//------------------------------//
// Conscious Again 
// Story: Gray's Gone 
// by ArmOfSorrow 
//------------------------------//

Before Applejack could say anything else, I was already up and running. Matt had been out for much, much longer than I normally would’ve understood.
As I arrived at the hospital, I threw open the door and jogged inside, going straight up to the front desk. I asked the receptionist which room Matt was in. 
“Uh… sir, it’s almost ten o’ clock at night, visiting time ended several hours ago.” She looked annoyed, assuming I already knew this. She leaned to her left to look around me, and seeing Rainbow hovering behind me, gave her a face that said ‘Get him out of here, please.’
“No, ma’am, I was told to come here by Twilight Sparkle, she told me that my friend Matt had woken up.” I was starting to feel irritated. This pony had to know who Twilight was; Ponyville wasn’t even a very big town. 
She gave me a lazy stare, and with a sigh of defeat, said “Wait here, please,” and started to walk down an adjacent hall. 
Feeling antsy, I groaned and sat down in one of the waiting-room chairs, yelping in surprise when I dropped down further than I had expected. I would probably never get used to these pony sized chairs.  Rainbow laughed at my expression, Applejack smiled, and all I could do was turn red and mutter “Shut up, I’m much bigger than you guys are.”
“Fair enough, I guess. Everything is probably huge where you come from, huh?” Said Rainbow Dash, raising her eyebrows in curiosity.
“Nope,” I said. “They’re normal sized.”
Several minutes later, the receptionist came back, taking her sweet time about it. I jumped up and walked over to her, asking if I was allowed to go see him. Looking at me in surprise, as if she forgot I was here, she said “Oh, yes, Twilight confirmed who you were. Room 202, second floor, left side.”
Thanking her, I jogged to the stairwell and pushed the door open, not waiting for Rainbow and Applejack. Taking the stairs three at a time, I tripped on the last stair and fell flat on my face, much to the delight of Rainbow.
“Quit yer laughin’, Rainbow. You know how anxious he is to get in there an’ see his friend. You would act the same if it were any of us.” Applejack gave Rainbow a glare, causing her to cross her front legs and mutter.
“Yeah, but I wouldn’t trip on stairs, I’d just fly up.”
Ignoring her, I walked into the hallway and found the room. I thought about knocking, but decided to just walk in. Opening the door, I saw Matt laying in a modified hospital bed to fit his size, which was really nothing more than a single bed with the bottom railing removed and several stools and blankets where his feet hung over. He turned his head to look at me, and he grinned, throwing out his right arm for a hand shake.
“How’re you doing man?” I asked, shaking his hand and eyeing him. He had one leg above the blankets, the upper thigh wrapped in thick gauze. His left shoulder was in a brace, along with what appeared to be some more bandages on his back, underneath his oversized hospital gown.
“I’ve been better. Hi girls, my name’s Matt Barker, I’m Gray’s superior. If he’s been causing any problems, let me know. I can get his pay docked ya know.”
I initiated panic mode, imagining the ass chewing I would receive if Matt found out about what’s been going on. Applejack and Rainbow just laughed nervously, and then introduced themselves. Turning, I noticed that Twilight was sitting in the corner, staying silent. I smiled hello, but she could barely meet my eyes. Great.
Turning back to Matt, I asked “How long have you been awake?”
“Oh, just a few hours ago, right in the middle of the Dragon attack. I tried to jump up and grab my gear, but I didn’t realize two things. First, I’m covered in bandages, and second, I have no clothes on underneath this nightgown. A little while later, Ms. Twilight here came by and kept me company until your dumb ass showed up. By the way, I heard about your heroic ‘saving of the day’, and I must say, nice work. I think you did right. Were the APEIs awesome?
I heard Twilight shuffle behind me, but paid no attention to it. “Well, I can certainly say they were useful.”
“So, what exactly happened to me? I don’t remember anything after stabbing that soviet in the throat.”
All three ponies in the room gasped at his casualness, but I just laughed and said “That was by far the easiest part. I think even sneaking into position was harder than taking that squad out.” I dragged a chair over to the bedside, sitting down and gesturing towards my pony friends. “Do you guys wanna stay? The story is a bit bloody.”
Applejack said she would stay, mentioning that she “was awful curious about why humans fought.”
Rainbow Dash said she wanted to stay because it would be a good story and Twilight didn’t say a thing.
“Well, alright then,” I said. “So, for the ponies’ convenience, I guess I’ll start somewhere be both remember. We had flown in by helicopter, and landed in a forest clearing on a mountainside. We had to sneak to a cliff edge, because we were assigned to assassinate a man who was selling weapons to some bad guys.”
“He had a fabulous mustache, by the way. I could see it through the spotter’s scope. That bastard must’ve spend a half hour a day taking care of it.”
“Anyway,” I said after laughing for a bit. “Just before I fired, a patrol came by and tripped over Matt, which alerted them to our presence. Matt jumped up and stabbed one of them, and I shot the other four with the Barrett. After, I took the shot at the Commissar and we ran. Sorry bro, but we ran into a minefield.”
Matt groaned. “So that’s what my leg injury must’ve been then. You’re seriously telling me that we ran into the only minefield on the map for hundreds of miles around?”
“Mhmm. You stepped on one, and when I tried to dispose of it, it detonated and shot a piece of shrapnel into your leg. You passed out right after and I had to try and patch you up with some of the stuff in the medical kit. You bled a lot man. It really freaked me out.”
“I can tell. Your sleeves have dark smears running up to the elbow and there are bloody handprints on your chest and legs. Tried to wipe it off, didja? Shoulda just used leaves bro.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Applejack lean forward to get a look at my camouflage jacket, then widening her eyes when she saw the spots. “I thought those were just part o’ yer clothes…” she mumbled.
“Wasn’t thinking, injured comrade, remember?” I said to Matt, eager to finish the story. “So after I patched you up…” I now had to decide whether to tell the entire truth or lie. 
Well… Twilight did say she wanted to know the truth. And lying to Matt now would only come back to bite me later.
“After I patched you up, I fell back and started passing out too. I saw some weird ghost thing, with glowing red eyes and a mouth of teeth, and that’s it. The rest of its body was smoke. It offered me a second chance, so I took it, and passed out. When I woke up, we were floating above the trees, and that bastard specter dropped us. It was easily a thirty foot fall, maybe more. You landed in a bush, on your back, so I assume that’s how you broke your scapula. After that, I dragged you out of the bush, dug a shelter, and when the ponies came by, I flipped shit.” I looked apologetically at Rainbow Dash and Applejack. I was never going to stop feeling guilty for that.
“Yeah, Ms. Twilight told me all about it. What the fuck is wrong with you? They were trying to help, even offering to take us both in, and you threatened to kill them? Jesus, you could be dishonorably discharged and sent to prison.”
“I… I’m sorry sir, I don’t know what I was thinking. Stress and exhaustion had been piling up on me.” I reverted to the respectful nature required of me when talking to a superior. 
“Don’t use any of that ‘Sir’ shit on me, Mason. Just because you’re in trouble doesn’t mean I’m going to lord my position over you.”
Luckily, Twilight saved me from more embarrassment. Before Matt could continue, she interrupted, saying “Well, to be honest, I can vouch for Mason. While he was… unconscious, I did an analysis spell on him and it told me that he hadn’t slept in nearly twenty-six hours. Taking care of you, I’d assume.” I looked at Twilight and she smiled, so I guess my ass chewing had helped her decide to forgive me.
“Gyah. Seriously? Well… thanks, man, I guess I owe you. Even then, I’m telling your sister, you realize that, right?”
I laughed and said “Matt, we both know that’s worse than prison.”
“That’s exactly why I’m going to dumbass. As soon as we get home, I’m inviting myself to dinner and spilling the beans,” He grinned maliciously and flipped me the bird. “As payback for steering me into a minefield.”
“Oh, shit.”
***
The next day, I woke up realized that my clothes were starting to smell… well, I think they could put mustard gas to shame. Matt’s blood was thick on the sleeves, and combined with sweat and dirt, made me revolt having to wear them. 
“Well, I guess I’ve made up my mind for today.”  I said to myself, deciding that I was going to get a job. With the money that I made, I could have Rarity make me some new clothes and maybe consider either buying or building a small house. I would prefer to just build one in the clearing, seeing as most of the ponies in Ponyville still weren’t used to seeing me. A few of them downright despised me because I killed the dragon. Ingrates.
Anyway, I began to walk into town when a familiar face swooped down from the sky and landed next to me. “Hi, Rainbow,” I said. Hanging out was becoming a common occurrence and it was pleasant to have some company. “Hey, do you know anywhere I could get a job? I need some cash for new clothes, because these smell pretty bad.”
Rainbow took a step forward and smelled the air, recoiling when she smelled my clothes (and probably me too; I hadn’t bathed since arriving). 
“Well, Applejack would be glad to hire you. She’s always willing to employ some extra help. Thing is, everypony gets paid at the end of the week, so... even if you found a job, it’d be like five days until you were paid.” She frowned, apparently seeing just how big of a problem my dirty clothes could be. I was even starting to feel like a vagrant.
“Crap. Well, I guess later today I’ll try to wash them in a river or something.” I sighed, remembering the last time I had hand washed my clothes. It had been a total drag. I didn’t know what I was doing, so the clothes didn’t get very clean, and when I was finished, they took forever to dry. I would probably be spending several hours with… a breeze. Oh God.
“Well, you’re new here, so I’ll help you out. Let me pay for Rarity to make you a new uniform and you can pay me back by helping me practice for Wonderbolt tryouts.” She started to get a dreamy look in her eyes. These Wonderbolts must be pretty big around here.
“Are you sure? Getting clothes tailored can’t possibly be very cheap. Where I come from, custom tailored clothes are usually for the richer people.” As we walked, a circular two story building came into view, shaped like a carousel. 
“Nah, don’t worry about it. Rarity might even make them for free, since it’s her first chance to make clothes for a human. Besides, the entire time I’ve known her, she’s never charged any one of her friends.” She stopped in front of the carousel building and motioned for me to join her. “This is Rarity’s place,” she said, before walking in and leaving me outside.
‘Weird building,’ I thought, before following Rainbow Dash inside.
“Hello, and welcome to the Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique. Oh! Hello there Rainbow Dash, Mason, what can I do for you today?” Rarity was sitting at a stool and sewing some pieces of cloth together.
“Hey Rarity, we came to ask if you could make Mason some new clothes. The ones he’s wearing now smell worse than a timber wolf’s breath, and they’re all he’s got.” Rainbow pinched her nose and made a fanning motion towards me, making my face turn red. 
“Hey, I didn’t have a chance to wash them, cut me some slack. I don’t even know where I would be able to find some wash baskets. No one in Ponyville wears clothes.”
“Oh, certainly! Mason, would you be a dear and hand me that tape measure? I’ve got to measure you for your new outfits. Is there anything in particular that you’d like?” Rarity stood up and practically skipped over to where I was standing, looking up and down my body after I handed her the tape measure.
“Well, I’d honestly like another set of camouflage.” I had grown used to wearing nothing but fatigues, and still preferred them over any other kind of clothes.
Rarity made a pained face as she measured my arms and torso on a footstool. “If you insist, darling. But, if that’s the case, then I’ll make you a second set of clothes for free. Something more elegant, and much more formal. Something… stylish.”
What could I need formal clothes in Equestria for? I’m a sniper for Pete’s sake. The only formal events I attended were funerals for friends of mine, and the occasional party hosted by a superior officer. Both events, however, called for the USMC Blue Dress uniform, which was the dark blue and red uniform seen on most of the USMC recruitment commercial and posters.
Deciding that a Blue Dress uniform should be formal and good looking enough for Rarity, I reached into my back pocket and produced a picture with a waterproof laminate. It was taken during a banquet held by a newly promoted Major General, who invited a few select units from his division to attend (my division was the ll Marine Expeditionary Force). My scout sniper platoon was selected (from the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion), along with a single infantry company ( from 2nd Battalion 1sr Marines).
The picture itself was of me and a girl who I had met at the banquet. I had asked her to dance, only to discover that she was said Major General’s granddaughter. A couple of weeks later, after meeting the girl several times, I felt lucky, and confronted the Major General and asked his permission to date with his granddaughter. 
The MPs escorted me all the way back to the rental house I was staying in.
While the Major General did personally apologize the next morning, he also made it clear that no enlisted man was going anywhere near his granddaughter. He was also the man who decided to pluck me out of my Christmas leave and send me to kill Markov.
Anyway, once Rarity saw the picture of the uniform, she agreed to make it for me, asking to hold on to the picture until it was ready. Thankfully, Rainbow only made a single face at the picture, which was one of her pretending to barf. She then proceeded to call me a sap for “carrying a mare’s picture around with me”.
Rarity said that I could pick up the fatigues later on that day, as she had already been experimenting with a human shape. After Rainbow and I left the shop, she said that she had to report in for weather duty or something, and flew off towards what looked like a giant, cloud shaped city in the distance. 
I decided to stop by and visit Matt before wandering my way to Sweet Apple Acres, but when I arrived at the hospital, Matt was sleeping and the cranky nurses wouldn’t let me slap him awake.
After about an hour of simply wandering around Ponyville (dodging three very curious fillies every once in a while), I found myself at my destination. Walking up the trail to a large red barn, I noticed Applejack was kicking some trees and jogged up to speak with her.
“Hi Applejack,” I watched as she bucked an apple tree, making all of the apples miraculously fall into some wooden buckets.
Applejack paused mid-buck to turn and speak with me. “Well hey there sugarcube. What can ah do ya for?”
“I wanted to see if you had any jobs I could do. Once Matt gets out of the hospital, I wanted to have some money so that we could either rent a house or build a small one out in the clearing.” 
She smiled and said “Well sure! The Apple family always has something that needs to be done. Let’s see here… Ah know, could you paint the fences around our property? They’ve been needing a nice new coat of white paint ever since the Grand Galloping Gala.”
Not quite what I was expecting, but anything would do. “Certainly,” I said. “Where do you store the paint?”
“We’ve got a couple o’ buckets in tha barn over there. Just grab a brush take yer time.” She smiled and went back to her tree bucking, leaving me to walk away and begin my work.