I was sitting with my pony friends (and dragon friend) in the Sugarcube Corner. It had been two days since I began working for Applejack, and I wanted to treat my newfound friends to some sweets with the money I had earned. Since Pinkie Pie’s cupcakes were the best cupcakes that I had ever tasted, bar none, I thought that everyone else could enjoy them too, while simultaneously earning Pinkie another regular customer.
I had really begun to loosen up around these ponies. Even though I missed home (a lot, I might add), it felt nice to be here. There was no war, no battlefield horrors (I had spent a fair bit of time in the infantry), and best of all, nearly no violence, except for the playful fighting amongst friends.
Our small get together at the Sugarcube corner was fun, until Pinkie Pie had disappeared for nearly a half hour. When I noticed she was gone, I told the others, and they simply told me it would be fine.
“Oh, don’t worry yourself, dear. Pinkie Pie is seemingly just being… Pinkie Pie.” Rarity gave a small laugh and continued to eat her cupcake, every once in a while glancing over towards the sales counter.
I followed her gaze, and saw nothing. I even tried to move my head around to give myself a better view, but my gaze was blocked by Rainbow Dash’s head.
After a few minutes of secretly trying to get a good look, I saw something behind the counter; something metallic and dull, so I decided to go and take a quick look.
“Where ya off ta, sugarcube?” Asked Applejack, subtly kicking Rainbow under the table, thinking I didn’t notice. Hah, I’m a trained sniper, I notice nearly everything.
“I thought I saw something behind the counter…” I said slowly, wondering why they had suddenly paid attention to what I was doing.
“Gray, we’re in the Sugarcube Corner, it’s probably just something of Pinkie’s.” Dash even flew up and tried to push me back to my seat. I know she’s assertive, but why not just let me look at the damn thing?
I ducked under her and walked over to the counter, leaning over and taking a look at the floor. Looking closely at it, it appeared to be a small metal flask, elongated and curved to look like a horn. I picked it up and opened its lid, smelling the contents. Sulfur-ish.
I decided to pour some of whatever-it-was into my hand, and was shocked to find that it was strikingly similar to gunpowder, but pink. Pink gunpowder? What the heck?
I turned around to ask the girls, but there was Pinkie, standing in the middle of the restaurant, with a cartoon canon aimed straight at me.
“SURPRISE!” She yelled, and yanked on the cord.
Out of reflex, I dove backwards, over the counter and onto the floor, but I didn’t hear a blast.
“Aww! I didn’t put enough Pinkie Powder into the cannon! Well, time for plan B!”
I looked over the counter to see Pinkie Pie, digging around in her pockets (wait, what?) and the rest of the ponies just sitting back and giggling. Damn it, didn’t they learn their lesson the LAST time they tried to surprise me?
I stood up and began to speak. “Guys, wait, what the hell is going on?” I was irked that they had aimed a canon at me, and was prepared to give them a nice ass-chewing.
“Relax, my pathetic friend. They were simply trying to surprise you. Shame they can’t do it quite as well as I can.”
I froze, chills running up my spine as I recognized that voice. Yet, it sounded different somehow. Almost… lighthearted. Still creepy as all fuck, though.
“Oh shit, not you again,” I said, gritting my teeth in anticipation for what this bastard had to say.
“Wait… Girls, doesn’t that voice sound familiar?” Twilight spoke fearfully, looking around the room with wide eyes.
“It sounds kinda like Discord. But his big flank is frozen in stone, so it’s gotta be a prank. Hey! We know you’re pranking us, cut it out!” Rainbow Dash yelled, looking in every direction and putting her hooves up, ready to fight.”
“Discord? Close. Very, very close. I am the being that brought your new friend Mason Gray here, and I’d like to show him a little glimpse of what’s happening at home.”
The specter had materialized in the middle of the room now, giving himself a humanoid body made of smoke.
“Mason Gray… While you have been… relaxing… in this war-less world, your family is about to have quite a war of their own. I had been considering a new torture for you, but decided this was just sooo much better. Care to take a look? You ponies are welcome to watch too. Wouldn’t want you missing out on all the fun!”
Without waiting for an answer, the specter opened his arms wide and let a thick black fog spill out of his mouth, quickly shrouding spike, the ponies and I. My vision went dark, and I appeared to be back home, in my apartment’s living room. There was loud music blaring; no doubt my sister. Sounded like Cradle of Filth, her favorite band.
I looked down at myself, but could only see a small shimmer, like heat waves during summer. Looking around, I saw seven other waves like me, presumably the mares and Spike.
My sister walked through the kitchen doorway, all goth’d up in her makeup and black dress. She must be going out with her friends tonight. She plumped down on the couch and produced her laptop, hidden underneath the cough cushions.
‘So that’s where she hides it.’ I thought. She always produced it from seemingly out of nowhere whenever she needed it, and I had been curious as to how.
The doorbell rang, and I watched as my sister jumped up and shut off the music.
“I’ll get it!” She yelled, speaking to my brother.
She strode over to the door, giving a quick glance through the peephole before curiously opening the door. I moved to my left to see who it was, and my heart dropped.
It was the all too recognizable Casualty Assistance Officer, clad in the khaki service uniform and holding his cover tightly in his hand. Standing to his right, just slightly behind the door frame was Matt and I’s First Sergeant, another man who was (unofficially) a friend of mine.
“Ma’am, is this the Gray residence?” Asked the CAO, his voice betraying his nervousness.
“Um… yea… Is... something wrong?” Agh, she must know what’s going on. I could see her eyes starting to worry.
“You’re Mason Gray’s sister, correct?” The First Sergeant fiddled with his wrist-watch.
“I am.”
“Well… ma’am, your brother and his partner… Th-th-they went missing during their mission, twenty-four hours ago. We’ve been scouring the area as much as we could, but due to it being unfriendly territory, we had to cancel an immediate search.”
There it was. Poor Marine, he nearly had his eyes shut in anticipation.
“Wha… Oh my God…” Renee lifted her hand to her mouth, her voice cracking. “He… he’s gone?” Tears were sliding down her face, ruining the makeup she had probably devoted hours to working on.
“I’m sorry ma’am. We… don’t know for sure, but after several hours of searching without any contact from Gray, we do have to assume that he’s been compromised.” The First Sergeant was especially anxious now, he had helped the Major General choose which sniper team to send on the mission.
Renee was full on sobbing now. Her entire body was shaking, one hand covering her face and the other clenching at her side. My brother must have heard, because he poked his head around the corner. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, he walked over to the door and stood beside my sister.
“Due to the severity of the situation, along with the family arrangements, we will be sending in a team of scout snipers twice a week, for the next six weeks or until he his found. You have my sincerest condolences,” the CAO turned on a dime and hustled off. I couldn’t blame him, even though it was his job.
“I’m sorry you guys. It’s partially my fault that he was pulled away. I’ll do everything I can to make sure he’s found, but until then, all we can do is hope.” Nice one, Sarge, that TOTALLY helped.
My brother swung the door shut and wrapped an arm around my sister. “Hey, Renee, don’t worry. I’m sure that they’ll find him. He’ll be okay.”
My brother didn’t believe this though. I could see him, he was shaking almost as bad as Renee, but his face stayed blank. Renee turned to him, laying her head on his shoulder and crying.
They stood there for a long time, Renee crying and Casey trying to support her. Hell, even I was tearing up, and I was the one who was gone. It hurt so much to hear them this way, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I started sobbing, wishing that they could know I was okay, wishing that they wouldn’t feel so bad.
Before long, my vision dark and I reappeared in the Sugarcube Corner, alongside Spike and the others. The girls had varying degrees of sadness on their faces; Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie just stood silently, sadness on their faces as they thought about what happened. Applejack held her hat in her hoof and seemed to be staring off into the distance, shaking her head slowly. Fluttershy was crying quietly into her mane, facing away from everyone else. Rainbow hovered over us, slowly flapping her wings just to stay aloft. Her legs were just hanging at her sides, and she was staring at me, eyes squinted, and her mouth set in a solid line.
“Well know, wasn’t that just delightful? The tears, the sadness, the TENSION, it made me so giddy. I haven’t felt this happy in several hundred years, ever since the American Civil War.”
I turned to him and glared. It was all I could do, with tears still streaming freely down my face.
“Fuck you,” I said, and began to walk out. I heard him begin to laugh, and before I was out the door, he had faded away.
I began to run to the hospital. Matt needed to know about what had just happened, and we needed to figure out a way to get home.
I ran in the front doors, ignoring the sound of Rainbow Dash landing behind me. I blew past the receptionist, who seemed insistent on giving me shit every time I came here.
Running up the stairs and into Matt’s room, I started hastily explaining what had happened. All he did was stare at me, slowly spooning blue Jell-O into his mouth with a blank expression.
Once I finished my story, he slowly and deliberately set his Jell-O cup on his tray, and proceeded to quietly say “We’re in a hospital jackass, be more quiet. I could hear you clomping around the second you walked in.” He took a cursory glance at me, and continued to eat the food on his tray.
“That’s SERIOUSLY all you have to say? What the fuck man? We need to LEAVE!” Jesus, I was not in the mood for his bullshit.
“Guys?” Rainbow was trying to get our attention, albeit sounding a bit nervous.
“I know. And I’ve already made plans to speak with Princess Celestia.”
“Guys.”
“Who the fuck is Princess Celestia? Why does that even matter?” A stuck up princess was the last pony I wanted to meet right now.
A soft, gentle voice spoke from behind me, in the doorway. “I would be Princess Celestia, and I am the only pony who has any chance of getting you home.”