only one in existence here, at that." you smile.

Her face darkens momentarily.  "Oh, don't you worry about that.  I'm Sure you will be JUST fine."  you smile.

"Thanks Flutters, but don't we need to get going?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh, um... sure."

About an hour later, you are in the middle of town.  You are amazed at how many ponies there are, and how indifferent they are to you strutting down the street, a huge hairless ape.  One pony especially gets your attention, however. She is a mint-green unicorn, and is apparently star-struck upon seeing you.

"Hey," you ask, "Who is that unicorn over there?"

"Oh, that's just Lyra," Scoots says nonchalantly. "She's kinda weird, and is always talking about some things called huma- WAIT A MINUTE! What did you say you were?"

"A human, but I don't like the way she's eyeing me up, so we should probably converse later."

"Okay...," Scootaloo says unsurely.

Continuing down the small town, you find that it is full of activity.  To your amazement, there is even a market place.

"Impressive place you got here, guys," you say.

"Thank you," Fluttershy murmurs.  "We take pride in our little village."

Maybe a couple of minutes later, you come across a large tree with a sign bearing a book on it.

"Did you guys say that 'Twilight' lived in a tree," you ask.

You are met with a chorus of "Yeps," and "Mmmhmm's".

"Ok, let's do this, then," you say as you gently knock on the door.

From inside, you hear a voice say "SPIKE! Will you get the door, please?"

The group stifles a chuckle as the door opens.  A small... Dragon?... answers the door.

"Hey, guys," 'Spike' says. He looks to you.  "Who is this?"

The group looks at you.  "Call me smokey.  What's hangin', little guy?" you say as you give him a fist-bump.  He smiles at you.  "Nothing much, bro.  Come on in!"  You step inside along with the others.  The tree actually looked kind of cozy.

"I'll be down in a minute, Spike. who is it?"  Says a feminine voice from upstairs.

Spike says: "Rainbow, Flutters, Scootaloo, and some new guy."

You hear a light trot, and a fall.

Nice, You think.

And down the small flight of stairs she descended, a small purple mare with wings and a horn.  Upon seeing you, she gasps.  Oh, Great, you think.  She rushes up to you.  In amazement, she asks "What in celestia's mane are you?," a smile forming on her face.  She begins poking you with a hoof, as if deep in thought.

"You know, I CAN talk," you say, smirking.  When she hears this, she immediately blushes, and apologizes.  "I am so sorry!", She says.

"It's fine," you assure her, "And assuming from your rather... Direct... approach, I guess you have a few questions?" You say, forgetting the real reason you were here.

"Absolutely!" She says, her eyes shining.  Maybe you could get used to this.

In the corner, Spike just sighed. It was his turn to have a long day.

Interrogation

After sending Spike to fetch some supplies, Twilight settled down in front of you.  Looking up expectantly,  she asks, "Where should I start?"  You shrug your shoulders.  "What do you want to know?" You ask.

"First of all, what are you?" She asks.

You respond, "A human being, but we just call ourselves 'people'."

She scribbles something down.  "Where do you come from?"

"From the looks of it, I'd say another dimension." You say.

Twilight looks at you.  "You don't know how you got here, do you?"

You frown.  "Sadly, no."  She nods her head, and gives you a look of sympathy.  "Since you can talk, I could assume that all humans are sentient.  Am I correct?"

Rainbow buts in.  "Yeah, he told us that he was on the way here.  It means that you can think and talk and stuff!"  She smiles.  Twilight eyes you suspiciously, but says nothing.  She continues, "What's that, on your shoulder?"  You look down.

"That is the weapon I was issued when I was in the military."  She looks worried.

"W-what does it do?"  You frown.  "No need to worry.  I would never use it here."  She looks relieved for a minute.  "Anyways," you start, "This is a standard M4 carbine.  It fires a projectile from the end of this barrel.  It does this when I pull this trigger, sending a hammer into the back of a casing that holds a small amount of explosive powder.  With the force from the explosion having nowhere else to go, it forces the projectile out of the case, down the barrel, and to the target.  It can go on semi-automatic, meaning it will fire every time I pull the trigger, or it can go on fully-automatic, meaning I can hold down the trigger, and it will keep firing.  The projectiles, which we call 'bullets', are stored in this magazine right here."  Twilight is in awe at what she heard, scribbling notes all over the parchment Spike got her.  Rainbow and Scootaloo seem amazed, too.

"Wow," Twilight says, "Your military is really advanced!  We use spears, and sometimes, that doesn't even intimidate ponies!"  You stop her.  "What do you mean by 'intimidate'?"  "Well,  what would you use that for if it's not for intimidation?"  She asks.  You respond,  "We use them for war and protection."  "But...  Wouldn't that kill somepony?"  She says.

It's your turn to stare at her in amazement.  "Well, yes.  Brave men who are willing to die for our country-"  She stops you.  That's terrible!  How could you kill another of your species?  Let alone SIGN UP for a chance to be killed!"

"It's a patriotic thing.  I love my country and most everyone in it, and I would be willing to die for it."  You say, speaking from your heart.  She shudders.  "You said a while ago 'back when I WAS in the military.'  What happened?"  She says, gaining interest.  You frown, feeling like you let someone down.  "After several tours, I developed post traumatic stress disorder, and was honorably discharged."  Twilight sorta frowns, too.  "I'm sorry to hear, that... What did you say your name was, again?"

"My name is... well, it'd be better if you just called me Smokey."

She smiles, and offers her hoof.  "Nice to meet you."

You take her hoof, and shake it firmly.  "Nice to meet you, too."

"So," She says, "Just to clarify, your not going to hurt anypony with that... weapon... are you?"

"No," You reply, "I would never dream of-"

"DIE MOTHERFUCKER DIE MOTHERFUCKER DIE MOTHERFUCKER DIE!"

You spin around and see Scootaloo sitting in your duffel bag and playing on your phone.  She must have gotten bored of your lecture.  Quickly grabbing it and cutting the song off, you turn to Twilight to explain yourself.  "Sorry!  My cousin put that on my phone a while back." You scratch the back of your head.  "I'll get you for... THAT... later.  Anyways, that's a PHONE?"

"Yeah, and you can do lots of other things on it, as Scoots here just demonstrated." Scootaloo smiles sheepishly.

"Hey, can you still call other 'people' on that thing?"  Twilight said.  Your eyes light up.  "Yeah... Hold on."  A smile forms on your face.  You dial up 911.  After a few moments, the call disconnects.  "Huh, weird..." You say, now calling one of your friends to see if they could call the police, if they could do anything, that is.  After a few more moments, the same thing happens.  "Damn-"  You look at Scootaloo. "Darn. I guess I'm cut off from my contacts.  I wonder if the internet will work..."  You look at the ponies around you.  deciding that you most likely DON'T want to show them the internet until later, you hold off on your curiosity.  It did, after all, kill the cat.  "Well, at least I still have music.  And by the way, that's not the type of music I listen to.  As I said, my cousin put that as an alarm on my phone to annoy me, and I guess even though I took off the alarm, It was still in my music library."

"Wait, you can have a whole LIBRARY of music on that thing?"

"Yep.  And with certain apps, or applications,  You can read books, too."

"That's AMAZING!"

"Yes.  I usually read science fiction or horror genres."

"WOW! You have to teach me how to use that sometime!"

"Fair enough.  But if you don't mind, It's getting dark, and I have to get to the woods or someplace to set up camp.

Suddenly, Rainbow and Scoots bow down.  Twilight smiles at something behind you fondly.  Turning around, you see a pure white pony as tall as you are, with wings and a horn like Twilight.  She speaks, and her voice is almost as majestic as herself.  "That won't be necessary."